Trinity Sunday
Feast of the Holy Trinity, May 26, 2013
Proverbs 8:22-31 Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
2nd reading from Romans
Brothers and sisters: Therefore, since we have been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we
have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in
hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing
that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven
character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been
poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
The word
of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Alleluia,
alleluia.
A reading
from the holy Gospel according to John
Glory to you, Lord.
Jesus said to his
disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But
when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you to all truth. He will not
speak on his own, but He will speak what He hears, and will declare to you the
things that are coming. He will glorify me, because He will take from what is
mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this
reason I told you that He will take from what is mine and declare it to
you."
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
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Introduction
Memorial Day
Tomorrow
is Memorial Day. For many of us it’s an eagerly anticipated three day weekend
when we, freed finally from the austerity of winter, head for city parks to
celebrate. In the nation’s history, however, Memorial Day is much more than that. The
more senior citizens among us remember the Memorial Day parades which marched
through town and ended up in the town’s cemetery. There city officials on a
platform gave speeches about how glorious it was to die for your country. Then to
enhance the solemn feeling of the occasion living soldiers shot over the graves
of dead soldiers. Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day; it was the day
people decorated the graves of their beloved dead, especially the graves of
fallen soldiers.
Trinity: the only feast that celebrates a doctrine
The Church’s liturgical cycle begins with the Father sending his Son in the Advent-Christmas season. It
continues with the Son returning to the Father in the Easter-Ascension season.
The cycle peaks with the Father and the Son sending the Holy Spirit on the feast of Pentecost (last Sunday). So the theological feast of Trinity (of
Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is well positioned here at the end of the liturgical
cycle. Feasts like Christmas and Easter
celebrate an event. The Feast of the Trinity, however, is the only feast of the
church year that celebrates not an event but a doctrine.
Theology:
man’s attempt to fathom God
On the one hand, God is mystery; that is to
say, God is more than the human mind can fathom. On the other hand, theology is
man’s attempt to fathom God. So there is Jewish theology, Islamic theology and
Christian theology - the attempt of Jews, Muslims and Christians to fathom God.
There is, however, a
tension between mystery and theology. On the one hand, mystery says God cannot be
fathomed. On the other hand, theology says that might be true, but let’s try
anyway.
In the 13th century St. Thomas Aquinas (the Church’s most renowned
theologian) wrote volume after volume of theology. But at the sunset of his
life, he looked upon his pretentious Summa
Theologica and exclaimed: “Nihil est!"
“It is nothing!” And the Protestant theologian Karl Barth (1886 –1968) spoke
of God as totaliter aliter, as “totally
other” than what we think, say or write about Him. Then he proceeded to write
volume after volume about the ineffable God. And he, too, at the sunset of his
life, looked upon his pretentious writings and quipped: "The angels are
laughing at old Karl Barth.”
A war over the Trinity!
In the 11th century there raged a great theological
dispute over the Trinity. Theologians of the Western Church claimed that Holy
Spirit proceeds equally immediately
from the Father and the Son. But theologians of the Eastern
Church claimed that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son. In 1054 that silly
dispute resulted in a definitive break which tore the seamless robe of Christ
into two pieces: the Western Church (Rome) and the Eastern Orthodox Church. To
this very day the two are not in communion with each other. Imagine! A war over
the Trinity--that family of Father, Son and Holy Spirit who are always in
loving communion with each other!
The one who loves knows
God.
In his first letter John writes, “The one who loves is a child of God, and
knows God. The one who
does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (I Jn. 4:7-8). Who is the
one who knows God? Is it the one who professes that the Holy Spirit proceeds equally immediately from the Father and
the Son? Or is it the one who professes that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the
Father through the Son?” It is
neither! It is the one who loves who knows God.
A hateful Reverend
Matt Shepard, a gay student from the University of
Wyoming, was beaten to a pulp by two skinheads and was tied to a wooden fence
out in the country. There he died soaked in his blood and tears. At Shepard’s
funeral the Reverend Phelps, filled with a `religious hate,’ demonstrated with
a sign that read, “God hates fags and buries them in hell! Rom. 3:13” Phelps quotes the Bible and even recites the Nicene
Creed which confesses that “the Holy Spirit proceeds equally immediately from
the Father and the Son.” But the poor
reverend doesn’t know God, for “The one who does not love [but hates] does not
know God, for God is love” (I Jn. 4:8).
A loving Samaritan
One
day a man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho and was waylaid by robbers who
beat him to a pulp and left him half-dead. Along came a Jewish priest who had a
doctorate in theology from the University of Jerusalem. He was hurrying to
deliver a paper at the Theological Seminary in Jericho. With a ton of theology
in his head but not an ounce of love and compassion in his heart he glanced at
the poor man lying there and passed him by. Then along came a Samaritan who (in
Jewish eyes) didn’t know the one true God. He was an infidel and heretic
because he worshipped God on Mt. Gerizim instead of in the Temple in Jerusalem.
(Jn. 4:20) What’s more, back in Jerusalem this Samaritan had a reputation for
being a rounder. But he also was known for having a very generous and kind
heart. When he came upon the poor man dying by the wayside, he slammed on the
breaks of his busyness and stopped to pour the oil of compassion into the poor
man’s wounds. Then he hoisted him unto his beast of burden and hurried him off
to the nearest inn where he provided for his care and cure. (Luke 10:25-37)
Now which of the two knew God? Certainly
not the Jewish priest who had a ton of theology in his head but not an ounce of
love in his heart, for Scripture says, “The one who does not love does not know
God, for God is love” (I Jn. 4:8). It was the Samaritan (rounder though he
might be) who knew God, for Scripture says, “The one who loves is a child of
God and knows God.” (I Jn. 4:7).
A loving CEO
Jewish
Aaron Fuerenstein was the CEO of a fabric mill in Methuen, Mass. which burned
down some years ago just before Christmas He didn’t take the insurance money
and run. Instead, he held on to all his 2000 employees (the majority of them
Christians), gave them all a Christmas bonus and kept paying their health
insurance and weekly salaries until the mill was rebuilt. This modern-day saint who is still in the Old Testament
quotes his prophet Micah who calls him "to act justly, with loving
kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God." (Micah 6:8) Aaron Fuerenstein never
ever heard about “the procession of the Holy Spirit equally immediately from
the Father and the Son.” But he does, indeed, know God, for “the one who loves
is a child of God and knows God” (I Jn.4:7).
A loving Pope
Journalist Pino Corrias
writes that the surprising greatness of Pope Francis lies in a lot of little
things. Like his ability to say, “Brothers and sisters, good evening!” Like his
wearing an iron cross instead of a gold one. Like his washing the feet of
prisoners on Holy Thursday.
Pope Francis looked at him again with kindness, went back to his apartment and soon
returned carrying a chair. Then Frances said to the guard: "At least sit
down and rest." The guard rolled his eyes and answered: “Santo Padre,
forgive me, but I may not! The regulations don’t allow that." The Pope
smiled, "Oh, really? Well, I'm the Pope and I order you to sit down."
Francis returned to his
apartment. After a couple of minutes, he came back to the Swiss Guard who was
still obediently seated on the chair. Pope Francis was carrying a `panino con marmallata’
(a little Italian bread roll spread with jam) which the Pope had prepared for
the guard. Before the guard could say anything, the Holy Father, exhibiting his
Argentinean smile, wished the Swiss Guard "Buon appetito."
Conclusion
Who loves knows God
On Trinity Sunday we recite the creed with
its profession of belief in `Three Persons in one God.’ And it must be admitted
that we really don’t know what the words means. And that’s OK, for as long as we strive
to be loving human beings, like the Good Samaritan or the Jewish CEO or Good Pope
Francis, we do, indeed, know God, for “the one who loves is a child of God and knows God.” (I Jn. 4:7)
