Trinity Sunday (2021-05-30, Sunday)

 

Homily – May 30, 2021 -- Trinity Sunday

[__01__]   Once, many years ago, I found myself in the embar sitn of being locked in a room in my apt  & needed someone to call 9-1-1 to free my from my confined space.  This took about 2 hours !

          I was not hurt.

          I even made it to work on time.

          I was very grateful to the fire Department (F.D.) /  firefighters (F.F.) who climbed into the apt, through the window of another room, then through the door & freed we liberated me.  I made it to work on time because I rushed out of there. I recall the FF / FD / PD made me sign the official release – R. M. A. – that I “refused medical attention” which I did because I was both not hurt and not having time to spare.

 I was rescued but I really didn’t know my rescuers

Thank you Hoboken F.D.

[__02_]   In the doctrine of the Resurrexn combined with the Holy Trinity – and today is Trinity Sunday – we are being invited to know our Redeemer, , and that he He does not just stop in once in a while or when we call Him. He is every present. He is eternal.

          We know that our Redeemer lives.

[__03__]    And, so in Christian teaching and in making the Sign of the Cross – which is “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit …” whether we are age 5 years old, or A-55-YO, or A-105-YO, this reminds us that we have a Savior who wants us to love him and to know him.

          The sign of the cross is not just the beginning and ending of prayer. It is itself a prayer.

          From Catholic Answers: “Not all prayers are made with words. Prayers may also be made by gestures. Christians, like followers of all other religions, practically always pray by the position of the body—say, kneeling or standing—and of the arms and hands—for example, praying with hands outstretched or folded in front. Because we are both body and soul (a human being is not one or the other; a human being is both! We are not angels or simply spirits), we pray with both.”

          The sign of the cross engages us not only in word but also in action to love God and to know God.

          To know Him is to love Him.

[__04__]   In the case of my rescure by the F.D., the F.D. was not really concerned about whether I would like them or evaluate highly

on social media (there was no social media back then) or whether I would even be trapped again.

They would be glad to return.. All they wanted from me – after the rescue was signature in pen on paper. I certainly felt their concern for my safety, but once they knew I was OK, we all  moved on to the next thing… they had other calls.

          In the end, these valiant 1^st Responders also did not want to make me one of them. They were far beyond me – and still are – in strength and capability, and had other people to assist.

 

 [__05__]  In the doctrine of the Trinity, we see not only that  the F, S, H.S. want to rescue us … and that Jesus lays down his life for us, but  but also that Jesus wants to resemble Him, to respond to Him …. To behave as he does…. And this is not just a matter of us “signing on the dotted line”  or “checking a box to approve.”

          Jesus invites us to do as he does – to recall that that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John __ref?__)

 

[__06__]  Jesus wants us to share in his NATURE.

          And, the word “NATURE” has an important meaning in our understanding of the Holy Trinity.

          In the Trinity, we say that there are 3 persons – the Father, Son, Holy Spirit in 1 divine nature.

          Now, we might use certain analogies or examples say that there have been instances of human beings being super united and bonded ..

          Such as in the 2019 World Cup in Soccer, the USA women’s world cup were united and triumphant in victory.

          On the day of 9/11/2001, the firefighters at the World Trade Center were profoundly united in one purpose and goal of rescue, even knowing themselves that they might not survive. It was in their nature.

[__07__]   And, while these experiences are real, they suggest hat something extraordinary – or worthy of the 24-hour-cable-news must happen for us to be united in a similar way.

          The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is showing us something that applies to all of us, all the of time, also 24 hours a day.

          The doctrine of the Trinity is showing us something about our eternal destiny and our eternal dignity and equality.

[__08__]    One of the things we might struggle to understand about the Trinity – or about God – is how the Father , Son and Holy Spirit can have neither a beginning nor an end. We say that they are all co-eternal.

          They exist outside of time.

          Every object we know exists “in time”.  This past week, there was major news that Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, is stepping down as CEO and handing over this responsibility to another executive. Jeff Bezos is emphasizing that Amazon will continue even if he is not in charge.

          He might be suggesting that Amazon is “eternal”…and given how dependent we all are on AMZN, it might be hard to imagine the world before AMZN or a world without AMZN.

          But, in fact, everything has a beginning and an end, even AMZN.

Google, on the other hand, might last forever ! (that’s a joke).

[__09__]     So, we know that things and companies and objects have a beginning and end because that’s what we know.

          So, we say for example that a parent must be on earth before a child can be on earth because the parents give birth to children.

          Then again, while children rely on their parents for physical birth – the child also exists “before“ the parent… as we read in Jeremiah (Psalm 139?) , “before I formed you  in the womb I knew you…”

          We have an eternal soul that existed even before were born.

          Also, could we not say that “parent” and “child”  share their existence in this way… in that the mother does not exist until the child exists …. a mother does not exist as a mother until the child exists.

          And, this starts even before the child is born.

          In this, regard, both “mother and child”  or “father and child” come into existence simultaneously.

[__10__]     And, for those of you who are parents, have you not experienced a new life that did not exist before your child was born…a  new life that begin with your motherhood or fatherhood?

          Also, looking ahead at the time horizon, you never stop being a mother or a father, regardless of the age of your child, or if you are separated from your child by time, distance, circumstance, or even death and dying. You still have a responsibility to pray for your child.

          And, similarly, a child never ceases to be the daughter or son of a parent.

          We are connected to each other.

          It’s not just the CDC and pandemic that taught us “we are in this together”.

          It is the Christian life and Trinity teaches us this.

[__11__]     And, the doctrine of the Trinity also reminds us that God does not exist in Himself in a luxury suite or space station far from your house or my house, but rather God exists as a community – a communion – of 3 persons and God loves Himself infinitely and because there is more than 1, he lives and loves as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

His live is infinitely given, infitnely received and also infinitely shared with us.

In this regard, our Holy Communion – whether this is our First Holy Communion or our Next Holy Communion does not begin with the Body of Christ on the altar or as we approach to receive the Host,  but begins when we recognize that God wants us to know him …. And not just to have him stop in for a 9-1-1 rescue once in a while and then leave us alone again, but wants to know we are loved and made … “in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit”. AMEN.

[__fin__]