[The following homily was given on Trinity Sunday and on the occasion of the 125th Anniversary of the Dominican Congregation of St. Catherine de'Ricci at the Dominican Retreat House in McLean on May 22.]
The story is told about a preacher and the reaction of two of his parishioners to his sermon. He preached eloquently on the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, explaining how the Son processes from the Father and how the Holy Spirit processes from both the Father and the Son. He went on at some length in lofty theological language. At the end of Mass, two parishioners exiting the church were heard to ask: “Now, tell me, when did Father say that the procession would begin?”
Yes " the reality we celebrate in the Liturgy today is profound: the central mystery of the Christian Faith: One God within Whom there is a Community of Three Persons, the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it: “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in Himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith " the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the 'hierarchy of the truths of faith.' (No. 234) " God alone can make it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (No. 261).
This revelation is rooted in Sacred Scripture; today's readings, taken together, point clearly to this fundamental mystery of the Christian faith: the Most Holy Trinity.
Yes, the mystery of the Trinity is profound. Yet, since it is the central mystery of our faith, there must be some connection between the Trinity and our lives as believers; this profound reality must enrich our lives here and now in some practical ways.
I offer one concrete connection, one practical application. We say that the Trinity means: One God within Whom there is a Community of Three Persons. We say that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God and that the baptized share explicitly in the very life of the Triune God. So, the Trinity is the model for us: the Trinity reveals how we are to be and to live as the People of God, as the Church. In fact, in the opening lines of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Church, we read: “The Universal Church is seen to be 'a people brought into unity from the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.'”
The Church is the Presence of Christ in this world, Christ who reveals the Father and who remains with us through the Holy Spirit. The Church forms the Presence of the Holy One as it journeys through history: making concrete in the world the words of today's first reading: “Do come along in our company, Lord.”
The Church is the Presence of Christ, seeking, in the words of today's second reading to reconcile: “mend your ways,” to give life: “encourage one another,” and to unify: “agree with one another, live in peace.”
The Church the Presence of Christ, inviting people to come to the Savior, to the Son of God sent, in the words of today's Gospel, “that everyone who believes in him may not perish but might have eternal life.”
The Church as the Presence of Christ is a People " the People of God, you and I with all our sisters and brothers. The ideal for this People is clear, but the lived experience of this People is not so clear. The Church is not yet that Community fully revealing the Community that is the Trinity, the Community marked by mutual love and unity with harmony and peace. So the Church is always in a process of being reformed, renewed and transformed.
Groups within the Church strive to make that community called the Most Holy Trinity more tangible and visible in their particular ways of life, thus participating actively in the renewal and transformation of the Church. From these smaller groups, seeking to model more clearly, but never perfectly, the Trinitarian Community, the Universal Church becomes ever more a reflection of that Community called Trinity. This is the privileged challenge for each diocese or local church, for each parish and for each family with the parish " “the domestic Church”, for each religious congregation or institute.
For the remainder of the homily, click here.
