trinity

Today we turn our gaze toward the Blessed Trinity as we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. As we turn our gaze turn the mystery of God himself, this eternal exchange of love of the Father, Son, and HOly Spirit, we must remember that the Trinity is a lot like the Ocean.

We cannot wrap arms around the ocean. IT is too vast, to deep, too wide. But as for the Ocean, we can simply enter into it. We can get wet; we can experience the Ocean on many different levels.

Such it is with the Most HOly Trinity. We cannot wrap our arms around the Trinity, this exchange of love for all eternity. This mystery of Three persons yet one God, all equal, all persons, all divine. IT is too vast, too deep, too wide and we cannot wrap our arms around it. We cannot wrap our minds around it. But we can simply enter into it.

In fact our entire life is fully immersed in the Most Holy Trinity.

Our life of faith begins as the water is poured upon our foreheads and the invocation of the Blessed Trinity is pronounce: I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. At the end of our Life the same Blessed Trinity is invoked as we lay in our death bed preparing for arrival in heaven and the priest says the words of commendation: Go forth Christian soul from this world to God the Father who created you, God to Son who redeemed you, God the Holy SPirit who sanctified you, Go forth Christian soul...

The Trinity is the book ends of our life on earth and the fulfillment of our life in heaven.

And while we are on earth working out our salvation, the Blessed Trinity is invoked at all the important stops of our life:

In moments of weakness, where sin grabs hold we go to confession and the priest says those words that set us free and strengthen us for the journey: God the Father of mercy as reconciled the world to himself by the death and resurrection of his son, he has sent the HOly Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sin, by the ministry of his church may he give you pardon and peace and I absolve you of all of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy SPirit.

In moments of sickness, when the body's weakness lays claim to the strength of God, in the sacrament of the sick, again the invocation of the blessed Trinity brings forth the healing hand of that communal exchange of love: May the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the HOly SPirit, may the lord who frees you form sin, save you and raise you up...May God the Father bless you, God the SOn heal you and GOd the Holy SPirit enlighten you. amen.

At confirmation when we are sealed with the Power of the Holy Spirit again the Blessed Trinity is called upon to fill our lives and make them holy: Let us pray to our Father that he will pour out the Holy SPirit to strengthen his sons and daughters with his gifts and anoint them to be more like Christ the Son of God.

In Holy Orders when the priest is ordained is by the Power of the Blessed Trinity is is invited to offer the sacrifice of Christ in the Spirit for the sanctification of the People of God.

At marriage when and husband and wife exchange the rings and enter into the vocation of the gift of married love they seal their vows with these words: Take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Sprit. Amen.

Every time we begin our time of prayer, our time to converse with God we make the sign of the cross recognizing the reality of God as the one we seek to hear from and listen to. We lean our ears to heaven for a word of strength as we cry from earth longing for consolation. In moments of need, in moments of gratitude, in moments of confusion, we fall upon our knees and we invoke the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

When we gather as a community on Sundays to honor the day of the Lord, to keep holy and enter into God's rest in worship, we begin the celebration by the sign of the Cross-in the name of the Father and of the SOn and of the Holy Spirit- and after we have experienced heaven on earth in the Eucharistic celebration we set out into the world with the Blessing of Almighty God-Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy SPirit. AMen.

Our entire life is an invitation to not so much understand the Trinity but to enter in the life of the most Holy Trinity, to live the Power of the Trinity in our daily life.

And each time we invoke the Blessed Trinity we are called to live who God is from all eternity:

* a unity in distinction: God is one yet he is distinct; the difference of the persons of the Blessed Trinity are the same in love. We are called to mirror that reality in our life. Despite our many difference as a people of God we are called to be the same in love. It is what we have in common that binds us and holds us together and makes our differences a source of grace for all.

* we are called to rejoice in the goodness of the other. In the Most Holy Trinity the three persons of God rejoice in the goodness of each other. So to we are called to rejoice in the goodness of those around us. Not to be nit picking but to truly see with eyes of faith and reach forth with hands of love.

*The Persons of the Trinity speak well of one another. They have a common goal of salvation and love and they collaborate in making that mission a reality. Their entire life is directed toward honor and praise of the other. They seek to glorify one another.

*They give themselves fully for each other. They hold nothing back for themselves. There is no selfishness in the Most Holy Trinity; they are single minded in the gift they give to each other

* In the Most Holy Trinity we discover the perfect fulfillment of the command: love thy neighbor as thy self. Only in God for all eternity is this lived reality perfected and complete.

Here in the Most Holy Trinity we encounter what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God. The image and likeness of God is about how we relate to one another, how we live out that communal exchange of love with one another. Only together can we truly begin to understand the foundation of our lives built upon the communal exchange of life and love revealed in the Most Holy Trinity.

The Trinity is the most relevant aspect of our faith. Only there do we truly discover how to live the life we have received in love. God has spoken. He has revealed himself from all eternty. He invites us to enter in and live who we are called to be in his image and likeness with one another.

May we enter in with every sign of the cross we make and remember who we are, where we come from, and where we are headed.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the Highest!