True story: Early in my ministry, when my girls were young, I left work long enough to drop in for dinner with my family, knowing that I had to be quick in order to head back for the evening classes. In this brief encounter, I don’t remember the particulars, but my husband and I had a disagreement, and I had “words” with my oldest before we even got to the table. When, while eating, something happened, and my youngest burst into tears, I had a moment of clarity. I saw the idiocy of the situation and the real power of words, mood, and atmosphere over those around me. In that moment, I burst into laughter and said, “Well, I see my work here is done! I’ve made you all miserable. Now, I might as well head back to work!” It took a moment, but we all ended up laughing. I apologized, affirmed my love for them all, and apologized again; the mood instantly lightened, and our evening went on as planned. In the span of thirty minutes, we had all learned a powerful lesson about our “connectedness” and our impacts on others—me most of all! This idea of connections with others comes to mind when I think of the Trinity.
On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, each of our readings (Exodus 34:4b–6, 8–9; 2 Corinthians 13:11–13; and John 3:16–18) mentions some Person(s) or aspect of the Trinity. Since we understand the Holy Spirit to be the very embodiment of the eternal, mutual love shared between the Father and the Son, what stands out is this idea of total communion (unity) of these Persons. Bound together in this special relationship, we proclaim that we believe in one God. Further, flowing from that understanding, the first lines of our Gospel, where we hear, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,” take on a totally different meaning. Our belief in One Trinitarian God means that all three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) were on the cross! The cross, then, is a sign—not of a maniacal father sacrificing his son, but of our God (in the Person of Jesus, fully human and fully divine, all of the One, True God) in an act of sacrificial love for humankind.
So, how do we honor and share in this love? St. Paul, in our second reading, tells us to “mend [our] ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you” (emphasis added). God’s divine love naturally overflows—or is “poured out”—into the world, inviting humanity to share in the very life of the Trinity, but we need to do our part. As I learned from my family situation, we need to quash the crabbiness and negativity that can bring people to tears, choosing love and peace instead. With the Trinity in mind, we ask ourselves, “How am I spreading love, peace, and unity?”
