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Do You Know Who God Is?

Blessed Trinity Sunday

June 7th, 2009

Gospel
Mt 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

It must be obvious that we touch, in the feast of the Blessed Trinity, on a mystery, a secret, a riddle, a drama, God’s inner life.  As soon as you start to understand a person – any person, even yourself – you bump into that same type of mystery.  Do you understand yourself?  Can you explain yourself to someone else?  Is there any mother or father who really understands his or her daughter or son?  Who can fathom the human heart?  Who can understand the human mind?  Who can measure the complexities of his or hers emotions?  NO ONE.  Who would be able to know God?  Not one human being in this world.  NO ONE.

We commemorate the fact that God, though alone – because God is only one – is not alone, because God is three.  That is very difficult to understand.  In fact, I would not be able to explain it, because we really do not know that much about God.  Most often we think we do because of what is revealed in scripture and taught down through the ages by tradition.  Think about it.  It’s frightening, especially in this case, where the unknown other one, God, have power over life and death.  Power over the standing of the trees and their falling down; power over thunder and lighting; power over storms and rains; power over the moon and the stars; power over the animals and all that lives.

And yet, there is a simplicity about this gospel reading.  The gospels are meant to enable us to better understand God in his three natures so that we can understand what it is, or rather how it is we are to live our lives.  Contrary to popular belief sometimes, God’s agenda is to be lived before our own.  Over the years I have heard people, as I am sure you have heard, as well intentioned as they might be, somehow believe that they live in an “I” world with an “I” or “My” mentality.  “I’ll do this when I want to.  I’ll love my spouse and children when I feel like it.  It’s my life and I’ll live it my way and it’s nobody’s business how I live that life.  If I want to hold a grudge I will.  If this is the agenda we want to choose, we had better not plan on making the journey to God’s Kingdom.”

Have you ever notice that we are the ones who place the individualness on the Trinity?  It is true that the Father is the Father of creation;  the Son, the Saviour of humankind;  the Spirit, the protector of the now times.  And all the while they are the same God, the same oneness, the same unity, and the same love of us all.  There is a connectiveness that expresses their individual roles and yet their oneness as God.

It is that oneness, that connectiveness, that unity, the gospel suggest that we reflect upon.  Certainly not an “I” mentality.  Looking at the world around us today, we could easily be discouraged by the brokenness, the aloneness, the depression, the disregard for the poor and the disadvantaged, the homeless, the single parent families, and the disrespect for human life, especially in this country of ours today.  These are the realities that we don’t want to live with.  It’s hard to face.  It hurts.  At times we often don’t think that our prayers are being heard.  And yet, at the same time, we have always been surrounded by the presence of God, God the Father, who has made known to us His Son;  the Son, who promised us a Paraclete or Protector, who would allow us to perform even greater miracles than we could imagine.

We are graced with the totality of God, whatever the reason.  But God, The Blessed Trinity, will always be a God of compassion and love.  The beautiful work of God is that He works within us that we might explore and generate His love for all the lives that we touch, hoping that we risk to touch all of those broken lives.

The road, the journey toward eternal life is not without its cobblestones.  It does not always stay the wide path;  but we have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;  we have the Blessed Trinity, that as we continue to serve one another, we have the vision of love that knows no empty road.  Oh yes, being labeled extremists and possibly being persecuted for expressing our Christian morals and values, we must remember, that this is God’s earth.  It does not belong to any one person, any one government, any one country, and especially anyone who would want to put his or herself above God.  So, if those folks are offended, well I just say:  “Get over it. It’s God’s world, not yours, and He will do with it as He plans.”             

© Deacon Steve A. Politte

June 6^th, 2oo9