Credit: KMitchell

“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.” (Mt. 28:18-20)

This weekend we celebrate Trinity Sunday. The revelation that God is Trinity teaches us that God is not some isolate, distant force that exists apart from creation, but is a relationship of persons who loved and continue to love creation into existence. When Jesus commissions His followers to make disciples of all nations, He reveals God as Father, Son and Spirit. The mystery of the One God as a relationship of persons forms the sacred language of baptism, that moment when we are born into the life of God. As a priest, it is always a privilege to speak these words of Christ whenever I baptize. As I pour the water and invoke the name of God as Father, Son and Spirit, the Trinity comes to life in the soul of the baptized. It is a moment of creation, for in the moment of baptism, we are drawn into the life of God who is a relationship of love.

Lest we take this relationship for granted, this insight that God is Trinity is a unique moment of revelation. Karl Rahner remarks, “If God’s incomprehensibility does not draw us into his super luminous darkness, if it does not call us out of our little house of our homely, close hugged truths…we have misunderstood the words of Christianity.”

The truth of God as a Trinity is a radical idea, a profound mystery to meditate. For example, when the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus says, “Abba, Father.” Perhaps because we are so familiar with Lord’s Prayer, we are not as astonished at these words as the disciples must have been. In Aramaic, the word Abba does not simply mean Father, but is a familiar, intimate term of endearment akin to Daddy or Papa. For the Jewish people, the name of God is sacred and thus is seldom spoken or written, lest it be dishonored or used irrelevantly. For this reason, the authors of the Old Testament employ various circumlocutions for the name of God, which are translated as “Lord” or “Almighty.” When Jesus calls God “Abba,” it is a shocking moment of revelation: God wants us to relate to Him not only as the Almighty creator of heaven and earth, but also as a loving father does to his child.

credit: KMitchell

But the surprise does not end there. For we are invited to share in this dynamic love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as St. Paul says to the Romans, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as son, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ ” (Rom. 8:14-16). It is the Holy Spirit within us who enables us to live as children of God. Having experienced the fire of the Holy Spirit last week at Pentecost, on this Trinity Sunday, we are each empowered to live as a member of God’s family. So let’s live it. Set aside a moment this week to reconnect with the Trinity. Gather together as a family or take a quiet personal minute. At the beginning of the day, before a meal, or at our bedside, slowly and peacefully embrace the comfort and strength of Trinity as we pray Our Father…

~ Fr. Michael Hurley, O.P.