The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity A
Many
years ago,
a
few fellows were gathered in a London coffee shop
watching
wealthy theater-goers
get
into their luxury cars and head home for the night.
They
got to talking about equality.
“All
men are born free and equal,” said an American in the group.
“That’s
only talk,” said an English workingman.
“Some
are born millionaires, others in the poorhouse.”
“and
some are born with good brains and good health,
while
others simply aren’t.”
“We’ll
only be equal when we’re all dead,”
said an ever-optimistic Russian.
said an ever-optimistic Russian.
The
shop owner turned to an elderly man
carrying
a bundle of newspapers and asked,
“What
do you think?”
“I
think we’re all equal in the sight of God,” he answered.
Which
is when he pulled a handful of pennies from his pocket.
“See
these here pennies,” he said.
“Some
are shiny and some are dull,
but
they’re all worth exactly the same.
And
they’re all stamped with the image of the king.”
Today
the Church celebrates
the
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
For
some, their notion of the Blessed Trinity
is
pretty basic and drawn from pictures on old holy cards:
a
bearded old man, his handsome son seated to his right,
and
a glowing white bird hovering between them.
On
the other hand, speak to a theologian about the Holy Trinity,
and
they’ll make your head spin with talk
appropriation
and perichoresis.
(And
you thought adding “consubstantial” to the Creed was bad!)
From
art to academics,
from
the Church’s most stately and solemn liturgies
to the homey scene of a dad
to the homey scene of a dad
leading
his family in grace before a meal—
it’s
only right that we put such emphasis
on
the God who has revealed himself
as
perfectly One and distinctly Three,
doing
nearly everything “in the name of the Father
But
for all the attention we properly owe to God,
what
is just as remarkable—maybe even more so—
is
all the attention God gives to us.
For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who
believes in him
might not perish but might
have eternal life.
We
have value—untold, immeasurable worth—
because
the King of heaven and earth
has
imprinted his own image on each one of us.
Since
1334, the feast of the Most Holy Trinity
has
been observed throughout the Roman Catholic Church
on
the Sunday after Pentecost
(although,
in many places, it was already being celebrated
for
centuries before that.)
But
while that’s the case here in the West,
much
of Eastern Christianity
reserves
this Sunday following Pentecost
for
the feast of All Saints.
Putting
these two observances side-by-side
brings
something important to light:
while half
of the Church rejoices
in
the mystery of the all-holy God,
the other half rejoices in
the mystery
that God calls us all to be holy—
that God calls us all to be holy—
calls
us all to be saints.
Holiness
is about polishing the penny that is the human soul—
about
uncovering its immense worth
Now,
that’s not to say it’s about personal achievement—
what
we can accomplish ourselves.
Being
God-like, being holy, being a saint,
is beyond
our ability and beyond our strength.
Holiness
is a gift: it’s grace;
it’s
a matter of divine mercy much more than human merit.
That
the three Persons of the Holy Trinity
long
for us all to be saints
is about
allowing the great King’s image to shine through.
Do
I know God well enough to be sure
that
others can come to know him through me?
For
I must know God to love him,
and
I must know God to make him known.
As
today we celebrate our faith
in
the mystery of the Triune God,
resolve
anew to give the Lord
the
love and attention he deserves,
aware
of all the tender love and attention
God
is always lavishing on you.
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