By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
v16The eleven disciples went to the hill in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go. v17When they saw him, they worshiped him, even though some of them doubted. v18Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. v19Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, v20and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:16-20
This Sunday is the first in the month of June which is also the first after Pentecost Sunday. It is Holy Trinity Sunday in the church liturgical calendar. The gospel lesson which is also known as the Great Commission, recalls to us the missionary essence of the church and the mention of God’s revelation of Himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This understanding about God and His mission are inseparable as seen in the life and work of the church through history. Where the Christian faith is proclaimed, the holy mystery of the Trinity is always there. The word Trinity never appears in the Bible. Yet, in passages like our reading from the Great Commission in Matthew’s Gospel, we read of baptizing new followers of Jesus in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We read a different Trinitarian formulation in Second Corinthians, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” ( 2 Corinthians 13:14)
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While we are now in the relaxed yet guarded status relative to the COVID19 virus, the numbers in the daily monitor on the pandemic is alarming. New variants are mutating and there is a terrifying forecast of resurgence in China with millions of infections similar to the beginning of the plague more than two years ago. As we brace ourselves to this terrifying scenario, we can see the message of the Holy Trinity speaking to us in the face of this mutating virus. The Rt. Rev. Frank Logue, Bishop of Georgia observes that, ‘in this time of pandemic, grasping the essence of the nature of God is urgent and important. How might an abstract-sounding church doctrine matter now? We find in scripture and the teaching of the Church that the nature of God is an essential connectedness. This communion within God’s own self gives us a glimpse into the very heart of God – and, knowing that a deep connectedness describes well the universe in which we live, speaks to the longings in our own hearts as we are separated from others’ (as health protocol declare isolation of infected persons to prevent transmission of the virus).
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If we are being candid about the interconnectedness of creation, we must acknowledge that woven within the tapestry are not just people and animals, but bacteria and viruses. Rather than accidents, they are part of the created order which give rise not just to pain and suffering, but also a world where generosity, kindness, and self-sacrificial love are possible. In this time of physical distancing to stop the spread of the virus, we are discovering more about how deep our human longing is for community. Christian mystics affirm the essential oneness they see revealed running through all that is. Those same mystics describe the love that is shot through all creation. And that love brings a loving response from us if we open ourselves to it. While we were for many months unable to gather face to face in worship, the essential truth of God as revealed in the Holy Trinity is all the more urgent in our present moment. We are connected deeply to all creation. That is the essential reality the Trinity helps us to understand.
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We also live in a society with great divisions, and we all know of people who are alone in a time of despair and anxiety. The love we are created to show then must find expression in our reaching out to others in the ways available to us. This is not something we do to earn the favor of the Holy Trinity. Instead, staying in contact with others is part of how God blesses us, letting us be a conduit of grace to those we call, write, and meet with online. Early Christians put the practices of faith ahead of trying to be precise about what they meant when referring to God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We, too, can prioritize practices of faith and let our understanding catch up later. The real grace in our understanding of the Holy Trinity is that it shows us that none of what we want to do for others relies on us alone – for the Holy Spirit will work through the imperfect words and actions to connect us to other people and more fully to our Triune God.
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The feast of the Holy Trinity reminds us of a simple truth which we often forget – God’s plant is that we share in His life of glory. By our baptism we re raised to a level at which we become sharers in the family life of God. We are born of God the Father, God the Son becomes our brother and the love of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. This revelation of his inner life of three persons, in which we have a share, is one of God’s greatest gifts to us and its model towards which all of us should aim and strive. Jesus reveals the mystery of the Holy Trinity to us, not just to let us know the truth about God, but also to know the truth about ourselves – as to what is our origin, where is our destiny and how we can arrive at that final point. We only exist, and the world only exists, because God gives life. He is Father who looks upon us as his children and is closer to us than we to ourselves. Everyday is a day to love the Father, Son and Holy Spirit so we should strive to make the Holy Trinity a more practical part of our lives. Love is binding force of the three persons of the Trinity; who when we love – and the more is demanded this time of trying times of pandemic – we share in that community of love which is the living God.
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This celebration of the abundance of God’s love is an occasion for appreciating what God has done and continues to do for us. It calls on us to respond to the love of God, poured into our hearts by Christ and the Holy Spirit, and invites us to look forward to the day when we shall share in the glory of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!
Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Mystery to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal gory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, Trinity Sunday Collect).
