The Most Holy Trinity - Fr. Henry Makawa
May 25, 2024 - 5:00 PM
Audio Recording
HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE HOLY TRINITY
THREE PERSONS AND ONE GOD
When I was preparing this homily I remembered what my school days looked like. I have vivid memories of the long trek we had to make to get to school, which was typically 4 to 5 miles away, very challenging, required us to set out very early in the morning without breakfast at it was a luxury to most families, including my own. The distance and lack of resources caused many to drop out. The situation got worse during the rainy season, roads turned muddy and rivers swelled up, making them difficult to cross. The scorching heat of summer made the journey even more gruelling. My first instinct after school everyday was to rush home. I longed to get connected with my mother, it was a connection that I sorely missed while I was at school. The other thing that made rush after school was to eat the lunch my mother had hopefully prepared for me. Upon arriving home, I would make it straight to the kitchen, eagerly searching for any signs that my mother had cooked something for me, If not, I would get angry at her, you know being a child I could not understand what she was going through. Despite my love for my mother and the need for connection, I sometimes doubted her abilities and questioned her decisions. I now realize that I lacked a full understanding of her struggles and sacrifices. It was a lesson I learned over time, as I came to appreciate the unwavering support and love that my mother always showed me.
We all want to be connected, to have friends and build friendships, to love and be loved. Almost all of have grappled with understanding who God is to us, we have gone through challenging and difficult situations, which have made us to question the love and presence of our God. Towing the lines further, the concept of the Triune God challenges our human understanding of God's nature. Some have doubted and questioned this belief, our monotheistic belief is challenged too and questioned by others (Muslems). The solemnity of the Holy Trinity invites us to contemplate the mystery of the divine unity and connection within the Trinity and to defend this belief. This truth about the nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit serves as a cornerstone of our belief and a source of spiritual reflection.
The solemnity of the most Holy Trinity originated in the early church because of the advent of heresies especially the Arian Heresy (a Christian doctrine that denies the divinity of Christ) this feast gives the Church a moment to explain and celebrate its own traditions. In 4th century, the early church created an Office of Prayer with canticles, responses, preface, and hymns for Sundays to proclaim the Holy Trinity. Pope John XXII instituted the celebration as a feast for the entire Church; the celebration became a solemnity after the liturgical reforms of Vatican II. As Catholics, we profess this belief everyday during Eucharistic celebration
The solemnity informs us that, despite being three separate persons, each of them is fully God in their own right. The Father who is the Creator, the Son who is the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit who is the Sanctifier and the Counsellor. The three persons are co-equal and co-eternal, meaning that, they share the same divine nature and attributes. This divine relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can be likened to the happiest of families, bound together by unbreakable bond of love. The Father's love for the Son and the Son's love for the Father is so profound that it is described as the Holy Spirit, embodying the essence of their mutual affection. This unity in essence and equality in status, make them deserving of the same level of worship, trust, and obedience.
God created us in order for us to experience this connection, love, sharing and union with him. His invitation is understood through the first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses spoke to the people about their great privilege to have been called and chosen as the holy people of God, as the ones whom God had first made to be His own people, to be loved and cared for by Him. God is Love, and He is so full of love that He invites us to share this love with each other. We were created so that we may share in God’s love and get connected with Him lacking nothing. More importantly to profess our the triune God with faith.
In the second reading, St Paul is in Rome, he speaks of how every one of them has become and been made to be children of God, through His Spirit and by His Son sharing in our human nature and existence. All of us have received this adoption by becoming members and parts of the Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that just as Christ Our Lord called God the Father as His Heavenly Father, thus we are able to call the Lord our God “Abba” (Father). This is what all of us have received from the Lord Himself, showing us just how loving and compassionate He is, and how fortunate all of us indeed are, to have been beloved in such a way.
Today’s solemnity through the gospel, reminds us of our responsibility as Christians through the Great Commission; to go forth to all the peoples and all the nations, so that everyone from all the nations may receive the Good News of God, believe in Him and be baptised in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We are invited to appreciate and understand the significance of this Trinitarian Doctrine, so that, we may help many others both within and outside the Church to know what it is that we believe in (one God Who manifested Himself in the Three Divine Persons). We must also give thanks to Him Who has loved us so much that this overflowing love from the perfect bond in the Holy Trinity has been out-poured on us from the very beginning.
As we reflect on the profound unity found within the Most Holy Trinity, it is important to also consider the unity within our own community of believers as Christians. Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are perfectly united in love, we too are called to be united as members of the Body of Christ. Throughout history, there have been unfortunate instances of division among believers, resulting in schisms and heresies that have disrupted the unity of the Church. Presently, there are wars, political unrest, intolerance. On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, it is a time for us to reaffirm our faith in the Lord and work towards promoting unity among all those who believe in Christ. Let us strive to emulate the perfect unity of the Trinity in our relationships with one another, seeking to build bridges and mend any divisions that may exist within the Body of Christ. May our actions and words be guided by the love and unity that defines the Most Holy Trinity, leading us to a deeper connection with one another as we journey together in faith.