Deut 4:32-34, 39-40; Rom 8:14-17; Matt 28:16-20
One parishioner said, “The Trinitarian God is a lot like our pastor. I don’t see him through the week and I don’t understand him on Sunday.”
After being married for 25 years and intending to make their silver anniversary a memorable one, the wife asked her husband to describe her. He looked at her slowly, and said – You’re A,B, C,D, E,F,G,H, … and I,J,K. The wife was puzzled and so she asked – Now what does that mean? So he said – Adorable, Beautiful, Cute, Delightful, Elegant, Foxy, Gorgeous, Hot. The wife smiled and beamed and said – Oh you are such a sweet darling. What about I,J,K? He said – I’m Just Kidding! Hope that the wife won’t ask for any more descriptions when it comes to their golden anniversary.
Well, the man was only one letter away from telling his wife what she meant to him. From A to K, he just have to move on to L, and L would stand for “love”. And that’s what the feast of the Holy Trinity is telling us. That God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.
To have eternal life means to live in the Spirit of God’s love, which is the love of the Father for the Son, and the Son for the Father
Dear friends! The doctrine of the Trinity describes the unique ways that we experience God’s presence in our lives. First and foremost, we are baptized into the life of the Trinitarian God. Secondly, we encounter Trinity in our experience of human relationships. According to St Augustine “Wherever there is love, there is a trinity; a lover, a beloved and a fountain of love.” Love is an experience of the Trinity. Wherever we see love at work, we see the fruit of the Trinitarian God. The Trinitarian Godhead can be seen as a family – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, a family with relationships between them. Human families, when at their best, show God’s love to the world. They draw strength from their relationships with each other each other in times of joy and sorrow. And as members of God’s family Jesus the Son has given us a mission too. He commands: “to go, to make disciples, to baptize and to teach.”
To be a Christian is to always be “on call.” On this feast of the Most Holy Trinity, we celebrate the mystery that God: Father, Son, and Spirit, has called us into an intimate relationship of love; has made us God’s own daughters and sons. But that relationship is a two way street: not only do we expect things from God but God expects things from us. God makes us. God saves us. God sends us. God has a plan, a plan for the world, and we are part of that plan. That is why as sons and daughters of God we must always be ready to hear the word “Go”. “Go” is the word that God uses when there is something for us to do. The disciples hear the word in today’s gospel. “Go and make disciples of all the nations.” But this command does not only apply to the first disciples. It applies to all disciples. It applies to us. We must be ready to go.
“Wait a minute,” you say, “Go where? Do what? Are you sure that God is sending me?” I am sure. To what God is sending you I cannot say, but the fact that God is sending you is not in doubt. Sending is what God does to God’s daughters and sons. God makes us. God saves us. God sends us. If you want to know to what God is sending you, all you need to do is listen. We usually do not listen; and because we do not listen we do not hear; and because we do not hear we imagine that we are not being sent. We wake up each day and we plan our own schedule: first I’ll do this, then I’ll do that, and if there’s time, I’ll fit this in. But how often do any of us take a breath and in all honesty ask the question, “Lord, is there anything you want me to do today?”
I dare you to ask that question. Whether you’re in the fourth grade or you’ve just retired, whether you’re married or you’re single, whether you’re healthy or you’re sick—I dare you to ask, “Lord, is there anything you want me to do today?” I promise you that if you ask, God will answer. It may be in that moment, or an hour later, or a day later; but if you ask, you will hear God say, “Go. Go to that person at work and tell her. “Go to your friend and ask him. Go to the phone and dial this number. Go to your spouse . . . Go to your daughter . . . Go to your neighbor . . . and do this.”
God has a plan, a plan for the world. We are a part of that plan. As sons and daughters of God we must always be ready to be sent. Christians are always “on call.” I dare you to listen. I dare you to sincerely ask the question, “Lord, is there anything you want me to do today?” If you ask, God will answer, and you will soon find yourself going forth to do your Father’s will.
