The story is told by my patron saint: St Augustine of Hippo, a great bishop and theologian. He was really preoccupied with the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. He wanted so much to understand the idea of one God in three persons and to be able to explain it, let us, say logically. So one day he was walking along the seashore and reflecting on this matter. Suddenly, he saw a little child all alone on the shore. The child made a whole in the sand ran to the sea with a little shell, filled it with seawater, ran up and emptied the shell into the hole he had made in the sand. Back and forth he went to the sea, filled his shell and came and poured it into the hole. St. Augustine drew up and said to him, “Little child, what are you doing?” He replied, “I am trying to empty the sea into this hole.” “How do you think,” St. Augustine asked him, “that you can empty this immense ocean into this tiny hole and with this tiny shell?” He answered back, “And you, how do you suppose that with your small head you can comprehend the immensity of God?” With that the child disappeared [1]. [2]
My brother, my sister, the doctrine of the inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit cannot be fully comprehended by the human mind. It is a mystery, so if we expected today’s readings to give us a clear presentation of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity…bad news! We can just approach to the mystery and enjoy its light and heat. Also the doctrine of three persons in one God is not explicitly spelt out in the Bible. In fact the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, early Christians –especially the fathers of the Church like St. Augustine and St. Gregory- arrived at the doctrine when they applied their God-given reason to the revelation, which they had received in faith… and since then in the story of salvation we usually attribute creation to the Father, redemption to the Son and sanctification to the Holy Spirit…
Like St. Augustine we may not be able to understand the how of the Trinity but I think it is very important to understand the why, I mean, why did God reveal to us this mystery?
And the answer is quite simple: we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God the more we understand ourselves. Do you remember the beautiful phrase of the book of Genesis? Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…
Some theologians tell us that people always try to be like the god they worship. People who worship a warrior god tend to be bully, people who worship a god of pleasure tend to be pleasure-seeking people, and people who worship a god of love tend to be loving people: Like a god, so the worshippers. Therefore, there is a question for us to ask today is: What does the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity tell ME about the kind of God I worship and what does this say about the kind of people I should be?
God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love and sharing. God is not a lonely God, this means that a Christian in search of perfection [3] must avoid every tendency to solitude or isolation. The Christian spirituality never invites us to avoid the world like some Buddhist monastic traditions. It is in the community where we find salvation. Do you remember when Thomas the Apostle had many doubts? Well, he stayed with the others, and then Christ came and then he said that "Lord and my God "....
We are made in God’s image and likeness. Just as God is God only in a Trinitarian relationship, so we can be fully human only in a relationship with others, with a great attitude of service and generosity. Am I being generous? Am I being kind to others?
My brother, my sister, our celebration of the Most Holy Trinity today is a celebration of the dignity we have received by being admitted into Mystery. The Mystery is God. His Power and Love and Presence are greater than our minds’ capabilities, He possesses us, and we possess Him, BUT not for ourselves but to continue His Presence in the world. Let us reflect on this and with the help of our blessed Mother –daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son and wife of the Holy Spirit- let us make some particular resolutions. Amen ■
[1] Augustine of Hippo (Latin: Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis) 354 . 430, also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, was Bishop of Hippo Regius (present-day Annaba, Algeria). He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province. His writings were very influential in the development of Western Christianity.
[2] Sunday 19th June, 2011, Trinity Sunday. W. Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9. Glory and praise for ever!—Daniel 2:52-56. 2 Corinthians 13:11-13. John 3:16-18 [St Romuald].
[3] Cf Matthew 5:48
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