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When we were baptized we were claimed in the name of God.
The priest or deacon poured the water and said, “I baptize you in the name of
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” From that point the Kingdom of God was extended
to wherever we might be. We came under the protection of the kingdom against
any assault, particularly the assault of evil[1].
But why were we baptized in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit? Why not simply in the name of Jesus Christ? Why we were
not baptized simply in the name of God? We were baptized in the name of the
Trinity because we were claimed by
all the God is, the fullness of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Today’s celebration, the Solemnity of the Holy
Trinity, reminds us that we belong
to the fullness of God. The beautiful readings each give a glance at one of the
Persons of the Trinity. In the first reading from Exodus God is presented to
Moses as Creator and Lawgiver, as Merciful and Gracious, caring for His People. These are the attributes given to the
first person of the Trinity, the Father. The action of the Father’s love for us
is proclaimed in the Gospel, as Jesus explains that God’s love is so great,
that He gave his Son to us save us from the assault of evil. The second reading
presents Father, Son and Spirit as St. Paul prays that we continue to enjoy the
union with the Holy Spirit, the Power of God working through us and uniting us
into the Church.
The heart of the mystery is simply that God dwells
within us. Some people continue the concept held by many during revolutionary
times that God is removed from us. That is not what God told us. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him[2].
He is not out there somewhere. He is in here, in the spiritual life that makes
a human a child of God. Jesus promised us that He would never leave us alone,
and we are not alone. He is with us always, not just outside of us but within
us. The ability to call upon the power of God and to be vehicles of this power
for ever is the gift of Pentecost, the presence of the Holy Spirit, received at
baptism and particularly called upon from our confirmation.
Our dignity as sons and daughters of God is far more
than a title. We have been claimed by God. We
belong to him. He belongs to us. We have to keep this in mind when others
present as normal that where God is not found. We need to ask ourselves, “Is God in the room, in the house,
at the party?” If people are enjoying his gifts while still honoring His Presence,
then we know he is there! If people are flaunting the most simple dictates of
morality, then we know He is not there. And we know that it is beneath our
dignity as children of God to be there ourselves.
In the sacrament of penance, good people come to a
recognition that they have not behaved as well as they should. Sometimes people will have a huge
laundry list of really serious sins they wish to confess. They will go on and
on talking about sexual sin, sins of hatred, sins of disrespecting themselves
and others, etc. When they finish, they will often look at me sheepishly
expecting a scolding or something and I simply mention to them, “You are better
than that, and so am I.” By better I don’t mean simply that we can avoid sin,
far deeper, I mean that we are sons and daughters of God. We are children of
God. We are better than the forces of the world that are trying to destroy us.
Today we remember and we celebrate that we are not
just members of a religion. We are part of the Kingdom of God. We can call upon
our God to protect us from all that is trying to destroy us. Today we are
reminded both of who God is, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and who we are, his
children who carry His Presence into the world ■
