Homily for Holy Trinity Sunday – June 15, 2014
Let me start my homily with a simple question: How do you think of God? Do you think of him as near or distant? Is he frightening or familiar? How do you think of God?
The truth is, at times, God can be seem both near and distant to us. At times, God can seem both frightening and familiar. It all depends on our relationship with him.
When doing my formation work in hospital ministry, I remember the hospital chaplain telling me that the ease by which a person dies is often a reflection of their relationship with God. That made sense to me. The closer we cling to God, the less “baggage” we have to hold onto.
I also remember a quote from one of my ACTS brothers who said: “If you discover that you are distant from God, ask yourself: Who moved?”
If we find ourselves distant from God, it wasn’t God who moved, it was us. We experience this …
- When we turn our back on God in sin
- When we focus so much on ourselves that we shut God out of our lives
- When we allow the events of the world to distract us from living as God intended
Today is Trinity Sunday, a day that calls us to be more aware of the presence of the Trinitarian God in our lives. We are reminded of how the Trinity affects our lives, how it helps us relate more closely with God and to one another.
Today, we remember:
- God the Father who created us in his own image
- God the Son who became one of us and redeemed us
- God the Holy Spirit who remains with us to accompany us and guide us on our spiritual journey
The central themes in today’s readings are relationship and love. Which helps us realize how personal and loving God is. These themes are clearly evident in that beautiful passage from the Gospel of John:
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
To me, the operative phrase in that passage is believing in God. Whether God seems near or distant to us – we have to keep believing. Whether focused on God or lost in worldly events – we have to keep believing. Whether “swimming in God’s grace or drowning in sin” – we have to keep believing.
It is difficult to explain (and to understand) the mystery of the Trinity. But at the root of this mystery are three things: love, relationship, and community.
In that vein, I want to comment on the controversy this week surrounding Archbishop Carlson and the recent reporting on his depositions. Not to put another spin on the topic. Not to sound as an expert on the matter – because I am not. There is good information about all of this on the Archdiocese website. I recommend viewing the video from Archbishop Carlson and reading the letter from the Archbishop. They reflect the Archbishop I know: very humble, very compassionate … and very human.
I want to use this situation as a teachable moment of how we are to live in love, in relationship, when the foundation and cohesion of our faith community is challenged.
Today, you prove that you are a believing people because you are here. You honor God by your presence.
- In spite of this cancer of sex abuse that continually attacks the life of the Church, you love God and his Church
- In spite of the accusations of poor leadership and poor judgment in our Church surrounding the issue of sex abuse, you value the relationship of the Church and God’s people
- In spite of the questions and accusations in the media, you gather here as community
We are here as a community of faith, hope and love.
But we know that others who are faithful and love their Church may not be here today. Like many of us, they may be confused, hurting, and questioning the Church and its leaders over these recent events.
And when this occurs, when we find our Church under suspicion, the best thing we can do is pray and model how God describes himself in our First Reading: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, rich in kindness and fidelity.
We pray …
- For the victims and all affected by abuse
- For those who have fallen away from the Catholic Church in disillusionment
- For justice
- For peace
- For reconciliation in our world
We turn to God in times like this and pray for God’s grace:
- To lighten the burdens of our questioning minds
- To overcome whatever distrust, skepticism, or uncertainty that may haunt us
- To sustain us through periods of unbelief and doubt
- To save us from the tendency to rush to judgment or speculation
And we pray to the leaders of our Church, as we will in the Eucharistic Prayer today. We will pray for Archbishop Carlson in a very personal way – using his first name (Robert). May we do so with open hearts and open minds. We do not do this in blind obedience, but as compassionate believers.
As we go forth today, let us ask the Holy Trinity – the Father, Son, and Spirit – to make us ever more aware of God’s loving presence in and around us.
Let us go forth this day, in a spirit of love, relationship and community, strengthened by that very Trinitarian prayer St. Paul shared with us in the Second Reading (2 Corinthians 13:11-13):
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.
Deacon Dan Donnelly
Deacon Dan Donnelly 