(by request, my homily from Sunday)
Iâd like to tell you about a friend of mine. Who is a great dad.
Heâs kind of goofy. You know he was the class clown in school. Because to this day, heâs always got a joke. Or a funny, unexpected response. If anyone I know would laugh at a funeral, he would be the guy.
Iâd known him for years. And that was my picture of him, always funny. No matter that the context was, you were going to have a laugh with him around.Â
With that image of him stuck in my head, it took me completely by surprise when I found out that he had donated a kidney to his daughter.
Not that I thought that he didnât love his children. Or that he wasnât a good dad. But it seemed like such a serious thing to do, for someone so lighthearted. It never occurred to me that there was more to him than just an endless supply of dad jokes.
Which shows you how much impact our preconceived ideas about people have. Zero.
Honestly, itâs kind of like my knowledge of kidney transplants.
I know that they happen. I know that most of the time, they are successful. AndâŚthatâs about it.
But hereâs the important part â my lack of understanding of kidney transplants, has no impact their success. Just because I donât understand it, doesnât mean itâs not true.
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
The Trinity is, at its most fundamental, a mystery. Letâs be clear about what we mean by âmystery.â
When we hear the word âmystery,â we think of things that are unclear or unknown. Like a news report that says, âthe cause of death remains a mystery.â
Or maybe we think of things that are intentionally confusing, maybe even manipulative. Like trying to figure out why a Code Red weather warning gets issued for everything from a tornado to a light drizzle.
Thatâs not what the Church is talking about, when she refers to something as a mystery.
When the Church refers to something as a mystery, she means that it is infinitely knowable. Not that it doesnât have meaning. But that there is more to know about that thing.
That what there is to know about it, goes well beyond first impressions. Hereâs what I mean:
Letâs imagine that you were standing there with Rich at the parish garage sale yesterday. And you saw me walk up to someone, greet him like an old friend, and shake hands. And Rich says, âWow, look at that!â And you say to Rich, âWhatâs the big deal? They shook hands. He shakes hands with half the parish after mass, so what?â And then Rich tells you, âActually, thereâs more going on here. We were all in high school together. Those two have hated each other since freshman year.â
Just like there is often a deeper meaning with people, with a mystery, there is even more to it. In fact, with a mystery, there is so much more, that there will always be more to it. More to understand. More to experience.
That is exactly how it is with the Trinity. There is so much more, that there will always be more to it. More to understand. More to experience.
And, like kidney transplants, the fact that you and I donât fully understand it, doesnât mean itâs not true.
So letâs look at just one part, the most personal part of the Trinity.
Have you ever seen a dog with her puppies? Thereâs something more going on there than just the individual animals.
Youâve got the dog. Then youâve got each one of her puppies. Each of them with their own personalities. But thereâs also something more going on there.
Between them, together, thereâs a bond, a spirit, a love that goes beyond the individual animals. Something greater.
As we move up the scale from animals to people, we see the same thing. Only itâs more developed, more distinct.
Think of a mother with her children. Thereâs something more going on there than just the individual people.
Youâve got mom. Then youâve got each one of her kids. Each of them with their own personalities. But thereâs also something more going on there. Something that a dog and her puppies is only a pale shadow of.
Between them, together, thereâs a bond, a spirit, a familial love that goes beyond the individual people.
And itâs not generic. Oh, it has some universal character to it. But itâs also unique. Itâs the special bond between that mom and her kids. Itâs not like any other.
If youâre around them when theyâre together, youâll see it in action. It colors how they act with each other and everyone else. Without really trying youâll come to think of it as their spirit. As how they are, as a family. And youâll be right.
Only itâs not limited to moms and their kids. This is something that happens whenever people form deep bonds. Especially when people do it intentionally. Like with a marriage or a religious community.
Between them, together, there will be a bond, a spirit, a familial love that goes beyond the individual people. Something greater than any one of them, or even all of them together. Something that, if you or I spend any time with them at all, we will intuitively understand as their special character. Their charism. Their spirit.
If youâre around them when theyâre together, youâll see it in action. It colors how they act with each other and everyone else. Without really trying youâll think of it as their spirit. As how they are, together. And youâll be right.
As we move up the scale from people to God, we see the same thing again. Only itâs even more developed, even more distinct.
Think of the Father and the Son. Thereâs something more going on there than just the individual Persons.
Youâve got God the Father. Then youâve got Jesus, His Son. Each of them with their own personalities. But thereâs also something more going on there. Something that a mom and her kids, or a married couple, are only a reflection of.
Between them, together, thereâs a bond, a Spirit, a perfect familial love that goes beyond the individual Persons.
Only in the case of the perfect familial love between the Father and the Son, that love is so dynamic, so concrete, that it itself is also a Person. What we would call the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. What the Old Testament calls Wisdom.
And just as it is with people, that bond, that spirit, that familial love isnât static. It isnât a closed loop. Itâs overflowing, it grows, and makes it possible for others to enter in.
You see it all the time with people. When a couple adds a child through birth or adoption. When a family grows through marriage. When a religious community welcomes a new brother or sister.
Indeed, it is that perfect familial love between the Father and the Son, overflowing in the Person of the Holy Spirit, that makes it possible for you and me to enter into the life of God that God is calling us to.
That overflowing love, in the form of the Holy Spirit, is how God is with you, and will always be with you.
Not just right here, and right now. But always, and no matter what.
Readings for Trinity Sundayďťż
