Homily
for June 3, 2007
Liturgical Year C - Cycle I
The Most Holy Trinity
By Fr. Anthony Romero Topic:
An act of Faith
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Today
is Trinity Sunday.
You know there is a legend in our Church about St. Augustine Bishop of
Hippo. One afternoon, while he was
strolling along on the seashore, he was contemplating his faith and
praying for
a deep understanding of the Most Blessed and Holy Trinity. As he
was walking and praying, all of a
sudden he eyed this little child on the beach; this young boy was
running back
and forth from the sea to the shore, back and forth. He had made
a little hole in the sand. He was cupping his hands, going back
and
forth bringing seawater and putting it into the hole he had made.
The great saint was wondering why he was
doing this so he asked the little boy, “My son, why are you going back
and
forth cupping your hands, filling that hole in the sand with
water?” The little boy looked at the great saint and
he said, “I am running back and forth because I’m going to fill that
hole with
all the water from the ocean.” The great
saint smiled to the child and he said, “My son, that’s
impossible. You’re never going to be able to accomplish
that.” The child looked up at him and
smiled, “And neither will you, great saint, ever come to a deep
knowledge of
the Most Blessed and Holy Trinity.” Then
the child disappeared. Even the saints had to go by faith.
That is what I want you to do today, as we
try to just scratch the surface. You
see, the Trinity is a lot like this cup that I’m holding. A
little metaphysics here but this is as far
as it goes. You see this cup. You know it exists.
Correct?
It’s plastic. It’s blue. The one thing you will never be
able to do,
no matter how I set it, where I set it or how you see it, you are
never, ever
going to be able to get a 360-degree view of this cup. Your
senses will never be able to surround this
image of this cup. Correct? That’s something to think about.
The Holy Trinity is a lot like that if
you stop and think
about it. No matter how much we study,
no matter how learned we are, in the seminary or in the secular life,
we will
never come to a deep, deep knowledge of this one aspect of our faith or
of our
faith as a whole. If we were able to
plumb the depths and come to an understanding then God wouldn’t be God.
You see, we are pilgrims on this earth
only for a time. We are created in the image and likeness of
God and we are made to serve and love Him and serve each other. I
hope that please God, one day you and I
will be immersed in the beatific vision in heaven for all time,
contemplating
the essence of God. It would take an
eternity for us to do that. Even in that
eternity, you and I, in our glorified state, will never ever come to
that
complete knowledge of God in His essence or the Blessed Trinity,
Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. The one word that we are going to use
today is “Faith.” Faith is what He wants from you. Today,
do not look for an understanding; look
for more of a gift of faith and its there for the asking, for each and
every
one of us. Sometimes, especially in the
world that we live in, in the 21st century, it is so hard to be people
of faith
because we live in a world that always has to prove things
substantially. You know if we can’t see it, if we can’t feel
it, if we can’t touch it, if we can’t explain it away, then for us, it
doesn’t
exist. That is especially true for
Americans because we are so spoiled. We
have fallen into that trap, especially in the aspects of our faith and
we are
not going to be able to explain it. We
can’t. I can’t. That is why I am going to keep this homily
short for fear of becoming redundant because there is no way. I
learned a concept in the seminary but there
are some men that are more learned than I am that may be able to do a
better
job and that is fine. After we come to
that point of knowledge, you and I are going to have to make a leap, a
leap of
faith and that’s the most important thing.
The relationship between the Holy Trinity is the relationship of love,
that’s what it’s all about, and that in itself is very simplistic.
The Father and the Son know and love each
other so perfectly, so implicitly that the one gift that comes from
that
perfect knowledge, perfect love, and perfect truth, is the gift of the
Holy
Spirit and that is the only logical thing that can come from such a
perfect
relationship. God the Father is the creator.
God the Son is the redeemer, God the Holy
Spirit is the sanctifier, and that is how I am able to keep it straight.
It is the same God in the 21st century, the
same gift of the Holy Spirit that descended upon the Church on
Pentecost Sunday
and filled His apostles with the same spirit.
Remember that when you pray to God the Father, God the Son and God the
Holy Spirit are present. When you pray
to Jesus Christ the Son, God the Father and the Holy Spirit are present.
When you call upon the Holy Spirit, God the
Father and God the Son are present.
There is no way to separate them.
Why would you want to? That is the beauty of our Catholic
faith. We have the fullness of the Blessed
Trinity. We are Trinitarian by
faith. Ask for that gift, not only for
the gift of faith and of believing in God the Father, God the Son, and
God the
Holy Spirit but faith for every aspect of your life. For me that
is the only reason that I know
that I am up here as a priest and being able to be here with you today.
It is only by faith that I am here today. I am not a
theologian nor am I a saint. I am just a man, who God in His
wisdom saw
fit to ordain a priest and I am still trying to figure this one out.
I don’t quite get it. But if we go by faith, our Lord will be
able
to accomplish so many, many wonderful things in your lives and that’s
all He
asks. Today, in the 21st century, let the
people that are
around you and let the world know that God the Father, God the Son, and
God the
Holy Spirit, they are alive today in this community, in your homes, and
in your
hearts. What is the simplest way of
relaying that to the people that you meet?
You didn’t know there was going to be a test. How about, “In the
name of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit,” the sign of the cross. That is the
simplest act of faith. Do it in public. Make the sign of
the cross in a restaurant. Do it at the gas station. Do it
in the grocery store. Do it with your children. Do it while
you’re waiting in line at the bank
and boy, you’re going to need it over there.
God have mercy on the tellers. The people need to know and that is
the best way to do
it. You don’t have to say anything. They will know that you
are a Christian by
the sign of your faith and by your love.
I know a group of people and they are called Christians and I am proud
to be among them. May God continue to bless you and all
that you do. May He guide you and fill you with His
love. In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.