A Teaspoon at a Time - Homily Reflection - Most Holy Trinity

Readings

The Holy Trinity is hard to explain. St. Patrick used the three leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity. I've heard people use – ice, water, and steam; the same thing in three forms. These explanations fall short of the mystery of God, the Most Holy Trinity.

To understand the mystery of God is like trying to empty an ocean a teaspoon at a time. You can fill a bucket or maybe a swimming pool; but, in a lifetime you’ll never come close to capturing an ocean. In the same way, we will never come close to understanding the mystery of God.

Even more overwhelming is the fact that our modern world seems to prevent us from knowing God. And many of the voices trying to explain the mystery of the Trinity are lacking the most important things needed to know God - prayer, peace, love, and truth.

These things move a person closer to knowing the mystery of the Trinity. To have them many need to change their lives and their hearts.

This was the first message Jesus proclaimed after his baptism – REPENT. He called metanoia, mend your ways, change, and repent of things that are not of God. We come to the mystery of God, the Trinity, by making the change that Jesus proclaims.

But unfortunately, the words Moses proclaimed over the people of Israel apply to us today “These are indeed a stiff necked people.” Yet God remains with us and receives us as his own; this is the same God who is, who was, and is to come. Our God who so loved the world, he gave his only son so that everyone who believe in him might not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus did not come to change God the Father’s mind about us. It does not need changing. In his lovingkindness, God knows the goodness that He created in us. Jesus is changing our mind about what is real and what is not. Jesus says repent.

As the Father sent his Son, the Son promised the Holy Spirit. In the world today, the message of repentance comes from the Holy Spirit to fill the hearts of believers with love and passion to repeat the gospel to the entire world.

Repent and know that the God of Love and peace is with you. 

The Most Holy Trinity is love. It is love that exists in millions and millions of God’s people. It is the love of God the Father, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

The world doesn't want this. It seems to prevent us from repenting by making it difficult to hear Jesus’ message.

In May 2017, twenty-two young people died in a terrorist bombing in Manchester, England. It was all over the news for weeks; but no mention of God. God was not spoken about in the media, the newspaper, or on television. The media did have voices that deny God calling for peace in the world.  

Two days later, two buses of Christian pilgrims were attacked in Egypt. Passengers were taken one by one from the first bus and told to profess Mohammed and deny Christ, or be shot. Twenty-eight Christians were taken off that bus (men, women, and children as young as 2); and, each one refused to deny Christ. They died for Christ.  

These Christian martyrs know the mystery of God, the Trinity. They were able to pray, If we find favor with you, O Lord, come along in our company. 

This tragedy had only a brief mention in the media. There was no mention of their profession of faith. No mention of their peace and agreement with one another in their faith in God. There was no coverage of those who did not deny Christ; no coverage of their witness. 

To deny Christ is to deny God, the Holy Trinity.

In England or even these United States, terrorist do not ask victims to deny Christ. People would do it. “These are a stiff necked people.” They are too busy trying to capture the ocean a teaspoon at a time that they don’t know God.

Why do so many hold back from the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit? Maybe, they don’t hear Jesus’ words – Repent, because we fail to proclaim those words.

We have failed to share the message that God is love. God is peace. God encourages agreement. We have not shared the love and truth that is the light of God. We can only do this, by trying to understand the mystery of God, the Holy Trinity by our life of prayer, peace, love, and truth. In us, these things are only the beginnings of the mystery of truth and love that is the Holy Trinity.

My brothers and sister, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Yall be good, yall be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.