Homily Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Year B: Fr. Michael U.
Udoekpo
Readings: Deut 4:32-34, 39-40; Ps 33:4-9, 18-20, 22; Rom 8:14-17
and Matt 28:16-20
The Mystery of
God’s Love
“Blessed are those whom the Lord has chosen as his own” (Psalm
33:12).
This is the responsorial psalm of today. Some translations would
say, “Happy are the nations whose God is the Lord, the people chosen as his
very own’” (NAB). Whatever translation, this psalm captures the essence of our
celebration today, Israel in the presence of God; the Church, everywhere, every
nations, our community (ies) in the presence of God the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit!
We celebrate the mystery(that which surpasses our human
understanding) of the three persons in One God, the mystery of the Most Holy
Trinity; a Triune God who loves and cares for us; the mystery of all that God
has done in our lives. This is not a God whom we want to question today “how
did three of you become one,” but a God who loves to see us practice our faith
or go out to the whole world and preach the values of Christ Jesus, his only
begotten, whose birth stories we share at Christmas, passion, resurrection and
Ascension at Easter and the coming down of the Holy spirit at Pentecost, to
lead the Church.
The 1st reading of today from Deuteronomy Chapter 4
is a clear exhortation or call to remember all these mysteries and wonders God
has done for us in the past- in creation, signs and wonders, the liberation
from slavery, exodus and redemption. God can do what humanly seems
impossible. I am sure you may have your personal testimonies. Recall God’s
wonders including the miracle of the air or oxygen we breathe, the wars he
defeated the enemies, the 10 plagues, the miracle of the read sea- all these
should strengthen our faith and enable us believe more and more in God- keeping
his statues and his basic commandments, namely love of neighbor and God!
He is a miracle working God who out of love journeyed in his son
to save us- a son who left us with the Spirit at Pentecost. Each of us become
adopted sons and daughters of God when we aloud this spirit of God to lead us.
This is the same spirit that we received initially at baptism. Like in the Gospel
of today, we all were baptized not only with water, but in the name of God the
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:16-20). We want not only to read
the fruit of this spirit but we want this spirit to lead us always, even as we
bring others to catholic faith by our words and deeds. This is why Paul says,
today, ‘brothers a sisters, those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons
(and daughters) of God… the spirit of adoption” (Rom 8:14-17).
We also become God’s children and Christ’s brothers and sisters
by adopting and adapting his values of peace, unity, faith, prayer, love, obedience
and complete self-surrendering, which Mary the Mother of Christ also stood for
this even in the magnificent(Luke 1:39-56). She once said to the Angel
“how can this be since I do not know any man." But at the end the day, she
said, “do with we me whatever thou wilt". How many times did Christ
not pray in every step of the way during his ministry? In the last discourse in
John 17 he prayed ‘that they may all be one.” Did Christ ever disobey his
father? Did Christ ever doubt what his father can do? How many times did
he not completely empty himself and surrendered himself to the Father, even up
to the cross? It was never about himself, his will, but always the will of the
Father. He said “into your hands I commend my spirit.”
I think if
there is anything we want to take home today from this Solemnity of the Most
Holy Trinity it is faith not doubt, unity not division, hope not despair, trust
rather than distrust and total acceptance of the will God, especially in
moments of temptations and lack of intelligible explanations to certain
circumstances of our lives.
You and I know that sometimes when one
door closes another opens. Even in sickness and other tragedies of live we can
always trust God’s loving acts, and says the Psalmist, “May your love and
kindness be upon us, as we place all our hope in you’ (ps 33:22). The mystery
of God’s love!
