Proverbs 8: 22-31; Romans 5: 1-5; John 16: 12-15
The Trinity. The famous image? The shamrock! The shamrock is the image we associate with the Trinity, the three persons in one God. Lovely, pretty, brilliant green! But there is one limitation to this image. It flat and worst of all, static. It is static. It doesn’t move. It is not dynamic. The three persons in one God are always active. The Trinity is great activity. [God “is” and God is always “is-ing”!]
The Trinity is a dynamic relationship of three persons, exchanging love among each other. They go out of themselves to each other and to the world, to us — creating, renewing, and transforming people and situations in need of it. We hear today in Romans, the “love of God has been poured into our hearts.” The Trinity is active, pouring love into us. Notice all the action in the first reading from Proverbs. Wisdom is “poured”, “brought forth” and “plays” on the earth.
When we were baptized, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, came to dwell in us – all three persons. The three persons are active in us, pushing us forward, out from ourselves by the Holy Spirit who “guides” us. From the Word and Eucharist, we are sent out, to our families, to our communities.
Think of community – and the nation — working together after a national disaster. The Trinity is at work in people giving comfort and relief to those who are suffering and homeless. We see this, too, in a parish in the various councils and committees when they are working together for the growth and development of the parish, building up God’s Kingdom. We see this easily, too, in sports teams, playing together, giving and taking. The Trinity is at work and at play there in individuals and in the group.
Pope Francis puts it this way: “Let us ask ourselves: do we tend to stay closed in on ourselves, on our group, or do we let the Holy Spirit open us to mission?” (May 19, 2013). Opening up himself is what Jesus did in the days of his earthly ministry and he still does. He learned this from what he heard from the Father. We learn it from watching Jesus, and we do it, prompted by the Spirit. Whenever we move out from ourselves care for others, we show the Trinity at work in us. If we take time to reflect we can recognize the Trinity working in us.
So this week, try to recognize Father and Son at work with the Spirit leading you outward? Were you more understanding of another? Did you offer encouragement to another? Did you bear patiently with another in your familiy or your parish? Were more persevering in a task?
Be attentive to your own activities, to the way you pour yourself out and you’ll discover Trinity at work in you and around you. There’s a lot more there than a [pretty green shamrock!