They are not 3 Gods but only one God-HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMN CELEBRATION OF TRINITY SUNDAY June 2022

TRINITY SUNDAY

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Trinity Sunday. A day we acknowledge and affirm unequivocally the God of our faith and that of the faith of the church which we profess; that there 3 persons in One God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons who are neither exchangeable nor interchangeable but are of the same being. There is one person of the Father who is always the Father distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is one person of the Son who is always the Son distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. There is one person of the Holy Spirit who is always the Holy Spirit distinct from the Father and the Son.  All 3 persons are co-eternal and co-equal. They are all perfectly one in the identity of their nature and perfectly co-substantial in their being. Each person is himself, Lord, and God. They are not 3 Gods but only one God. There is only one and the same eternal being of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is thus perfectly homogeneous and unitary both in the threeness and oneness of his own eternal unchangeable being. What the Father is to us in Christ and the Holy Spirit, he is inherently and eternally in himself, and what he is inherently and eternally in himself, he is in the incarnation of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit. In the Trinitarian economy, we can affirm the element of mission and procession respectively: that the Son was sent by the Father (Gal 4:4, John 3:17, John 5:23), and the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son (Gal 4:6, John 14:16, Luke 24:49). Likewise, in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, we profess: I believe in God the Almighty Father. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified.

Dearest friends in Christ, the church never relents in guiding us through the sacred liturgy in the affirmation of our faith in the Most Holy Trinity. Every liturgical exercise and Christian prayer begins with the sign of the cross: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Most often, concludes with the Trinitarian doxology: “Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reign with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.  

However, certain heretical teachings e.g Monarchianism, Adoptionism, Novatian heresy, Arianism, etc had over time attempted to disregard and distort the teachings on the Trinity. We must thus, be cautious of these lest we are misguided and the teachings of faith misconstrued. Monarchianism: a doctrine that fought to preserve the notion of the God-head. It holds that the Son is subordinate to the Father and there cannot be any numerical separation of the Trinity. So it concludes that the name Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are different names applied to the same person at different times in history. Adoptionism: is the doctrine that views the Son as a mere human person upon whom the Spirit of God rested. It claims that Jesus was adopted at baptism by God. Arianism: the doctrine that alleges that Jesus is of a low hierarchy to God the Father. He is a demigod, who is not co-eternal nor co-substantial with the Father. He is subordinate to God.

Regardless of these erroneous teachings, the scripture affirms the supreme truth of the undivided Unity of the Most Holy Trinity. It is pertinent to note, that the revelation of the mystery of the Trinity belongs to the New Testament but is foreshadowed in the Old Testament e.g. The first reading of today from the Book of Proverbs, epitomizes wisdom. Wisdom is regarded as a distinct person, born before the earth came into being and observed every plan of God (proverb 8:22-31). It is in 1cor1:24 that the wisdom of God was unveiled in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it says “ for both Jews and Greeks alike Christ is both the power of God and the wisdom of God.  Other examples in O.T are Genesis 1:26 (let us make man in our own image and likeness), Gen 3: 22 ( now that man has become like us in knowing good and evil), Gen 11:7 (come let us go down and confuse their language), etc. Stemming from the New Testament, we have the following pieces of evidence:

AT THE ANNUNCIATION (Luke 1:35): The sublime truth about the Trinitarian mystery of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is evidently alluded to at the time of the Annunciation. We are told that “the angel said to Mary, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God”.  Apparently, the angel confirmed the distinct persons of the Most Holy Trinity. The Father is acknowledged in the expression ‘the power of the Most High’, The Holy Spirit is affirmed as the one who will come upon her, and the child to be born is the one asserted in the Gospel of Mathew “she will bear a Son; and you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21).

AT THE BAPTISM OF JESUS (Mt 3:16-17): The scripture tells us that “when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on him. And a voice from heaven, said, ‘This is my beloved Son, the beloved with whom I am well pleased”. Obviously, the Father is alluded to as the voice who spoke from heaven in acknowledgment of the Son. The Son is Jesus who received baptism and the Holy Spirit is indicated in the form of a dove that rested on Jesus. 

AT THE MISSION OF THE 12 APOSTLES (Mt 10:19-20): Jesus while instructing the twelve apostles prior to their missionary mandate said “ but when you are handed over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes, because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you”.  A clear indication of the district person of the Trinity manifest. The acknowledgment of the Father and the Holy Spirit by Jesus who is the begotten Son of the Father.

DURING THE FAREWELL DISCOURSE AT THE LAST SUPPER  (John 14-17): Jesus while instructing and encouraging his apostles made several affirmations of the distinct persons of the Trinity. In John 14:10 he said to Philip “do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?”. In John 16:12-13, he said, “ I have so much to tell you but you cannot bear it now. But when He comes, the Spirit of Truth, He will lead you to the complete truth”. “Everything that the Father has is mine”; Jesus continued,  “for this reason, I told you that He will take from what is mine and declare it to you”. (Jn 16:15)

AT THE ASCENSION (Mt 28:19-20): we are told that after Jesus had completed his messianic mission and was taking his leave of his Apostles on the day of his ascension, He declared to them, “ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age”. Through these last words, Jesus designated to the Apostles the supreme truth of the undivided Unity of the Most Holy Trinity. Evident here is the distinct persons of The Most Holy Trinity. The Father is distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Son is distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son. The Father is the one that Jesus acknowledged as “my heavenly  Father” (Mt 15:13; 18:35). The Son is Jesus himself, affirmed by Peter as “you are the Messiah the Son of the Living God” (Mt 16:16). The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Divine Trinity whom Jesus acknowledged as the Advocate of Truth (Jn 15:26).

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not waiver in our profession of faith in the Most Holy Trinity. Let us hold unto it tenaciously. The greatness of Man lies not only in subduing and dominating the earth (Gen 1:28) but in the fact that he participates in the life of the Most Holy Trinity. May the celebration of today make us readily disposed to be the dwelling place of the Trinity. 

All glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: as it was, in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen

Happy Trinity Sunday

Fr Remi osj

Reflection for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Year A

 Exodus 34:4b-6,8-9. Daniel 3:29-30,31,33,32,34. 2 Corinthians 13:11-13. John 3:16-18.

Theme: In What Kind of God Do You Believe?

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This, the ineffable mystery of God's intimate life, is the central truth of our faith and the source of all gifts and graces. This feast was established by Pope John XXII to be celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost Sunday.

The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, which is three persons in One God. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are not three Gods but one God. They are not three persons in one Person, neither are they three gods in one God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.

It is a mystery, meaning that it is something above human understanding but not contrary to human reasoning. This mystery was not revealed to the Jews of the Old Testament. They were not yet fit to accept this truth. Surrounded as they were by nations that practised polytheism (many gods), there would be danger that the Jews would see three Gods in the Trinity. Hence, it was not revealed to them, and therefore, we have no Trinitarian text in the Old Testament, which could be read on today's celebration. But, there are verses in the Old Testament to show that the God who created the universe did not work alone. These can be found in the following: "Let us make man in our own image and likeness" (Gen.1:26; Gen.3:22). "Let us go down and confuse their language" (Gen.11:6-7). "Who will go for us" (Isa.11:6-7).

Though the word Trinity is not in the New Testament but we have in the Gospel, Jesus making reference to it. He commissioned his disciples to, "Go, therefore, and make disciples from all nations. Baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spiritl" (Matt.28:19). "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. He was in the beginning with God. All things was made through him, and without him was made nothing that was made" (John 1:1-3). "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:38). "To have seen me is to have seen the Father" (cf.John 14:7-13). "It is the Holy Spirit that the Father sends in my name that teaches us everything" (cf. Jon 16:11). "Everything the Father has is mine" (John 16:15,27). "That they may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you" (John 17:21).

All three readings today teach us something about the nature of God. The first reading tells us that our God is different from the gods worshipped by people of other religions. "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exo.34:16).

The Gospel tells us that He has not moved away from us but has joined his life to the world and to ours that "he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

The second reading teaches us that God is family, a family open to us all such that when we agree with one another and live in peace, the God of love and peace will be with us (cf.2 Cor.13:11-12). To conclude, the second reading, St. Paul greeted the Corinthians with the Trinitarian formula, which is the format of our greetings at the beginning of Mass, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Cor.13:13).

Often, when confronted with questions about the Holy Trinity, we are quick to respond that the dogma of the Holy Trinity is a mystery that no philosophical debate or scientific findings can unravel. We also note that God has revealed himself and will continue to reveal himself in various ways to us. 

The three readings teach us something about the nature of God. The first reading points to the fact that God is love. Love is of the very nature of God. Everything God does, He does out of love. That is why the reason for the Son of God coming into our world was love. This is what we read in today's Gospel passage. We might add that God (the Father and the Son) loved the world so much that they gave us the Holy Spirit. Thus, it was not only the Son that came because of the love of God for the world, but the Holy Spirit, too.

The second reading presents us with the love that exists between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Despite being three distinct Persons, they have one essence. They are eternally one and united. God the Father is the Creator, God the Son is the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier. The Father created with the Son and the Holy Spirit. Hence, at creation, we read, "Let us create man in our image and likeness." Likewise, the work of redemption and sanctification was carried together by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are eternally one and united.

Hence, the triune God is for us a model of unity in our relationships, friendships, marriages, families, and communities. Despite our differences in talents, gifts, social, and economic values, we can live and work together for our salvation and that of the world.

May our celebration today keep us united in doing things pleasing to God always through Christ our Lord. Amen. May God bring a peaceful resolution to the war in Sudan between Russia and Ukraine and bring about a new Nigeria where there will be progress and prosperity through Christ our Lord. Amen. I wish you a happy Sunday, a happy feast day, and a fruitful week ahead.