The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity A JN 3,16-18

…Is it necessary to address the mystery of the Holy Trinity when many do not believe in God? Let us admit that even for us believers, the Trinity of God will remain a mystery rather than an explored truth of faith. Therefore, although we cannot understand the Trinity of God by human reason, we can know its greatness, omnipotence, justice, and beauty through the created world and the universe. The Creator of heaven and earth must necessarily be greater than what He created. If created nature itself is so wonderfully beautiful, then God must be even more beautiful than it.

Let’s put one poppy seed on our finger. The chemist can examine its composition down to the last atom and create an entirely new grain. But when we sow both grains, one produces a new plant with a colorful flower and a hundred new grains, while nothing grows from the artificial grain. A chemist cannot put life into a grain, because that is a big secret. So if a small grain is a mystery, could anyone think that the immense God is not a mystery? Therefore, one writer wrote, “I would refuse to believe in God if I could fully understand him.”

People are unwilling to acknowledge the proof of God’s power and love from the work of creation. They resemble inexperienced young men who do not value parental care and assert their claims by saying, “When my parents have acquired me, let them care.” They assume God must care for them and has no obligation to do so. One should offer something similar to what a priest experienced when he went to Dolní Smokovec for a spiritual exercise.

Heavy rain was falling, and a wet person was waving under the tree by the road. The priest stopped, and a younger lady got into the car. Her first question was, “You must be a believer when you play a religious song on a tape recorder.” The priest said, “I’m really a believer, even a priest.” The woman confessed, “I’m an atheist. My parents did not raise me in faith in God. I work as a nurse, and I have no reason to think about the existence of the Creator of the world.” The priest began to explain that in the Tatras, it is possible to see mountains that move our hearts to admiration. Even more enthusiastically, scientists studying the mysteries of nature admire God’s works. But the woman objected, “I don’t see anything special in that, according to evolutionary theory, everything has evolved on its own over billions of years.”

The priest wondered how he would bring the doubter to the path of faith. He began to tell her about Jesus of Nazareth. In him, God came into the world as the Divine Child. We no longer have to cast gold idols, calves, and other substitutes. God became one of us to show how He loves us. He was such a perfect man that he could publicly ask, “Which of you can accuse me of sin?” He told the truth; he was honest. So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus confirmed his teachings by miracles. The greatest miracle happened on his cross after his death. As he said goodbye to the apostles, he assured them, “Behold, I am with you until the end of the age.”

The hour of driving was the woman’s first hour of religion. The priest transported the hitchhiker not only to Poprad but also to the goal of human life, to God. She had tears in her eyes as she said goodbye and thanked not only for the ride in the rain but mainly for the direction on the way to God. Was this trip just a coincidence? From a human perspective, yes, but God has everything happening firmly in his hands. At the Last Judgment, we will see the constant work of his Providence. He also offers help every day to those who still oppose God.

It is true that even a believing Christian is not perfect; he has many shortcomings. We are the living temple of God. We like to admire the beauty of churches, but if we look closely, we discover that even in that noble material, such as marble, a crack is formed, dust settles in it, and moss grows from it. But this does not disturb the overall impression; the massive beauty of the whole building remains.

We have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; we are the material from which the living temple of the Holy Trinity is built. We move in an unclean world, and some evil, a sin, settles on us. We have the gift, the sacrament of repentance, which washes away all evil by the action of God’s Trinity, as we hear in sacramental absolution: “God, the Father of all mercy, reconciled the whole world to himself by the death and resurrection of his Son and gave his Holy Spirit to forgive sins.” The sacrament of penance restores baptismal innocence. We are re-admitted to the communion of saints, from which fallen angels have been expelled. They wanted to be like God, but they did not want to depend on him. Complete independence leads to hell. There may be no heat from the hell boilers, but there may be frostbite in the deep desert.

God is a community in the Trinity. Let us open our minds and our hearts to deep faith in God in the three Persons. Let us become co-creators of peace, joy, and happiness.