Created and Baptised into the Unity of the Trinity(Trinity Sunday, Year B, 2021)

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The Blessed Trinity is a mystery: in the sense that it is impossible to fully understand or explain. Instead of wasting time thinking and talking about the logicality of such a mystery, it will be better for us to reflect more on the significance of the reality of the Trinity for us.


In the scriptures, we may find some references to the operations and reality of the Trinity. Gen. 1 suggests that the creative work was undertaken by the Trinity. At the beginning of creation, a mighty WIND from God swept across the waters of the deep (and for the Jews, the “WIND” is indicative of the presence of the Spirit). The entire universe was brought into being by the power of God’s Word: LET THERE BE... AND THERE WAS. Who or what is this Word? John 1:1.14 says that “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God; and the Word became flesh and lived among us”. The Word is Jesus, God the Son and the second Person of the Trinity. In Matt 3:16-17, as Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism, the Spirit descended on Him and the voice of the Father was heard from heaven: this is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. Thus, in the baptism of Jesus, the Trinity was palpably present.


Since we have a special relationship with God, we may have to see whether today’s celebration is of any relevance to us. When God was about to create the human person, the language of creation changed from “LET THERE BE” to “LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE AND LIKENESS” (Gen. 1:27). But what is this image of God? In Deuteronomy 6:4, Moses addressed the people of Israel: “Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is ONE…, therefore you shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might”. 1 John 4:8 further reveals that God is LOVE. 1 Peter 1:16 further tells us that this God is HOLY: ”You shall be holy, for God is holy”. From these biblical references, we have an image of a God who is ONE, LOVING and HOLY.


As those created in God’s image, we must reflect LOVE, UNITY and HOLINESS of God. God expects us to be His true image: to be ONE, LOVING and HOLY as He is. We were not only created in the image of God, we were also baptized into the unity of the God-Head. In 1 Cor. 12:13, St Paul teaches that each of us have been baptized into one Spirit – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, men or women – the same spirit has been given to all of us to drink. In Rom. 8:14-17, St Paul teaches that the Spirit into which we have been baptized bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. If we really believe that we are children of God (a God who is one, loving and holy), why are we still hell-bent on hating and destroying one another? Why is there so much acrimony, hatred, sectionalism, discrimination, and the like? Let us not easily forget that our relevance, our survival, our effectiveness and our happiness in the world and beyond depend on our response to UNITY, LOVE and HOLINESS for which we were created. 


Within the context of this feast, we can now understand the seriousness of Moses’ words in Deut. 4:32-34.39-40: “Know therefore this day, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Therefore you shall keep his statues and his commandments, which I command you this day, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God has given you…”. What is this commandment that we must keep? In Mark 12:31, that very commandment is boldly written in black and white: “Love your neighbour as yourself; there's no commandment greater than it.” In Matt. 22:40, Jesus says that on this very commandment hang all the law and prophets. Having been baptized into the unity of the Trinity, we have thus received a mandate to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (cf. Matt. 28:19). We have been mandated to bring all people into the unity of the Trinity, not just by words but by the way we live.


Prayer:

May the Trinity recreate, renew and rework us that we may become more Godlike and Trinitarian in our relationships, Amen!


Happy Trinity Sunday!



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