Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Dear Friend,

Trinity Sunday… I imagine myself pointing to a stunning sliver of moon in a clear night sky. The distance between the end of my finger and the lunar surface is about as close my intellect can get to capturing the actual reality of what I faithfully name Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What I do grasp about the doctrine of the Trinity is that God is, in essence, relationship. And in honor of this Trinity Sunday I will try to describe how I saw this doctrine becoming real in three human beings created in God’s image.

It was like this: 

Years ago, my niece - then in her early twenties - and a close friend embarked on a road trip from North Carolina, with a stop at my mother’s place in Minnesota a big part of their itinerary. Not a lot of family lived near my mother in those days, and she’d recently lost a dear childhood friend to cancer.  

Now, the visit was to be for several days - and nights - under the same small roof, so I have to confess to some apprehension about the wisdom of this travel plan. There were real personality differences at play here, with the possibility of warring cross-generational perspectives involved. What happened surprised me: a wonderful visit, including my mother happily parting with items from her hat collection. Overflowing love, and my niece and her friend being where they were needed.

All in all, the encounter - for a beautiful moment - lent stability to our family tree, with unity strong even amidst great variety. On Trinity Sunday we celebrate that these things are possible for us as a human family, created in God’s image. We re-commit to the kind of love that allows us to reflect that image more vividly!  

Gratefully,

Fr. Dan ofm, Pastor