THE TRINITY SUNDAY

Today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. We, Christians, believe in One God. We also believe that this one God has three persons- God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is, however, a difficult notion to understand. As we do today, people in the past had difficulties in understanding the mystery of the Trinity. People always ask: “How is it possible to have three persons in One God? Or how does One God become three persons?” Our traditional answer is that it is a mystery. Of course, it is a mystery but a reality as well.

The notion of Trinity was developed based on human experience and divine revelation. In the past people experienced God as Creator, someone who is beyond human reach. In the period of the New Testament, people had a different experience with the same God, namely, God as Emmanuel, as someone with them. Today we experience God as Spirit, someone who is within us. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are different forms or expressions of the One God. They are different levels of God’s Existence and they are different expressions of God’s Love. At least one place in the Bible the whole trinity made an appearance. This was at the time of Jesus’ Baptism.

What helps us today is not the ontological discussion of the nature of the Trinity, but the message of the Trinity, which is love, and Relationship. The notion of relationship is important for two reasons.

IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIP

Relationship: the basic sacrament
God is a communion of three persons. God is a relationship. Therefore, relationship is the medium through which God operates so He formed the community of Israel. Jesus himself made it amply clear when he said’ “When two or three are gathered together in my name I will be in their midst.” Consequently, to have a God experience we must be part of the community. Thomas missed seeing Jesus when he made his appearance after the resurrection because he was not in the community. The importance of community is evident from the working style of Jesus. The very first act Jesus did after his baptism was to form a group of disciples. The last thing Jesus did before the crucifixion was the institution of the Eucharist, the perfect symbol of fellowship. The first thing Jesus did after his resurrection was to gather the scattered disciples. Similarly, when Jesus sent them on a mission he sent them in twos.

Relationship: the basic environment for growth
The story of ‘The Cave Girls’ is very popular among the psychologists. I believe that this incident happened in the 1960’s. These two girls, seven and nine years old respectively, were found in a cave with wolves. The wolves were taking care of these girls. These girls themselves behaved like wolves. They walked on all fours and talked by making sounds just as wolves do. It took several years to rehabilitate them and to teach them to act like human beings.

Only a human environment can develop human personalities. All of us are social beings. We are born from a community into a community. Our identity, our existence, our growth and development, everything takes place in communities. My name is Sebastian because you call me by that name. If you would call me Subash, I would become Subash.

The nature and quality of a community determine the nature of a person. A healthy community is prone to beget a healthy person. A wounded community most likely creates reactionaries. Therefore, we have a tremendous responsibility to form our community as a loving entity.

DIFFERENT ROLES IN A COMMUNITY

There are four kinds of people in any given community. They are leaders, contributors, critics and sleepers. Leaders and contributors are the strength of a community where as critics and sleepers are its liabilities. Not everyone may be in a position to provide leadership. However, everybody can be a contributor. When we use our talents, treasures and time for the good of the community we are playing the role of a contributor. No matter how insignificant one may be, still he/she has something to offer for the wellbeing of the community. Unfair criticism not only kills the spirit of a community but also it creates reactors. Sleepers are inactive and indifferent people. They are the majority. Their lack of interest in the common cause indirectly supports the rise of all kinds of dangerous tendencies in the society.