Homily Most Holy Trinity - June 12, 2022

 Today's readings can be found here.

            My wife and I recently celebrated our 33^rd wedding anniversary.  Reflecting on our years together, I wondered what I might say if asked the question “How have you stayed married so long?  What’s the secret?”  We’ve probably broken all the rules you hear for long relationships.  We’ve gone to bed angry.  We don’t have regular date nights.  We argue and don’t always say we’re sorry.  We do have our good habits also.  We always kiss and say good night.  We respect each other and share the household duties.  We talk about big decisions before making them.  So, what’s the secret?  It’s that there’s three people in our relationship.  We knew early on that to be successful as a couple, God had to be part of our marriage.  And He is.  Through all our ups and downs, we know God is with us.  Putting God in the middle of our relationship gives us the graces we need when we need them.

            This weekend we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity.  Most Catholics know that the Trinity is one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  But there is more to the Trinity than just three persons, one God.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church as a great deal to say on the Trinity.  It's the central mystery of our faith.  The Trinity is One, consubstantial.  However, the three persons are distinct from one another.  It can get confusing rather quickly.  The description I like best is from Bishop Robert Barron.  He compares the Father and the Son to a lover and the beloved.  The Holy Spirit is the love that flows between the Father and the Son.  Bishop Barron describes what the Catechism confirms: the Trinity is about relationship.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons in relationship with each other.

            Since we’re created in God’s image, we’re also meant to be in relationships.  The most important is the one we have with God.  God is already in relationship with us.  At baptism, we received the Holy Spirit.  That gift is strengthened in the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Paul tells us today that the love of God will be poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  Since we’ve received the Holy Spirit, we already have the love of God in us!  To be in relationship with God, we need only accept the gift we’ve already been given!  Once we’ve accepted that gift, we need to love God in return.  This allows us to grow in our relationship with God.

            How do we love God in return?  We can begin by giving thanks for all the blessings and gifts God has given us.  We draw closer to God in prayer and contemplating the depth of God’s love for us.  This can inspire us to be more like God in loving others.  We have Jesus as our example in serving others as disciples.  We can ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in being more like Jesus.  We’re also in relationships with each other as people.  We have our family, friends, co-workers, and classmates.  We interact with other people all the time in our everyday activities.  Think about the people we meet while shopping, enjoying an evening out, or just bump into when we’re out and about.

            God has poured His love for us into our hearts.  In return, we should love others as God loves us.  This means pouring out God’s love for us into others.  It also means putting God in the middle of our relationships with other people.  How would our relationships with others change?  How might we treat people if we loved them as God loves them?  What if the Trinity was our model for how we treat each other?  That sounds like the secret to any successful relationship.