Matthew 28:16-20, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

We commonly think of an object as either here or there. It cannot be here and there and everywhere at the same time. In the quantum world of the very small however, things get weird. Surprisingly, a single particle (such as an electron) can bi-locate. It can go through two doors at once. We try to explain this by saying that the tiny object seems to move more like a wave that hits the shore here, there, and almost everywhere all at once.

 This non-locality gets even weirder with quantum entanglement, which explodes our sense of space and time. Einstein once called it “spooky action-at-a-distance”. But that’s for a later homily. Today, Trinity Sunday, we know better than to think of God as a discrete thing in the universe that can be divided into parts that are here or there or elsewhere, with a before or after. And so today, we will not “thingify” the  Trinity. We will just let the wave of the mystery wash over us. Instead of figuring out what the ocean is all about, we will just sit on the sand and allow the seaspray to drench us in wonder and gratitude. We believe in God the Father, Abba, who made heaven and earth and “all things visible and invisible”. In faith, we hold that it is the Father who creates us out of love. We are here not out of chance or compulsion. We are created beings, God’s children, made in the image and likeness of God. We are dear to God, God’s very own, created with purpose to be with God forever. To believe thus in God the Father liberates us. We need not be so distressed by the irreverence or indifference of those who do not see us. To believe that we belong to God gives us back our dignity. We believe in God the Son, in Jesus Christ our Lord, “incarnate of the Virgin Mary”, come down from heaven for us all “and for our salvation”. If the Father creates us out of love, it is God the Son who recreates us out of mercy. Despite what we have done and failed to do, God chooses to create us anew. In our desire to be godlike, God responds by taking on our humanity. Through Christ our Lord, God returns our pride with humility, the unforgiving hardness of our hearts with mercy. To believe thus in God the Son gladdens us. Before the cross of Christ, we come to believe in God who does not forsake or condemn us. To believe that we have been truly forgiven gives us back our love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, “the giver of life”, the One who speaks through prophetic voices and breathes courage to our world today. If God redeems us out of mercy, it is God the Holy Spirit who gives us life to give to one another. When we are tempted to give up on life, when our hope is tested by this world gone mad with war and hatred, the Holy Spirit comes to remind us that God is in this world with us. It is the Holy Spirit who dares us to work with God in bringing everything closer to the love of God. To believe thus in God the Holy Spirit inspires us. We know our weaknesses and yet God anoints us co-creators with him, empowering us to labor with him in the world today. We are never without God’s power. To believe in God’s power and in our own gives us back our strength.  Today, Trinity Sunday, we will turn to the Trinity who gives us back our dignity, love, and strength. We will not “thingify” God or reduce God to a thing we can divide into parts that are here or there with a before or after. Instead, we will just imagine ourselves on the seashore and let the wave of this mystery reach us everywhere all at once, drenching us in wonder and gratitude, blessing us in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

*image from the Internet