Trinity Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons

Trinity Sunday June 11th 2017

Is the Trinity such a great mystery? Preachers and commentators on scripture often make a great thing about the mystery or great secret of the Holy Trinity, but if we look at how the word mystery or mystḗrion is used in the New Testament, we discover that it’s about the sacred wisdom and truth of God, once secret and hidden from us, now being revealed in the Gospels, particularly those who have been initiated into the ‘mysteries’ or sacraments. To be a Christian, to follow Christ means we also live in the life of the Trinity. Saint Augustine explored this in many of his writings, telling us that wherever Christ is to be found, there, too, was the “fullness of God”. (Tractates 104.1 and 110.3).

We can understand this a little better if we look at how we are ‘made’ Christians. In the great Sacraments of Christian Initiation, we receive baptism in the ‘name’ of the equal persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We receive Christ in a very particular manner, what Augustine calls the “Christ within,” “Christus intus” . In Confirmation (or in the East Chrismation) we are sealed with the Spirit, who is that gift of love above all things and who brings us into the relationship with Father and Son. We hear the ritual words that tell us that through all this process we are now the adopted children of God, and one day will see God at that great banquet in the Kingdom of heaven, but until we rise with Christ we get on with our lives, finding and sharing that Christus intus, in word, deed and prayer.

Yet for many the idea of God seems remote, but it needn’t be. There are amongst us, unknown, hidden people who walk and talk with God, who in their lives understand and share that ‘mystery’ of God revealed in three. They often use images and poetry, music and great language to express something deeply rooted in their faith and all of it is about relationship and nature.

Often we hear people talking about ‘my other half’ or somebody who is/was a part of me, always about love in one-way or another. Unconsciously we use the language of the Trinity, we sense that somebody else makes us complete, two people together are exclusive, but add a third equal love and what do we have, a community, communion of love that is inclusive. You will have many glimpses of this Trinity in your life, just be open to them!

The arm of God be about you,
The way of Christ guide you,
The strength of the Spirit support you.
The holy God encircle you and keep you safe;
The mighty God defend you from all dangers;
The loving God give you his peace.
(Carmina Gadelica)

Early Irish Christian Poem:

Three folds of the cloth, yet only one napkin is there,
Three joints in the finger, but still only one finger fair,
Three leaves of the shamrock, yet no more than one shamrock to wear,
Frost, snow-flakes and ice, all in water their origin share,
Three Persons in God: to one God alone we make our prayer.

Fr Robin is an Eastern Rite Catholic Chaplain for Melkites in the UK. He is also an Ecumenical Canon of Christ Church, Oxford