TRINITY SUNDAY

Holy Trinity

 

This Sunday we meditate on probably the most abstract topic – in His mystery it is so difficult for us to conceptualise, or visualise – the Blessed Trinity – GOD!

What is your image of God?

If you were to ask a child to draw a picture it would be probably of an old man in white – elderly –with long flowing beard, on a puffy cloud, looking down on us sometimes kindly, other times angrily at us, waiting to catch us out, ready to send a lightning bolt! But at least we know a bit more than that simplistic image!

God is One and yet God exists as the relationship of mutual inter-personal love of Three Persons. We pray ‘In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit’ at the beginning of Mass, we bless ourselves at Mass; and every day in prayer – yet we cannot ever comprehend the Greatest Mystery of all – God.

What is the best image we can come up with?

I find Rublev’s Icon helpful – not only to preach about but as a visual reminder of the Mystery of the Three Persons in One God.

You may have seen this icon before. It is simply beautiful and worth pondering.

The first thing to notice is that the three angels as depicted are all identical facially. This points to the equality – the similarity as in a family -of the Three Persons in the One God. They all have haloes – pointing to the holiness of God

Next, the Father is seated on the left – He points to the Son and the Holy Spirit who look back at the Father – Christ who is sent to redeem us and the Spirit who is sent at Pentecost to sanctify us.

We see the colour blue – which iconographers use to signify divinity or God. Christ and the Spirit have more because they have been seen –become visible

Each holds a rod or staff pointing to their divine majesty and authority. As the queen of England celebrates 60 years this weekend, her ‘majesty’ is miniscule in relation to the Majesty of God.

 

Each of the Divine Person’s hands are also worth examining more closely – that of the Father sending, that of the Son with two fingers pointing downwards symbolising His journey to earth and  His humanity and divinity, and that of the Holy Spirit being sent downwards also to sanctify us.

Christ has a stole on His shoulder pointing to His priesthood and that He has offered Himself for our sakes.

The tree behind Christ points to the Cross on which hung the Saviour of the world.

 The house behind the Father points to our heavenly home

The Mass is the foretaste of ‘first course’ – the Body and Blood of Christ are on the table – the wedding banquet or supper of the Lamb in heaven – to which all are invited.

The three Persons are seated around a table that seats four – the fourth place is for you and me – God invites you to sit with Him and feel at home as an equal - comfortable – there is a place for you in this relationship.

There is restlessness in all of us that can only be satisfied by God and our relationship with Him in prayer and the sacraments. Let us try to know him, love Him and serve Him better in this life on order to be happy with Him forever in the next.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen