· Trinity Sunday (B), June 11, 2006
· Our Experience of God

· Introduction:
· We are in the weeks of the “Big Themes”
· Last week was Pentecost
· This week is Trinity Sunday
· Next week is our Parish Feast - Corpus Christi (The Body and Blood of Christ). {No 11:00 or 1:00 Masses – combined multi-lingual celebration at 12:00 Noon}

· Trinity Sunday
· Doctrine of the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
· What does it mean for us?
· What does the Bible say about Trinity?
· What is our experience of God?

· Scripture:
· In the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, the doctrine of the Trinity is implicit rather then explicit.
· In the Old and the New Testament, God is EXPERIENCED as going out of himself in Self-Revealing Creative Action and in Unselfish Redemptive Love, and by Inspiring the human heart – but the term Trinity is not used.
· [The doctrinal formulation of the mystery of the Trinity emerged from the Council of Nicaea (325 C.E.) in the Nicene Creed, whose primary purpose was to affirm the divinity of the Son. It was further developed at the Council of Constantinople (381 C.E.) with the addition of explicit affirmation of the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son. Finally, the doctrine was fully formulated at the Council of Chalcedon (451 C.E.)] (Written That You May Believe by Sandra Schneiders p 13 n.7)
· We are not gathered today to celebrate a doctrine of faith,
· Instead, we are celebrating the God who created us, who saved us and continues to inspire us.

· Today’s readings portray this BIBLICAL EXPERIENCE of the God we celebrate:
· In the Old Testament:
· Self-Revelation: Original Creation, and in addition God speaking to Moses from the Burning Bush
· Redemption: God choosing an insignificant people and freeing them from slavery in Egypt – the Exodus
· Inspiration: God creates in hearts of this people Faith in him who reveals and redeems
· Trinity

· In the New Testament:
· Self-Revelation: Same as the Old Testament experience expanded to include all people.
· Redemption: The invisible God made visible perfectly in Jesus
· Inspiration: God does not abandon his people, but Jesus sends God’s Spirit to be with them until the end of time.
· Trinity

· What does Trinity mean For Us Today:
· More than a doctrine, it speaks to our experience of God
· In reflecting on these readings over the course of the week, what struck me most is that my experience of God is not of a passive, far removed deity, but rather of an active, loving, companion.
· Facing tragedy:
· Jesus shows us that God is not distant, but walks with us
· Liturgically:
· We pray together to the Father, in company with Jesus, through the Power of the Spirit
· In Families:
· God never abandons us
· Jesus say, I will not leave you orphans, but send the Holy Spirit to be with you.

· The God that we celebrate today is not an aloof being who is coldly judging us,
· Nor is God “The Impersonal Force” of George Lucas’s Star Wars.
· But rather, the God that we celebrate
· Is personal, passionate, persistently loving
· God seeks intimacy with his people as we saw he did with Moses in the first reading from Deuteronomy;
· God invites us to unity as we heard in the second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans.

· The question for us then becomes, “Can we deal with this Passionate God?”
· Does our practice of religion open our hearts to a God who wants a relationship with us?
· Do our relationships with one another, reflect this God who is revealed to us in Scripture - God who impregnates every part of our being?

· As we continue with our liturgy,
· We pray in gratitude for the love that God continues to show to us every day of our lives.
· “Go, therefore, spread this Good News to all nations,” in the name of Father, Son, and Spirit

· Amen

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