Homily for June 7, 2009 Trinity Sunday
It's rare that we read a Gospel and we immediately do exactly what the Gospel tells us, but that's what we're doing today. We're baptizing Caleb and Vivienne in fulfillment of the command of Jesus to "Go make disciples of all nations. Baptize them, teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you, and know that I am with you." So today we baptize Caleb and Vivienne, and we know that God is with us.
We also celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity today. I wish I could explain that to you, but I can't. Somebody once told me that a grandchild who is not Catholic once asked her, "Grandma, do you believe in three gods?" She said, "No."
Well, it's a good question, though. We believe the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all God, so do we believe in three gods? No. Do we believe that there are three persons? Yes. I don't know how to explain that. The dogma is there to keep us from shrinking God to something so small that we can wrap our minds around him, and it insists that we keep the bigness of God.
What it does say is that what God has revealed about himself to us is that God's life is relationships of love and sharing. God is a community of love. What our faith teaches us is that God has invited us to be part of that community of love.
I know I've said this before, but hopefully I'll remember that I've said it and you won't. The Greeks used a word "perichoresis" to describe the life of God. PERI now listen to the second word CHORESIS. Can you see an English word in the second half of that word?
"Chorus" or another English word also, "chores." I can see where you would, but that's not where I was going.
Who said it? Choreography, yes. Our English word "choreography" comes from that Greek word "choresis." So what ancient theologians told us about God's life is that it's a dance. It's a continual dance of love between three distinct persons who are so close that they all share the same nature. And they've invited us to be part of that dance.
And today we invite Caleb and Vivienne to be part of that dance. As I said, I can't wrap my mind around that, but maybe I can allow myself to be wrapped up in that truth and let it guide my life.
We also celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity today. I wish I could explain that to you, but I can't. Somebody once told me that a grandchild who is not Catholic once asked her, "Grandma, do you believe in three gods?" She said, "No."
Well, it's a good question, though. We believe the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all God, so do we believe in three gods? No. Do we believe that there are three persons? Yes. I don't know how to explain that. The dogma is there to keep us from shrinking God to something so small that we can wrap our minds around him, and it insists that we keep the bigness of God.
What it does say is that what God has revealed about himself to us is that God's life is relationships of love and sharing. God is a community of love. What our faith teaches us is that God has invited us to be part of that community of love.
I know I've said this before, but hopefully I'll remember that I've said it and you won't. The Greeks used a word "perichoresis" to describe the life of God. PERI now listen to the second word CHORESIS. Can you see an English word in the second half of that word?
"Chorus" or another English word also, "chores." I can see where you would, but that's not where I was going.
Who said it? Choreography, yes. Our English word "choreography" comes from that Greek word "choresis." So what ancient theologians told us about God's life is that it's a dance. It's a continual dance of love between three distinct persons who are so close that they all share the same nature. And they've invited us to be part of that dance.
And today we invite Caleb and Vivienne to be part of that dance. As I said, I can't wrap my mind around that, but maybe I can allow myself to be wrapped up in that truth and let it guide my life.
Labels: Homilies
posted by Fr. Larry Voelker at
2:58 PM
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