Brief synopsis of the readings: We begin in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs. The “Wisdom of God” cries out : “The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded, before the oldest of his works.” This Wisdom goes on to proclaim existence before the creation of the world. In John’s Gospel Jesus tells his followers that he still has many things to tell them but “they would be too much for you now.” But the Spirit of truth will come” and “will tell you of the things to come.”

I don’t think I’m alone in saying this but the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is something we don’t think much about most of the time. The few times I remember being taught about it as a child I mostly remember hearing that it’s a mystery that can’t be solved or explained. In other words, don’t sweat it.

And I also think most of us don’t know that for several hundred years the Christian Church discussed, grappled with, prayed, argued, and fought over how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit related to each other. Without wandering into the weeds (too much) the idea of Jesus being fully human and fully divine was not a given. We were replete with heretics who claimed either that Jesus was human and not God, or that Jesus was God and not human. In addition, does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father, or from the Father and the Son? It wasn’t until the Church was nearly 400 years old that it was resolved that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (think about that when we recite the Creed after this homily).

Additionally how old is the Trinity? We’re all agreed that the Father existed before the beginning of time and the beginning of John’s Gospel also places Jesus also at the start of time. Today’s first reading makes it clear that the “Wisdom of God” has also been around since the start of time. While don’t think much about the Holy Spirit, the Spirit is seen as dynamic: here as Wisdom. In Genesis 1 the Spirit is seen as “Ruah” or wind.

If we see the Trinity as the three persons of Father, Son, and Spirit, how do they relate to each other, and how do they relate to us? If pressed many of us would look at the Trinity as one “boss” god (the Father to create) and two “lieutenant” gods (the Son to redeem and the Spirit to sanctify) but that has never been our belief. Simply put the Trinity consists of one God in three persons. But what does that mean?

At the heart of it, at the heart of our belief in the Trinity, we see a relationship between these three Persons that is perfect. It’s not a matter of agreement with each other, it’s some much, much more. It is a relationship of perfect love and devotion. And that is what we are called to with each other. Impossible? Of course it is. But that does not excuse us from journeying down that road. As they say in Alcoholics Anonymous, it’s about progress, not perfection.

Last week I briefly spoke about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand Catholics of my age and older remember memorizing the 7 deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. As children we were taught that these sins displease God. But they also drive us away from loving those around us. They are all centered on ourselves and allegedly make us superior to others or ensure we will have enough, even at the expense of others.

Unfortunately we live in a time and a place that celebrates this. How often have we heard the phrases “What about me?” or “I’m looking out for number 1.”? We see leaders (who I need not name) who see all decisions as transactional, that is, negotiated. Morality then becomes the art of the deal and our job is to ensure that we get all we can.

The Trinity teaches us the art of love. It teaches us that while lust may satisfy us at the expense of others, a creative and joyful love toward the other creates a sacred space for both. Gluttony ensures that we will have enough even if it means that we have more than we need and others don’t have enough. It also believes that God hasn’t provided enough for all of us and we must complete for what we need.

At this point I think we need to take a closer look at wrath. Despite what we were taught, anger is not a sin if only because Jesus got angry when he turned over the tables in the Temple. But anger, rightly expressed, can lead to healing and reconciliation. Our anger at our loved ones should communicate that they are not living up to our hopes and prayers for them. I once heard someone describe discipline toward children as “I love you too much to allow you to act this way.” Wrath, on the other hand, does not lead us to healing but instead to diminishment and destruction. It is not focused on the best outcome for the other but to our power and domination.

I’m not going through the rest of them because I think you the point. The desire to dominate leads to a downward spiral because the other person will often see our actions as justification for domination of their own. But the Trinity shows us that our love for each other and our trust that God provides all that we need allows us an upward spiral. In my decades of ministry I’ve seen countless incidents where an act of love, generosity and humility has led to the conversion of another who has then gone on to act with love to someone else.

I send out these homilies weekly (and next month will celebrate 9 years of doing this). I haven’t met all of you, but here’s what I want you to know: I love you.