"When the Lord established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
when he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
when he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race."
Proverbs 8:27-31

Readings

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Beyond Words
by Bishop Richard Henning

First reading: Exods 34:4b-6, 8-9
Responsorial: Deuteronomy 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
Second reading: Second Corinthians 13:11-13
Gospel: John 3:16-18

The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity is unique among the liturgical feasts. It does not remember an event or honor a person. This feast celebrates the Christian conviction that there are Three Persons and One God. We might expect that the celebration of such a complex core belief would include long readings helping us to understand the mystery. Surprisingly, the readings for this Sunday are notably brief. Paradoxically, it is the fact of fewer words that may clue us into the depth of this mystery - it will not be explained by words, but must be known in the experience of God that goes beyond words.
 
The Scriptures do not mention the word “Trinity.” The explicit statement of Christian belief in the Trinity came only in the year 325 at the Council of Nicaea. The fact that the language we use comes from a later generation, however, does not mean that our belief in the Trinity is not Scriptural. In fact, the dogma of the Trinity comes from reflection upon the experience of God as remembered and proclaimed in the Scriptures. In a sense, the Council Fathers went beyond the words of the Scriptures to proclaim a truth embedded deeply in the text. The hints of the Trinity are to be found in the Old Testament, but it was in the Christ event that the nature of God was revealed in a new and definitive way. And that Revelation of the Word gave new light and insight to the reading of God’s Torah.
 
In the passage from Exodus, we find Israel at a pivotal moment in its experience of God. In Genesis, the Old Testament relates the story of creation and the beginning of God’s dealings with the stubborn and needy creatures that are humankind. We also learn of God’s surprising decision to focus on one man, Abraham, and his family. While the text praises Abraham’s faith, it is really a story of God keeping faith with human beings.
 
In the Book of Exodus, we witness the steps by which God takes the family of Abraham and forges the people of Israel. And the process, like any forging, involves effort, pain, and not a little heat. At Sinai, the people receive the grace of invitation to relationship, but their commitment is unsteady. In this scene, Moses goes to the mountain in order to intercede on behalf of a sinful people. Moses hopes to convince God to be merciful, but notice that God speaks first. Without any cajoling, God announces to Moses His sovereignty and His mercy. Neither the people nor their spokesman, Moses, have earned this gift, but it is given nonetheless.
 
The passage from Second Corinthians is a final salutation from Paul. It is used here in the lectionary because it uses a doxology - a prayer of praise - that mentions the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity.
 
The very brief passage from John comes from the story of the encounter between Nicodemus and Jesus. Recall that Nicodemus has difficulty perceiving the deeper truths. He sees the surface while Jesus challenges him to look with the eyes of faith. These verses summarize God’s gracious plan of salvation. They are words of beauty and joy, simple and sublime. The fundamental basis of our relationship with God is not a matter of guilt or expiation. There is no price to be paid or reward to be earned. First and last there is merciful love. 
 
It is good that we have such brief readings this Sunday. The fact reminds us that we must go beyond words if we wish to do justice to the Most Holy Trinity. The Trinity is not a teaching about God as much as a truth for human beings. It is the proclamation of God’s gracious love and the beginning of a new relationship with God through His definitive Word, Jesus Christ.
 
We would do well to take this brief passage from John and meditate on it, let the words sink in, and allow our hearts to go beyond words on a page to the experience of God. The God Who walked with Moses and the people of Israel walks still in our midst. That announcement of God’s mercy to Moses has taken flesh and walked among us. Let the beauty of these few words touch more than our ears and our minds. We worship in the presence of the One Who speaks these gracious words to us. When we recognize His voice, the words themselves will recede. We will be changed and transformed by His love, born again from above. As St. Augustine said to the Christians of his day: “you were created through the word, but now through the word you must be recreated.”