THE TRINITY:
HINTS AND HESITATIONS
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this Trinity Sunday is, “The
Trinity: Hints and Hesitations.”
When it comes to God – we know the warnings – especially
of Idolatry and Surety.
We know that Israel warns about even using God’s Name and
Islam warns about images.
Sunni Islam is more iconoclastic than Shia Islam. I didn’t
know that.
We know the difference between the look inside a Catholic
Church building – compared to Calvin based Christian churches and we know Calvinists
burned – as well as looted - Catholic churches.
So we know from history about Iconoclasm – the breaking
of images when some people thought they became too much.
Last night I saw a word I never saw before: A N I C O N I
S M.
When I broke it down – I finally got it. It has the word “icon”
in it – and it’s against icons.
We know when it comes to ourselves – when another starts
to tell us they know our motives and our meanings – and who we are - we want
to scream – “You don’t know me.
Heck, I don’t even know myself
for God’s sake.”
So we don’t know each other - how much more
God.
We’ve heard in our lifetime the difference between a
kataphatic approach to God [“kata” – the Greek prefix meaning “with” – "phatic" meaning "images"] and "apo – phatic"– "without images".]
So hopefully we know God – a bit – and we don’t know God –
a lot.
In fact, the more we know, the more we know we don’t know,
And we know we don’t like it when someone tells us they know God’s mind and
will and plans.
I know I felt something was wrong – some time there at
North East - when I heard so and so say he
knew God’s will about another kids’ so-called vocation.
I also remember the night when a brother Redemptorist invited me to
go with him to Long Island to a charismatic meeting that someone invited him to. He wanted company and I guess he wanted another pair
of ears and eyes.
And at that meeting, someone tape recorded a person who was
speaking in tongues and then another person played the tape and told everyone in the room what the Spirit was saying – one
message being, a marriage should break
up – and I said to myself, “Let’s get out of here!”
One of my favorite statement from the Talmud is: “Teach
thy tongue to say, ‘I do not know.’”
And yet we preach – and yet we get our degrees - and we get ordained - and we are called upon to preach – even
about the Trinity.
So my first two messages for today – Trinity Sunday - are hesitation and hints. I think we preach hints – hopefully – after
thought and reflection and prayer too – hopefully with deep humility – with
thoughts afterwards – with more hesitation – especially after we preach.
TODAY IS TRINITY SUNDAY
John told us on Friday he remembered Mark
Tucker’s first mass on a Trinity
Sunday - that Mark said, “Thank God -
God chose not to go it alone."
I think we all – when it comes to "seeing" God – move from places
and stuff – to understand – and grasp at God.
Shamrocks help -
us get 3 in 1.
The Grand Canyon and a starry, starry night get us to say, “There is a God.”
Dave Stanford - Lake Erie
So too water and waterfalls and the ocean – and a walk in
the woods.
But relationships get us to move into the personal – and being
persons gives us a heads up when it comes to God.
We reflect upon hearing someone say I had trouble with
God as Father – because I had troubles with my father.
We reflect upon hearing someone say I had trouble with
God as Spouse – as Love – because I had problems in my marriage or never got
married.
We reflect upon Genesis 1:26-27 where we hear we are made
in the Image and Likeness of God.
In a footnote on that text in the Jerusalem Bible I read
that the Fathers of the Church said there is a hint of the Trinity in that
text.
I remember – when I was stationed here the first time - I
had a choice once of a 12 week course at Princeton Theological by Walter Burghardt on that text – or another
course. I didn’t choose Walter – and I’ve often wondered what I missed. Yesterday I heard names and read comments and
thoughts by writers like Gregory of Nyssa and Tertullian and Augustine on Genesis
1:26-27 and once more – I realized how little I know.
One author said Aquinas moved more to the mind over against
Augustine when it came to the Trinity – but John Tauler and Eckhart moved back
to the heart. I know I could not think
that or know that – because to say that would take a lot of research and a big
table with a lot of open books on it.
HINTS AND HESITATIONS
So I like the idea of hints and hesitations.
My dad is long dead – 1970.
But I know that in this last part of life – I’ve done a
lot of thinking about who my dad was – absolutely
quiet – and a perfect gentleman.
Going away to North East at 13 – did that block my chance
– to get to know my dad better – as well as God as Father?
Does something happen in the father-son relationship to every
son – in general – in the teenage years and young adult years.
I pondered that a bit – in my Native American – readings and
research.
I don’t know.
I’ve also pondered the meaning of Father for a priest in these last 18 years – once I got into
parish work big time.
I know I don’t like the title “Father” – when I see it as a prop – to enhance a weak priest –
and wow can that be judgmental.
I know I like the title “Father” when someone wants a
priest – any priest – because they feel prodigal or like a lost sheep.
And father is just one hint – of how God is God – God as
Father.
There’s mother and spouse.
Then there is Christ the Second Person – and luckily we
have the 4 voices – amongst many – telling us who Christ is - as well as hearing Alphonsus before and after
he began experiencing the practice of the Love of Jesus Christ –
Then there is Spirit - wind, breath,
fire, dove and many ways God breathes
and blows and flies and flows and burns in our lives.
So obviously, God is only hints and hesitations.
CONCLUSION
Maybe the best thing would have been to repeat the last
sentence in today’s second reading: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the
love of God and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with all of you.”
