Trinity Sunday – Year C
June 15, 2025 – 10:30 AM
Saint Cecilia Catholic Community
Deacon Sharon Kay Talley
Proverbs 8:22-31 | Psalm 8:4-9
Romans 5:1-5 | John 16:1-5
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Since I haven’t shared a joke or story with you in a while, I found one to share with you today before we ponder the mysterious Holy Trinity.
While shopping at their local supermarket, two nuns happened to pass by the beer, wine, and liquor section. One asked the other if she would like a beer.
The second nun answered that indeed it would be very nice to have one, but she would be uncomfortable purchasing it.
So the first nun replied that she would handle it without a problem. She picked up a six-pack and took it to the cashier. The cashier was surprised, so the nun said, “This is for washing our hair.”
Without blinking an eye, the cashier reached under the counter and put a package of pretzel sticks in the bag with the beer, saying, “The curlers are on me!”
Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, not merely as a theological concept to be understood, but as the very heart of our faith and the source of our salvation. This mystery reveals to us not just WHO God is, but HOW God loves.
The Holy Trinity challenges us first of all, by making it impossible to simplify it or reduce it to categories, which is our human nature. In spite of this, this mystery does not lessen our faith…it deepens it. As the astute Saint Augustine wisely observed, “If you can understand it, it’s not God.”
The Trinity reminds us that God transcends our limited comprehension as it is not a puzzle to be solved, but a relationship to be entered into. We do not worship a distant solitary deity but a God who is inherently relational, offering perfect love.
In the Trinity, we have the perfect community of love. The Father eternally begets the Son; the Son eternally receives life from the Father; and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father after Jesus foretold Her coming and prepared the way for Her. . This is not a hierarchy of power, but a dance of mutual self-giving.
This Divine Community becomes the model for all human relationships. Think about it…in every relationship in our lives: marriage, family, friendship, work environment, and all interactions with others, we are called to reflect this Trinitarian love by giving ourselves completely, while receiving others fully.
Through baptism, we do not just learn about the Holy Trinity, we are immersed into it. When we make the sign of the cross, we are not just reciting a formula, but proclaiming our identity as beloved children of God.
God, the Father, calls us by name, knowing us before we were formed in the womb. Jesus, the Son, walks beside us as a brother and redeemer, sharing our humanity so that we might share His Divinity. The Holy Spirit dwells within us, making our hearts temples of the living God.
We live as children of God when we trust in the Divine Providence, even when we cannot see the path ahead. We learn to say, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” as Jesus taught us to do.
We follow Jesus when we choose love over selfishness, forgiveness over revenge, service over status. We take up our cross daily, knowing that through Jesus, we find true peace and happiness.
We walk with the Holy Spirit when we allow ourselves to be guided by love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Holy Spirit transforms us from within, making us more like Jesus.
When we face doubt in our lives, the Holy Trinity offers us foundation. The Father’s steadfast love anchors us when life feels uncertain. The Son’s solidarity with human suffering assures us we are not alone in our path. The Holy Spirit’s presence gives us strength when we feel overwhelmed.
When we struggle with forgiveness, the Holy Trinity shows us the way. God, the Father, forgives us before we even ask. Jesus intercedes for us and forgives us. The Holy Spirit empowers us to forgive our enemies.
The Holy Trinity also reveals our destiny: we are created for communion to be with God and one another in a perfect shared relationship.
The mystery of the Holy Trinity is not meant to confuse us, but rather, to transform us. It reveals that the very heart of reality is not loneliness, but love; not isolation, but intimacy; not competition, but communion.
As we leave St. Cecilia’s today, may we take this mystery with us in our hearts and minds. May we see ourselves as beloved children of God, the Father, brothers and sisters of Jesus, and temples of the Holy Spirit.
And may our lives become a living prayer, a reflection of the Trinitarian love that creates, redeems, and sanctifies all things.
Amen.