Wednesday Word: Trinity

Trinity

I'm writing this reflection on May 29. Yesterday, Monday, May 28, was Memorial Day and the offices were closed, so this is my first day back in the office after a very long weekend.

This past Sunday was Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost, and the day we remember, celebrate, and honor the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And on that day, we were surrounded by Trinitarian images.

I presided at three services – 8, 10:15, and the 3 pm wedding of Jerry and Bruce. It was one of the longest days I've ever had as a priest, but it was also one of the best. The Holy Trinity was present in those three services.

At the 8 and 10:15 services I compared the Trinity to a dance. God the Father is the dance itself that binds everything together. God the Son is Fred Astaire, the first dancer that comes to mind when we think about great dancing. God the Holy Spirit is Ginger Rogers, the third person in the relationship that makes the dance whole and does things we can't explain. The Holy Trinity is present in the relationship of dancers.

At the wedding I said that 1+1=3. Jerry and Bruce were coming together in Holy Matrimony and their relationship of two individuals would come together to create a third person, the marriage itself. The Holy Trinity is present in the loving union of two people.

During the wedding service we heard from 1 Cor. 13, “And now faith, hope, and love abide.” These three things are eternally intertwined. Faith leads us to trust in another. Hope is our longing for how others will see or treat us. And both of these are wrapped up in love. Love allows us to have faith. Love urges us to hope. And even if we fail in upholding the other two, love will remain. The Holy Trinity is present within all relationships if we take the time to see it.

Trinity Sunday. Three services. A dance. A marriage.

They say good things come in threes. Maybe there's a reason for that.

Where to you see the Holy Trinity present in your life?

Blessings,

Todd+