Trinity Sunday 16 Jun 2019 Sermon

Trinity Sunday 16.6.19 Mutuality

We value human love so much but may not realize where that love comes from.

God had it first. We did not invent it.

The joy of giving and receiving in mutual love - we derived that from God.

God is a Trinity of Persons, three Persons sharing one nature.

Each of the three Persons is constantly giving and receiving in love from the other two.

This was happening before the human race was created.

God made us in His image, which is why we have received the same impulse to give and receive.

We do not do it as well as God, not by a long way; but at our best we can at least follow the same principle.

We learn to love other people as much as ourselves; we discover the joy of giving to others, even of forgiving them when they offend us.

This is a major step and could only happen with God's help.

We discover that it is better to give than receive (Acts 20,35).

This enables us to share in that love between the Divine Persons.

This is what makes Heaven what it is. The main joy of Heaven is that we dwell with God. Yes, there are the people we love but to be with God is better still – because He is more lovable, being more perfect.

Without love we would be imprisoned in our individual selves. To discover how to give to one another is a liberation.

This is living in its fullest sense.

We come to know, love and serve God; for this He made us, and to this He calls us.

We do not do any of these three things enough. If we could get the first one right - to know Him better - the rest would come easily.

People think God is remote and impersonal.

Impersonal! He made the brand. He is Personhood full and complete; we are only copies and much inferior.

It is a common mistake that people make, to judge God by human standards.

People come to love each other, and then conclude that this is the highest point that can be reached.

They see God as something of an interruption to their plans.

The modern practice of marrying outside churches is a testimony to this. People getting married ask, What has this to do with God?

Nothing, except that He made them male and female, and instituted marriage; and is the source of whatever love a man and a woman can have for each other!

All human love comes from Him first. And it will only last, and bear fruit, if He is included at every point.

We should seek him out, therefore; not be ignoring Him.

And so we do today, on this special feast, singing His praises, seeking to enter that dimension so far higher than we could reach by ourselves.

We are allowed (through the sacred humanity of God the Son) to enter the Blessed Trinity’s exchange of mutual giving; and to benefit insofar as we allow ourselves to submit to the process.

When we feel unloved and unwanted we can turn to this reality, that God includes us in His inner life; that no one, however rejected by other people, is outside the scope of His love and mercy.

We go to the Source, and we find new depths.

If we had got this right from the start the world would look very different. There would be sufficient gratitude, docility, obedience… no one would be lonely or left out.

For now we offer our sorrow for sin, and adoration of God's infinite perfection.

All glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.