Scripture Reflection, June 3: Trinity Sunday

Scripture Readings:
Proverbs 8: 22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5: 1-5
John 16: 12-15

The famous Ninth Symphony of Beethoven was premiered on May 7, 1824 in Vienna. Beethoven had been working on this symphony for a number of years. He had wanted to set to music Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy” for a long time. At the premiere, Beethoven was on stage for the first time in twelve years, and the concert hall was packed. By this point in his life, Beethoven had become completely deaf. There are numerous accounts of what happened that night, with many anecdotes handed down over the years that have become part of the “oral tradition” of this event. Michael Umlauf was the symphony conductor, though Beethoven sat by the stage and gave the tempos prior to each movement of the symphony. Testimonies about the details differ, but it is clear that the audience’s response to the symphony was overwhelming. There were five raucous standing ovations, with people waving their handkerchiefs and hats in the air. The police apparently became alarmed, because the civic custom required that only three ovations be given to the emperor and his wife; the spectacle of five ovations for a musician was viewed as unseemly. As the applause began, Beethoven remained with his back to the audience, unaware of the reaction of the crowd because of his deafness. The contralto, Caroline Unger, walked over with tears in her eyes and forcibly turned Beethoven around so that he could see this response and accept the affirmation of his work.

Beethoven, through the unique gift of music that constituted his own genius, had produced what many consider a masterpiece. It became a classic work that is still enjoyed and performed today. The music from the famous Fourth Movement has been rearranged and is now the official anthem of the European Union. But it seems that the contralto saw that, as long as the composer sat there is silence, turned away from the audience, something essential was missing. This symphony was a profound personal expression of Beethoven, meant to communicate his own vision and evoke a response. It was a work of genius that was to create a bond between Beethoven and his listeners. So it was very important that Beethoven turn his face toward his audience in order that this communication could become complete, this bond could be acknowledged.

The magnificent creation that surrounds us, which is so strikingly beautiful in these days of spring, is the great work of God’s genius. In a particular way, each one of us is a great work of God’s genius. We are God’s masterpiece; each one of us is the expression of God’s abundant, overflowing goodness. We are “God’s symphony.” The first reading for this Sunday, Trinity Sunday, celebrates the beauty, order and wisdom of God’s creation. The responsorial psalm (Psalm 8), extols the sublime dignity and vocation of the human person within this creation. Reflecting on the marvelous creation that is all around us, gazing at the faces of the people who surround us, we can truly sing: “O Lord, how wonderful your name in all the earth.”

Yet if we knew God only as the Creator, as the distant divine genius who is the origin of this vast and ancient universe, our knowledge would be incomplete. If we imagined God as sitting in silence, with his back to us, how impoverished we would be! Our Scriptures for this Sunday tell us something more, something infinitely more wonderful about this Creator God. They remind us that the people of God came to discover through history that this God is more than merely the Creator who composed the symphony of the universe and then let it be. These Scriptures impress upon us the awesome and lovely truth that God’s face is turned toward his people. They speak of the living God, the God who revealed himself to his people and became intimately involved in their lives. The Scriptures speak to us of the God who gives of Self as one to be known and loved. This God calls us into relationship; each one of us is called to live in communion with God.

In the second reading, Saint Paul reminds us that God entered into our history in a redemptive and life-giving way in Jesus. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we come to experience this new life offered by God in and through Jesus. Through this Spirit the love of God has been poured out into our hearts. In the Gospel words of Jesus spoken to his disciples, we are assured that this Holy Spirit continues to move within us to guide us and to reveal the depths of God’s love for us. Through the Spirit we come to know the Son and the Father in a personal way. The God whom we hear about on this Trinity Sunday is the living God, overflowing with life-giving love. This is the God who has turned his face toward us.

As Christians, we name this God Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the wonderful name of the Trinity that we invoke every time we make the sign of the cross. The reality of God as Trinity, as one God in three persons, is a mystery beyond our comprehension. We can speak about this truth only in halting language. But this mystery is a reality that is much more than just a doctrine to be located in a catechism or theology textbook. The mystery of the Trinity is all about the living God, a God of relationship. We believe that God is a communion of life and love in God’s very Self. In a way that is beyond our ken, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are bonded to one another in an endless circle of life and love. Even more wonderfully, we believe that we have seen the human face of this God in the person of Jesus. This Jesus has called us to share in the life of the Trinity.

We are called to profess the truth of God as Trinity not simply with our lips but with our lives as well. Our celebration of the mystery of the Trinity calls forth a response from us. First of all, the Scriptures for this Sunday invite us to root our faith in an ever-deepening personal relationship with God – the God who is faithful to us, who is tenaciously faithful to each one of us. And so these Scriptures summon us to be people of regular prayer and reflection, committed to spending time with God and listening for his will in our lives. Second, the Word of God challenges us to imitate the God in whose image we have been created – the triune God who is a communion of life and love. We are called to become “Godlike” by being willing to draw others into our lives – to share ourselves and our gifts with them. This is a challenging message in a culture that extols rugged individualism and which can be ingenious in finding ways to exclude people. We use the word “exclusive” to describe desirable clubs, neighborhoods, department stores and restaurants. It can be very tempting to define ourselves over against the people or the groups that we exclude from our lives. Entire nations in our world are excluded from an equitable share in the goods of the earth. As Christians, we are summoned to adopt an inclusive vision, one that fosters solidarity and communion with others, particularly those who are marginalized. As we have been called to share in the dynamic life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so we are challenged to include others in the life and the gifts that we enjoy.

This Sunday we will approach the table of the Lord, that sacred place where we experience communion with our God through receiving the body and blood of Christ. We come with gratitude and praise, knowing that God’s face is turned toward us and that his love for us is deeper and more powerful than we could ever imagine.

Robin Ryan, CP