Feast of the Holy Trinity

 


TRINITY SUNDAY 


Let’s begin by pretending that we are in Rome. We’re stepping into the Sistine Chapel so that we can reflect upon a display known as The Last Judgment. We will need a period of time because this panoramic fresco takes up an entire wall. The great Renaissance artist Michelangelo initiated this project in the year 1536 and finally was able to finish it in the year 1541. Our guide calls attention to the fact that the artist himself appears twice within this masterpiece. He’s depicted in connection with St. Bartholomew in one panel, and then he appears again, looking on as the dead are being called forth to experience the resurrection. So as an artist he’s placing himself within his work of creation. For all practical purposes, this is Michelangelo entering into what it is that he has created. 


The purpose behind this illustration is that the Trinity can be understood along similar lines. In the Book of Genesis we read about God’s great act of creation. Then, in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4), God enters into his world of creation. The Supreme Artist does what the Renaissance artist Michelangelo will do, at a later stage in human history—he takes a place within his work of creation. 


How does this relate to the doctrine of the Trinity? Think of it this way: in the Person of the Father, God creates our majestic universe; in the Person of the Son, he places himself within his world of creation; and finally, the bond that has been formed will be maintained through the activity of the Holy Spirit. Thus we have all three Persons present and accounted for: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 


Now we need to account for a motive. Why is God being drawn into his world of creation? The answer can be traced to the First Letter of St. John, chapter four. It amounts to a brief and yet infinitely profound statement: God is love (4:16). Out of love he creates our world–-and us. Out of love God proceeds to pitch his tent among us (see John 1:14). And out of love he arranges for that bond to be sustained through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. When we call our God a Trinitarian God, it’s another way of saying that God is love. He loves us so much that he can’t even contain himself. 

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