An Immeasurable Love: Holy Trinity Sunday
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB – Holy Trinity Sunday
Sermon And Christian Act In The Word
Theme: An Immeasurable Love-Holy Trinity! We pray TO the Father THROUGH the Son IN the Holy Spirit! Three-In-ONE thus Holy Trinity!
Point of Reflection: Do I live the experience of the Trinity in my life? In what ways? Do I make decisions reflecting on which course of action would reflect on the Trinity’s focus on the salvation of humankind in my life and in the world?
Theological Reflection on Holy Trinity: Holy Trinity is a mystery. The celebration of the Holy Trinity is the celebration of love, for God the Father sends his Son to redeem us and the Holy Spirit works and operates in us, this is love and salvific cooperation. Therefore as Christians, we must always pray TO the Father, THROUGH the Son, IN the Holy Spirit”.
This is the LOVE God has shown to Humanity.
The heart of Christian Faith is in the Triune God: there is LOVE among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: That’s our Faith. Our Faith in the Trinity rests on God’s revelation of Himself in the economy of Salvation.
We do not have access to the Trinity outside what God has revealed to us by sending His only Son and giving us the Holy Spirit. God has revealed Himself to humanity as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What is most important for us Christians to understand is that, the three divine persons the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are present all time and they act in the world by one single action because the divine action is Trinitarian.
The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian Faith. In the Hierarchy of the Truth of Faith, Trinity is the highest point of all the Truth of Faith. However, there is a need to understand that there is Immanent Trinity and Economic Trinity. Immanent Trinity simply means that the Way the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit communicate within themselves is eternal and they know each other better within the self-communication and they are one and distinct. And how do we know that there is God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Thus, the Economic Trinity. The way the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit have revealed themselves to us is the Economic Salvation History and thus, the Economic Trinity: it is the Trinity that came to be known or recognised in the History of Salvation according to God’s plan, the will of God.
That is why we know God as the Father, and as the Father, He sent His only begotten Son to redeem us (humanity), and sent the Holy Spirit to Strengthen and act.
By the action of the Holy Spirit, humanity is empowered ad equipped for the mission. That is why in our faith we need to pray TO the Father, THROUGH the Son, IN the Holy Spirit.
Glory be to the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit, as it was, in the beginning, is now and ever shall be the world without end, Amen. At the heart of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the mystery of three persons, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are distinct and yet one.
Today’s Scriptural readings reveal that these three persons exist and act in communion which affects believers in the most profound ways.
First Reading: Exodus 34:4–6, 8–9
Psalm: Daniel 3:52–55
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11–13
Gospel: John 3:16–18
Sermon (Reflection): Taking place on the first Sunday after Pentecost, the celebration of the Holy Trinity contains a kind of summary of the mystery of God, of God’s nature and character. The biblical passages that speak explicitly about all three persons of the Holy Trinity together are rather rare, with Matthew’s statement in Matt 28:19 – “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” THUS; being perhaps the best known and cited. Today’s liturgy, however, chooses to draw attention to the “inner character” or “nature” of the Triune God, to something that unites the three persons in perfect communion, namely God’s immeasurable love for the people.
The first reading of today depicts Moses presenting himself before God with the second set of the “tablets of stone”. Moses had first received “two tablets of Testimony” on Mount Sinai (Cf. Exodus 32:15-16). Moses, always the good leader, destroyed the golden calf and sought God’s forgiveness for the faithless nation. A renewal of the covenant was required to secure the Lord’s continuing guidance and protection on the way to the promised land. For this reason, Moses approached God again with ardent intercession and pleas for the faithless nation. In a dialogue with God, Moses evoked God’s earlier choice of the nation and his faithfulness. In response, God disclosed to Moses something about his own nature stating that he is, “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Reassured by such magnanimity of God’s heart, Moses did not hesitate to ask for forgiveness, and renewed adoption of the faithless nation as God’s own people. A sign of this forgiveness and God’s decision not to renounce his people was manifested by a command that Moses cuts a second set of the tablets and presents them to the Lord. The covenant has been saved and renewed. This could have happened only because God’s faithfulness and mercy completely overshadows human treachery, stubbornness and sinfulness. As Christians, are we not stubborn to understand the love of God? Are we not sinning every day and we do not want to ask for forgiveness?
God who is the Holy Trinity has immeasurable love, if we open our hearts to ask forgiveness as Moses did then, we will live a happy life and blessed life as Christians.
The second reading of today contains the closing lines of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. This letter comes from a very troubled and turbulent phase of Paul’s relationship with the Corinthian community. Even though Paul brought them the gift of faith, the Corinthians disowned him, preferring more appealing leaders and apostles. Yet, Paul did not disown them. His words show deep inner affection for those who caused him numerous troubles.
In his letter, Paul shared much about the difficulties and sufferings he endured for the sake of the Gospel, and for the Corinthian’s sake. The community was divided and riddled with rivalries, conflicts, unhealthy competition and internal strife. For this reason, Paul concluded the letter with a final plea and a recommendation to strive for unity and harmony rather strive with one another. He wished “the God of love and peace” be with them.
This is what we are all called today on Holy Trinity Sunday to be as Christians: that we be love and peace.
His final words contain the “Trinitarian salutation” which Christians use until today, thus, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” These words contain more than just a prayerful wish. This is, in fact, a summary of the entire Christian life. This is so because “God’s love”, made known to all in Jesus Christ, “has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Thus, the life of those reborn in baptism is sustained by actions of all three persons of the Holy Trinity. It is a work of God’s love, manifested through Jesus’ death, which is continually being diffused into the world by the Holy Spirit, who brings believers into fellowship with God.
The three persons of the Trinity, bound by love, and giving love, work together towards one purpose: to ensure the salvation of the faithful.
Today’s Gospel: Birth “from above” is the topic of the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus reported in John’s Gospel. Nicodemus’ difficulty in understanding the phrase “to be born from above”, gives Jesus an opportunity to explain his mission in the world. He utters one of the most significant and revealing truths about God and God’s purposes: “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” God’s love for humanity is best made visible in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. This act expresses God’s highest love because Jesus gives everything in order to open the way to eternal life for those who believe in him.
The second part of the Gospel passage considers judgment and condemnation. How do these acts of God correspond to God’s love? For John, judgement takes place through a person’s decision “for” or “against” Jesus. God condemns no one, and he did not send his Son into the world as a judge bent on condemnation. Accepting Jesus in faith brings salvation, refusing to believe brings condemnation. God does not judge, God loves. A person judges himself or herself through a free choice to either accept or reject God’s love manifested in Jesus. And such a choice has eternal consequences.
Christian Act in Word of God “Immeasurable love of God”
Today’s liturgy proclaims that love for humanity lies at the core of God’s very nature. Contemplation of his overabundant love invites Christians to a response of faith and rejoicing, chiming with the words of the prophet Daniel, “Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors, and to be praised and highly exalted forever”.
“Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” These words of Pope Benedict XVI imply that the experience of God, Three and One, is at the root of all Christian discipleship.
The Holy Trinity is love because the three persons are united in a community of love. God is love, and the love between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is so perfect and complete that it overflows to humanity. This love is expressed in the creation of the world, the salvation of humanity through Jesus Christ, and the guidance and strength provided by the Holy Spirit.
It is through the Holy Trinity that we can experience and share in the love of God.
The Trinity cannot be comprehended by our reasoning or intellect, nor can it be found by simply searching the internet. It is a mystery to be experienced with the heart, not the head. It is not a puzzle to be solved, but rather a reality that continually reveals its endless richness and profundity. Through contemplation and prayer, the Trinity’s presence in our lives becomes more evident. God creates and loves, Jesus liberates and saves, and the Spirit encourages and strengthens us. The Trinity is a community of love and life, and we are invited to share in it.
Action: I pray to God for strength to live the inner love within the Trinity daily.
Prayer: Blessed Holy Trinity, we praise you God: Father all-powerful, Christ our Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit and the sanctifier, you have taught us today the spirit of love, You revealed yourself in the depth of our being, drawing us to share in your life and your love. Help us God to love you and all your creatures unconditionally. God you are Love and what the world needs now is Love, may we truly love each other as God’s children and refrain from hatred, jealousy, envy, back-biting, corruption, killing each other, and may we all live in love and harmony, Amen.
- Genuine Humility: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 29, 2025
- All Are Called to be Saved: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 22, 2025
- Bring Peace not Division: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 15, 2025
