Just a word before we go...Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity...May 31, 2026

The celebration of the Trinity brings to mind Andre Rublev’s icon of the Trinity, which offers us a glimpse into the inner life of God, in which Father, Son and Holy Spirit abide in an endless circle of self-giving love. Images only go so far in helping us to understand who our God is.  But images, similes and metaphors are the tools that artists, theologians and homilists employ to open our imaginations, that we might reflect on our creative, redeeming and inspiring God. 

This icon not only depicts the essence of God’s life, it goes further, by inviting us all into that endless circle of self-giving love, reminding us that we were created in the image and likeness of God. In the array of implications suggested by the icon, it is the primacy of relationship that speaks most loudly.  The equality of the figures, with their heads inclined toward one another in a listening pose, shows respect, mutuality and love toward one another; this is a model for our relationships, human and beyond. The related nature of the universe seems to have been intuited by this fifteenth century iconographer, probably through his own lived experience. 

Margaret Wheatly, an expert in leadership and community building, writes that “Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone.”

Humans need relationships to be whole; it is intrinsic to our nature. And those relationships extend not only to other persons, but also to the earth. As Pope Francis wrote in “Laudato Si,” the earth is a sacred gift to be respected, treasured, and  protected. Our care for the earth, as reflected by our parish’s efforts at sustainability, education, recycling and gardening are some of the ways in which we promote the common good, as well as Pope Francis’ hope that people might live in peace with one another and the earth.  As we become more mindful of the importance of our connections with all creation, we more clearly mirror the relationships of the Trinity. 

I suspect that the more we realize how much of a mirror we are, or we can be, the more driven we will be to nourish others...with our presence, with the necessities of life, with respect for each individual.  Pope Francis said, “God, who is the author of life, is transmitted not so much through books as through the witness of life.  We are to live as a reflection of God’s love.”  And we are to do this in our families, in our communities and in our world.  Gazing upon Rublev’s “Trinity” can remind us of this sacred calling.