Why God IS Love.

***

Gospel: Matthew 28: 16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

A few years ago, there was a 70-year-old woman from northern Italy whose name was Marinella Baretta.

Marinella’s neighbors called the police after trees from her unkept garden started creeping over her fence into their yard.

So, the police went and knocked on her door. But, after no answer, they entered and found Marinella sitting at her kitchen table.

She had been dead for more than two years.

***

Such a sad story reeks of injustice. 

The loneliness that Marinella must have experienced. The absence of her neighbors. The neglect of society at large captured by a phone call to police – not about the wellbeing of an elderly neighbor, but about a few branches creeping into their yard.

Such behavior begs the question – in fact, the first question human beings ask God in the bible: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

It’s a question that we as Christians must still answer: “Are we our neighbor’s keeper?”

Are we in any way responsible for those like Marinella – the abandoned, the forgotten, the elderly, the lonely who need a phone call or a visit?

Not by police, but by a fellow neighbor concerned about that person’s wellbeing.

***

Perhaps this story hits home because of the fear and loneliness that some of us have felt, albeit to a smaller degree. 

It’s that hollow feeling you get after scrolling through social media for hours on end; the disappointment you feel when no one likes your profile or post on Facebook.

The eerie sound of silence in an empty nest; the lack of a phone call; even the absence of God’s voice in prayer.

***

So, what’s the one thing really missing from Marinella’s story? 

Love.

By our very nature, we are relational beings. We need other people. We need to feel affirmed, appreciated, understood, as if we are “number one” to somebody. 

It’s why the first pillar of our parish mission is, “Building Community.” We believe that life is precious; that every soul matters; that every person belongs here.

Above all, that we are made in the image and likeness of God, who is a relational being.

***

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity, the truth that God is One in three Persons.

This belief is what makes Christianity utterly unique. No other world religion claims that God is both one and three.

While the Trinity is ultimately a mystery – who really can understand the inner life of God? – it also makes logical sense when considered through the lens of love. 

As Saint John writes, “God IS love.” Not that God is capable of love. Not that God might love you. But, “God IS love.”

And if God is love, then God must be One in Three, because there is the Lover, the Beloved, and the unbreakable Bond they share.

***

Think about this in the context of marriage. 

A marriage requires three different components: there is the husband, the wife, and the love that binds them. But if you asked a happily wedded couple, “How many are you?”

They would say, “We are one! One in mind. One in body. One in heart.” That marriage mirrors the Trinity.

Having a best friend is similar.

In order to have a best friend, there must be two friends, and the friendship that binds them. But, again, if you asked them, “How many are you?”

They would say, “Nothing can separate us. We are one!”

They, too, reflect the inner life of God.

***

This is why the story of that older, Italian woman, Marinella, is so painful. 

At the end of her life, she appeared to be an island; a solitary soul disconnected from humanity; a relational being made in the image and likeness of her God, yet lacking any tangible sign of love.

It’s why initiatives like our Outreach Ministry matter so much. 

We care for the hungry, the homebound, and the homeless, because we recognize that we are a trinitarian people, fashioned in the likeness of God who is One in Three.

***

On this Holy Trinity Sunday, we’re invited to do three things:

Affirm those who love you; give thanks for that bond.

Connect with the disconnected.

And spend time with the Lord, who longs for your heart. 

***

As Saint Augustine reminds us, “Our hearts are restless, O LORD, until they rest in you.”

***

***

Image credits: (1) Wikimedia Commons (2) Avelino Calvar Martinez, Fine Art America (3) Unsplash