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Gospel: John 3:16-18
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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What is one thing, perhaps the deepest thing, that every human being desires?
A share of human happiness.
The good news is that it is possible for us to find it. In fact, God wants us to find it. We were created to find it.
The bad news is that human happiness cannot be bought, sold, or manufactured; it cannot be found in things, no matter how hard we may try to convince ourselves otherwise.
Human happiness is the byproduct of healthy relationships.
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Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday, our belief that God is Father, Son, and Spirit. One God in three Persons. In a word, God is a relationship.
While this sounds like a great mystery – and it is – we experience this truth in our very being, because the stronger our relationships are, the happier we become.
Conversely, the more isolated we are, the more depressed we become. As the old saying goes, “No man is an island.” We need each other in order to find fulfillment.
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Consider the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
In the beginning, God created the world and everything in it, giving Adam dominion over all of creation. But it was not enough. God even admitted, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” So, God put Adam to sleep and formed Eve out of his side.
When Adam first encounters Eve, he rejoices, saying, “This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!”
They were happy together!
It is only after they disobey God, eating from the tree of knowledge, that sin enters into their relationship, they blame each other, and everything falls apart.
Adam and Eve teach us that human beings are meant to live together. But the same relationships which cause the greatest joy can also cause us the greatest pain, frustrating our most fundamental identity.
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Sometimes this is true in marriage.
Marriage lays the groundwork for some of the deepest intimacy possible between two human beings. But, if we can love each other intimately, then we can also hurt each other deeply.
Think about what happens when spouses fight. A small spat can escalate to raised voices, insults, even a wounded heart. After each person has said whatever hurtful thought comes to mind, each goes their separate way.
Work in the yard, get out of the house, run an errand, sleep in separate rooms. Anything to be apart. That physical distance represents the emotional, and sometimes spiritual, separation that has taken place.
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The same can be true with children.
One sibling irritates another. Suddenly, a war of words, or worse, fists, breaks out. Parents can exhaust themselves trying to convince their children to apologize and keep the peace.
Sometimes the only form of “healing” that arises is silence. But we all know that just buries the hurt deep inside our psyche, underneath the blanket of time.
If these hurts are not healed, then they can fester to the point that they remain perpetually in the present. The silence turns into a grudge, and that grudge can slowly harden into hatred.
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This is why Trinity Sunday matters so much.
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Sometimes we need a reminder that we’re all made in the image and likeness of God, who lives in perfect relationship. But in the inner life of God, there are no walls; there are no arguments; there are no apologies needed; there is no separation.
There is pure, unfiltered love.
Thus, we become our happiest selves when we mirror the Trinity in our own relationships, living without tension and unresolved conflict.
As Saint Paul says in our second reading, “Brothers and sisters, rejoice! Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
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What are the most important relationships in my life?
When have I experienced conflict in those relationships?
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May the God who lives in perfect harmony come to our aid, giving us the grace to also live in unity. For the closer we are to each other, the more we not only reflect the inner life of God, but the happier we also become.
And who doesn’t want that?
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Image credits: (1) Our Sunday Visitor Magazine (2) The Pursuit of Happyness (3) Diocese of Rapid City