Trinity Sunday (Year B)

After celebrating the redemptive work of Jesus, his ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the Church turns our attention to the very nature of God, the Blessed Trinity. God is infinitely many orders above us. Not only does God transcend our senses, but also our imagination. For example, God is not constrained by time because time was His creation. We humans are locked inside the dimension of time. We do not enjoy the same freedom God does. Therefore, God is able to do things that defy human logic which is conditioned in time. Unless He reveals Himself to us, it is impossible for us to know anything about God.
This revelation happened in the patriarchic stage of human evolution. Therefore, God appeared as a father figure. He is the source of the whole Creation. Therefore, we label this deity, the Father. When we began to be aware of the existence of our pains and difficulties in life, we find two different approaches to deal with them. Chinese take a naturalistic view while Christians a redemptive one.
For Chinese, life and death must co-exist. Without death, life would expand unrestrained the its quality deteriorates to an unbearable state. Death balances life. Extending this concept, Chinese see blessedness and evils complementing each other.
禍兮，福之所倚，福兮，禍之所伏。【道德經‧五十八章】
For Christians, the Creation is damaged and needs redemption. God takes up the role of the redeemer. In contrast to the fatherly role, this redeemer appears as the Son. He took up human flesh and walked among us as Jesus. He sacrificed himself to cleanse us of all our sins, our shortcomings. After finishing his mission, he returned to where he came from. Then he sent his spirit, the Holy Spirit to reside among us. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is one, but we experience this one holy God in three different roles. Theologians call this the Blessed Trinity.
St. John experienced that God is love (1 John 4:16). From His overflowing love, the universe was created. Out of His merciful love, He redeemed the universe damaged and contaminated by sins. To sustain this universe till the end of time, He resides in the redeemed and empowered them with His Spirit.
God is a loving community. To highlight this, the Catholic Church celebrates this Trinity Sunday as the BCC Sunday, the Basic Christian Community Sunday.
It is no good for man to live alone. He needs companions. Therefore, BCC is established for Christians to support each other and to share their joy as well as sadness. This community is Christ-centred. They pray, receive sacraments and gain nourishment in the presence of Christ.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).
This is the essence of BCC. They study the Bible together. The Bible is the living word of God which animates the members. They do not gather for the sake of gathering. They are sent out to preach, to spread the good news among men. This is the mission and raisons d'être of the Church. The Church exists for the very purpose to bear witness for Christ to the world. Therefore, BCC are the basic building blocks of the Church. That is why the Church attaches a lot of importance in these basic communities and allocates a Sunday celebration for them.
The following are the last few words Jesus left to the disciples. They summarize the life of the Church and the BCC's.
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority 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 lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."  (Matthew 28:18-20)
Today, not all people acknowledge the authority Jesus has over them. Helping these people acknowledge Jesus is the mission of the Church. The Church baptizes. The Church teaches. She has learned to ignore the outcome. She has Jesus' promise to stay with her till the end of time.

Dear Lord, how much I desire to join Your loving community. May Your Spirit continue to empower me to bear witness to You among my students. May they be able to share Your eternal life. Amen.