Homily – The Most Holy Trinity (A)

The image of Moses “standing with God” on Mount Sinai expresses an important message about God, who always makes himself available to humanity throughout salvation history despite human misbehaviour and unfaithfulness.

The narrative of the Golden Calf in the Book of Exodus tells us how Moses became angry with his people after they persuaded Aaron to cast a golden calf for them as an idol to worship in place of their God. Witnessing this sinful act committed by the very people he led, Moses could not control his anger and smashed the tablets of the Law that had been given to him on the high mountain of Sinai. After imposing strict discipline on the people and seeking forgiveness from God, Moses was summoned by God again and instructed to chisel two new tablets so that the Law could be inscribed once more for the people.

In the extract from our first reading, when Moses returned to the mountain, we hear that “the Lord descended in the form of a cloud, and Moses stood with him there.” It is a beautiful image: Moses was able to stand with God after all the unfaithful acts the people had committed against Him. This is because, as God revealed himself in that episode, he is “a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). I could not help but reflect deeply on how such a “jealous” God could remain so available to his people.

It is not only in the Old Testament that we encounter a God who is willing to make himself available to his people. In the fullness of time, and in a different way, the New Testament helps us to understand more fully a God who has revealed himself and become present to humanity in a more concrete, tangible, and approachable manner – through his Only Begotten Son. Through this Son, humanity is enabled to call God by the intimate and relational name, “Abba – Father” (Galatians 4:4-7). In the face of Jesus, humanity experiences and tastes the goodness of God through mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.

Jesus makes this clear in his dialogue with Nicodemus: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The available presence of God through Jesus has brought salvation into the world in the most effective and approachable way, thanks to the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Over the past two weekends, we celebrated the two important feasts of the Ascension of the Lord and the Solemnity of Pentecost, which signify a significant transition in the mode of God’s salvific action. The physical presence of Jesus is no longer with us in the same way; rather, God continues his work through the Son and the Holy Spirit. God remains committed to making himself available to his people, though in different ways and forms. Through the influence of the Holy Spirit, all the activities of the Church become active and alive. The people of God encounter him in a profound way through the efficacious signs of the Sacraments, which communicate God’s grace and blessings.

God’s availability has never ceased throughout salvation history. If we truly believe in and embrace such a good and merciful God – our Creator, who continually expresses his love and mercy through his availability – then should we not, as his creatures, live in a way that reflects this intimate and personal nature of God through our own availability to one another?

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, let us be reminded of the loving nature of God and be encouraged to live lives filled with kindness through our presence and availability to one another.

By Fr Sang Ho