community of persons

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity John 16, 12-15 Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when she comes, the Spirit of truth, will guide you to all truth. She will not speak on her own, but will speak what she hears and will declare to you the things that are coming. She will glorify me, because she will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that she will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

For me living in Mexico helps me to understand the Holy Trinity. Or, in another words I think that it easier for a Mexican to understand the Holy Trinity. The Trinity, today’s feast, is about relationships. It isn’t about God the father who created the world, God the Son who Redeemed it and God the Holy Spirit who sanctified it. It is about three distinct persons who are One God. It isn’t about what the three can do, it is about who the three are. And they gain their meaning their identity from each other. To be a Mexican is about being in relationship. It doesn’t matter so much your job, where you are from or where you live. What is important is, “I am the son or daughter of…” I am the brother or sister of…” this is my family…” There are so many words that just don’t translate. Tocayo; paisano, con-suegra and the all-important compadre/ comadre. It is amazing that the word compadre doesn’t exist in the English language, but more importantly the relationship doesn’t exist. I am my nephews godfather, but my brother, his father is still just my brother. In the United States we are madly in love with the individual. We are a protestant country. It is always me and my choice. We decree what is right and wrong; we mouth litanies of our precious individuality: my body, my private property, my rights, my needs, my fulfillment, my conscience, my interests, even my border. The individual and the law is more important than your friends, family or employees. The other day I was in an Uber with a chatty driver. He had the solution to all of Mexico’s and the US’ problems. He said the problem in the US was the family. He said in the US the Family is only important on the 4th of July and Thanksgiving, the rest of the year it is everyone for oneself. On the contrary he listed all the dates that the Mexicans like to celebrate with their families. Christmas for example is one day in the US; in Mexico it begins with the Posadas and doesn’t end until February 2nd. There was a recent survey on the happiest countries in the world. Mexico was number 10 and the US was number 24. There were many factors to determine the ranking but Mexican was first in never eating alone; whereas in the US 26% eat alone and the number is rising. It is interesting, in the US you never talk to someone you don’t know in a restaurant or bus or elevator. Of course, Mexico isn’t perfect, but you are about relationships. You want to be in relationship with others. You don’t want to be alone. Thinking about relationships will help you to understand the Holy Trinity. From the very beginning it was a relation of persons: Father, Son, and Spirit, so goes the Trinitarian formula. Again, it isn’t about the three distinct persons, but more importantly the relationship between the three. So today we celebrate because the Trinity can teach us how to live in community. What does it mean to be a member of a community? Living in community requires a sense of belonging, shared purpose, willingness to contribute, and a commitment to mutual support. It involves actively participating in shared activities, respecting diversity, and recognizing that individual well-being is not the most important thing but rather it is intertwined with the well-being of the group. If the community is well, I will be well. To celebrate the community of the trinity and to live in community is not always easy, but we have the words of today’s second reading to give us guide us: “And this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”