TOPIC: THE TRINITY
1. STORY
St. Augustine of Hippo (in North Africa) was one of the greatest theologians in the Church. After deliberating for a long time and puzzled by the mystery of the Trinity, he went out for a walk by the sea shore. There he saw a boy making a small hole in the sand. Using a shell, he started to pour the ocean water into the hole. St. Augustine asked the boy what he was doing. The boy said he planned to put the ocean water into the hole. The saint responded that it would be impossible as the hole was so small and the ocean was so big. The boy, who was really an angel, agreed with the saint. He added that the saint’s mind was like the hole in the sand and God was like the mighty ocean water. There was no way that the saint would be able to understand the mystery of the Trinity.
2. GOSPEL, 2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-13
A) THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THE LOVE OF GOD, AND THE
FELLOWSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT BE WITH YOU ALL
We have never seen God. Jesus, the only one who has seen God loves us so much that he has told us a great secret about God. He has told us that in the one God there are three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
B) LIVE IN HARMONY AND PEACE
Jesus wants us to live in harmony and peace so as to imitate the life of
the Trinity. When we live this way, we
will have peace, happiness and joy in our lives.
3) APPLICATION TO LIFE
A) THE MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY
i) We must be humble as there are so many things we do not understand
but accept. For example, we know that
water can take three forms. It can be
ice, a liquid, or steam. Our minds are
like the hole in the sand, and God is like the ocean water.
ii) We must have faith in Jesus who tells us the truth just as we have
faith in our parents, a teacher, or a doctor.
iii) We must be grateful to Jesus for sharing with us a secret we would never be able to know on our own.
B) LIVE IN HARMONY AND PEACE
i) Because everyone is different, it is not easy to live in harmony and
peace. One may like silence and another
noise. One may want it hot and another
cold. One may like to be on time and
another may come late.
ii) Be kind. As all of us need
kindness, we should use gentle and kind words when speaking to others.
iii) Be forgiving. As conflicts
may arise, there may be misunderstandings or harsh words spoken. It is necessary to be forgiving. This is important if we wish to live as Jesus
wants us to live.
4) CONCLUSION
In the story, the brilliant St. Augustine learned that God’s wisdom is
so great that we can only understand a small part of it. Jesus tells us that there is one God with
three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We must imitate the harmony of the Trinity by
living in peace and harmony.
