TRINITY SUNDAY
There is an amazing form of artwork called icon painting….. and, in fact, its more than art….. the way an icon is painted is actually a special act of prayer……
The painter studies the topic for a long time (often months or years) …….., prays, fasts, reflects on the symbolism of the elements…… and then……..paints….. so, the icon is really a religious prayerful reflection on the topic portrayed…… prayer in pictures….
One of my favourites of all time is the Icon by 12th century icon painter andrey Rublev… its called “The Trinity.” Its also known as the three angels visiting Abraham… since in that incident… God visited Abraham under the appearance of three people…three angels…… so, with the later eyes of Christians, that has been seen as a pre-figurement of the revelation of the Trinity… one God, being three persons, but one divine nature…..
I love this icon, because it sums up something about the nature of God.. what God’s inner life is like………and the image of God that Jesus spent a lot of time and effort preaching about….. If this is what the Trinity is really like… no wonder Jesus spent his life sharing meals with anyone who could sit down with him….. even outcasts and sinners…..
God is a perfect community…so God… by nature is a social and sharing being….. God cannot be otherwise…. (someone said once, the smallest community one can have is really three… two is company.. three is a community…..)
God has distinct and unique facets.. but always works together in perfect mutuality, harmony and equality….
God’s life is like a heavenly banquet… and there is always room for one more person at the table……(as you can see… the table is opening out to the viewer…) we are all invited in …….to share in God’s life……. So, since God is (by nature sharing), that love overflows outwards into creation and to us…. Wanting to give life and share this love…
And the beautiful relationship between the three……. I imagine the three are going….. would you like to have something to eat?…. yes please…. But after you,….. oh no, I insist…. You first… thank you….. and now your turn…. Please…… why thank you, I will……
And the perfect respect that the three have for each other and their distinct roles… we know Jesus says to the father… you are the pre-eminent one… you are the source of all … I do nothing unless you do it…….and the father replies… thank you.. in return I put all things into your hands….. …. What you are doing is what would do……. and the spirit participates in all this and transforms and flows out to share this with everyone///……. In this picture…. The son and the spirit are glancing up to the father, ready to take their cues from him… and in return, the father is ready to share and initiate at their request…. So its power and even hierarchy.. with out inequality, without domination…. Its truly a relationship….. a totally different vision of power and authority from the one the world has…….. one’s authority takes nothing away from the other…. But gives and empowers….
I have heard people occasionally saying about the trinity…so what…. How is the nature of God as “three” relevant to me in my life… its just a theological or academic construction,….
But ……that kind of thinking gives me the horrors… because … to me… it matters very much… the nature of God as Trinity…. has the very real potential to change the way we think and act….
The trinity can be the model for how we relate to ourselves and to each other… how we model community and how we understand the nature of authority and mutuality and equality…… life becomes about sharing…. About inclusion….. people with different roles, even some with positions of precedence.. can exercise that in a way that respects and yet takes nothing away from the others…. People can live with a concept of authority that takes nothing away from them and leaves them free to be everything and do everything they need…… since there are no hang ups… no hidden agendas…. No issues of false pride or resistance…..
If God is always ready for “yet one more” at the table… we too live in the readiness to open our hearts and communities to ‘yet one more”……..
To me… to say someone is gracious… is not a mere compliment… to be a person who is gracious, hospitable committed to working in mutuality and equality of respect for each other and their distinct role… That, is a reflection of the divine life of the trinity….. and this is not a merely an idealized picture of how the world could be… this is how God lives..and who God is…. And I have seen it working in different people and places in my life journey…
I am sure you have seen it at work in many places… in many people’s lives….. it can really work in families…… it’s a joy if its happening in the workplaces we find ourselves in………. yes it means self-sacrifice……. No it doesn’t mean false politeness……. But it can and happen in any place…… The life of the trinity draws us in!
Fr Paul
