The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity [C]
Fr. Michael Brungardt
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity [C]
Proverbs 8:22-31 + Romans 5:1-5 + John 16:12-15
The Trinity lies at the origin and core of it all, at the origin and core of our entire faith, the central Mystery of our faith (Catechism 234). And I don’t know about you, but for the longest time, I never really understood the importance of this fact. I was too caught up in defining and understanding the Trinity. Three persons in one God, but God is one, but there are three.
But then one day, I was talking to one of my good friends (a father figure really) and he said something that changed it all. We weren’t even talking about the Trinity; we were talking about something else entirely. But what he said changed everything! Because as I have alluded to before, I was very caught up in trying to understand and comprehend the faith—I was trying to encapsulate the faith, “figure it out.” And what he said helped me begin to make a shift from that (trying to know everything, follow the rules and expectations)—it shifted from that to allowing the faith to embrace me, embrace me and the desires of my heart.
Why? Why did that one line from Psalm 8 strike him so much? Why did it strike him to the point of saying that, of all the questions and problems and reflections in life, this question was the question that struck him the most, that stayed with him day after day?
And really, the answer becomes clearer the moment you read the line before it, and the answer to this whole Trinity Sunday business becomes clearer as well.
The line right before that question is this—the Psalmist is speaking to God and says this, “When I behold your heavens [the sky], the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in place…” In other words, “When I am looking up into the night sky, all of the moon and the stars, all of this which you have created and set in place—when I gaze at this seemingly infinite and unfathomable glory—the question comes to my mind, the question overwhelms me: Why do you think of me? Why do you bother with me? Why do you care about me?”
Consider the universe’s scale. It spans 92 billion light years, containing 100 billion galaxies, each with 100 billion stars—roughly 70 sextillion stars total. To grasp this, imagine a sandcastle five miles high, wide, and long, where each star is a grain of sand. Our sun holds a million Earths; the largest star, “Big Dog,” fits 7 quadrillion Earths. Counting to a quadrillion would take 31 million years; a sextillion would take 10 million times that. Yet, Scripture says God “counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name” (Psalm 147:4). In this vast universe, He loves one creature most: you.
This Triune God, who created everything out of love, holds you in His palm, unrivaled and unanxious. The first reading from Proverbs 8 reveals that Wisdom—God’s Son and Spirit—crafted the universe but found delight in the human race. God doesn’t just want you; He destined you to share in His divine life, a privilege not even angels have.
It’s easy to lose sight of this amid life’s chaos—family struggles, personal failures, or global crises. Fear and discouragement can overwhelm us. Yet, the Psalmist, gazing at the infinite universe, is so convinced of God’s care that anxiety loses its grip. Paul echoes this in Romans 5: “We boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts.” The God who created 70 sextillion stars loves and sustains you, destined for His life.
This is what Lent and Easter celebrate: God became man, suffered, died, and rose to rescue us, sending His Spirit so we can share His life. In the Eucharist, He meets us, offering His divine life. The Triune God, creator of a universe beyond comprehension, delights in you. No question strikes deeper: “O Lord, what am I, poor and frail, that you are mindful of me?”
The Trinity isn’t a puzzle to solve but a mystery to live. Amidst a 92 billion light-year universe, God’s gaze rests on you, inviting you into His eternal life. Let this truth dispel fear and shape your life, knowing the God who names every star cares for you.