Father Thomas Welbers' Homily	Jump back to Homily Index
Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, June 15, 2003 Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 Romans 8:14-17 Matthew 28:16-20	Listen to Audio

We just heard that when Jesus appeared to the disciples on that mountaintop, they saw him, they worshiped him . . . and they doubted. Why did they doubt? I think maybe the better question would be, whom did they doubt? Did they doubt Jesus, or did they doubt themselves. I suspect, given the circumstances, they were their own object of doubt.

They doubted themselves.

You’ve had that experience – not trusting in your own abilities, uncertain about the future. The experience of “cold feet” before the wedding. The experience of fear the night before the interview for a job; or the first day of school, when it is even harder for a new teacher or principal to get out of bed than it is for the students.

In the few days before my ordination thirty-five years ago, during the retreat to prepare for it, I was assailed by doubts. Just about every alternative except what I was committing myself to, suddenly became so terribly attractive. And I knew that I could do all those other things, but I wasn’t sure that I could do this one thing that I knew the Lord was calling me to. Yes, I was full of doubt, but I went ahead, and stuck with my commitment. And then some twenty-six or so years later – nine years ago – my first night here, in Msgr. Barry’s bed, as your new pastor, I spent a sleepless night – yes, the bed was uncomfortable, and I soon got a new one. But it wasn’t just that. It was the nagging question, “What have I said yes to? What kind of a pastor would I be for you? Could I do this?” Yes, I was full of doubts, then too; but I knew the Lord’s will for me, and his power for all of us together, were here at OLA.

Notice what happens in today’s Gospel reading. It’s very much the same thing. Jesus calls the Eleven – those whom he had specifically chosen, called as disciples, and then had named as apostles. Now the Risen Jesus calls them back to Galilee – back to their origins, back to where he had first called them by the waters of the Sea of Galilee. But now, he takes them up on a mountain in that region. We don’t know which mountain – maybe it was Mount Tabor, where tradition says he had been transfigured. Maybe it was the place of the Sermon on the Mount, where he had given them the commandments of the New Covenant, the constitution of the Kingdom of God: – “Blessed are you . . .” “You have heard it said in the past . . . but I say to you . . .” Quite likely it was Mount Hermon, far to the north, a solitary, isolated peak, snow-capped all year long, almost the same height as our own Mt. Baldy. From the top of Mount Hermon they could see into the territory of several surrounding nations. In fact, when they reached the top of Mount Hermon, after a long, arduous climb, they would have the feeling that they were looking over the whole world.

Wherever it was, I think the significance of their being called to this mountain is that they returned to their origins. To heal their doubts and overcome their fears, they first had to look inward and backward, and only then could they receive the power to look outward and forward. In celebrating the Trinity today, the “three-ness” of one God, we see also something of the three-ness of our lives. Our journey through life is made up of three dimensions – past, present, and future. We can’t live in the hopes and dreams of the future, nor in the memories of the past; we have to live in the present reality. But, in order to move through the present and on to the future, we have to come to terms with our past – not to ignore it or run away from it, but not to let it control us either.

In Jesus’ parting words, as recorded in Matthew, sometimes called the “Great Commission,” we see these three dimensions very clearly. First, Jesus speaks of the past as it is the foundation for the present: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me!” He received this power through his sacrificial death and resurrection. So, then what does he say? “Just be good and everything will be OK”? No. Jesus does not promise merely that everything would be OK, that life would be smooth. Instead he makes it clear that those whom he called to share in his life would also share in his mission. So he says to them, essentially, “Go forth, and do what I have done – and you will do it with my power! Go forth, and make disciples of all nations, everyone on the face of the earth – and you will do it with my power. Go forth, and bring them into union with me by ‘baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.’” What is important is that this commission, to the apostles and to us, is in the present tense – do it now!

We have to recognize that this is his work, accomplished in his power, not our work accomplished by our own efforts. It cannot be done by force, by argument, or even by persuasion – it can only be done by witness, by living faithfully and openly the truth of our conviction that Jesus is Lord, and that we as Church are members of his body. It’s not easy; but it’s not a task, it’s not an accomplishment – it’s a mission.

Finally, there is the future assurance: “I am with you always, until the end of the world.” Even when our attempt to follow in his mission seems to be a failure to us, as a sense of failure assailed even him on the cross – we have his assurance that he is with us. Even in our sinfulness and weakness – we have his assurance that he is with us. Even when we are misunderstood and persecuted – we have his assurance that he is with us.

Today, we come to receive and give thanks for that assurance – he is with us – as we are nourished at the table of his word and at the table of the Eucharist. We are nourished in word and sacrament, we are built up in faith, hope and love when we gather here to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist, so that we can go forth from here into the mission of witnessing to Christ of every moment of our lives, confident and assured that he is with us.

Each one of us will face something this week that will challenge our faith; we need to keep alive that assurance: “I am with you.” Each one of us, this week, will encounter a situation that will call us to love another as Christ loves us, and we will find that difficult – how good to be assured by Jesus, “I am with you.” And we will have our moments of doubt and fear, and so indeed how important it is for us to be here today, letting him strengthen us by his simple words of assurance, “I am with you”!

© Thomas Welbers, 2003