But, one of things about Rome that always bugged me, is that you can’t go a day without hearing—on the subways, on the street corners, in some of the piazza’s—the song “My Way” made popular by Frank Sinatra.
And to be honest, I liked that song as a teenager. And perhaps that’s not surprising. Willful teenagers are very interested in doing things “my way”. The lyrics to the song paint the picture of a person at the end of their life, not apologizing for doing things “my way”. I took control, I made the plans, I overcame doubts, I’ve pushed past tears, I’ve refused to kneel, because I did things “my way”.
And I guess I get it, the song is played over and over and over in Rome because it was made popular by an Italian-American, although it was written by a Frenchman—and it’s appeals to the tourists. But hearing that song with its lyrics of boastfully and pridefully rejecting any way but my own, refusing to kneel to any god but my own ego, in the Holy City is deeply disturbing. Because Rome, as our Christianity’s religious capital in a sense is supposed to be about anything but, “my way”. For our faith boasts not “my way” by Thy way be done, God’s will be done, not my own. Willfulness is what got us in trouble in the first place. Willful sinful pride is the cause of our downfall. And sinful pride continues to lead us away from God.
I bring up my mostly rational disdain for that song on this Trinity Sunday because at the heart of today’s feast is faith. Faith in something that I don’t define. Faith in something I don’t control. Faith in something that is bigger than me. A mystery greater than my finite intelligence can grasp. Faith in something that my ego must surrender to. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit whether I understand what that means or not.
And we are not the source of this Truth. The fact that we know that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—One God, in Three Divine Persons, isn’t something that we figured out for ourselves. It’s not a matter of human ingenuity or industry. This Truth about God—God’s Triune Nature—has been revealed by God Himself as a truth for us to accept.
And perhaps this is why Christianity is so terribly difficult for so many people in our modern day to accept. Because “My Way”, "my truth", "my opinion", "my body, my choice" is the anthem, the motto, the modus operandi, of modern man. Many may not admit it directly, but it’s certainly right under the surface of so many of our contemporaries: no one is going to tell me what to believe. No Pope. No priest. No holy book. I’ll determine what my own truth is, thank you very much.
But that sounds a lot like Adam and Eve all over again, doesn’t it? It’s our downfall. Choosing to be closed to the truth that comes from God will always lead to our destruction—separation from God and division within the human family.
One of my favorite documents coming out of the Second Vatican Council was a document called Dei Verbum—latin for the Word of God...on Divine Revelation--how God communicates His Word, His truth to us. Right at the beginning of the document, Dei Verbum explains God’s desire to make Himself known, to make his truth known to us. It says, “In His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in the Holy Spirit have access to the Father and come to share in the divine nature. Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends and lives among them, so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself. This plan of revelation is realized by deeds and words…the deepest truth about God and the salvation of man shines out for our sake in Christ, who is both the mediator and the fullness of all revelation.”
As a bit of a theology nerd, that paragraph makes my heart go pitter-pat. God has revealed this Truth—that He is Triune—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to draw us closer to Him in Love--that we may know Him and love Him and have friendship with Him.
Today’s feast used to be one of my least favorite to preach on because I thought it was about coming up with some analogy to help you all better understand the relationships between the three divine persons, or the nature of God, or what the word consubstantial actually means, or explaining the heresies which misrepresent the truth about God. But really, at the heart of today’s feast is God desiring us to him—to draw us into a friendship that will change your life.
That’s why “My way” is such a terrible idea. It’s lonely as it is closed-in on itself because it’s godless and divergent from friendship with God, if me and only me determines what is good and true. Rather, Trinity Sunday invites us to Faith that opens us to the peace, joy, life, and fulfillment that comes from knowing God. And this offers us a firm foundation for the whole of our life.
There is a well-known prayer called the Act of Faith which expresses this: “O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches because you have revealed them who are eternal truth and wisdom, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. In this faith I intend to live and die. Amen.”
Faith. Faith in God. Faith in the teachings of the Church. This is the firm foundation which enables us to resist being swept up by the chaos of this world.
In the second reading, St. Paul says, “Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” Agree with one another, on what? This isn't about agreeing on who makes the best pizza pie, over here, but on matters of Ultimate Truth. Possessing the unity of faith in the truth that comes from God. And when we do that, we will live in peace. So, trust the teachings of the Church—all of them—even the ones that might bring you ridicule from the worldly.
In my experience as a priest—those who trust the Church have greater peace—just like Paul says. If this is a struggle for you, know that I pray for you, because I hope that you can discover the peace that comes from faith that is deeper than your feelings. Faith that is grounded in the Truth of God Himself. Seek deeper faith that you may have deeper peace for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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