For some people, the Blessed Trinity is an idea, a picture, a concept, or a religious foundation. Actually, it’s a mystery of God who is both 3 in 1. Today I want to speak with you about a living EXPERIENCE of the mystery of the Trinity: Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

So, my phone rings 1 day & I say “Hi, it’s Chris here,’ & the voice on the other end says,                     “Hi, Chris, it’s Gabriel…from heaven.” I think it’s a joke & I say, “ right, it’s Gabriel from heaven.”  & he says, “yes, Chris, it really is: it’s Gabriel, from heaven.  Early today, God said, ‘let’s call Chris Heller today!’ Would you like to speak with God the Father, Chris?” “Sure!” I say.

So, I’m on the phone with the Father, the Creator of Heaven & Earth. I’m telling God (like God doesn’t know already!) how much I like a Jesuit poet named Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins. God says, “Yes, Chris: the poem is “The World is Charged with the Grandeur of God, & U read it on a regular basis.” “Yes,” I said to God: “I was thinking about your grandeur after reading about a very smart farmer, who lived in the ancient land of Mesopotamia between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers in 5300BC. That farmer found some very fertile land there, but he couldn’t do all the necessary tasks himself. You inspired him, God, to find people to clear the land, plant and water the crops, harvest them, & manage the property to work with you.”      

God said: “Yes: all those gifts out there are divine ingenuity at work. Now, Chris, let me ask you:  would you like to speak with your brother a minute?” “You mean my brother Mike in Massachusetts?” I ask. “No, Chris,” God says patiently, “your older & wiser brother. Let me put him on the phone with you.” So, Jesus, my older & wiser brother asks, “Chris, how’s it going today?” And I start to tell the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity what I was just talking about with the FIRST person of the Blessed Trinity, and Jesus laughs a bit: “Yes Chris, I know: I’ve been listening in on the conversation!” & then I remembered: while the Trinity contains three persons, they are united as one!     

Jesus then reminds me that I’ve been thinking a whole lot about the division & unrest in the United States. But, Jesus says, “there were times in history when people did cooperate with my Father’s will:  Chris: remember when communism fell in Poland, & when the wall came down in Germany, & when Irish people could finally walk each other’s streets without winding up shot dead? Those good things happen when people work, pray & listen to others. That’s not the case everywhere in the United States right now: many people assume they know each other’s story & really don’t. And then they reject those who are not like them: who look and sound different, and practice different customs.” And then Jesus said: “I know what it’s like to be rejected, because it happened to me all the time on earth while I was on earth. And until real listening happens, the bonds of trust can’t begin to grow. So, tell people to listen to each other.” I promised Jesus I would pass along his directive and message, so this is the official message from Jesus!

Then, Jesus asks if I’d like to speak with the Holy Spirit. I said, “sure.” The Holy Spirit gets on the phone, & makes a great suggestion: “Chris, how about today I talk and you listen: is that OK?” I said, “Sure!” Then, the Holy Spirit says: “Chris, you waste time trying to figure out solutions for things over which you have NO control. It’s like you are  spinning your wheels sometimes. So, Chris, you know what I’m going to say next: the words come from a movie called Frozen: “let it go, Chris, let it go!” Chris, let go of the things you can’t control. Let the Holy Trinity handle those things that are just too big for one person to handle.” What a gracious affirming reminder from the Holy Spirit: to allow God to be our One True God all the time: let God lead us, challenge us, protect us, & grow us in all these different dimensions.

This experience of God speaking in different parts of my life is brought to you by the Most Holy Trinity. With prayer, you too will have life-giving experiences in your heart & soul that will breathe new life into you. Let us listen to God, and to one another. And let us continue to bless ourselves, & bless our God, as we strive to live the trust enjoyed among the members of the Blessed Trinity: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.