By William J. Byron, S.J.

RCL: Genesis 1:1.—2:4a; Psalms; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20
LM: Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18

An entire homily for this day can be built around a poem entitled "Trinity Sunday" by the famous English poet George Herbert. He died in 1633 and throughout his adult life was a country pastor. He wrote:

Lord, who hast form'd me out of mud,
      And hast redeem'd the through thy blood,
      And sanctified me to do good;

Purge all my sins done heretofore:
      For I confess my heavy score,
      And I will strive to sin no more.

Enrich my heart, mouth, hands in me,
     With faith, with hope, with charity;
     That I may run, rise, rest with thee ¹

Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier—the one God in three Persons.  Creator: "Lord, who hast form'd me out of mud." Redeemer: "And who hast redeem'd me through thy blood." Sanctifier: "And sanctified me to do good." In the third stanza the poet continues with three little "trinities," triplets of petitions that apply to anyone who hears these texts proclaimed today:

Enrich my heart, mouth, hands in me,
     With faith, with hope, with charity;
     That I may run, rise, rest with thee.

Responding in a trinitarian way to the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity means first committing to serve God. It is a commitment of the whole self—heart, mouth, hands—to God, wherever and in whatever state and stage of life we exist by God's loving providence.

The heart: Does God have a place in our deepest longings? Is there room there for those who are hungry and powerless? Is there any distance now between our believing hearts and the heart of God? Is it possible for poor and hungry people to help bridge that gap?

The mouth: Do we speak like Christians, like followers of Christ? Or does our speech betray in us convictions that are not of God, far from God, opposed to God? Is speaking up and out for those who are poor a way of putting our mouths in proper alignment with trinitarian convictions? Bread for the World provides speaking-out and speaking-up opportunities for BFW members who meet with their congressional representatives and their staffs.

The hands: What are our believing hands doing for God? What have they done for God? What might they do for God in the days and months and years ahead? What might they be doing for poor people? The annual Bread for the World Offering of Letters campaign invites us to take pen in hand and let lawmakers know how their votes can help or hurt our poor neighbors.

Needed now is a triple response—heart, mouth, hands—to the call of the Most Holy Trinity. The poet would have us, as believers, pray to be enriched "with faith, with hope, with charity," the three-part treasury available to all by the grace of the Triune God. Faith, the act by which our lives are entrusted to God; hope, the conviction that sustains us when things appear to be desperate; charity, the love that knows no petty perimeter but reaches far beyond our self-interest to include hungry people and stretches still farther—all the way home to God.

This means being ready to "run, rise, and rest" with God. Run, rise, and rest. Where? To what purpose? This can be the rhythm of advocacy for poor and hungry people. Those verbs can stir the imagination to hear anew Jesus' words at the end of Matthew's Gospel: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" (vv. 19-20). Not the least of those commands is an attentive response to the cry of the poor.

Musical Suggestions [LH]
Lord, You Give the Great Commission—BP 106
You Satisfy the Hungry Heart—GC 815
Now the Silence—GC 754
Lord, Speak to Me, That I May Speak—PH 426
Creative Lord, You Own the Fields—BP 159
Spirit of God—FWS 2117
Praise with Joy the World's Creator—NCH 273

1. John N. Wall, Jr., ed., George Herbert: The Country Parson, The Temple (New York: Paulist Press, 1981) 184.

Download in Word  or pdf  

Reflection from Hunger for the Word, Year A
© 2005 by the order of Saint Benedict, Inc.
Published by Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota.
Reprinted with permission.