<p>In our soundbite social media culture we tend to value clarity and brevity above all. However todays reflection on God as Trinity reminds us that the need to define can unnecessarily limit our knowing. Instead there can be great comfort and consolation in the mystery of Loves vast unknowability.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>May 26 2024: Trinity Sunday</strong><br>Deuteronomy 4:32-34 39-40<br>Psalm 33: 4-6 9 18-20 22<br>Romans: 8:14-17<br>Matthew 28:16-20</p><h1><strong>Resting in Mystery<br></strong></h1><p><em>A reflection by Carter Fahey<br></em></p><p>When I first told people I was writing a reflection for Trinity Sunday I was met with sympathyeven from priests! The readings for this Sunday are some of my favorites in the entire lectionary so I was somewhat baffled by this response. Why wouldnt I be excited to write about the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity one of the most beautiful and profound tenets of the Catholic faith? Upon further investigation though I understand why people might be hesitant. Ive spent the past two semesters in lectures on historical approaches to the Trinity and we still havent made it past the early medieval period! Theres obviously a lot to be said and it can feel a bit overwhelming! While there is much to be gained from academic theology I think theres also much to learn in considering the Trinity as a mystery not something we can fully understand.</p><p>Anyone who knows me well or has heard me talk about theology knows that I tend towards answers and definitions so this is a bold statement for me. I like to know what I believe in and be able to explain why. This is mainly because I didnt grow up Catholic and a lot of my faith formation took place in a very academic environmentIve had to spend a lot of time trying to figure out how I fit into the Church and placing myself in boxes. Is my spirituality more Dominican or is it Ignatian? Do I prefer modern liturgy or something more traditional? Should I be open about my queer identity or is it better to keep that private? These categorical questions allow me to make space for myself in a Church that has otherwise left me in a state of pastoral and doctrinal limbo and to build an identity for myself that is distinctively Catholic and queer. In some way we all tend to lean into categoriesits part of human nature. Life is uncertain and recognizing these attributes in ourselves gives us a concrete way to understand our lives and relate to others. Our choices preferences and experiences do after all shape who we are.&nbsp;</p><p>But as it is often said life is always so clear cut. Despite my best efforts to fit into the Churchs mold not everything has an easy answer or even an answer at all. Some things are simply mysteries and this can be hard to accept. These mysteries though arent all the same. Theres the version of mystery that we often think ofsomething that we dont yet know but could in theory find out or discover through human means. The monk in my favorite mystery series doesnt know who committed the crime at the beginning of the book but he can do some sleuthing to find out. But theres also the theological sensea reality that we as humans cannot fully understand by our own efforts.&nbsp;</p><p>It is this sense that we mean when we say that the Most Holy Trinity is a mystery and it is this sense that can challenge us. In a world so packed with information categorization and distraction it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and what truly has meaning in our faith and lives. We are challenged to remember in contemplating the mystery of the Trinity what our true focus should be as Christians: the awe-inspiring depths of Gods love and mercy revealed in Christs Passion and Resurrection in the outpouring of the Spirit and the ways we enact these realities in our very own lives. Like Moses in the first reading we must ask ourselves Did anything so great ever happen before? &nbsp;</p><p>The very nature of God so fundamentally different from anything we can imagine ensures that the Trinity remains a mystery. This inherent enigma should be comforting though. It gives us the space to be human: to change to grow to be uncertain. Even when the world asks us to define ourselves to explain and justify our way of being we do not need to fit ourselves into neat tidy boxes and categories or explain our existence for the comfort of the Church. God gives us permission to be the complex indefinable people we truly are. Christ certainly did not require definitions and explanations during his life on earth; he only asked that we love.&nbsp;</p><p>So we too can rest in comforting uncertainty and mystery. LGBTQIA+ people are models of radical love and living proof that there is joy in breaking boundaries. Our lives do not need to follow some predefined path and accepting uncertainty can allow us to see God at work. What matters the most is not how we define ourselvesthough this can be helpfulbut as St. Paul reminds us in the second reading that we are led by the Spirit and are therefore children of God and if children then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.&nbsp;</p><p>We have been adopted and given everything we need to be visible witnesses of Gods love. This infinite and unchanging love does not depend on our ability to fit ourselves into predefined boxes or conform to societal norms. Love never leaves us. Even when we face uncertainty suffer and bear the crosses of our daily lives we are never alone. Christ assures us in the gospel reading that he is always wherever we arewith us until the end of the age.&nbsp;</p><div><div class=titan__email-divider data-color=#282968 data-thicknessnum=2 data-dividerstyle=solid data-topnum=12 data-bottomnum=12 data-height=1 data-lineheight=1><img src='https://www.dignityusa.org/sites/default/files/carterfahey_wyd.jpg'></div></div><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><div class=mobile-full><em><strong>Carter Fahey</strong> (he/him) is from Boston Massachusetts. He is a recent convert and has an interest in doing outreach work to Catholic communities to combat misinformation and create opportunities for community among LGBTQIA+ people. </em></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>