The Most Holy Trinity: Abba, Emmanuel, Helper

Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

by Fr. Tommy Lane

(The following is an excerpt)

Jesus called God his Father, but did so in a special way. Jesus called his Father “Abba”, an Aramaic word, which means something like our “Daddy.” (Mark 14:36; see Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15; Aramaic was the language in Palestine at the time of Jesus). So we do not look on God as distant from us. Our heavenly Father is our Abba, our Daddy, the most perfect Daddy we could have. Since our heavenly Father is our Daddy, he is close to us, cares about us, loves us, and watches over us. He is someone we can turn to in good times as well as in bad, someone who will listen to us, someone who wants our good.

The baby Jesus is described with the name “Emmanuel” in the Gospel of Matthew (1:23). “Immanuel” in Hebrew means GOD IS WITH US. One might mistakenly not realize that our Abba, our heavenly Father, cared so much about us if Jesus had not come. But because of Jesus, we really do see how much our heavenly Father, Abba, Daddy, cares for us. God is no longer loving us from heaven; in Jesus, a human like us as but also divine, God became human to show the depth of his love for us. (Year A: our Gospel today says, “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son.” (John 3:16)) Now in Jesus, God is Immanuel. In Jesus, God is really with us. Jesus is our brother. Paul sums it up very well: “If God is on our side, who can be against us.” (Rom 8:31)

Nothing can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked....Nothing can come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:35)

Our heavenly Father is our Abba or Daddy, and Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. In our troubles and worries we turn to the Father and Jesus. Before Jesus ascended, he promised the Holy Spirit would come. Last Sunday we celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is also to help us. Paul says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (Rom 8:26) Like the Father and Jesus, the Spirit is also on our side to help us when we need.

On this Sunday every year we remember that God is our Father, our Daddy, Abba, and Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, and that nothing can separate us from his love except sin, and that God is also the Spirit who helps us in our weakness. As well as praying to Jesus, it would be good to pray also to our Father whom Jesus called Abba or Daddy, and to pray to the Spirit asking for help in our weakness. Since God is a Daddy, and a Son who is Immanuel—God with us—and a Spirit who helps us in our weakness, we can turn to God with confidence in our times of need.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Copyright © Fr. Tommy Lane 1998

This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.

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Tear B: The Most Holy Trinity: belonging to the Holy Trinity since Baptism

Year C: Father who sought me, Son who bought me, Spirit who taught me

Story: St. Augustine and the Mystery of the Trinity