There
is a very old phrase that we have all heard before: “You can’t
give what you do not have”. When we look at that saying in a
literal application, it makes perfect sense. If we go to the grocery
store and ask the person at the meat counter for some pork chops and
they’re actually our of pork chops, they’re obviously not going
to be able to give us what they don’t have. The phrase can also
refer to the passing on of knowledge since we can’t teach what we
do not know.
A
couple decades ago (I think I was in junior high at the time) I went
with my mom and sister to the Minnesota Zoo. We decided to go to an
outdoor program that they were doing that featured various birds that
were kept at the zoo. The presenter and several assistants brought
out several different birds and told us about them. At one point a
parrot was brought out, one of those that is able to mimic human
voices so that it sounds like it’s talking. The presenter then
asked for a volunteer from the audience. He added, “Someone who is
very good at math”. A young boy was picked and he came onto the
stage. The presenter told him that this parrot is also very good at
math and that they are now going to have a competition to see who is
better. The presenter would give a basic math problem and they would
see who would answer first, the boy or the parrot.
The
presenter said, “Okay, we’ll do addition first: What’s one plus
three?” Immediately the parrot said, “Four”. Everyone laughed
as the boy looked confused at what had just happened. The presenter
just grinned and said, “It’s quick!” He made sure the boy was
ready and then said, “Okay let’s try subtraction. What’s seven
minus three?” “Four!” the parrot quickly said. Again this poor
child stood there amazed that this parrot was beating him. The
presenter then tried division. He said, “What’s twelve divided
by three?” “Four”. This time the boy tried to say it first,
but the parrot was still faster. The boy was clearly starting to get
frustrated with the bird. Finally the presenter said, “Okay, this
is the last one. This will be multiplication. What’s two times
two?” This time the boy quickly yelled, “Four!” but the parrot
remained strangely quiet. The boy, along with all of us in the
audience, was surprised by the silence.
The
presenter then explained: the parrot didn’t actually know math or
even recognize numbers. It had been trained to say “four”
whenever it heard a human say “three”. All but the final math
problem had ended with the number three and so the bird said, “Four”
just as it was trained to do. The last problem didn’t have a three
so it remained quiet. The presenter also explained that the parrot
responded to words that sounded like “three” as well. He said to
the parrot, “What do you say when you hit a golf ball over a tree?”
“Four!” Obviously the bird made for a very funny show.
I
bring this story up to help illustrate my point that we can’t teach
what we don’t know or give what we don’t have. That parrot at
first sounded like it was a regular math wiz. We didn’t find out
until later that it actually didn’t know any math, or numbers for
the matter. It didn’t even know what it was saying; it was just
mimicking the voice of a trainer. It never hung out with other
parrots and taught them numbers or how to do addition or
multiplication. “Hey, let me teach you this cool trick. We’re
never going to have to beg for crackers again”. You can’t pass
on what you don’t actually have.
When
we look at this idea of giving what we have, we can also apply it to
relationships. For instance, if we never experienced what it means
to have a friend, how could we be expected to be a friend to someone
else? If a child was never taught what it means to be loved by his
or her parents, how can he or she ever learn to love?
Today
we celebrate Trinity Sunday. It is a special feast day, inviting us
to consider the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. We believe that
the God who created us and redeemed us and sanctifies us is one God
in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God
the Father, out of His immense love for all of us, sent His Son,
Jesus Christ, to die for our sake and to rise again to new life.
After the Son Ascended, the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit
to come upon the Church and be our Advocate. We believe the Spirit
teaches us what to say and blesses us to bring us ever closer to
holiness.
The
Father and the Son love each other, as a father and a son should.
From this perfect love comes the Holy Spirit, which the Church has
long referred to as the Spirit of Love. Therefore, when we receive
the Holy Spirit at Baptism, Confirmation, and the other Sacraments we
receive those special blessings and that special love of God. We
ourselves learn how to love.
St.
Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, talks about the special
relationship that we all share with the Holy Trinity. When we
receive the Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit
we become sons and daughters of God. We receive a Spirit of adoption
that allows us to truly call God “Abba”, which translates as
“Daddy”. And since we are the true sons and daughters of God, we
are truly “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ”. We have a
special relationship with each person of the Trinity.
So
what do we do with this? We are called to pass it on, so to speak.
When Jesus Christ appeared before the Eleven Apostles after His
Resurrection, He told them, “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”. He sent out the Eleven and now He
sends all of us out to spread the love of God to all peoples.
We
can’t give what we do not have. Know, therefore, that we have been
given a very special relationship with God. Let us go out, sharing
what we know of the love of our Triune God. Let us bring others
closer to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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