I worked for a company that had a policy of making the company's budget for each department transparent. We all knew how much money each department was given. If we wanted more money to do our jobs, we had to present a plan defining why we should get more money and which department it should be taken from.

The point was clear: the "pie" was only so big. If you wanted a bigger piece, you had to take it from someone else.

We live in a social system that is based on competition. We don't give away jobs. We make people compete for them. We don't give away homes. They go to the person who will pay the most. In fact, the prices of most goods are based not so much on the cost of creating them but on how much people are willing to pay for them.

As children, we compete with siblings for the care and attention of our parents. As parents, we compete with co-workers, family and friends for success and popularity. Whether it is human nature or whether it is the result of years of conditioning in a capitalist economy, we naturally compete.

Today we celebrate the Holy Trinity and see that God is ultimately a perfect communion. This is in stark contrast to a culture of competition. The Father, Son and Spirit exist in a common unity - sharing their common goodness, love and commitment with one another and with their creation. As Jesus says of the Spirit in today's Gospel reading, "He will glorify me."

At our best, we are capable of this kind of relationship. When we give selflessly to someone and find ourselves energized and content, we choose unity over competition and experience a small taste of what it means for us as human beings to "glorify" one another. To glorify doesn't mean painting a picture of someone with a halo and wings. It means honoring someone other than ourselves and experiencing a taste of God's unconditional love.

We are used to seeing the resources we want as finite. There is only so much food to go around. The same is true of money, oil, water, time - all the things we depend on to live well.

It can be hard for us to believe that the love of God is a "pie" of infinite dimensions. It is something we can share and share and it will never be reduced. We can reach out to others with grace and generosity and find that we receive more than we give, over and over and over.

It would be a good thing if we celebrated Trinity Sunday by glorifying one another in this way. We can do so at home, at work, at school, and among our friends. We can give generously when we know that God is within us with an infinite supply of love and goodness.

When we honor the dignity of one another - those who are successful in the competition for money and power and those who are not - we are most like the God we worship.

Bill Peatman writes from Napa.