This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is one of the fundamental doctrines of faith in Christianity. The Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity consists of this: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods, but only one God with three attributes. (CCC 234 #253-256). We have Father who is the creator, Son, the redeemer and Holy Spirit the sanctifier and the counselor. This is the Mystery of the Trinity of Persons in the one God.
We begin our prayers and all our liturgical celebrations “in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is a mystery. It is very difficult for us to understand the three persons and yet say there is one God. Our faith tells us that these three persons are indeed distinct and yet together. We know from what God has revealed that the first person is called the Father because from Him originates everything. He is the source of all creation, and he is called Father because He is the source of life for the son. The second person is called the Son because He receives His life from the Father. Father and Son love each other with a love more complete and perfect than we can imagine. Their love is so perfect that it is a person, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Trinity is a mystery which we cannot explain in clear cut terms. In order to explain the Holy Trinity we use a few analogies which in no way will fully explain the mystery. Due to the mysterious nature of the Trinity, many dissentions resulting in denominational splits have arisen within the church. St. Augustine spent many years of his life writing about the nature of God and the Holy Trinity. He became increasingly frustrated in his attempts to ‘get to grips’ with the nature of the Divine mystery, and his attempts to define the relationship between them. He understood his folly when he met the child on the sea shore, who was trying to get the sea into a hole in the sand. Augustine exclaimed with wonder “How on earth do you imagine you can get the entire ocean into that tiny hole?” The child responded and said “It’s not half as crazy as anyone attempting to ‘get to grips’ with the mysteries of the Triune God.”
The feast of the Holy Trinity reminds us that God is a family of love. Our concern is not the mathematical contradiction (1+1+1=1) but our faith in the God revealed in three persons. The Bible reveals to us the Holy Trinity. In all major events the Holy Trinity is present. For example: at the incarnation God the Father sends His angel to Mary, God the Holy Spirit overshadows her and God the Son becomes incarnate in her womb. At the baptism of Jesus, when the Son receives baptism from John the Baptist, the Father’s voice is heard and the Holy Spirit appears as a dove. At the Passion, the Father suffers with the Son, and the Holy Spirit’s power and strength enables the Son to surrender life into the hands of the Father.
“We will see face to face and very clearly the Divine Majesty, the essence of God, and the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. They will understand and participate in those adorable conversations and divine
colloquies which take place between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” St. Francis de Sales.