The Most Holy Trinity (Fr. Vinner)
How God Reveals Himself and Shows Us His Love
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The mystery of the most Holy Trinity is a basic doctrine of Faith in Christianity, understandable not with our heads but with our hearts. It teaches us that there are three distinct Persons in one God, sharing the same Divine Nature, co-equal and co-eternal. Our mind cannot grasp this doctrine which teaches that 1+1+1 = 1 and not 3. But we believe in this Mystery because Jesus who is God taught it clearly, the Evangelists recorded it, the Fathers of the Church tried to explain it and the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople defined it as a dogma of Christian Faith. This week we return to the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. This Sunday and next Sunday, however, are designated as solemnities, special days that call our attention to the central mysteries of our faith. Today, on the first Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This feast invites us to consider what we believe about God, who has revealed himself to us in the Trinity, one God in three Persons
Our celebration of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is an invitation to enter into the mystery of God. The doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery – probably the most profound mystery of Christianity…most confusing and misunderstood….That is why it took the Church – theologians, teachers, philosophers – about four centuries – four hundred years – of study and discussion – through the Holy Spirit – to come up and develop the doctrine of the Trinity – a dogma requiring belief… a leap of faith… because it is beyond our comprehension. How can God be one and three at the same time? To try to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity with our human mind is like trying to put all the waters in the ocean into a small bucket. Nowhere in the New Testament is the doctrine of the Trinity carefully explained. What we find there is not so much men writing theology or explaining the Trinity, but people, like us, talking about something that has happened in their own lives – how their lives had been touched by God. They did not understand it all. The only thing they knew for sure was that God had become for them a living reality. They had seen him at work. They had witnessed his power. They had experienced his presence. The doctrine of the Trinity describes the unique ways that people experience God’s presence in their lives – how they came to know God. Our question about the trinity leads us to the basic question of: how do we know God? – We find the answer by describing our experience of God, our encounters with Him.
1) All prayers in the Church begin in the Name of the Holy Trinity and end glorifying the Trinity. 2) All Sacraments are administered (we are baptized, confirmed, anointed, our sins are forgiven, our marriage blessed, and our Bishops, priests and deacons ordained) in the name of the Holy Trinity.3) Church bells ring thrice daily, reminding us to give glory to the Holy Trinity for the Incarnation of Jesus and His Redemption of all of us. 4) We bless ourselves, and the priest blesses us, in the Name of the Holy Trinity.
There are only vague and hidden references to the Trinity in the Old Testament. But the New Testament gives clear teachings on the Holy Trinity.
At the Annunciation God the Father sends His angel to Mary, God the Holy Spirit comes upon her, the Power of the Most High overshadows her and God the Son becomes incarnate in her womb.2) 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.3) At the Ascension Jesus gives the missionary command to his disciples to baptize those who believe, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HolySpirit.4) In Jh 15-18 here we have a detailed account of Jesus’ teaching of the role of each Person of the Holy Trinity: a) God the Father creates and provides for His creatures. b) God the Son redeems us and reconciles us with God. c) God the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, strengthens us, teaches us and guides us to God.
Let us respect ourselves and others because everyone is the temple of the Holy Spirit where all the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity abide. Let us have the firm conviction that the Trinitarian god abides in us that He is the Source of our hope, courage and strength, and that He is our final destination. My brothers and sisters in Christ: Let us pray that the Trinity will mean the same thing to you and me. Let us continue to reflect on our experiences of God. – continue to trust in the goodness and love of God our Father, our Creator
– continue to believe in Christ, the Son of God, our brother, Reconciler, Redeemer – continue to have hearts open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, our guide, who leads us to the knowledge of the truth – to a deeper understanding of God, of ourselves and to a more intimate relationship and communion with God. In the words of St. Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, pronouncing blessings upon his friends: “may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship that is ours in the Holy Spirit be with us all, Amen. 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. In the name of the father, and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
FR. S.Vinner HGN