Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity
Rev. Fr. Nelson Lobo OFM Cap
Ex 34:4-9; 2 Cor 13:11-13; Jn 3:16-18
History of the Day: The mystery of the Holy Trinity, a doctrine enunciated by the ecumenical councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity and the greatest mystery of our Faith, namely, that there are Three Divine Persons, sharing the same Divine nature in one God. “There is one God, who are three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each Person is God, yet there is still only one God” (CCC #234, #253-256). This belief in Holy Trinity was introduced into Western liturgy by the regional council of Toledo in AD 589. The feast of the Blessed Trinity was introduced in the ninth century and was only inserted in the general calendar of the Church in the fourteenth century by Pope John XXII. But the remembrance and invocation of the Holy Trinity is, of course, to be found throughout the liturgy.
Reflection of the Day: The dogma of faith which forms the object of the feast is this: There is one God and in this one God there are three Divine Persons; the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but one, eternal, incomprehensible God! The Father is the first Divine Person; the Son is the second Divine Person; the Holy Spirit is the third Divine Person, proceeding from the Father and the Son. The doctrine of Three Persons in one God, co-equal and co-eternal in Divinity yet distinct in Person, is not explicitly spelt out in the Bible. Even the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. However, the Old Testament has indirect and the New Testament has direct references to the Holy Trinity. Genesis 1:26 presents God speaking to Himself in plural: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” Genesis 18:2 describes how Yahweh visited Abraham under the appearance of three men, an event that the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates as the “Trinitarian Experience of Abraham.” In Genesis 11:7, before punishing the proud builders of the Tower of Babel, God says, “Come, let Us go down among them and confuse their language”. Direct references in New Testament are: The Annunciation (Luke 1: 26-38), the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3: 16-17), (Luke 4:22), John (Chapters 15-18) Jesus speaks about the three Persons of the Holy Trinity and finally Jesus commands his disciples “in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19; John 10:30).
But the doctrine of the Trinity underlies all major Christian feasts, including Christmas, the Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter, the Ascension and Pentecost. All the official prayers of the Church, including the Holy Mass and the Sacraments, begin with an invocation of the Holy Trinity: “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We are baptized, absolved of our sins and anointed in the name of the Blessed Trinity. Throughout the world, church bells can ring three times a day inviting Christians to pray.
No mortal can fully fathom this sublime truth. However, in a nutshell we can say that God did not abandon us. When the right time came (God’s time) he sent his only Son (Jn 3:16) to redeem us. Jesus loved us so much he gave His life on the cross (Jn 15:13). After Christ’s ascension the Holy Spirit, became our Teacher, our Leader, our Guide, and our Consoler.
The feast of the Most Holy Trinity may well be regarded as the Church’s Te Deum of gratitude. This feast, which falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost, is a synthesis of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. Even though we celebrate a special feast in honour of the Holy Trinity we should not overlook the fact that every Sunday we remember and invoke the Holy Trinity. Every Sunday we remember that the Father (Creator) created and predestined us; the Son (Redemeer) redeemed us and the Holy Spirit (Sanctifier) sanctified us. Sunday, therefore, is the day of the Most Holy Trinity.
Today’s readings convey the fundamental mystery that the Triune God reaches out to people with love, seeking the deepest communion with them.
Today’s feast invites us to live in the awareness of the presence of the Triune God within us: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We belong to the Family of the Triune God. The love, unity and joy in the relationship among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit should be the supreme model of our relationships within our Christian families. Our families become truly Christian when we live in a relationship of love with God and with others. Like God the Father, we are called upon to be productive and creative always working, promoting life and building up our families, our Church, our community and our world. Like God the Son, we are called upon to reconcile, to be peacemakers, to restore broken relationships, to restore life. Like God the Holy Spirit, we are invited to speak and teach the truth and to dispel ignorance.
Symbols of the Trinity: Equilateral Triangle; Circle of Eternity; Three interwoven Circles; Triangle in Circle; Circle within Triangle; Interwoven Circle and Triangle; Two Triangles interwoven in shape of Star of David; Shield of the Holy Trinity; Three Fishes linked together in shape of a triangle; Cross and Triangle overlapping.
Could be Examples of Trinity: Egg, water, clove, a triangle, a shamrock leaf, sun, candles, rose and brick. These symbols were used by saints in the past to explain the nature of Holy Trinity.
Mystery of the Day: The great 20th-century Catholic Theologian Father Karl Rahner, SJ, was supposedly asked once by a priest friend how he should explain the Holy Trinity when preaching. Father Rahner’s reply was simple: “Don’t!” The mystery we celebrate in today’s feast defies not only explanation but also comprehension. Therefore, John Wesley said “Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the Triune God.”
Prayer of the Day: “Most Holy Trinity, who live in me, I praise You, I worship You, I adore You and I love You.” St. Francis Xavier
Thought of the Day: “All sorts of people are fond of repeating the Christian statement that “God is love.” But they seem not to notice that the words ‘God is love’ have no real meaning unless God contains at least two persons. Love is something that one person has for another person. If God was a single person, then before the world was made, He was not love.” -C.S. Lewis