Christ the Cornerstone

Mystery of Trinity reveals breadth, depth of God’s love

“When the Lord established the heavens I was there, when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep; when he made firm the skies above, when he fixed fast the foundations of the Earth; when he set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command; then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, playing before him all the while, playing on the surface of his Earth; and I found delight in the human race” (Prv 8:27-31).

This Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This is a feast that calls our attention to the most profound mystery of our faith—the three individual persons who make up the one God we are called to know, love and serve.

Throughout Church history, many commentators, and homilists, have tried to “explain” the mystery of the Blessed Trinity without success. As St. Augustine famously said, trying to understand the three persons in one God is like trying to drain the ocean one small bucket at a time. It simply cannot be done.

And yet, we baptized Christians are called to profess our faith in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and to proclaim this great mystery with the confidence that comes from faith, is sustained by love, and blossoms in hope for the future. We don’t have to “explain” God, but we do have to invite others to encounter him in prayer, in the sacraments and in communion with our brothers and sisters in the one family of God.

The fullness of who God is was not revealed until the Lord ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, and the Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles—and us—at Pentecost. There are, of course, many hints throughout the Scriptures that God does not act alone even when he is the only actor in the scene.

“When the Lord established the heavens, I was there,” the Book of Proverbs tells us in Sunday’s first reading (Prv 8:27). “When he fixed fast the foundations of the Earth; when he set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command; then was I beside him as his craftsman” (Prv 8:29-30).

Understandably, we ask: Who was with God before the universe was created? Who was beside him as a craftsman? And who was it who claims “I was his delight day by day, playing before him all the while, playing on the surface of his Earth; and I found delight in the human race”? (Prv 8:30-31)

In the Gospel reading for Trinity Sunday (Jn 16:12–15), Jesus says to his disciples—and to us—“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now” (Jn 16:12). He understands the limits of our human minds, but he assures that once we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, our minds and hearts will be opened and we will understand by faith what reason alone cannot comprehend.

As women and men of faith, we embrace the wondrous mystery that God is so full of love and goodness that he cannot be contained by our human categories of individuality and separateness. As St. John’s Gospel says, even the Holy Spirit does not speak or act alone. God always acts as a communion of persons, a divine unity‑in-diversity that is totally beyond our comprehension even as it demands our complete acceptance in faith.

We celebrate the Blessed Trinity not because we understand the mystery, but because we have encountered it in the merciful love of God the Father, in the saving grace of Jesus the Son and in the inspiration we have received through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Belief in the Triune God is not an academic exercise. It is not an abstract teaching or a lifeless dogma or creed. The mystery of the Holy Trinity reveals the depth and breadth of God’s love. It’s simple, really. The Trinity is both who God is and how God shares his divine life with others. Yes, it’s a mystery, but it’s also a great gift to us and to all creation.

God is love and love must be shared. The way God shares his love is by giving himself to us, and to all of creation, totally and without reservation in the three persons who are perfectly united with one another in the Holy Trinity which is God.

May our observance of this great feast bring each of us closer to God. May we encounter the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as we pray, celebrate the sacraments and serve one another in love. †