On the Holy Trinity

ON THE HOLY TRINITY John 16: 12 - 15

The SOLEMNITY of the FEAST of the HOLY TRINITY

Today, we, the Church, celebrate the Solemn Feast of the Holy Trinity. Fr. Roly said in his homily, that when we do the Sign of the Cross, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..." we are being reminded that there are three persons in one God. This Dogma, like all dogmas/teachings of the Church, is a mystery. God is one and three. In scholastic philosophical terms, the Triune God is referred to be one in essence, but three in persons. Beyond that definitive stating we are not going any further mentally or logically; for we will never make sense logically or rationally.

But for a topical or thematic definition of this Dogma of the Triune God, I am going to quote Fr. Roly’s beginning part of his homily on this Feast. "Throughout his life Jesus was forever talking about God as his Father; and he referred to himself as God’s only Son. He explained also that his mission was to do the will of the Father."

In continuation, Fr. also said that Jesus later introduced to us the Holy Spirit, "whom he talks about as being a real person, completely different from himself and God the Father. And the Spirit’s job is to inspire people to continue, in the Church, the work begun by Jesus, and draw everyone into the love of God the Father." Then Fr. Roly topically explains this Divine Trinity in the context of the salvation of mankind this way: "God’s plan is that we share in his life of glory. By our baptism we are raised to a level at which we become sharers in the family of God. We are born of God the Father; God the Son becomes our brother; and the love of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. This revelation of the inner life of the three persons, in which we have a share, is one of God’s greatest gifts to us; and it is the model and goal towards which all of us should aim and strive." Again, he continued saying, "Jesus reveals the mystery of the Trinity to us, not just to let us know the truth about God but also the truth about ourselves — as to what is our origin , (God the Father), where is our destiny,(to become Christ-like), and how we can arrive at that final point, (by way of the Holy Spirit). (The parentheses are my paraphrasing references.) Fr. continued on: "...We only exist, and the world only exists because God gives life. He is the Father who looks out for us his children, and he is closer to us than we are to ourselves. Everyday is a day to love the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; as we strive to make the Holy Spirit a more practical and true part of our lives. Love is the binding force of the three persons of the Trinity; so when we love we share in that community of love which is the living God."

Deacon Jim Janukites’ words paraphrased these same aspects community in love, this way: "Christians could not have invented the mystery that God is three, yet one. God as revealed to us is the universal love for all people in the person of Jesus. Love is a gift of self, the giving of oneself to and for another. And God revealed to us his continuing and active ‘involving’ with us in the Person of the Holy Spirit, when we open ourselves to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives."

Finally, Fr. Roly commended to us that "This celebration of the abundance of God’s love is an occasion for appreciating what God has done, and continues to do for us. It calls on us to respond to the love of God, poured into our hearts by Christ and the Holy Spirit, and invites us to look forward to the day when we shall share in the glory of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

Now my additional few corrollary words on the Trinity.

The reality of the Triune God foretells to us the recommended human reality, which on our own we can never materialize nor even desire. The Trinity is teamwork par excellence, the perfect unity between the perfect performers, the real Three Muskeeters, ‘All for One, and One for All’. In the human world, despite hard claim of cooperation & collaboration, someone or other wants to outdo the other. Insecurity of man. But Secure God, allows the Three Persons To Be Perfectly cooperating & collaborating with each other. Only God indeed can do that: cooperation and collaboration in the name of love. Which very same cooperation and collaboration in the name of love is commanded precisely upon grace-gifted men and women. And, therefore, on account of this, like Fr. Roly exhorted above, we appreciate the Trinity of God. Three persons in action for One or absolute manner of love.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Praised be the Triune God. Amen.