Most Holy Trinity

05-30-2021Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

The Solemnity of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit gives us an opportunity to reflect more deeply on the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. In the Old Testament, the image of God often is associated with a father. When Jesus came, He speaks a lot about His Father. He identifies Himself as the Son, the begotten Son, sent by the Father. Towards the end of His earthly life, Jesus often speaks about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Counselor. And Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit: He will teach you everything and remind you all that I have told you. (Jn. 14:26) Thus, we can say that it is the Holy Spirit that enlightens us of the mystery of the Holy Trinity. As human beings, there is a quest in man to know more about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: To ponder their one life together, which is the inner life (economy) of the Trinity.

The truth about God is the most fundamental teaching of our Christian Faith. Our belief in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is not a statement of reason but a declaration of faith. But no matter how much man advances in the field of intelligence: reason will not be able to fathom the mystery of God. For some, this could lead to doubts. For example, the way solipsism holds that knowledge of anything outside the mind is unsure; the external world and others outside the mind; cannot be known and might not exist outside the mind. In our Christian faith, except for Angels, everything is accessible to the human experience. Can we know the Trinity? The answer is yes and no. Yes, because God has revealed Himself to us. We don’t comprehend Him fully, but we can know Him. Everything in creation, everything human, reveals to us an aspect of the Triune God.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is the doctrine of one God of three Divine Person: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three in one, and one in three. It is a mystery and will remain a mystery unsolved. Yes! It is a mystery, but man can and should embrace it. Especially believers invited to belong to and become a part of the “Most Holy Trinity, undivided unity, Holy God, mighty God, God immortal be adored!” There is only one God because He has only one divine nature, but three persons in the Triune God.

The doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in the Scriptures. But implicitly, especially in the New Testament, the economy (not metaphysically) of the Trinity is all over. Jesus made sure the Father and the Holy Spirit are present in significant moments of His ministry. First in His baptism, as soon as He came out of the water, the spirit of God in the form of a dove descended upon Him, and a voice saying: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am pleased. (Mt. 3:1517) Then at Mt. Tabor, during the His Transfiguration, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Mt. 17:5)

“I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Jesus has promised that He is always with us, and forever. The greatest love story ever told is about a Father who so loves us and reaches out to us; by sending or through His only begotten Son and the Holy Spirit. Only the Christian religion speaks of a God who humbled Himself to become one of His creatures. No other religion says of a God who asks of His creatures not only of obedience, of respect but more importantly of love, from and among those who believe Him. Oh, Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teach us to live and love the way You love.