General

One God in Three Persons: Celebrating the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity

Introduction
Today, the Church lifts our eyes to the greatest and most central mystery of our faith: the Most Holy Trinity. We profess one God in three divine persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—not three gods, but one divine essence. This is not a theological puzzle to be solved but a divine reality to be adored.

The Trinity in the Catechism
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

  • “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life” (CCC 234).
  • “It is the mystery of God in Himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith…” (CCC 234).
  • “We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons” (CCC 253).

Aquinas on the Trinity
St. Thomas Aquinas likened the attempt to grasp the Trinity to trying to pour the vast ocean into a tiny hole. He reminds us that we can know that God is Triune through revelation, but not fully how this is so. Nonetheless, he teaches that within the Godhead, the Father is the principle without principle, the Son is begotten, and the Holy Spirit proceeds—eternally united in love and substance.

A Mystery to Be Loved, Not Solved
St. Augustine once described walking along the beach and encountering a boy trying to pour the ocean into a hole in the sand. When Augustine questioned him, the boy replied that trying to comprehend the Trinity is no different. This is what the Trinity is: a holy mystery that surpasses human reason, but not our faith.

Living the Trinity
To live as Christians is to live in the Trinity.

  • We are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
  • We live the Christian life by following the Son, in the power of the Spirit, in communion with the Father.
  • The family, the Church, and every community are called to reflect this unity in diversity.

Closing Reflection
Let us not shy away from mystery but stand in awe. The Trinity is not meant to be fully dissected, but to be worshipped. Let every “Sign of the Cross” we make be a proclamation of this sacred truth.

Closing Prayer: In the Mystery of the Trinity

O Most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—
You are the eternal communion of love,
The beginning and the end, the source of all life.
We adore You in the mystery that surpasses our understanding,
And we thank You for revealing Yourself to us.

Father, draw us closer to Your heart.
Jesus, walk beside us as our Savior and Brother.
Holy Spirit, breathe in us the fire of Your love.
Help us to live in unity, to forgive as You forgive,
To love as You love, and to bear witness to the truth of who You are.

Make our families, our Church, and our world
A reflection of Your divine unity and peace.
We ask this in the name of the Father,
And of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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