Today is the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The teachings of the Catholic Church states that there are three Divine Persons in One God: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Never did Jesus in his teachings use the word Trinity although he had mentioned several times the relationship of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Jn 10: 30-38; 5: 18, 21-27; 14:26). Jesus also acknowledged that there is only one God (Mk 12:29). It must be noted that the concept “Divine Trinity” was the product of theological reflections of the apostolic and early church fathers. It was of a divine inspiration rather than a mere impulse which led them to believe than in God existed three Persons. Many believers (and unbelievers) as of today are still confused about the mystery surrounding the dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church on Triune God. This is not surprising because no one, not even the great St. Augustine understood the mystery, and it will remain like that. No one understands God other than himself.
However, what we do know of God cannot be regarded as bogus because God willed to reveal himself to us through his creation, plan of salvation, redemption and sanctification. He continues to reveal himself on earth by making His presence known through the Spirit and the Holy Mother Church. St. John says God is love (1Jn 4:8). Love is precisely the intimate relationship the Divine Persons has for each other and which makes them united eternally. God best expressed himself to us by becoming man and by dwelling among us. This is the basis of our belief, God relate to us in a way He relates to Himself. It is the desire of God to share his life to us and have it to the full (Jn 10:10b). Human relationships often fail either because there is no element of love or the standard of love is purely on human level. Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, to love one another as He loves them (Jn 15:12). Jesus takes the basis of loving between human beings into a higher level i.e. the love which emanates from personhood. It is only when we love as a human person that we will participate in the love of the Triune God.
The family is the basic unit of society. The family is also the basic dwelling place or the court by which ‘to love one another as I have loved you’ is practiced. The family is love’s point of departure which extends to a bigger family, the Church. The Church’s mission is to make God’s presence known to its members and to the world. The Church is the instrument of God to unite all His creations into his bosom, sharing His life with His creation eternally.
(picture c/o libertypages.com)
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