The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

It’s the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, while there are many evangelicals who insist that the word “Trinity” isn’t mentioned in the Bible, whether we like it or not this is exactly what our Lord told his disciples before he ascended into heaven, which was the gospel reading last May 24: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” This is the mission of all baptized Christian; to evangelize the Word of God to all nations. This isn’t only the mission of the Catholic Church. Today’s gospel reading comes from the Evangelist John 3: 16-18.

“16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

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If there is any passage in the New Testament that the Catholic Church wants every Catholic to memorize and take to heart, it’s in today’s Gospel reading in John 3:16, “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” You can search the Old or New Testament for anything written about who is God and you will end up with John 3:16 in order to define God. Therefore to define God, he is love. Of course if you go to 1 John you will also encounter that God is love! As we read in 1 John 4:8, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Let’s continue in 1 John 5, “5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” There’s more!

“6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

As mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 there are several descriptions of love: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

In today’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we accept that we believe in one God with three divine characteristics, but they’re one. I always use the avocado as the example of the Trinity. There’s the skin, the fruit, and the seed. They’re all different, but belong to one fruit. Yet we know that this is still a mystery to us and we would only know this mystery when we go to our eternal life with God in heaven!