God is Love and the Trinity exist in Love and Unity

05-30-2021Weekly ReflectionFr. Anthony Okolo, C.S.Sp

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The Solemnity simply means that there are three persons in One God. That is to say, God is One and Three at the same time. It is a mystery and that is why it is called the mystery of the Trinity. A mystery does not mean something we cannot understand or does not have any clue about it, but something we cannot fully grasp completely with our own limited human mind. Mystery is part of our religion and in fact, every authentic religion has elements of mystery in it. Jesus revealed to His disciples the great mystery of our faith; the triune nature of God in three person and the inseparable union of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus’ mission is to reveal the glory of God to us, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and to unite us with God in a community of unbreakable unity and everlasting love. The ultimate end, the purpose for which God created us, is the entry of God’s sons and daughters into perfect unity of the blessed Trinity.

The Trinity can be described in this way, that we are created by God the Father, saved by Christ the Son and we are led into Holiness through the Holy Spirit. That is to say God the Father, the Creator, the Son the Savior and liberator, Immanuel God is with us, the Holy Spirit the Counselor and Consoler God within us.

However, what is most important in today’s celebration is not about the doctrine or the mystery aspect of Trinity, but God’s dynamic and intimate friendship with us, through the three persons of the Trinity. The feast of the Holy Trinity is not a celebration of mystery of the Trinity, nor of the doctrine about the mystery, but a celebration of God’s dynamic and intimate friendship with us. Trinity is a relationship, it is God’s love in action. It is this love and faithfulness of a friend in God the Father, the sharing and caring of a friend in Jesus and the guidance and support of a friend in the Spirit that we celebrate today. The persons of the Trinity are united in love, and God is a model for how He would want us to be, not fighting with one another or exploiting one another, but loving and caring about each other. If God can live in a harmonious community, humanity can solve it’s problem through a sense of community and common good.

It is good to be attentive or focus on the qualities of God as our friend: His love and faithfulness, His caring and sharing. If indeed we are created in the image of such a God and baptized into His family, then we must reflect in our lives the same qualities of friendship in our relationship with each other. If we are able to reflect in our own lives and situations this aspect of unity of love that holds the Trinity together then we will be living the true life of the Trinity. The Trinity may be a riddle wrapped in a mystery, but there is the key and that key is friendship, which cannot only unravel the mystery, but also help to create a friendly world.

In summary, our celebration of the mystery of Trinity would be more appreciated if we allow the love, sharing, caring and support witnessed in the Triune God to be experienced and witnessed in our individual families and relationship with one another. Let us allow this unique expression of love and unity to guide our lives as we celebrate this great mystery of our faith.

Happy Sunday to you all as I pray for God’s special blessings upon you and your individual families.