We come across magicians some time in our lives. They seem to be doing impossible things and we do not know how and often they do not tell us. Most of us are inclined to say that I (we) cannot do the impossible. However, a close look at such of us might give the onlooker the impression that we are attempting the impossible. Any exercise at explaining or presenting Trinity is such an act! Even St. Augustine, the great Doctor and teacher of the Catholic Church attempted it and was told that he was on a futile mission. However, on the feast of the Most Holy Trinity we have to make an attempt to figure out what the Most Holy Trinity is.

Philosophers of ancient times defined humans as social animals. In fact many animals have social life, but for humans, to be called humans, have to be essentially social. The bible teaches us that man was created in the image and likeness of God. Since that is true, and our God is worshipped as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this Trinity means a relation. Only in a relation we can find love, and love is not necessarily a physical good, it is a spiritual or mental good. Physical love or physical union is but one expression of human love, which is not the whole of love nor the end of love. We call our God love. We define God as Love or Love as God, and our God is the Trinity or Trinitarian.

When God took flesh and appeared in human form he/Jesus became the expression of God’s love or manifestation of God, who is love. Thus God the Father is love, God the Son is love and God the Spirit is love. We may say that the Trinity is or are three expressions of love, and that love is One, that love is True and that love is Beauty.  One, true and beauty are again the philosophical attributes of God. Hence we may safely say that the Trinity is the sum total of an undivided and indivisible relation and it is an undivided Love.

We humans are invited to join this and are incorporated into this relation. In the act of love there is a giving and there is a receiving. To call these acts of giving and receiving as love it has to be total giving and total receiving. That is God. God’s love for us humans means God fully giving himself to humans and humans being fully received or accepted by God as we are. This act of love is practiced and experienced through faith and trust. Let us surrender ourselves totally to the Trinitarian love! Our families need to be replicas of the Trinity.

Fr. George