THE SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY TRINITY

Proverbs 8:22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15

THE TRINITY: A MYSTERY OF LOVE

We celebrate today the ineffable mystery of the Holy Trinity, which is the central mystery of our Christian faith. For we believe in One God who exists in Three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We begin our Christian life "in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Moreover, the last thing a priest will do at our graveside is to make the sign of the cross over our body.

Though the word "Trinity" cannot be found in the Bible, the revelation of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is uncontestably present in the Bible. Thus, in the first reading, God's Wisdom is introduced to us as a Person. Wisdom was with God before creation, and present when God was creating everything (Prov. 8:22-31). The Evangelist John will help us later identify this Wisdom personified with Jesus Christ, the Word of God who became man.

In the Gospel, Jesus Christ promises to his disciples the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. He also addresses God as Father, something that expresses an intimate relationship between them (Jn 16:12-15). This love that unites the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is therefore a community of Love. Love is another name of the Triune God and this love fills the whole universe. Hence the Psalmist exclaims: "O Lord, our God, how great is your name throughout the earth."

According to St Paul in the second reading, this love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us in our baptism  (Rom. 5:1-5). Therefore, the best way to know and experience God is by loving one another genuinely. Again, whenever we are afflicted, we should persevere in hope , because God loves us and will not abandon us.
May the Love of the Trinity be upon us as we place our trust in Him. Amen.