Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, a doctrine articulated by the ecumenical councils of Nicaea and Constantinople. This great mystery of Three Divine Persons, sharing the same Divine nature in one God, is not explicitly spoken of in the Bible, and the word Trinity is nowhere in Scripture. Nonetheless, all the official prayers of the Church, including the Holy Mass and the Sacraments, begin with an address to the Holy Trinity: “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We are baptized, absolved of our sins, and anointed in the name of the Blessed Trinity. We bless ourselves with the Sign of the Cross using the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Catechism states that: “There is one God, who has three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each Person is God, yet there is still only one God” (CCC, numbers 234, 253-256).
Today’s readings speak of the Trinity in a hidden way: the Book of Proverbs contemplates Wisdom, a quality that Proverbs identified with God. In his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul speaks of the peace with God the Father we receive through Jesus Christ, and he reminds us that the love of God is poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Saint Augustine wrote: “You see the Trinity if you see love.” This week, let us ponder that statement and pray for the ability to see love in all things.
