This weekend, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This Solemnity gives us an opportunity to affirm our Faith in the Mystery of the Triune God. We affirm the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who each totally possess one divine nature. Our human nature cannot fully grasp or comprehend this mystery, since God is Infinite. This leads us to question: “Why did God choose to reveal himself to us in this way?”
For an answer to that question, we can turn to the Scripture readings that the Church gives us for this weekend. Each of these readings has an expression of relationship at its core. The first reading speaks about how God desired to enter into relationship with the people of Israel, by choosing them as His own people. The second reading reminds us that because we have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, we are able to call God “Father,” since we are His children. The Gospel reminds us that God never abandons his people: As we carry out our mission as Disciples, He is with us always, until the end of the age.
As we contemplate the relationship between the Three Persons of the Trinity, we are reminded by these readings that God desires for us to enter into relationship with him as well! How do we accomplish this? The simple answer is through actively living out our Faith. Things such as prayer, the Sacraments, and other devotions can all help us to deepen our relationship with God. But we have to be careful here: We cannot put so much focus on prayer that we neglect to enter into relationship with our neighbours. It’s no accident that the Church reminds us of the Great Commission today, which is in many ways an extension of the Great Commandment to love God, and love your neighbour as yourself. Most of us have the “love God” part down decently well- it’s the love of our neighbour that often needs work!
As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, perhaps we can take some time in our prayer to ask God to give us the grace to work on strengthening our relationships with our neighbours, especially those that we find it difficult to love as we ought. May the relationship of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity inspire us to deepen our own relationships with God and with others, so that we can truly prepare ourselves for the eternal relationship with God and all His angels and saints in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Steven Huber, CSB