El Greco's Holy Trinity. 1577. Oil on canvas. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. Photo source: www.abcgallery.com.
As for the eleven disciples, they went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Jesus, they bowed before him, although some doubted. Then Jesus approached them and said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples from all nations. Baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”Matthew 28: 16 – 20
We are God’s children. We are all adopted sons and daughters of the Father by virtue of Baptism. Our Lord Jesus, the Son of the Father becomes our Brother, and the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. A Christian who is a follower of Christ should believe in the Trinity—that God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three characters or three persons but only One. The Triune God (three but one) is a mystery to accept and believe in. And after baptizing those who believed and followed Jesus, they were taught and instructed to observe and live what has been commanded by God.
The Trinity is the source of all good, knowledge, and wisdom. It is the fountain of all truth, everything emanates from the Trinity. We profess our faith to the Trinitarian God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity is Love, thus the Trinity of Love. Love is experienced by people who listen to the Word and follow Him. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus had been inviting men and women to believe and follow Him. There were those who responded and followed him although most of them were also in doubt. But the Holy Spirit had filled them with zeal, courage and the truth and they proclaimed the glory of God even if Jesus had already returned to His Father.
The Trinity is a mystery that is neither to be solved nor to be settled. Instead, it is a mystery that is revealed and accepted in the eyes of faith. Only when one knows how to love and allow himself/ herself to be loved, then the Trinity is really present and alive. The image of Father as the Lover who has His Son, Jesus, His Beloved, and the Holy Spirit who is Love that binds them. This three- way relationship is a powerful imagery of the Triune God. Love is concrete when there is a lover and a beloved, and that love binds them. Love is real and experiential.
Recently in May, I had the graceful privilege to be the main celebrant in the Eucharistic celebrations where I received the religious profession of vows of our Carmelite friars. Likewise, with the Carmelite Missionaries (CM) whose sisters pronounced their religious profession of vows for life and for renewal. Common to these acts are their free will and their voluntary submission to the will of God. It is love that made them commit to become religious brothers and sisters.
Their consecration in the bond of their evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience made public is their act of following Jesus in this way of life. I have witnessed their overflowing joy and thanksgiving during the rite of profession and in the entire celebration. They all said that it is love that dared them to say their “Yes” to the invitation of Jesus.
They consecrated themselves to live a simple lifestyle, to be chaste and celibate, and to be sensitive, listening, and obedient. They could have decided otherwise and had taken a different path such as the choice to work in the corporate world and maybe get richer. But they are so in love that they want to offer their very lives in prayer to the community and in the service of the Church.
In another occasion too, an old friend of mine whom I have not seen for more than twenty years came to see me. In the course of our exchanges, he started sharing with me his experiences and his realizations about life. That after all the tests and trials that he and his family had undergone (sickness and death in the family member, wrong investment that led to their business’ bankruptcy, retrenchment from his job), his family is still intact and continue to trust in the Lord. He is convinced that they are still loved by God and they love God in return. What a show of strong faith in the Lord even if things are not always good! They continue to hold on to the love of the God and God’s promises of abundance for He is a provident God. A God who provides because He loves His people and those who believe in Him.
As we celebrate the solemnity of the Holy Trinity, let us honestly ask ourselves the following:
Have I doubted God’s presence in my life?
Have I taken the challenge of Jesus to preach the Good News to all?
Am I a good and holy disciple of the Lord? Do I observe faithfully God’s commands?
Do I really live what I preach and teach?
Have I loved? Do I allow myself to be loved by others?
Prayer: God our Almighty Father, we entrust to you our lives, our dreams, our families and communities. As pilgrims of the world, make us worthy of your love as we strive to follow your commands and precepts. We humbly ask you to listen to our petitions and grant our intentions for the glory of your name. Most Holy Trinity, we ask you to bless our people and our nation. Amen.
The Lord be with you. And may Almighty God bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
