The Most Holy Trinity
Fr. Ben Riley
A common theological definition of the Trinity goes something like this:
The Trinity is one divine essence subsisting in three distinct Persons, each possessing the fullness of the identical divine nature, distinguished only by relations of origin. The Father is unbegotten, the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son as from one principle. The divine persons are consubstantial, coeternal, coequal, and inseparable in operation, while remaining distinct in personhood.
Now if you understood every word of that, congratulations. You could teach theology.
The rest of us are wondering what exactly “subsisting relations” means, and why it even matters.
Because, today is Trinity Sunday.
The day the Church asks us to contemplate one of the deepest mysteries of our faith. One God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
But I think many Catholics make a mistake when they hear Trinity Sunday and immediately check out, assuming today’s feast and homily are about understanding the Trinity.
As if Jesus gathered the Apostles together and said, “Go therefore and make theologians of all nations.”
That’s not what He said.
The Apostles were not professors. They were fishermen, laborers, and ordinary people. Most of them could not have explained the
finer points of Trinitarian theology. And yet, they changed the world.
And I think that is important for us to remember, because many Catholics are afraid to share their faith.
Maybe it’s a fear of talking about faith at work.
Maybe, parents are afraid to talk about the faith with their children.
Grandparents afraid to talk about the faith with their grandchildren.
Friends afraid to invite someone to Mass.
Many people shy away from evangelization because they think, “What if someone asks me a question I can’t answer?” Or, “What if they bring up some point of Catholic teaching that I don’t understand, or don’t agree with?” Or perhaps, most honestly, “What if I look foolish?”
The truth is that all of us, myself included, struggle with pride. None of us likes looking uninformed. None of us likes being put on the spot.
But consider the Apostles.
They did not possess libraries of theology books. They did not have advanced degrees. Yet within a few generations, they transformed the world.
Not because they could explain every doctrine. Not because they had all the answers.
But because they had encountered Jesus Christ. They evangelized first and foremost by imitating Him. They lived lives of charity in a cruel world.
They lived lives of chastity in an immoral world. They lived lives of prayer in a distracted world.
They lived lives of reverence in a world that mocked holiness. Their lives became a testimony to the Gospel.
And we are called to do the same.
In fact, we should not be afraid of looking foolish in the eyes of the world. To those who do not believe, much of the Catholic faith already looks foolish.
The idea that God became man, He died on a cross. That bread and wine become His Body and Blood.
The Gospel has always appeared foolish to some people.
But what ultimately convinces others is not the brilliance of our arguments. It is the authenticity of our witness.
Giving testimony to the Gospel does not have to be complicated. It has to be genuine.
People may argue with your theology. They may disagree with your beliefs. But it is much harder to argue with a life that has been transformed by the love of Christ.
And that brings us to today’s feast.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is not primarily about explaining the Trinity.
It is about proclaiming the Trinity.
Throughout history there have been many invasions. Armies have crossed borders.
Nations have marched into foreign lands.
Empires have expanded through force, power, and violence. But Christianity began with a very different kind of invasion. Not an invasion of troops, or weapons, or political power.
It was an invasion of holiness.
The Father sent the Son into the world. The Son sent the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit sent the Catholic Church.
And the Church was sent into the world to proclaim the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Our Gospel passage for today is perhaps the most famous in all of Scripture.
“God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”
Notice that Jesus does not say that God loved only the righteous, the holy, or the deserving.
He loved the whole world.
The same world that rejected Him. The same world that crucified Him.
The same world that still turns away from Him today. God moves toward sinners.
The Father loves. The Son gives grace.
The Trinity is not distant.
The Trinity is reaching out toward us.
And we are called to continue that mission. The Father sends the Son.
The Son sends the Spirit. The Spirit sends the Church. And the Church sends you.
Every Christian is called to be part of this holy invasion of goodness, truth, and beauty.
Every time a parent teaches a child to pray. Every time a husband or wife forgives.
Every time a Christian visits the sick. Every time we feed the hungry.
Every time we invite someone to Mass.
Every time we defend the dignity of the unborn.
Every time we make the Sign of the Cross. We proclaim the Trinity.
My brothers and sisters, the world has seen enough invasions of violence, division, hatred, selfishness, and sin.
What the world desperately needs now is an invasion of saints. Saints who are not afraid to speak about their faith.
Saints who are not afraid to pray in public.
Saints who are not afraid to defend the Catholic Church. Saints who are not afraid to look foolish for Christ.
Saints who proclaim, not merely with their words but with the holiness of their lives, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.