THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
By our Pastor, Fr. Carmelo Jiménez
On Sunday after Pentecost we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, three Divine Persons different from each other, in one God. This is a mystery of which we can say only a little about. But we can know Him, little by little as we get closer and closer to God.
Although it is a difficult to understand this dogma, but it was first understood by the apostles. After the Resurrection, they knew that Jesus was the Savior sent by the Father. And when they experienced the action of the Holy Spirit in their hearts at Pentecost, they understood that the one true God was Father, Son and Holy Spirit, acting in them and in all creation in unison. That although the action of each of the Divine Persons is their own, they never act alone. This is recognized by St. Paul: “Brothers and sisters: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5: 1. 5).
Every time that we make the Sign of the Cross over on our bodies, we remember the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
* In the Name of the Father: We put our hand over our forehead, signaling the brain which controls our entire body, symbolically remembering that God is the source of our life.
* … And the Son: We put our hand on our chest where our heart is, symbolizing love. It reminds us that Jesus Christ became incarnate for the love of men, died and rose again to free us from sin and bring us to everlasting life.
* … And of the Holy Spirit: We put our hand on the left shoulder and then on the right, remembering that the Holy Spirit helps us to bear the burdens of our life, which enlightens us and gives us the grace to live according to the commands of Jesus Christ.
“But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” (Jn 16: 13a). This text of St. John gives us three important points between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit: first, the differentiation between the two of them in their being and acting (Paraclete is the other); secondly, their harmonic communion in acting in favor of men; thirdly, the continuity between the two. The Holy Spirit acts in the disciples to bring them to the full truth that is Christ. And this way is how He acts today in us, revealing to us the truths of faith until we reach the fullness of truth.
“He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine” (Jn 16: 14-15). Remember that God has revealed himself in and through the history of salvation. That is a characteristic of biblical revelation. We come to know God through what He does, because He manifests himself through the works of salvation. That is the only way to know Him. In this text Jesus was talking about what the Holy Spirit will do, which will communicate to the world what he received from the Father and from Jesus.
And when Jesus prayed that the community may be one in chapter 16 of the gospel of Saint John, he directs the gaze of those listening toward the admirable and indissoluble unity that exists in the Holy Trinity, presented as the cause and the exemplary model of true communion. Only in this communion can man find true happiness. Today I invite you to pray that God may continue to reveal himself to us, that his acts of mercy fill us with love and that we remain united to Him until we reach eternal salvation.