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Who or what is the Trinity? If the term confuses you, you are not alone, since it’s really one big mystery. Christians for centuries have tried to explain this perplexing concept. Let’s take a closer look at this mystery that we hold as a basic principle of our faith.
As Catholics, every time we make the sign of the cross, we declare our belief in the Trinity -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We confirm our belief in the Trinity when we say the Nicene Creed at Mass on Sundays, the Apostle’s Creed when we begin the rosary, or the Glory Be when we end a decade of the rosary. This belief in the Trinity is implied in the Old Testament, but stated in the New Testament, especially in the Gospel of Matthew. You can find examples of this in Mt 3:16, Mt 10:20, Mt 17:5 and Mt 28:19.
“I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” These are the words that the priest said when he baptized you. Jesus told his apostles to go and make disciples all over the world, baptizing them using these exact words. (Mt 28:19) Notice Jesus said the word name (singular) and not names (plural). Those three divine persons that he talked about are one God, the Holy Trinity, and not three Gods.
The three, co-eternal persons of the Trinity are equal, but distinct from one another. Here are some examples of this:
- The Father does not proceed from any other Person. He created the world and sent Jesus into the world.
- Jesus is the Son, the word of God, sent from the Father. He alone suffered and died on the cross for us, redeeming us.
- The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth and wisdom. He comes from both the Father and the Son, sanctifying us.
Over the centuries people have used images to represent the Trinity. A triangle over a circle, showing the relationship of the three divine persons, is the most popular. The triangle signifies the three persons in one God, whereas the circle represents God’s eternal oneness. A shamrock (a three leaf clover) also has been used to explain the Trinity. Legend has it that St. Patrick taught with a shamrock, asking his students if they saw one leaf or three. They could answer both one leaf and three, just like we see three divine Persons in the Trinity AND one God!
We celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity on the first Sunday after Pentecost. St. Thomas Becket introduced the feast day about 900 hundred years ago at the Canterbury Cathedral in England. In 1334, Pope John XXII declared it a feast day for the entire universal church.
One traditional hymn the choir might sing on this special Sunday is Holy, Holy, Holy, written by Reginald Heber, a bishop of the Church of England. He wrote the song in 1826 to honor and praise the Holy Trinity. The last lines show what we believe as Christians: “Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!”
The Holy Trinity remains the greatest mystery of the Catholic religion, even though it’s been our basic belief for the last 2,000 years. God reveals the truth of the Trinity in the Bible and through the teachings and liturgy of the Church. But even though revealed, it’s a concept that we can’t fully understand. So if all this talk about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit sort of makes sense, but you don’t quite get it, you are in good company. As Catholics we continue to pray that we can understand the whole idea and in so doing, grow closer to God. And that’s what is most important – a relationship with each of the divine persons, who after all, are one God!
©2011 Candace J Hardy
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The Trinity Mystery
