By Mel Jasmin
Next Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. We remember during this Feast the God is one in three divine persons – the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, reveals Himself in the Bible. The Bible clearly tells us there is only one God. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one”. At the same time, we encounter multiple passages in the Bible that show that the one God consists of more persons. This is hard for us to understand. We should realize that is not because of a logical contradiction, but because of our limitations. That the complexity and beauty of God’s being surpasses our understanding is not strange. He is God and we are man.
The third chapter of John’s Gospel John proclaims that the Father loves the world and sent His Son to share eternal life with all who believe. The God, we contemplate today is present in, with and for us. The story of God’s love, Jesus, the Word Incarnate, draws us into His relationship with God as Father.
If you notice, Jesus as the “Son” is referred to three times in this passage, but the Holy Spirit is not mentioned. We come to know and recognize the Spirit in the love that is poured out into the world through the oneness of the Father and Son.
The first reading (Exodus 34:4-9) and the Gospel emphasize the power, mercy and love of God. In the second reading (2 Corinthians 13:11-13), Paul confirms that God is a “God of love and peace”. The reading from 2 Corinthians is the only one that mentions all three Persons of the Trinity. The Alleluia verse reminds us that all three Persons of the Trinity share in glory: “Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: To God who is, who was, and who is to come.”
A bit of interest: The Doxology was instituted in 1674. The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity was instated in the Third Century.
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