The Most Holy Trinity

06-12-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

Central to Catholic Theology is the Doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity: the union of God the Father (Creator), God the Son (the Redeemer) and God the Holy Spirit (the Sanctifier), three persons in One God. The Father pre-existed everything and created all things out of love, the Son is begotten and not made, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the love of the Father and the Son. In the Most Holy Trinity, God the Father is what God the Son is and what God the Holy Spirit is; yet, God the Father is neither God the Son nor is He God the Holy Spirit. The same is true of the Son and the Holy Spirit, they are three distinct persons united in love as one God.

There is no explicit mention of the term “Trinity” in the Holy Scriptures, yet, there are many allusions to God revealing Himself as three persons in one God that can be found in both Testaments of Holy Scripture. The Book of Genesis reports that God the Father created the world which was a formless void of chaos until the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters to introduce order in creation (Gen 1:2). The first three verses of the first chapter of John’s Gospel collaborates this implied trinitarian pre-eminence, pre-existence and collaboration by stating that the Word (God the Son) was with God in the beginning, through Him all things were made and nothing came into being which was not made through Him. In Genesis 1:26, God said “let us make man in our own image, after our likeness”. This divine consultative statement is strongly indicative of the pre-existing presence of God the Son and the Holy Spirit and their participation in the creative work of the Father.

After the fall of man, as a super benevolent consequence of God’s eternal love for humanity, God the Father sent His only Begotten Son (John 3:16) who took flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) and became man in order to reconcile humanity to God and to teach us love in its true essence. The most explicit manifestation of Trinitarian revelation and activity in the Gospels occurred at the Baptism of the Lord where, after Jesus was baptized and as He came out of the waters, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard from heaven confirming His Sonship and mission (Matthew 3: 16-17). Jesus Himself, after the resurrection, mandated His Apostles to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

As firm believers in the unity of the Most Holy Trinity, we are invited to allow ourselves to be possessed by Divine love and become conduits of this love. We ought also to unite ourselves to each other in belief, mind and charity. We should endeavor to collaborate with each other in our quest to ensure that the reign of God enjoys permanent duration on earth.

May the Most Holy Trinity, in whose name we were all baptized, graciously unite the Body of Christ and bless our families with unity so that our witnessing in our time and world will be potent.

Please be kind and may God bless you.

Fr. Manasseh

BACK TO LIST