Revelation of God
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, which is also called Basic Ecclesial Community Sunday. This occasion calls us "to deepen our conviction as a Church to work towards a stronger communion in faith as a Church draws its life and mission from the Most Holy Trinity" (ORDO). In our culture nowadays, many are far from God because of worldly entertainment, money, and status. This has driven humanity away from its original personality. Thus, let us focus our meditation on the revelation of God as the Trinity. How do we picture and identify the Triune God? What is the relationship of God to man? Let us ponder three points: Trinity is the origin of our identity; Trinity is an image of a family; and Trinity is our destiny.
First, Trinity is the origin of our identity. We identify God as one of three persons, and this is the mystery of the Trinity. But more than that, God is our identity because He created us and knows us very deeply. As St. Irenaeus puts it, "God reveals Man to Himself." We see the reflection of ourselves in God, who created us. Thus, we are good because God is good; we are of God because in Him everything has been made. Ultimately, all these things are a mirror of the love that God has for us. Every creation that God has given us is a manifestation of God’s love for us. Thus, in every work and endeavor we make, let it be in accordance with God, who in all things exists.
Second, Trinity is an image of a family. St. Augustine describes the Holy Trinity as a communion of persons in love. He uses the analogy of a Trinity to a family. In a family, there is the father, the mother, and the child. St. Augustine describes the father as the Heavenly Father, who is the lover; the mother as Jesus, the only begotten Son, who is the beloved; and the child or the son as the Holy Spirit, who is the love between them that brought forth the Holy Spirit. Hence, the family should be a reflection of the Trinity, and in the family we first experience love. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, "It is in the family that peacemakers and promoters of the culture of life and love are born and nurtured." In a family where there is joy, peace, and love. Do we see this in our family? Do we see the love of God in our family? Thus, the Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit.
Third, the Trinity is our destiny. The goal of each person on earth is heaven. Heaven is the fulfillment of all our endeavors on earth, our reward at its end, the love and joy of the Trinity. Our home is in the communal love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In heaven, we see the realization of the second reading: "Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you." This is what we should look forward to in heaven: seeing God face-to-face. In heaven, the presence and love of God are realized, and there is fullness of joy and peace. In heaven there is union—to be in the presence of our Creator, who fulfills our deepest longing that transcends all understanding.
Therefore, who is the Trinity? The Trinity is the origin of our identity; the Trinity is an image of a family; and the Trinity is our destiny. What do we then do to achieve our destiny? St. Paul answered that "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." Staying in the grace of God by receiving the sacraments, by receiving the mercy of God through the sacrament of confession, and by receiving the love and life of Jesus through the Eucharist. Hence, let us stay with the love of the Trinity by knowing Him more intimately, loving Him more dearly, and serving Him more closely.
