“If we long to understand as far as it is possible the eternity, equality, and unity of a triune God, we must believe before we understand.”
Gaudium Press English Edition
Newsdesk (17/06/2022 8:00 AM, Gaudium Press) The Church has just celebrated the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity which, alongside the Incarnation, Life, Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, constitutes one of the principal mysteries of our Faith.
“One God in three Persons” – this is what we learn in catechism. Without the help of Faith, however, we can never penetrate the true meaning of this statement, so simple and straightforward in appearance.
The existence of one God, St. Thomas tells us, can be proven simply by reason. But to affirm that this God is both One and Triune, is only possible for us by Faith.[1]
Example of a saint
According to a pious tradition, the great St. Augustine was once very anxious to understand this mystery, and he dreamed that he was on the seashore when a child appeared to him innocently filling buckets and buckets with sea water and then emptying them into a hole in the sand. Somewhat perplexed, Augustine asked him:
̶ What are you doing here, my young man?
̶ I am trying to put all the water in the sea into this hole in the sand.
̶ But don’t you see that this is impossible? – inquired the saint to him.
̶ Know this, Augustine, that it would be easier to transfer all the water in the sea here than for you to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity.[2]
And it was no exaggeration!
Such a truth was so engraved on Augustine’s heart that his pen was able to coin the following phrase: “If we long to understand as far as it is possible for us to understand the eternity, equality and unity of a triune God, we must believe before we understand.”[3]
It is a mystery so high that not even the Angels in Heaven can fully comprehend it.
We are temples of God
If it were not for the Second Person of the Holy Trinity Himself revealing it to us, we would not even be aware of this mystery. And this He did out of pure love and goodness.
However, more than revealing to us that there is only one God in three Persons, Our Lord wanted to make us living temples of the Holy Trinity. The moment we were baptized, we became a dwelling place of God, of that same infinite God that the entire universe cannot contain. In view of this, we can only say with the psalm for Trinity Sunday, “Lord, what is man that you should remember him thus and treat him with such affection?”
If we have respect for a tabernacle, for example, how much greater should not be our care for this divine temple that is us!
We Catholics strive to keep churches clean and beautiful, to provide a worthy environment for Our Eucharistic Lord; but are we also zealous to keep our souls in order, this so splendid temple?
The relationship He has with our souls is, however, far superior to that between Him and a tabernacle. The tabernacle has no soul, it is inert. We, on the other hand, do have a soul, and that is why He wants to enter into contact with us at every moment.
It is not without reason that Our Lord says in today’s Gospel: “I have many things to say to you, but you are not able to understand them now” (Jn 16:12).
Let us take advantage of these considerations on the Holy Trinity to place in order and dignify this inner temple of ours. If we keep it clean, we will be able to understand much more the mysteries of our Faith, interpreting with greater perfection the messages that the Holy Trinity continuously dictates in our interior.
By Lucas Rezende
[1] Cf. SAINT THOMAS OF AQUINAS. Summa Theologica. I, q. 32, a. 1.
[2] Cf. CLÁ DIAS, João Scognamiglio. O Inédito sobre os Evangelhos. Città del Vaticano: LEV, 2012, v.5, p.399.
[3] SANTO AGOSTINHO. De Trinitate. L.VIII, c.5, n.8. In: Obras completas. Madrid: BAC, 1956, p. 514.
