From the Deacon's Desk

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. I will not be preaching today, but if interested, this is a homily I delivered on this feast day BACK IN 2024:

I am not tied to my phone, but I depend on it quite a bit. My phone is not only used to make calls and send text messages, but serves me in a variety of other ways as well. I use it as a camera, as a flashlight, and as my GPS; I order food; I listen to podcasts; I check email; my phone is my calculator. I would likely be lost without my phone.

All that said, I have no idea how my phone works. I know the things it can do, but absolutely no idea how. I’ve heard something about cell towers and satellites, but I don’t understand any of it.

My inability to understand it does not make my phone any less real. It exists and operates outside of my understanding and I accept that, even embrace it.

The Trinity is very much the same for many, if not most of us. I took a class on the Trinity and have several thick theology books that contain dense and challenging reflections on the topic, but they brought me no closer to a true understanding.

That said, I believe in the Trinity. I believe in the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one God, and I accept that the Trinity exists and operates outside of my understanding.

When speaking about some of the mysteries of our faith, I often say that we are called to embrace the mystery. In other words, an in-depth understanding is not needed. Faith requires that we believe in what we cannot see or fully comprehend. We must embrace it, because we would be lost without it.

I just said, “I believe in the Trinity.” You do as well – at least that is what you profess.

With every prayer, we begin with the Sign of the Cross. As we sign ourselves, we say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” We acknowledge our belief in the Trinity with this blessing. Remember, the word Amen means, “I believe.”

We begin and end our celebration of the Mass with those same words. Later in this Mass, during the Eucharistic prayer, Fr. Francis will pray the words of consecration. While doing so, he will make the sign of the cross over the gifts and the bread and wine will become the true Body and Blood of Jesus. He will not say the word Trinity and will not say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen” as he signs. However, we know what the sign of the cross means, so transubstantiation will take place in the name of – and through the blessing of – the Trinity.

The most telling evidence of our belief in the Trinity lies in our profession of the Nicene Creed, which we will pray together in just a few minutes. This Trinitarian prayer contains a list of what we believe.

We begin by saying, I believe in one God. We are first and foremost a monotheistic Church. It comes right from the First Commandment – Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Then the Creed states our belief in three distinct persons in that one God:

First, God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth…

Second, one Lord Jesus Christ…begotten, not made…consubstantial with the Father. When we say that Jesus was begotten not made, we are saying he always had the divine nature of the Father and was not merely formed or created. He is consubstantial – of one substance with the Father (which is why he is referred to as Son of God), but also of one substance with our humanity (which is why scripture often refers to him as Son of Man).

Third, the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son… The Holy Spirit arises from the relationship between the Father and the Son, proceeding from them – or sent by them – according to divine will.

I will never fully comprehend the mystery of the Trinity, unless I am fortunate enough to get to heaven, where all things will be made known to me. However, I have come across a few things that have helped me embrace the mystery.

One is visual – the Shield of the Trinity diagram. The diagram is an inverted triangle. At one angle is a circle containing the words THE FATHER. A second angle has a circle with the words THE SON and a third with the words THE HOLY SPIRIT. On the lines of each of the sides of the triangle are the words IS NOT. So, the Father is not the Son or the Holy Spirit; the Son is not the Father or the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son.

In the center of the triangle is a circle containing the word GOD. Written on lines drawn from each of the three angle circles to the center circle is the word IS. So, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Three unique and distinctive persons in one God. That is the Trinity.

Something else that has helped me to embrace the mystery of the Trinity is the phrase tripersonal God. The three persons of God, each with a distinctive role, have a relationship with one another. For example: The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, the Son was incarnate of the Virgin Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Son prayed to the Father while agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Son tells his apostles that he will send the Holy Spirit to them.

The term tripersonal God also defines my relationship with the Trinity. I have a personal relationship with each of the three, calling upon them according to my needs and their role. For example, I call upon the Father when praising his creation or when I am in need of guidance. I call upon his Son when navigating the difficulties of life, knowing he encountered even greater challenges. I call upon the Holy Spirit when seeking inner strength, courage, or resolve.

Finally, within the last week I came across this simple explanation of the Trinity: The Father is God for us. The Son is God with us. The Holy Spirit is God in us.

I will continue to use my cell phone despite not understanding how it works. And I will continue to depend upon the love, guidance, and protection of a tripersonal God.

I will embrace the mystery of the Trinity.