In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: The Sign We Must Emulate”

Sunday Breakfast with the Word. Solemnity of the Holy Trinity.

Exodus 34:4-6,8-9, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, John 3:16-18

 

 

Today is a great feast in the Church. Today, the Holy Mother Church invites us to celebrate what I can call the deepest, greatest and beautiful mysteries of our faith, that is the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. I chose the topic of today for today’s celebration because I see it as summarizing everything about the solemnity of today. 

 

We start our prayer with the sign of the cross. Every day, we say it. Every day, we sign it. Every day, we begin our prayers with it. We say: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

 

Now the question we have to ask ourselves is: Do we only say it, or do we live it? Do we only make the Sign of the Cross on our body” Has this trinitarian formula entered our heart, family, our lives, community,  Church, our leadership, and our daily life? It is time we come to understand that the Trinity is not just a doctrine we struggle just to explain or memorise.

 

 The trinity is a sign of something. It is beyond the mystery we crave to understand on every solemnity of the trinity. The trinitarian formula is beyond mere signs. The trinitarian formula is a life to imitate, a love we must aspire to live, the trinity is a type of unity everybody must emulate, ranging from our families to wherever we find ourselves. 

 

What does the word Trinity mean?

 

In Greek, the word trinity is connected with the word Trias, meaning a group of three. In Hebrew, there is no exact word for “Trinity,” but the Old Testament gives us many signs that God is one, yet not a lonely or isolated God. 

 

The word Trinity actually is from the latin etymology, Trinitas, meaning threefoldness or three-in-one. It is a combination of Tri and Unity. Three in one. It expresses our belief that there is one God in three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

The Hebrew word Echad, used in “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord” in Deuteronomy 6:4, means one, but it can also carry the sense of a united oneness.

So, the Trinity means: One God, three Persons. Not three gods. Not one person pretending to be three.But one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — equal in divinity, united in love, one in essence, different in Person.

 

The Trinity As A Mystery

 

Let us understand this. The trinity is one of the greatest and deepest teachings of the church. It is a mystery, yes. When we talk about mystery, we do not mean nonsense or something we cannot at least discuss. Mystery simply means that what we want to discuss or what we are celebrating is  so deep that our little human mind cannot exhaust it.

 

 We can know it because God revealed it, but we cannot exhaust it because God is greater than us. For example, a cup cannot contain the ocean. A candle cannot contain the sun.The human mind cannot contain all of God. But even if we cannot fully understand the Trinity, we can still learn from the Trinity. I hope this is well understood. 

 

 

The Church on the Trinity

 

According to CCC 233:  Christians are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” not in their names, because there is only one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (CCC  here means the catechism of the Catholic Church). 

 

In CCC 234, it says   “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life.” This  means that the Trinity is not a side teaching. The Trinity is the heart of our faith.  The Church uses the word “substance” and the word “persons” to speak of the trinity. Now, let us understand this.

 

In order to speak of the unity of God, The Church uses the word Substance, a substance is what makes you who you are. Then for the word  “person” the Church uses it to distinguish Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The church now uses the word “relation” to show how the Persons are related to one another. In Substance God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is God. They are not three gods. They are united in the Godhead. But in Persons, We have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in three persons.So get these:

 

1.“The Trinity is One.” We do not confess three gods, but one God in three Persons.(CCC 253)

2. “God is one but not solitary.” God is one, but God is not loneliness; God is communion, relationship, and love. ( CCC 254)

3. The divine Persons are related to one another without dividing the unity of God. The Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Father, and the Holy Spirit is in both. (CCC 255).

4. When we say that “God is love: that is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” God freely wills to communicate the glory of His blessed life to us. (CCC 257).

 

5. The whole divine plan of salvation is the common work of the three Divine Persons. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three separate principles of creation, but one principle.(CCC 258)

 

6. According to CCC 266, quoting the Athanasian Creed: The Catholic faith is this: we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, without confusing the Persons or dividing the substance.

 

The Trinity Hidden in the Old Testament?

 

Many people today argue that the Trinity is hidden in the old testament. Is the trinity actually hidden in the trinity? The name trinity might not appear as a word but  this mystery is already revealed in the Old Testament.

 

1. The book of Deuteronomy says: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord.”( Deuteronomy 6:4).

2. In the creation of man, God says  “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26) God did not say, “Let me make man in my image.

”He said, “Let us make man in our image.” This statement gives us a holy hint that within the one God there is communion, relationship, and love.

 

 

Now since man was created in the image of God and if God is communion, then we are created for this communion. If God is love, then we are created to love. If God is unity, then we are created to live in unity.

No one succeeds when they are totally divided. This means that selfishness is against the image of God in us.For example, when a family is united in love, it reflects the image of God.

When leaders work for the good of the people, they reflect the image of God.But when we live in bitterness, pride, selfishness and division, we wound the image of God in us. This is contrary to nature. 

 

3. Before the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel, God says: “Come, let us go down and confuse their language.” Here we also hear another language of divine communion: “Let us ” the people of Babel wanted greatness without obedience.

 

They wanted to build a name for themselves, but not for the glory of God. So, God came down and scattered their pride. This means that God blesses unity that is built on love, truth, humility, and service. But God rejects unity built on pride, rebellion, selfish ambition, and arrogance.

 

So the question is: What kind of unity are we building in our families, organizations, churches, and countries? Are you  building unity for love or unity for selfish gain? Are you building together to serve God or to glorify ourselves? Are you working as one to help someone or to destroy? True unity must have God at the center.

 

4.At the beginning of creation, the Bible says:“The Spirit of God was moving over the waters.” This means that before the creation of the world,  the Spirit was present. Before the order came, the Spirit was there.

 

This shows us that the Holy Spirit is not an afterthought. The Spirit is present in the work of creation, bringing order, life, and beauty. And this is what the Spirit still does today.

 

Where there is emptiness, the Spirit brings fullness. Where there is confusion, the Spirit brings order. Where there is darkness, the Spirit brings light.

 

5. In Genesis, God creates by speaking: “Let there be light.” God creates through His Word. And in the New Testament, the gospel of John reveals that this Word is not just a sound, but a Person: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” and this word was made flesh and dwells among us (John 1:14).

 

John is referring to Jesus Christ. That Word is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So in creation, we see the Father speaking, the Word through whom creation comes, and the Spirit moving over the waters. The Father creates. The Word gives life. The Spirit brings order and beauty.

 

6. The threefold function and reality of the trinity is revealed in the book of Numbers 6:24-26. This is in the blessing given to Moses, the name of the Lord is repeated three times.

He says “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord makes his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lifts up his countenance upon you and gives you peace.”

 

Though the blessing is not a  full explanation of the Trinity, we see the beauty in this threefold blessing. The blessing speaks of protection, grace, and peace. The Father blesses and keeps us. The Son reveals the face of God’s grace. The Holy Spirit gives us peace.

 

So, from the Old testament, God reveals that He is one God,  full of love, communion, dialogue, relationship, and life. That is why the Sign of the Cross is not an empty gesture.

 

Therefore, when we say: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” we are not only calling God’s name. We are entering God’s life. We are accepting God’s pattern of communion.

 

We are saying: Lord, let my life become a sign of your unity. You are imploring that your family become an image of the Trinity, where people live in love and peace.

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit means that we want a Church to become an image of the Trinity, where different gifts serve one God. We want our country to become an image of the Trinity, where authority means service and unity means justice. We don’t want politicians like that of Babel, full of noise, pride, bribery and confusion.

Because wherever the Trinity is truly welcomed, there is love. Where there is love, there is unity.
Where there is unity, there is peace. Where there is peace, God is present.

 

This is the meaning of the sign of the cross that we do every day. The sign of the cross is beyond the signs. 

 

The Trinity in the New Testament 

 

The revelation of the Trinity is clearer in the New Testament. In the  New Testament, the mystery becomes clearer. Let us analyse few of them: 

 

a.First is at the baptism of Jesus Christ. At the Baptism of Jesus, the Son is baptized in the Jordan, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the voice of the Father is heard from heaven:

“This is my beloved Son.”

 

b. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus commands His disciples:
“Go and baptize all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

 

c.And in today’s second reading, Saint Paul blesses the people with words we still use today. He says “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

So, the point here is that the Trinity is not an invention. The Trinity is the way God has revealed Himself. The Father loves. The Son saves. The Spirit unites and sanctifies.

 

 

The Heart of the Trinity

In the first reading, Moses goes up Mount Sinai with the two tablets of stone. The Lord descends in the cloud and reveals His heart. He says “Lord, Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness.” This is very important.

When God reveals Himself, He says, in effect: I am tenderness. I am compassion. I am slow to anger. I am rich in kindness. I am faithful. This is the heart of the Trinity.

 

Therefore, let us understand that the Trinity is not a puzzle to confuse us. The Trinity is the revelation that God is love, and His love is tender, compassionate, faithful, merciful, and patient.

 

In the first reading, Moses actually knows that the people are stubborn. He says:
“True, they are a headstrong people, but forgive us our faults and our sins, and adopt us as your heritage.”

 

This is actually who we are. Human beings are very stubborn. We follow what we want and not what God wants. We are headstrong.

Our families, communities, our leaders are headstrong. Our nations are sometimes headstrong.

Even in the Church, we can be headstrong. Yet despite our stubbornness, God does not abandon us. The heart of the Trinity forgives, loves and wants us to repent of all our sins.

 

Be United In Trinity

 

a. In the second reading, Saint Paul says: “Try to grow perfect; help one another. Be united; live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

 

This is simply the practical meaning of the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are perfectly united.

There is no jealousy in the Trinity. There is no competition in the Trinity. The Father is not competing with the Son and the Son is not competing with the Father. The Son is not competing with the Holy spirit and the Holy Spirit is not competing with the son. This is the example and the model we must follow.

There is no pride in the Trinity. There is no betrayal. There is no selfishness.

 

The Father does not fight the Son. The Son does not disobey the Father.  The Holy Spirit does not divide the communion. Each Person gives, loves, serves, and glorifies the other. That is why the Trinity becomes a mirror for us.

 

b. What this means is that every family must look at the Trinity and learn unity. Every marriage must look at the Trinity and learn love. Every organization must look at the Trinity and learn teamwork. Then, every Church community must look at the Trinity and learn communion.

Every country must look at the Trinity and learn peace. Every leader must look at the Trinity and learn service.

Because where there is no unity, there is pain. Where there is no love, there is division.
Where there is no humility, there is destruction. Where there is no forgiveness, there is no future.

 

c. A family where everyone wants to be superior will suffer. A Church where everyone wants to be noticed will become weak.

A country where leaders serve themselves and not the people will bleed. An organization where people compete with bitterness will collapse. But where there is love, service, obedience, humility, and unity, God is present.

Saint Paul says: “Be united; live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

 

So, if we want God to dwell in our homes, we must welcome peace. If we want God to bless our communities, we must reject division. If we want God to heal our nations, we must choose justice, love, and sincere service.

 

The Law of The Trinity

1.In the Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus: “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son.” This is the law. This is the heart.  This is the Trinity in action.

 

The law of love binds them together. And Jesus says today :“God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through Him the world might be saved.” This is deeply touching. This is saying that God did not look at our brokenness and say, “Let them perish.”

 

 

2. God did not look at our sin and say, “They are useless.” God did not look at our weakness and say, “I am finished with them.” No. God simply loves. So God loved. God gave.

God came and God saved. This is what love does. Love does not just speak. Love gives. Love does not just watch. Love acts. Love does not just pity. Love sacrifices.

 

3. When we say, “In the name of the Father,” we remember that we are not orphans. We have a Father who created us, loves us, and calls us His children.

When we say, “and of the Son,” we remember that we are not abandoned. Jesus came for us, died for us, rose for us, and walked with us.

When we say, “and of the Holy Spirit,” we remember that we are not powerless. The Spirit lives in us, guides us, strengthens us, and sanctifies us.

 

 

 

The Sign We Must Emulate

 

a.Beloved,, the Sign of the Cross is not just something we do quickly before eating, before sleeping, before travelling, or before prayer. This is a sign of identity, a sign of belonging and a sign of love. It is a sign of unity. It is a sign of sacrifice. It is a sign of salvation. But today, let us go deeper. The Sign of the Trinity is a sign we must emulate.

 

It teaches us that life is not about selfishness, but communion. It teaches us that greatness is not domination, but service.

 

The sign of the Trinity  teaches us that love is not about emotion, but total sacrifice. It teaches us that unity does not mean everyone is the same, but everyone is working together in love.

 

b. In their persons, The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father. Yet they are one God. This teaches us that  difference does not have to become division.

In a family, people are different. In the Church, people are different. In organizations, people are different. In countries, tribes are different, cultures are different, languages are different, opinions are different. But difference should not destroy unity.

 

The Trinity teaches us that we can be different and still be one. We can have different gifts and still serve one mission. We can have different roles and still live in one love.

A father has his role. A mother has her role. Children have their role. But the family must be one.

A priest has his role. Religious have their role. Lay faithful have their role. But the Church must be one.

A president has a role. Leaders have roles. Citizens have roles. But the nation must be one in justice, truth, and love. Let us understand this about the Holy Trinity. 

 

Conclusion

 

1.The Trinity teaches us unity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are perfectly one. So we must fight against division in our homes, communities, and hearts.

Therefore, before we destroy people with our words, let us remember the Trinity. Before we divide the family because of pride, let us remember the Trinity.

Before we allow hatred to rule our hearts, let us remember the Trinity. A Christian who worships the Trinity must not become an agent of division.

 

2. The Trinity teaches us love God is love. Not selfish love. Not fake love. This is not a love that is  temporary. But eternal love.

Today we use the word love, but we do not live in love. Let us understand that love without sacrifice is shallow. Love without forgiveness is weak. Any love without patience is selfish.

The Trinity teaches us sincere love. The Trinity teaches us love that gives, love that serves, and  love that saves. This is the love that must exist in all our families and in our relationship with one another. 

 

 

3. From the Holy Trinity, we have to learn what service is. I beseech every politician to learn from the Holy Trinity. In the Trinity, the Son obeys the Father. The Spirit glorifies the Son. The Father exalts the Son.

You can see that there is no selfish competition. This is the kind of service we need in the world today. We need leaders who serve, not leaders who use people.

We need parents who serve their families with love. We need children who serve with obedience and respect. We need Church members who serve without jealousy.

We want church leaders whose heart is on how to save souls for Christ, not for monetary gain.

We want priests and pastors whose concern is touching lives, not destroying them.

We need communities where people ask, “How can I help?” not always, “What will I gain?”

 

 

 

4. The Trinity teaches us what true obedience is. Jesus said, “I came not to do my own will, but the will of the One who sent me.”

 

Let us understand that obedience is not weakness. Obedience to God is wisdom. Obedience to your elders and superior is wisdom at the core.

Obedience to love is holiness. Many homes are wounded because nobody wants to listen. They antagonize each other because no one wants to pay attention to the truth.

 

Many organizations fail because everyone wants to command. Many societies suffer because leaders refuse to obey justice and truth. The Trinity calls us back to holy obedience.

 

 

5. The Trinity teaches us communion. Saint Paul says, “The fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” The Holy Spirit creates communion.

 

The Spirit brings people together. The Spirit heals broken relationships.

The Spirit removes bitterness. The Spirit teaches us to say, “I am sorry.” The Spirit gives us courage to forgive. A person filled with the Holy Spirit cannot enjoy destroying others. Let us learn how to live in communion. 

 

6. What destroys us is pride. In the Trinity, there is no pride. The Father gives. The Son receives and obeys. The Spirit proceeds in love. All are gifts. All is communion.

Let us learn this humility from the Trinity.  Humility is not thinking you are useless. Humility is knowing that everything you have is a gift from God.

When humility enters a home, peace begins. When humility enters leadership, justice begins. When humility enters the Church, healing begins.

 

7. In the first reading, Moses begs God: “Forgive us our faults and our sins.” The God of the Trinity is a God of mercy. If God is compassionate to us, we must be compassionate to others.

Some families are suffering not because there is no money, but because there is no forgiveness. Some marriages are dying not because there is no house, but because there is no mercy. Some communities are divided not because people cannot work together, but because old wounds are still being worshipped.

Today, the Trinity calls us to forgive. Let us practice what we sign on our head everyday, as we do “IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

 

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,the love of God,and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all. Amen.Happy Sunday