From the Friars: A Simple Communion of Love

It is commonly said that Trinity Sunday is the one day of the year when heresies are uttered from the majority of the pulpits of the Catholic churches throughout the world. While to say it that way may be a bit extreme, and given that we can reasonably assume that none of the falsehoods uttered this day are intentional, we can certainly say that the Trinity is hard to get right.

There are many theological intricacies involved in the relationships between the Father and the Son, for example, or between the Father and the Spirit, and so on, and they require a great deal of study to understand. While taking a graduate-level course on the Trinity can be a mind-racking endeavor, the truth is that God is ultimate simplicity.

The relationships between the three persons of the One Godhead are that of pure love, perfectly given, as only God can give, and perfectly received, as only God can receive. In our limited human nature, we are simply not capable of loving or receiving love quite like God does, but we can learn a great deal about ourselves in pondering the mystery of the Trinity.

God made us for communion. Whether it be our family, our church, our neighborhood, or our nation, every person is part of something bigger than themself. He could have made us differently. Imagine if there was only one gender in the human race. What if we were designed to reproduce without any help? Just decide that we’re ready, lay an egg, keep it warm on top of the fridge… set the newly hatched person free to fend for themself. Not only would our existence be terribly bleak, but we would never grow in love, patience, or self-sacrifice.

No, we need each other, whether we like it or not. It is in giving that we receive, and the example of the triune God teaches us how to be more human, so that we may become more divine.

Thank God for each other, and thank Him for the profound truth of His three-fold love.

–Br. Felix