The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity 

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

It is Trinity Sunday! For those who know me a little bit, you might think I chose this week’s bulletin article because it’s all about Trinity. But that is not the case (though I am a proud alum!). My Catholic roots are much deeper than one school or parish. I have proud family and friend connections throughout the archdiocese, including St. Xavier, Sacred Heart, Presentation, St. Gabriel, Ascension, John Paul II, St. Barnabas, St. Martha, St. Patrick, and Our Lady of Lourdes. I guess I am Catholic Louisville through and through.  

The most well-known (i.e. Sign of the Cross) but perhaps also the most perplexing theological and spiritual concept in all of Christianity is the Holy Trinity. It is the fundamental truth, or “all truth” as we read in John’s gospel today. Take yourself back to the time of 8th grade Confirmation, when our faith begs us to ask tough questions. Consider this one from a 14 year old confirmandi: “So God, Creator of the Universe, sent his Son Jesus out of love for us, but Jesus is also God? And the Holy Spirit, the Third Person, is going to help me figure all this out? And they are all equal to each other?” Good luck to those catechist teachers, right! God bless them because this is a difficult concept to grasp for all of us. 

I love my Catholic faith. It challenges me daily, from the physical acts of love and service to the highly intellectual acts of thinking and learning. Each day is a new opportunity to learn and grow and transform. Writing this article is a good example. And it all comes back to the Holy Trinity. 

Our newly elected Pope Leo XIV is a proud Augustinian, and St. Augustine, a Doctor of the Church, developed some analogies for attempting to better understand the complex Holy Trinity. While no analogy can truly do this, they can be useful. 

In one of his analogies, St. Augustine wrote about the human mind’s ability to remember, understand, and will. When you remember a story, you must understand the words that were being said and you need to will yourself to recall that story. When you seek to understand a concept, you must remember what the concept is and will yourself to understand it. When you will or desire something, you must understand what you are willing, and you must remember what you are willing. These three acts cannot be separated, just like the divine Persons of the Holy Trinity. Put another way, perhaps we can remember that God is Creator; we better understand our relationship with the Father through his Son, Jesus; and we will God’s love on Earth with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. 

So back to that profound exchange between the 14 year old and the catechist teacher. You (the reader) might also consider asking more tough questions about your faith in an effort to grow and transform. Discuss the Trinity at home with your kids or grandkids, your spouse or sister, or a neighbor or friend. To talk about it will help you better to remember it, and eventually understand it better, and ultimately, to will it (i.e. live it out).   

To the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. They are equal and One, and we are One in Him. That is all Truth. Remember it. Understand it. Will it. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!