The mystery of the Holy
Trinity, the three Divine Persons but one God, has a very little biblical
support and most often, the Gospel of Matthew 28: 16-20 is used to provide a
biblical foundation for this. In order to grasp the meaning and understanding
of this mystery, early Christians developed the creed which shows the
relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The creed reveals how
the early Christians understood that Jesus is not a secondary god because the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit “is not” separate gods; but three different
persons in One God. But there are those who reject the creed and insist that
they could not find the word “trinity” in the Bible. They do not understand
that though the term “trinity” is not explicitly mentioned anywhere in the
Bible, the creed is based on the understanding of the Bible such as in 1 John
5:7 which states, “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”
What is significant in the
creed when it shows the relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
is its aim to guide us Christians to take part in the oneness of God. If we are
indeed believers of the “trinity”, then we know that we can be one and united
with one another. But what can make us united and one? It is neither idealism nor
realism which can keep us one and united like the trinity. It is neither
communism nor despotism nor socialism but love. Love is what the trinity reveals
in their unity. Without love, there can still be unity between and among
diverse personalities but such unity is not what the creed aims us to inculcate
in our way of life.
Love which expresses the unity of the trinity is what can
make us one and united with one another. It means that where one goes, there
goes the other too. This Trinitarian love should be our model in the Church, in
the community, in the family and in all relationships. Such love is possible in
real life when I listened to the story of a wife whose husband met an accident
while on board a ship as a seaman. The husband was declared inutile by the doctor
and the owner of the ship sent him back home. The wife took care of him with
their two small children. But as the days passed by, she felt the burden of
taking care of the whole family emotionally, financially and physically. She wanted
to escape from her inescapable situation. At this point, she had nowhere to go
but to attend a mass. After the mass, she talked to the priest and asked for
his blessing. Beginning on that day, she found strength to face her life’s
challenges. She never lose hope that her husband would recover his health
despite the doctor said it would be impossible. She never gave up to take care
of their two little children too. Years after, she visited the priest and
informed how God has been good to them. Her husband miraculously regained his
health and their life together as a family seemed to be better. She realized
what she would have missed in life when she had turned her back on her husband and
children during the time she felt exhausted. She said, it is her love for her
husband and their kids which makes her stay. It is love that makes them one and
united as a family.
Love indeed like the love of
the trinity is full of mysteries.
