THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Trinity Sunday

4 June 2023

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends,

Today, a central doctrine is placed before us for our consideration, inspiration, and adoration. This mystery of Faith can only be appreciated by a humble and sincere submission of our memory, intellect, and will to the incomprehensible revelations of God.

There is only one God, yet there are three Divine Persons in God: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost. Each Person is separate from the Others: The Son is not The Father; The Father is not The Son; The Holy Ghost is not The Father; The Father is not The Holy Ghost; The Holy Ghost is not The Son; The Son is not The Holy Ghost.

The Father is God, The Son is God, and The Holy Ghost is God. There is only One God.

This mystery is beyond our comprehension but is placed before us to be believed by God and the Church. Sadly, many relying upon their feeble intellect have chosen not to believe this Mystery and have severed themselves from the Church, grace, and eternal life. God insists upon the submission of our intellects and wills in all humility as this prerequisite to eternal life in heaven.

We see the separateness of the Three Persons in the Baptism of Jesus by St. John in the river Jordan. Jesus, the Son, came to the river, the Holy Ghost descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and the Father spoke from Heaven. Though they are Each separate from the Others, They all act as One.

At the Incarnation, we see that the Son became Man. Neither the Father nor the Holy Ghost became Man and was born of the Virgin Mary. Nonetheless, the Father and the Holy Ghost cooperated in the Incarnation. The Father sent the Son. We recite in the Creed that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Blessed Virgin by the power of the Holy Ghost. All Three acted as One, but only One — The Son — became Man.

In an attempt to open this mystery up for us, St. Augustine looks to our human nature made in the image and likeness of God to find a reflection of this separateness of persons, yet oneness of being. He finds within us a threefold power of our souls: memory, intellect, and will. We see that the memory is not the intellect or the will; the intellect is not the memory or the will; and the will is not the memory or the intellect. Each is separate, but all act as one. Memory, intellect, and will unite and act as one in all our actions.

St. Augustine further warns us that if we begin to imagine that we understand this mystery, we are mistaken. It is a mystery and is beyond all the powers of our nature. We can see reflections of this mystery in all of creation and, with the grace of God, believe it, but its complete grasp is far beyond us. This distance is as from the highest to the lowest, from the infinite to the finite, and from the Creator to the lowliest creature.

This mystery and doctrine are essential for our salvation, but at the same time, it is out of the reach of our fallen natures. We must be careful not to dismiss this mystery as unimportant or insignificant. We must likewise avoid the mistake of imagining that we understand and thus become filled with demonic pride and vanity.

It is related that St Augustine was once walking upon the shore contemplating this mystery when he saw an angel appearing as a young boy carrying a small pail of ocean water and dumping it in a little hole he had dug in the sand. When St. Augustine asked him what he was doing, the boy replied that he was emptying the ocean into the hole. When St. Augustine responded that this is impossible, the boy replied it is easier for me to empty the whole ocean into this hole than it is for you to understand the infinitely mysterious Trinity of God.

God demands this faith and trust on our part as a necessity for admittance to His grace. He requires that we humbly admit and accept the limitations of our intellect. The proud and the vain will not enter His Kingdom. We must accept what He has taught us on His word alone. We must accept with complete trust and confidence as little children.

Let us, in the quiet of our hearts and souls, contemplate this mystery in the Being of God. In this contemplation, may we be increasingly confounded in any attempt to understand. And at the same time, may we ever be led to an ever-increasing burning love for God in this great mystery.

What is left to us is to adore this majestical and wondrous mystery presented to us for our sanctification. May we frequently repeat and remind ourselves of this mystery every time we make the Sign of the Cross, confirming and strengthening our Faith.

How incomprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable are His ways!