THE MOST BLESSED TRINITY (II)

Where is the Blessed Trinity to be found? The Bible has numerous manifestations of the Blessed Trinity. We will give three!

1.    The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by John the Baptist. (Mt. 3:13-17). In this passage we hear the voice of God the Father; we see Jesus the Son descending into the waters of the Jordan River; finally the Holy Spirit--- in the form of a dove—descends on Jesus.

2.    The Missionary mandate of Jesus before His Ascension into heaven. Jesus commands the Apostles (and us) with these words: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt 28: 19)

3.    Pauline greeting incorporated at the start of Holy Mass.  “The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

WHERE IS THE BLESSED TRINITY TO BE FOUND?

For all eternity the Blessed Trinity is in heaven.  The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father and the mutual bond of love between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit.  There is no lacking or incompleteness is our Triune God.

However as St Thomas Aquinas accurately comments that love is expansive; love wants to share itself with others.  So God in time created the world out of nothing. The crown of creation was the creation of the human race, starting with the creation of Adam and Eve.

Jesus came to bring us life and life in abundance. Establishing the Church, the true “Sacrament of Salvation”, Jesus willed to introduce us into the life of the Blessed Trinity through the Sacraments, specifically, the Sacrament of Baptism.

Precisely in the moment of baptism, when the minister pours water on the head and pronounces the Trinitarian formula:  “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, then that child or adult becomes a living Temple of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

For that reason, the Church warmly exhorts its faithful to baptize the child as soon as possible, not simply to wash away the satin of Original Sin but even more important to initiate the wonderful start of a new family--- the Blessed Trinity living within the soul of the newly baptized!  How simple but how sublime!

This treasure of the soul living in the state of sanctifying grace and even more of the Indwelling of the Blessed Trinity starting from the Sacrament of Baptism, should be guarded, protected, and cherished at all times.

For this reason the saints have been unanimous in preaching and teaching and living out the doctrine of renouncing sin--- especially that of mortal sin—as the greatest of all evils!  The  first degree of humility in the Ignatian Exercises is to prefer death over mortal sin. St Dominic Savio had as a motto on the day of his first Communion, “Death rather than sin!”   St Maria Gorretti allowed herself to be stabbed 14 times to her death in martyrdom saying to her assassin: “No it is a mortal sin and if we do it we can go to hell!”   This young martyr did not want to lose the Indwelling of the Blessed Trinity in her soul that came in the moment of Baptism.

Even though the Blessed Trinity is expelled from the soul who willingly chooses to commit a mortal sin, God is rich in forgiveness and is always willing to forgive anyone who repents, trusts in His Infinite mercy and returns through sacramental confession.   How consoling the words that the priest says over the repentant sinner concluding the Sacrament of Reconciliation:  “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

One of the highlights of the Spirituality of the Carmelites--- Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Elizabeth of the Trinity, Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), and Therese of Lisieux--- is that of the Indwelling of the Most Blessed Trinity in the soul of the person who is living in the state of sanctifying grace.

Living an interior life immersed in God and cultivating silence and recollection at any time and place, the spiritual soul can enter within and find the Triune God within and entertain these three Divine Guests at any time and in any place.

St. Catherine of Siena, one of the three women doctors of the church, would often return to what she called her interior cell. In this cell she could discover the bridegroom of her soul –Jesus the Lord. But also she could entertain the other two Guests—God the Father and the Holy Spirit!

For this reason Pope Benedict XVI insists on the indispensable need in the modern world for silence.  In silence the voice of the Triune God can be heard and this intimate and profound dialogue can be achieved.   “Speak O Lord for your servant is listening.”

A TRINITARIAN PRACTICE! Close your eyes and singly gently but with deep faith! “Father I adore you; lay my life before you! How I love you……

Jesus, I adore you; lay my life before you! How I love you…..

Spirit, I adore you; lay my life before you! How I love you…”

By gently singing this simple Trinitarian song, the love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will be ignited in your own cell, your own Interior Castle, and peace and joy will be yours!