Gospel: John 16:12-15
“I believe in one God, the Father almighty…the only begotten Son…and the Holy Spirit.”
“God from God. Light from light. True God from true God.”
Why, while we articulate these words so easily as prayer during each celebration of Eucharist, do we struggle in our understanding of their subject - the Trinity? Perhaps it has something to do with our human condition and our capacity to grasp the depth of the words we profess. Perhaps it has to do with the relationship between faith and reason which we often see as opposing dynamics but are in fact complimentary. This is especially true when we, as Christians, turn to scripture as a source of faith and allow it to influence our rational selves.
In this week’s readings, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we are reminded of the reciprocal nature of the Father’s love for the Son and the Son’s love for the Father and the Holy Spirit as the essence of that love. A love that that God “…pours into our hearts…” to infuse us with hope. When we reflect on this reading from Romans, it is faith that allows us to accept the concept of the Trinity, but it is reason that allows us to wonder about it. The theological concept of the Trinity embodies a relationship of perfect love and communion that we as humans will never experience but can understand because it is what the human heart desires more than anything – a perfect love, a perfect union. Faith allows us to believe in such a perfect love. Reason allows us to know that it is possible.
The Gospel appeals to our faith when the author speaks of Jesus knowing the limits of our human understanding and promising the Spirit of truth to guide us toward the truth. In his description, the Gospel writer explains that the Spirit knows the truth because the Spirit knows the Father and the Son because the Spirit is one with them. Therefore, the truth that the Spirit declares is from them – from God. At least that is what the Gospel writer challenges us to accept in faith and try to understand through reason.
However, there are times when faith is enough and when reasoning cannot necessarily lead to understanding. Maybe the Trinity, the oneness of God, is one of those mysteries that we simply know to be true and do not need to understand.
Sister Thea Krause, CSFN,
Provincial Superior
