The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the central belief of Christians. Like all great truths of the faith, it is a mystery. Having said that, it doesn’t mean that the Trinity cannot be appreciated and applied to our lives. It means, rather, that the depths and profundity of this mystery are unfathomable to the human mind. It is a mystery that keeps on giving. The mystery of the Trinity is so important in the life of the Christian that Christ commissioned his disciples to bring the good news of the gospel to all peoples by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ( Matthew 28 : 19 – 20 )

The problem with the doctrine of the Trinity, it appears to me, is that Church prelates, priests and theologians usually approach it abstractly in an effort to understand the inner nature of God rather than show the influence of the three divine persons in the actual lives of people.

In this brief outline, I’d like to take a more practical and pastoral approach by showing how the three persons of the Trinity can affect and complete our lives.

1. God as Father embraces all of God’s children whether they be Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Muslim or even Agnostic. God wants all His children to be saved. As believers in the Fatherhood of God, we are called to respect and love all peoples irrespective of religious denomination, creed, social origin or background. God as Father reveals himself to us in nature, in the wonderful cycle of the seasons, in the gift of humanity, in the discoveries of the human intellect, and in the divine light shining within us which we call – conscience. The Old Testament bible which deals with salvation history recounts the deeds of God the Father for his chosen people, culminating in the moral covenant; namely, the ten commandments. We learn much about the activity of God, the Father, in our lives by meditating on the forty six books of the Old Testament.

2. The second person of the Trinity is Jesus Christ, the Son of God who became flesh and blood like us in order that we might know the Way, the Truth, and the life. The Son enables every Christian to offer a practical witness of his or her love of God by following Him. Since the Christian believes in Christ, he or she should be impelled to give expression to that belief by example modeled on Christ. To follow Christ is to live the mystery of the Trinity by loving each other the way Christ loved us. For Christ came into this world to save us from sin and raise us up. You deepen your appreciation of the second person of the Trinity by meditating on the twenty seven books of the New Testament.

3. The Holy Spirit elevates our appreciation of the Trinity to another level. The Holy Spirit has been described by Christ in the gospels as the Spirit of Truth who will teach us those things that we still need to know about the Son. The work of the Holy Spirit is progressive and is related to the growth of the people of God in a deeper and more profound appreciation of the Trinity. We do not know everything there is to know about God because God is a mystery. The Holy Spirit is there to enlighten us whenever the need and occasion arises. The bible, both Old and New Testaments, are our text. The Holy Spirit is our guide. This is a wonderful truth, a truth that should make us humble and grateful. The Holy Spirit is working in the lives of faithful Christians and in the community of believers in many ways: through the ecumenical movement by creating bridges between different faiths and denominations, through the social and healing ministry of the gospel, but especially through the lives of individual Christians who strive to understand God’s word better and apply it to their lives. “Blessed are those,” says the lord,”who hear my word and keep it.” ( Luke 11 : 28 )

May your life continue to reflect an ongoing and deeper appreciation of the mystery of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Fr. Hugh Duffy