Traditional Catholic Teaching

TRINITY SUNDAY

Teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 28: 19

To-day we think with gratitude of the great benefit conferred upon us by almighty God in instructing us Himself on the subject of His own nature. Our reason tells us that a most wise and powerful being must exist, for this knowledge is derived from a consideration of the beautiful, orderly arrangement of the world. If we look at anything in nature, whether it be large or small, it teaches us that there must be an all-powerful Being who created it. All created things are intended for our advantage, and we possess not only the necessaries of life, but many other things that add beauty and happiness to our existence; and therefore, with heartfelt gratitude, we see that this all-powerful Being is full of incomprehensible goodness and love towards us.

The orderly arrangement of nature, and still more the wonderful action of Divine Providence in human life, producing effects due to no human wisdom, force us to recognize the infinite wisdom of God. After thus recognizing, by means of our reason, the goodness and wisdom of God, we arrive at a consoling sense of there being a Divine providence, always watching over us, and guiding us all through life. To question the existence of this Divine Providence is equivalent to denying the evidence of our own reason, which teaches us that we are not masters of our destiny, that things begun badly by men often turn out well, and that things begun with wise prudence, often fail to produce the desired result. There must therefore be a higher Hand guiding the destinies of man, who otherwise, by his folly and wickedness, would bring nothing but ruin on himself and others.

It is sad that men in their pride doubt the existence of Divine Providence and prefer to believe in blind chance, rather than in a good, wise God, ruling all things with love and power. Such men often fancy that they appear cultured if they express doubt, whereas in reality they are betraying their ignorance, their want of reason, which nothing short of the recognition of God's loving care can satisfy, and their want of heart, for how cold must a heart be that is capable of doubting God's loving Providence, that from their youth onward has protected them from many dangers, assisted them in many difficulties, and never ceases to watch over them! No, a man whose reason has been properly trained knows from nature, history, and his own experience that above us men is an infinitely exalted Being, possessing the fulness of all perfections. Every upright man is impelled to know God as well as he can, for who could have a benefactor and not feel any desire to make his acquaintance? Our sense of gratitude would certainly make us want to give him some proof of our respect, submission and obedience.

How infinitely good it was of God to teach us Himself about His nature and being! What an inexpressible favour He has conferred upon us through our holy religion, which reveals to us the mystery of the most holy Trinity! The mystery is stated plainly in to-day's Gospel. Baptism can be administered only in the name of God, hence when our Lord says: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," He teaches us expressly that the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are truly God. The Father is truly God, like the Son, and the Son is truly God, like the Holy Ghost; they have one Divine essence and nature, so that there are not three Gods, but one God. The fact that they are distinguished in name shows plainly that they are distinct in person; there are three Divine Persons, as was revealed clearly at our Lord's baptism in the Jordan, when God the Father allowed His voice to be heard, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," whilst the Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, hovered above the Head of Jesus.

These considerations throw light upon St. John's statement: “There are three who give testimony in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one" (1 John 5: 17). God therefore is revealed to us as the most Holy Trinity. It is impossible for us in this life to understand this mystery; many have 'tried to explain it, but in vain, and any attempt to fathom it leads only to error, unbelief or foolishness. We can easily see why this should be the case. Our reason tells us that God is so great and that we can never hope to understand Him. The infinite God, who created all things in His incomprehensible wisdom, and directs them in His incomprehensible love, can never be laid hold of and understood by the finite, limited and feeble mind of man. If we could understand God, what sort of a God would He be? If we could understand Him, our faith would inevitably waver. If He reveals Himself to us, his nature must be beyond our powers of comprehension. The mystery of the most Holy Trinity, far from weakening our faith in God and His holy religion, ought to strengthen it, for that very mystery shows ours to be a heavenly religion, revealed by God Himself. With firm faith, therefore, let us accept the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, and believe it with all our heart, just because God has revealed it to us, and He is the eternal Truth, who can never deceive us.

People who refuse to believe this mystery have to form their own idea of God, and claim to know Him better than He knows Himself, for it is God who revealed the mystery to us.

This is great folly and presumption, which finally punishes itself by devising most eccentric theories about God, representing Him as a man, weak and prone to error, even as we are. Such people imagine God to be "pure love," one who is always considerate for mankind, but requires neither penance nor amendment. This false idea of God causes them to keep no watch over themselves, to take no pains to avoid evil, to commit every sin to which they have any inclination without ever thinking of penance, and so finally they perish in their sins. A false conception of God, besides keeping men in a state of error, actually conduces to wickedness of life. How much we ought to thank God for having taught us, by holy revelation, to know His real nature, for this stimulates us to lead good lives!

The thought of the Father, to whom, as the source of all being creation is ascribed, should not only make us thankful, but should force us to acknowledge that we belong altogether to Him, and therefore to dedicate ourselves to Him wholly, body and soul, so that we may serve Him alone.

God created us, and therefore we were created for Him, and all that is not done for Him, all that is done to satisfy our own wishes and inclinations, is a mistake. A true knowledge of God inspires us to follow the right path through life, the path of His commandments, that will ultimately bring us to heaven. We are guided on our way especially by the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity God the Son in His human nature. Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, redeemed us, and this infinite benefit shows us the awfulness of sin, because none but the Son of God could save us from it. This thought ought to make us be always on our guard, and teach us to deny ourselves, lest we fall into evil. If ever we are so unhappy as to commit a grievous sin, a glance at the crucifix will prevent our making the mistake of fancying it enough merely to trust in God's infinite love, in order to be forgiven. It was only by suffering that the Son could offer satisfaction to His Father's justice, and God's justice would constrain Him to punish us, unless by worthy reception of the Sacrament of Penance we become entitled to share Christ's merits.

God the Son therefore encourages us to be zealous in doing penance and in seriously striving to amend those faults by which we have offended God.

It is, however, the Holy Ghost who assists us with His grace, so that this amendment may be begun, continued and completed, and result finally in ever-increasing perfection. This thought reminds us of St. Paul's warning: "Receive not the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor. 6:1). Earnest co-operation with the grace of the Holy Spirit is the fruit of knowledge of the same Spirit, a fruit that makes us abound more and more in good works, and store up merit for eternity.

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