Arriving at Love - The Holy Trinity

                                                                                           
​                          by Sr. Catherine Marie Michael






The Barcelona soccer (futbol) team is known for its successful use of an offense in which three
players create moving triangles up the field while getting open to receive short passes around
defenders. If one of the players tries to score on his own, without relying on the team, the
opposing team can take advantage of a possible weakness. So for this offense to work well,
unselfish play is required. On an infinitely grander scale, the Holy Trinity’s work is of one
accord, such that “the real distinction of the persons from one another resides solely in the
relationships which relate them to one another” (CCC 255).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes the Council of Florence stating that “everything
(in Them) is one where there is no opposition of relationship” (CCC 255). Hence. we can say,
since there is no opposition of relationship, no selfish, opposing forces or misunderstandings,
there is perfect unity in the divine nature or substance, so we confess one God in three Persons.
The relations between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit do not “divide the divine unity”
(CCC 255). This unity of divine Persons is God Who is love (1 John 4:16).

Further, the work of the consubstantial Trinity is “at once common and personal” (CCC 259). It
is one Symphony of Creation. In this Symphony we are asked to be united to the incarnate Son
through the Holy Spirit in His Church, so that each of us in our fallen, discordant human nature,
might through the graces of the Cross, become like Christ. In uniting our earthly suffering with
His suffering, like our Mother Mary and St. John who desired to be at the foot of the Cross, we
show our grateful love for Him Who defeated death for each one of us. In Him, we may be
partakers of the divine nature and enter into the eternal life of the Trinity (see CCC 519, 521,
679, 682, 260; 2 Peter 1:4). We will then “arrive at love” (CCC 25).

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                                                                               Image:  Aquinas 101 Thomistic Institute,  "The Triune God"