The Most Holy Trinity

I started my formation to become a priest in 1998 when I was 16 years old. I started my formation in Colombia with the pre-theology (Philosophy), and then at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, MD. I remember one of my introductory classes called ‘The Mystery of God’. In that class, my professor, Fr. Jorge Jaramillo Laverde (may he rest in peace), asked the class: “What is God’s name?” All of us started to think and answer one by one. “God’s name is Yahweh,” said one classmate; “No, his name is Jehovah,” said another one; and each one of us started to say names, “Jesus,” “The Holy Spirit,” or even, one said, “God’s name is just God.” None of us could answer that question, perhaps because none of us had wondered about God’s name before. My professor, smiling, answered that question simply saying, “God’s name is The Holy Trinity.” The Holy Trinity? All of us said in unison because none of us expected that answer. What kind of name is Holy Trinity for God? Fr. Laverde looked at us and explained why God’s name is the Holy Trinity.

He said that the Holy Trinity is a community of love between the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is love, according to the first letter of St. John in chapter 4, verse 8. If God is love, this love should be perfect. This perfect love is manifested in a community that is also perfect. If God is only one person, this love is selfish. Even if God is only two persons, this love is also selfish because there is no way to share it with anybody else. However, a community of love between three people is perfect because each one of them gives the best of themselves to the other person. But, we need to remember the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father; the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Son; and the Holy Spirit is not the Father, and the Father is not the Holy Spirit. Each one of them has different roles, but all of them are God. When I need to explain this in catechesis, I use a candle as an example. The wax of the candle is the Father, the light that allows me to see the way is the Son, and the heat I feel when I am close to the candle is the Holy Spirit. Three different realities of the same object, the Candle. Likewise, it is with God. The Father is the Creator, the Son is the Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier. Three different realities of the one true God.

But don’t worry if you cannot understand this. Even the Saints could not understand the real dimension of who God is. For instance, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote a lot about God, and after a vision that he had, he stopped writing saying that everything that he had written about God is minimum in comparison to the reality of God. So, my brothers and sisters of Holy Trinity Church, don’t worry very much about the explanation of the most Holy Trinity. The most important thing is to feel His presence in our lives. God loves us, and this is what really matters. Let us rejoice in the presence of the Lord. Let us allow His love to come to us. Let us share this love with our brothers and sisters, especially those who do not know about God.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez.