Our faith contains three foundational truths that are beyond human understanding.  A first is the Incarnation, a second is the Eucharist, and a third is the Trinity.  Each of these concepts teaches something that rests at the core of our beliefs. In these days, the Church holds up the Trinity for our particular reflection and wonder.  One aspect of the Trinity that merits our attention and emulation is that our God reveals the divine self in various ways.  The “three divine persons” who are our God stand in an intimate and effective relation to one another.

The purpose of the doctrine on the Trinity is not to help us to understand the inner nature or the essence of God—though it points toward that truth which will forever be beyond our grasp.  The Trinity teaches us something about ourselves and ourselves in relation to the God who chooses to reveal the divine presence.

We come to know God and God’s ways in various forms.

When we speak about God as the Father, we speak about Him as the Creator who called all reality into existence and who sustains all reality for all time.  We come to know this God in the world which surrounds us:  in the greatness and beauty of nature, in its incredible variety and consistency, in its breadth and in its depth.  A reflection upon God as Father and Creator teaches us about the One who reveals himself in the world which surrounds us.  As we look at the world, we sense the beauty and grandeur and order of God’s own self.

When we speak about God the Son, Jesus, we talk about how God has chosen to reveal himself in human nature and human beings.  Jesus reveals the nature of God who calls us to love as a family and to grow in virtue by responding to one another in acts of kindness and generosity and caring.  Jesus pointed out the best parts of us by sharing the best parts of himself and inviting his followers to do likewise.  He teaches us about love which has no limits and which is possible for us as human beings.  Jesus shows us how God chooses to reveal himself in human nature.  He also helps us to understand our limitations and the effects of our sinfulness as well as God’s forgiveness and healing which continually call us to be better and closer to him.

When we move to the Spirit, we reflect upon the way in which God reveals his sanctifying presence in the depths of a human being.  The Spirit invites us to meditate deeply and to discover God within the profundity of our own hearts and beings.  The Holy Spirit represents the indwelling presence of God which continually motivates us and sustains us and invites us to come to know God as we discover the depths of our own nature and gifts. Within the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is often characterized by that gift of wisdom that is given to the human community and invites that community to draw closer to God in the decisions that one makes with one’s life.  Jesus promised us this gift of the Spirit and poured that Spirit upon us on the day of Pentecost that we celebrated one week ago.  This Spirit helps us to remember and understand the teachings of God and to find the truth within the self which is made in the image and likeness of God.

The Church teaches that the Most Holy Trinity is totally beyond our grasp from one point of view, but from another this doctrine directs our attention to what is most fundamental in our faith.  We are surrounded by the God who loves us and who draws us to himself in a variety of ways.  This God invites us to come to know and love one another in our diversity, and to do so as a community of men and women who live and work together in unity and peace.

Vincent promoted the Trinity as a foundational element for our reflection and belief.