On the Triune God

Wedged between the festival season of the liturgical calendar and Ordinary Time is a Sunday devoted to the concept of the Holy Trinity. This day acts as a theological seam between the two halves of the Church Year.

The Holy Trinity is the concept that God has been revealed to us in three distinct ways, yet as one unified God. There is God the Being, God the Begotten, and God the Spirit—often referred to as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Simply put, because God is so complex we must break down the components of God, to help our limited human brainpower comprehend God more fully. In fact, God has done this work for us, meeting us where we are at, because God loves humanity so much.

This day is fittingly placed on the Church Calendar, at a point where the theological lesson of the Holy Trinity sums up what has come together through the scripture readings highlighted during the first half of the year. While God the Being has been understood in one way or another since the dawn of humanity, the Begotten God has been revealed through the Lord Jesus’ conquering of death and sin; and the Spirit of God has come to us fully since. We can have great joy in discovering these additional aspects of our Triune God.

Holy Trinity Sunday should be more than just a heady, theologically-focused day where we stretch our mind and seek to know God more fully. It should also be a day of abundant praise. We praise God for the new revelations that have come through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, and through the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit.

Taking time to give praise to God—in all God’s different realities and forms—is often something we back-burner. It is more common for us to go to God in prayer during times of need and want, in help and distress. We are less likely to go to God with prayers of praise for all the good things that have already been done, and are being done, in our life.

This moment in the Church Year is a reminder to us that God is always there for us, and all the various aspects of God are deserving of our praise. May we praise God at all times and in all circumstances. Praise to the God who was, and is, and is to come. Praise to the Father, Son, and Spirit. Praise to the Eternal Being, the Begotten Lord, and the Holy Spirit.