Trinity: Drawn into the Dance of Divine Love

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday: June 15, 2025

Readings: Proverbs 8:22–31; Psalms 8:4–9; Romans 5:1–5; John 16:12–15

 To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/mFtTJdC05l0

Working together builds and strengthens. It also talks about continuity, communication, and cooperation. Even though it is difficult to understand exactly the inner workings within the Holy Trinity, with our faith and inner eyes, and from our human experience, we can say that it is like various parts of the body working together. Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. It invites us not to get into abstract theological speculations, but try to understand the mystery of the relationship of love that overflows. God is not a solitary being, but a communion of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This mystery, revealed through Jesus Christ, is not something to be solved, but to be entered and lived.

1. The Trinity in Us: Peace, Hope, and Love

St. Augustine, writing in his book "De Trinitate," tells us that the "Father is the one who begets, the Son is the one who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit is the bond of love between them.” There is a deep inner working within the Holy Trinity. It is the bond of love that unites them. One God but three persons has always intrigued the generations of Christians. With our human intelligence, we might find it a bit strange, still, we see the logic of God is perfect. The scripture supports this claim. 

In Romans 5:1–5, St Paul reminds us that because we are justified by faith, “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” But this peace is not a passive state; it is the fruit of entering the divine life. God’s love “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to make right connections with God. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to dialogue with God. We are not just recipients of God’s grace—we are drawn into the inner life of God.

2. The Spirit guides us

St. Athanasius, one of the early Church Fathers, writes in his book "On the Incarnation", “God became man so that man might become god.” It is neither a mistaken phrase nor a heresy. Instead, it is the heart of Christian hope. We are called to share in the divine life, to become, by grace, what God is by nature. The Trinity is not a puzzle to decode but a divine embrace to enter.

In St John's Gospel 16:12-15, Jesus prepares his disciples for what is to come. He knows they cannot yet bear the full weight of the truth, so he promises the Spirit, who “will guide you into all the truth.” The Spirit does not speak alone but draws from what belongs to Christ, and all that belongs to Christ is from the Father. In this beautiful harmony, we glimpse the eternal giving, receiving, and glorifying that marks the Trinity.

3. The Trinity is Life

St. Basil the Great, writing in his book "On the Holy Spirit," says, “the Spirit is like the finger of God, by which the heart of man is touched.” How can God touch us? It is through the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who draws us closer to God. Hence, we must listen to the Spirit who whispers the truth of God’s love into our hearts. The Spirit makes us participants in the eternal conversation between the Father and the Son. As St. Gregory of Nazianzus said: “No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendour of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the One.”

The Trinity is not a doctrine frozen in a catechism; it is the life of the Christian. The Trinity shows us that love is always about relationships. Trinity is a relationship of love, unity and equality. When we love with selfless tenderness, when we forgive, when we seek peace, when we hope against hope—it is Trinitarian life in action. To believe in the Trinity is to believe that God is love, and that love is not static. It flows. It creates. It saves. It indwells. It is the Trinity who is our God forever and ever. Amen

A few questions for self-reflection

1. Do I allow the Holy Spirit to guide my actions, thoughts, and relationships each day?
2. How do I contribute to building unity and harmony in my family, community, or workplace?
3. Am I attentive to God’s presence in the ordinary moments of my life, recognizing the Trinity at work around me?

Prayer

O Most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—we praise and adore you, the eternal mystery of love and unity. As we celebrate Trinity Sunday, draw us into the heart of your divine communion. Let the love that flows between you be poured into our hearts, filling us with faith, inspiring us with hope, and moving us to love generously and selflessly. May our lives reflect the harmony of your eternal dance, and may we, through your grace, become instruments of peace and unity in the world. We make this prayer in Jesus' Holy Name, Amen

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

June 13, 2025

Empowered for Mission: The Spirit of Pentecost

Pentecost Sunday: June 08, 2025

Readings: Acts 2:1–11; Psalm 104:1, 24, 29–31, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3–7, 12–13; John 20:19–23

 To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/zOEzyVBRynA

Today, we celebrate this great feast of Pentecost/ the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. In fact, we are invited to open our hearts to the same Spirit. What happened in the Upper Room is meant to happen in us. Pentecost is not merely the Church’s birthday—it is the explosion of divine life into human history. It is the moment when frightened disciples became courageous witnesses, when the closed doors of fear were shattered by a rush of wind, and when human speech, once divided by confusion at Babel, was united again by the Spirit in the language of love. As we celebrate this liturgy of Pentecost, let us feel that same warmth and divine explosion within our hearts and communities. 

1. Holy Spirit: Divine explosion in the midst of fear

In Acts 2:1–11, the Holy Spirit descends on the apostles in tongues of fire. The image is powerful—fire that purifies, empowers, and lights the way. The disciples, who once locked themselves away in fear, are now energized to proclaim the Gospel to people from every nation. They are ready to move out of their comfort zones and take up dangerous and courageous missions. The Spirit does not give them safety or ease, but strength and clarity. The miracle is not only in the speaking, but also in the hearing—people from diverse backgrounds hear the Good News in their own language.