The Most Holy Trinity

*picture from www.2heartsnetwork.org

"If God is not a Trinity, God is not love. For love requires three things: a lover, a beloved, and a relationship between them." 
~Peter Kreeft

Today we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity. This is the greatest mystery of our Church.

There is a story about Saint Augustine that wonderfully illustrates how deep the mystery of the Trinity is. (story from www.traditioninaction.org) 

It goes something like this:

One day, Saint Augustine was walking by the sea on the sand, trying his best to understand the mystery of the Trinity. Suddenly, he saw a small boy digging a hole in the sand. This little boy then began running back and forth between the sea and the hole, using a seashell to carry water from the ocean and place it into the hole. 

Saint Augustine watched him do this many times before he approached the child and asked, "My boy, what are you doing?"

"I am going to empty the sea into this hole," the little one replied sweetly.

"But that is impossible," the Saint said. 

"The hole cannot contain all the water of the sea."

The little boy looked up at Saint Augustine and replied, "It is no more impossible than what you are trying to do - comprehend the immensity of the mystery of the Holy Trinity with your small intelligence." 

And then suddenly, the little boy disappeared.

Some say that it was an angel sent by God to teach the Saint a lesson about pride and knowing everything. Others think that it was the Christ Child Himself who appeared to Saint Augustine to remind him of the limits of human understanding and the great mysteries of our faith.

I think there is an important lesson to be learned from this story. If a mind like Saint Augustine's can't comprehend the mystery of the Trinity, then how can anyone? We don't have to completely understand every aspect of our Catholic beliefs, we just need to have faith.

*picture from www.marianews.com

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

*prayer from www.catholic.org

Glory be to the Father, who by His almighty power and love created me, making me in the image and likeness of God.

Glory be to the Son, who by His Precious Blood delivered me from Hell and opened for me the gates of Heaven.

Glory be to the Holy Spirit, who has sanctified me in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation and continues to sanctify me by the graces I receive daily from His bounty.

Glory be to the Three adorable Persons of the Holy Trinity, now and forever. Amen.