One of my most treasured possessions is a beautiful painting by an artist friend in which she attempts to depict the Trinity through the glowing light of three white candles. Generations of artists, writers, and scholars have struggled to express this great mystery of our faith, the God who is Three-in-One. Symbols for the Trinity have included the shamrock, the triangle, a trio of intersecting circles, the fleur-de-lys, the Celtic knot, and the cosmic dance. As with all human attempts to capture God in art or language, however, these inevitably fall short.
What, then, are we to make of this mystery on the feast which celebrates it? As always, we look to Jesus for direction. He does not ask the disciples to engage in scholarly debate, nor does he condemn those who wrestle with doubt. The important thing is the response to which they are called: Jesus sends them forth into the world to witness by their lives to the reality of this mysterious Triune God.
The same invitation, the same challenge, is offered to us today. Jesus did not promise that living our faith would be easy. When we experience anxiety, doubt, frustration, or discouragement, however, we can draw strength from the words of Jesus which conclude Matthew’s Gospel: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
— Krystyna Higgins
Deuteronomy 4:32–34, 39–40
Psalm 33:4–5, 6, 9, 18–19, 20, 22
Romans 8:14–17
Matthew 28:16–20