Reflection for May 31, 2026

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (A)

​Exodus 34:4B-6, 8-9 | Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 | 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 | John 3:16-18

​Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, “the central mystery of the Catholic faith and of Christian life” (CCC 234). The Trinity is one God in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is not three gods, three qualities of God, three phases of God, or three different forms of God. There is only one God in three Divine Persons. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are fully distinct from one another, yet each Person is fully and completely God. At the same time, they are perfectly united with one another, and in that perfect communion they are the one true God. One God, three Persons. It may be difficult to fully understand, but it is not impossible to understand in part.

​A beautiful story is told about the hearing- and vision-impaired Helen Keller. After patiently teaching Helen the names of physical objects through sign language, her beloved teacher, Anne Sullivan, one day tried to explain the meaning of God. Gently, she traced into Helen’s hand the symbols that spelled the word “God.” To Ms. Sullivan’s surprise, Helen immediately spelled back, “Thank you for telling me God’s name, Ms. Sullivan, for He has touched me many times before.” Though Helen could neither see nor hear the world around her, she had already encountered the quiet and mysterious presence of God deep within her heart. Long before she learned His name, she had already experienced His love, comfort, and nearness. It is a moving reminder that God’s presence is not limited to what our eyes can see or our ears can hear. Often, He is encountered most deeply in the silence of the soul.

In our first reading, Moses once again encounters God on Mount Sinai. Here, the transcendent Yahweh, who continually desires a closer, deeper, and fuller union with humanity, not only reveals Himself but also awakens a response in the heart of Moses through revelation and illumination. As God passes before him, Moses experiences the Lord as gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in kindness and fidelity. There could be no better way to reveal the truth about God’s identity. God’s very name is Mercy, Grace, and Faithfulness.

During a high school Catechism class, the students compared different mythologies they had studied in Literature. One student shared how, in Greek mythology, Zeus overthrew Kronos to seize power. Another explained that in Roman mythology, Neptune and Minerva competed fiercely against each other for influence and honor among mortals. A third recalled the Filipino story of Gugurang and Aswang, where opposing supernatural forces constantly clashed. Their teacher smiled and asked, “What do all these stories have in common?” “They’re always fighting, plotting, or competing against each other,” one student replied. The teacher laughed softly and said, “Parang members of the Senate of the Philippines lang ah.” The class burst into laughter. “But that is what makes the Christian understanding of God different,” the teacher continued. “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit do not compete, overthrow, or oppose one another. The Most Holy Trinity lives in perfect communion, unity, and love. God’s greatness is shown not through rivalry, but through perfect communion.”

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul emphasizes that we can bring out the best in one another by living peacefully in community. In this passage, he reminds us that we are a people meant to live in communion with others. The Trinity itself is a community. If God is love, then God must also be relationship. If God is love, then He exists as a communion of Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One cannot love in complete solitude or isolation. God is a relationship of love. The Father is the Lover, the Son is the Beloved, and the love they share is the Holy Spirit. We are a communal people because we are created in the image and likeness of a communal God. The quality of our Christian life is rooted in our imitation of the inner life of the Trinity. Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are perfectly united, so too are we called to be united in community and in love.

During a theology class in the seminary, a seminarian noticed a carving of a pelican on the altar table. “Father, why is the pelican used as a symbol of Holy Mother Church?” he asked. The priest smiled gently. “According to ancient Christian tradition, when food could no longer be found, the mother pelican would pierce her own breast and feed her young with her own flesh and blood. She was willing to suffer and die so her children might live.” The seminarians listened quietly. “That image reflects the love of the Most Holy Trinity,” the priest continued. “God the Father gave His only Son for the salvation of the world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Son became man in the womb of Mary. In loving obedience to the Father, Jesus offered Himself on the Cross for humanity. God is self-giving, self-donating, and self-sacrificing love.” “And the Church,” the priest added, “continues to feed her children through the life and love of the Holy Trinity, especially in the Eucharist.”

Our Gospel passage today is perhaps the most well-known verse in Sacred Scripture. It has often been described as the “Gospel in a nutshell” because the Good News of Christianity can be summed up in these words: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” God is a giving God. In this singular act of self-sacrifice, Jesus knowingly and freely offered both His divine and human life for the sake of His Church. The sacrifice of the Cross is not only the work of the Son, but also a Trinitarian act of love—initiated by the Father and accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Eternal rest grant unto your servant Fr. Joseph Raymund Biliran +, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

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