The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Five years ago, I was in graduate school studying theology. Desperate for answers as I pored over the rich, dense materials, I began calling upon the Holy Spirit to enlighten my mind and heart and guide my learning. These prayers have continued in both the joyous and challenging moments of parenthood as I seek wisdom and guidance to raise my children with hearts hungry for heaven. When I reflect on my faith and motherhood in my writing, I rely on the Spirit’s guidance in hopes of inspiring others.
Wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, it’s become habitual to first call upon the Holy Spirit to direct me.
For without the aid of the Spirit, nothing can be known to us (1 Corinthians 2:14). Even the gift of faith, which we so often take for granted, would not be possible without our openness to the Spirit moving within us. He is constantly calling us! Without our cooperation, the fullness of all that God created us for is unbearable.
On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, however, I’m thankful for the opportunity to reflect on all three members of the Holy Trinity and the mystery central to our faith. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not solitary beings, but a community of love in constant communion with one another. The beautiful passage from John’s Gospel today helps us enter into the mystery:
“He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15)
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, though three distinct persons with one divine nature, have unique roles in God’s plan for creation, redemption, and sanctification. The Father is the creator, the Son is the redeemer, the Holy Spirit is the comforter and guide, yet they remain one God. The source of all love, our triune God “freely wills to communicate the glory of his blessed life” (CCC 257). In doing so, he calls us to reflect his internal life of love to the world. May the Trinity be our model and guide as we go forth to live and share his love.
Carmen is a wife and mother of two in midwestern Iowa. She has a Master of Arts degree in Sacred Theology and has a special passion for writing about the gift of faith and motherhood. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring microbreweries with her husband, reading, making rosary bracelets, and adding to her collection of houseplants.