Holy Trinity: Mystery of Love and Humanity

Saint John Paul II taught that God, in His deepest mystery, is not solitude, but a communion of love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a perfect divine family, united by infinite love. Unlike the human family, which is limited and finite, the Trinity is the eternal model of unity and love.

The Father is eternally Father, the Son is of the same essence, not created but begotten, and the Holy Spirit is the mutual love between them. Jesus reveals this truth when He says: “Everything that the Father has is mine” (John 16:15a), and the Creed affirms it: “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father”.

We can see God’s great love and divine plan for us when He created Adam and Eve. He said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gn 1:26-27). This passage reveals who God is. His intention in creating us was that we might reflect who He is. This is the broader vision of His plan for humanity.

Our human capacity cannot fully comprehend the mysteries of God. Jesus Himself reminded His disciples: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). We are called to humbly accept that we cannot grasp the fullness of divine truth all at once.

An ancient and beautiful story illustrates this truth well. A small boy was playing by the seashore, digging a hole in the sand and trying to pour the entire ocean into it using a seashell. A man who was watching approached and asked: “What are you doing?”, “I’m trying to fit the whole ocean into this hole”, the boy replied. The man smiled and said, “That’s impossible. The ocean is far too vast for such a small hole”. The boy looked at him and answered: “So it is with the mystery of God, too great for your mind to fully comprehend”. And in that instant, the child disappeared. That man was Saint Augustine.

Our human understanding of God is limited, but faith and trust allow us to draw ever closer to His mystery. Jesus promised us: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come” (Jn 16:13).