The Christian begins his life in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; and in this very Name, he bids farewell to this world to find, in the fullness of the vision in Heaven, these Divine Persons whom he has sought to know and love here on earth. One God and Three Divine Persons: this is our profession of faith, the one the Apostles received from the lips of Jesus and transmitted, the one all Christians believed from the very first moment, the one the Magisterium of the Church has always taught. Christians of all times, as they advanced in their journey toward God, have felt the need to meditate on this primary truth of our faith and to foster a relationship with each of Them. Saint Teresa of Jesus tells us in her Life how, while meditating precisely on one of the oldest rules of faith regarding the Trinitarian mystery—the so-called Athanasian Creed or Quicumque—she received special graces to penetrate this wonderful reality. "Once when I was reciting the Quicumque vult," the Saint writes, "it was given to me to understand how there was one God and three Persons so clearly that I was amazed and greatly comforted. It did me immense good to know more of the greatness of God and His wonders, and whenever I think of or discuss the Most Holy Trinity, I seem to understand how it can be, and it brings me great joy"⁹.
The entire supernatural life of the Christian is oriented toward that knowledge and intimate relationship with the Trinity, which becomes "the fruit and the end of our whole life"¹⁰. For this end we have been created and raised to the supernatural order: to know, relate to, and love God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, who dwell in the soul in grace. Of these Divine Persons, the Christian comes to have "an experimental knowledge" in this life which, far from being something extraordinary, is within the normal path of sanctity¹¹. A sanctity to which the mother of a family who barely has time to care for and manage her home is called, as is the worker who begins his job before dawn, the sick person whose illness allows them to do nothing... God, in His infinite love for each soul, ardently desires to make Himself known in that intimate and loving way to those who truly follow in the footsteps of His Son.
On that path toward the Trinity, to which all our efforts must lead, we take the Holy Spirit as our Guide and Teacher. I will ask the Father, the Lord had promised—and His word cannot fail—and He will give you another Paraclete to be with you always: the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; you know Him because He remains at your side and is in you. I will not leave you orphans, I will come back to you¹². In this "you," we are joyfully included—we who have been baptized and, in a particular way, we who want to follow Jesus closely, from the place and circumstances where life has placed us. It is sweet to meditate on how this mystery, inaccessible to human reason alone, becomes luminous with the light of faith and the help of the Holy Spirit: to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven¹³. Let us ask Him today to guide us along this path full of light.
HCD