Sunday, May 31, is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Mass readings: Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18.

“Trinity,” or “Tri-unity,” means the “three-oneness” of God. 

“The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three Persons. … The divine Persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God, whole and entire,” explains the Catechism of the Catholic Church (253). 

Scripture presents images of the Trinity by hinting at it. 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness …” (Genesis 1:26). 

God speaks of himself in the plural using “us” and “our.” At the beginning of Genesis, there is already a hint that God is in a communion of Persons.

In the Old Testament, a common word used for God is Elohim. This word is in the plural form, “Gods,” but the word is singular in meaning (like news, mathematics and acoustics in English). 

“And the Lord appeared to [Abram] who lifted up his eyes; and, behold, three men stood in front of him. … He ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, saying, ‘My Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves. …’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said’” (Genesis 18:1-5). 

This passage goes back and forth between singular and plural references. The Lord (singular) appears to Abram, yet Abram sees three men; some claim the trio is two angels with God. Then when Abram addresses “them,” he says, “My Lord” (singular). The confusing grammar continues as Abram suggests that the Lord (singular) rest “yourselves” (plural) under the tree. God is one, and God is three.

 “The Lord stood with Moses there and proclaimed his name, ‘Lord.’ Thus the Lord passed before him and cried out, ‘The Lord, the Lord …’” (Exodus 34:5). 

When God announces his name, he does so in a threefold way.

Isaiah hears the angels say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:1-3). 

God is holy, holy and, again, holy. Some say that this is a Jewish way of saying “very holy,” but as Christians, it is possible to see yet another hint of the Trinity. 

There are many references to the Trinity in the New Testament. Jesus says, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30). And what about the baptismal formula? Jesus says, “Baptize them in the name [not names] of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). God is one (name), and God is three (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). 

This post has been adapted from June 2, 2023, content.