Isaiah Newme Sdb,
Theologian of Kristu Jyoti College, Bengaluru
"A religion without mystery is not a religion," says Joseph de Maistre, a French Philosopher.
Have you ever tried to explain something so mysterious, so deep, that words just don’t seem enough? That’s what it's like trying to explain the Trinity: One God in three Persons.
As we celebrate The Most Holy Trinity Sunday today (the first Sunday after Pentecost), we shall reflect together on the mystery of the Holy Trinity, one of the most central and beautiful teachings of the Christian faith – but also one of the most profound and mysterious teachings of the Church. For many believers, the idea that God is one and yet three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) can seem confusing or even contradictory. How can something be both one and three at the same time? Think about these real-life examples: Water can exist as liquid, ice, and vapor – three forms and yet the same substance, H2O. The sun gives off light, heat, and radiation – three expressions and yet from one source. A triangle has three sides, but it’s still one shape. Even if you have a mind, heart, and will – you’re not three people, but you operate in three distinct ways. Of course, God is way beyond these examples, but they help us grasp the big picture: unity and diversity in one. They are not three gods, but one divine being shared equally and fully by all three. Each Person is distinct, yet united in essence, purpose, and love.
This mystery is not meant to confuse us, but to reveal something profound about God’s nature: God is love (1Jn. 4:8), and love, by its very essence, is relational. The Trinity shows us that God is not a distant, solitary being, but a communion of love and relationship that reaches out to us and invites us in.
This belief didn’t come from speculation but from the Bible and the lived experience of the early Church. Although the word “Trinity” isn’t found in the Bible, the Scripture clearly reveals the reality of one God in three Persons(Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)united in name and purpose, as seen in Jesus’ command to baptize in their single name (Mt. 28:19), the manifestation of Trinity in Baptism (Mt. 3:16-17), Paul’s Trinitarian blessing (2 Cor. 13:14), and the plural language in Genesis hinting at God’s triune nature(Gen. 1:26).Early Christians understood these passages not as referring to three gods, but to one God revealed in three distinct ways. They spent centuries clarifying this mystery under divine inspiration. Church Fathers such as Augustine and the Cappadocian saints defended this truth: not three separate gods or roles, but one divine nature in three Persons who are coequal and coeternal. This doctrine was developed by the early Church through Sacred Scripture and Tradition, and was solemnly defined at the Councils of Nicaea (325 A.D.) and Constantinople (381 A.D.), later summarized in the Athanasian Creed.
It is also instructive to see how the Christian Trinity differs from other religious concepts of divinity. Islam teaches that God is absolutely one (tawḥīd), rejecting any suggestion of plurality as blasphemy and viewing the Trinity as a form of polytheism. Hinduism, on the other hand, speaks of a Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, Śiva), but these are distinct deities or expressions of an impersonal absolute, not one divine nature shared by three Persons. Thus, neither religion shares the uniquely Christian concept of a God who is both one and a communion of Persons. For Christians, the Trinity expresses the deepest reality: God is love and relationship, inviting us into the very life of God the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, the Trinity isn’t just a theological idea – it shapes our lives. Every time we make the Sign of the Cross, we proclaim the Trinity. Every prayer is offered to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. God's very being is love – the Father loving the Son, and their love being the Spirit. We are made in that image, made for relationships and made for love.
Hence, to live out the message of the Trinity is more urgent today than ever because many Christians today have lost sight of what it truly means to follow Christ. Instead of reflecting the unity and self-giving love of the Triune God, we often chase after power, position, and wealth. Our Christian communities are polluted by corruption, torn apart by land disputes, and divided by clans and tribal loyalties. We forget that we are all baptized in the same name(Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)and called to be one body in Christ (Rom12:4–5). Jesus once said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20). If He were speaking to us today, He might say, “Unless your righteousness goes beyond Sunday Christians, mere customary laws, clan loyalties, and tribal divisions, you will never make it to heaven.”The Trinity is not just a mystery to believe in, but a way of life to imitate: a life of communion, humility, and love. If we truly lived as children of the Trinity, our Church would become a witness of healing in a broken world. Now more than ever, we must remember who we are and whose we are.
So, when we speak of the Trinity, we’re not talking about a puzzle or a problem to be solved, but a mystery to enter into it. We’re speaking of the God who invites us into His life – the Father who loves us, the Son who saves us, and the Spirit who dwells within us. It’s not just doctrine. It’s the divine love story we are invited to join.
