I wonder how many preachers are looking forward to next Sunday, the feast of the Blessed Trinity. Or, for that matter, how many teachers will be leading an assembly on the God who is three in one. We tend to think that this is one of the densest of doctrines and very difficult to speak about. So let's get one thing clear at the outset: we cannot 'explain' the Trinity. But neither can we 'explain' the incarnation, atonement, or transubstantiation. All this reminds us that we are dealing with things that we call 'Mysteries' of faith. We can speak about these mysteries but we can never sum them up, comprehend them, or feel that we've grasped what theyıre all about. Mystery puts us in our place with God - creatures responding to a love that is unearned, a revelation that is gratuitous, and a relationship that is beyond our wildest imaginings.

The Mystery of the Trinity is the hub of all the mysteries, it is the most basic of all. The incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection are the playing out of the love of Father, Son, and Spirit in our fallen and redeemed world. The mystery of the Eucharist and the sacramental mysteries are the chief means by which we are caught up into this love (just read Eucharistic Prayer III). The Church is rooted in this mystery and our task is to live it out in the service of our sisters and brothers. In short, as the Catechism teaches, 'The Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life'.

P.D.