Fascination and Awe

Whenever the Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated in our parish, our parish priest would remind the parents and the sponsors that during the Renunciation of Satan and Profession of Faith, they have to answer in behalf of the infant. As the child grows, it is their duty to instill this faith in the child. As Christians, the Apostles’ Creed serves as the foundation where our beliefs and convictions are grounded. When we know our creed by heart, we will know where we stand even when our faith is tested.

One tenet that we believe in is the Trinity. I have to admit that although this forms the core of our faith, it is also difficult to grasp. Hence, it is a “mystery”. St. Augustine tried to contemplate how God could be three yet still be one at the same time. He narrated how, as he was walking by the shore, he saw a child pouring sea water into a tiny hole that he dug in the sand using only a shell. Augustine approached the boy and asked what he was doing. The child answered that he was trying to put all the water from the sea into the hole. Augustine admonished him that what he was attempting to do was impossible. The child replied that it was far more possible for him to fit the entire sea into that tiny hole than to fit the mystery of the Holy Trinity in his limited intellect. Then the child vanished.

Today, as we celebrate Trinity Sunday, may we acknowledge our limitedness and be at home with it, full of trust that there is a reality far greater than our human capacity. In front of this so great a mystery of Trinity and Unity, may we allow ourselves to be fascinated and awed by its beauty.

By: Sem. John Paul T. Toting

Today’s Gospel

Mt 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”