All three Persons of the Trinity intertwine in this section from the last will and testament of Jesus in the Gospel of John. The Father is the supernatural source of love; the Son is the historical embodiment of that love; the Spirit is the accompanying presence of that love who will guide future generations. Notice in the Gospel today, Jesus states the person of the Spirit to be too overwhelming to even be communicated. All three are completely intimate with one another. Notice that no one speaks on their own; they only say what they hear from one another. Therefore, Father, Son, and Spirit form a unity. This unity ensures continuity between past, present, and future truths about revelation.
Are you confused yet? The mystery of the Trinity reminds us that we are monotheists – we believe in only one God, but this one God is three Persons. God is a community and unified as one.
And what does this say for us and what if anything outside of the word “Father” as the first person of the Trinity does this have to do with our secular celebration of Father’s day?
Quite a bit, if we go back to the creation by the Father and we remember that we humans, the greatest of all of creation were made “…in the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1: 27), and we were made to “…be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1: 28). Our lives came to be because of the love of THE Father and the love and union our human fathers had with our mothers. When we give a total gift of ourselves to another, it bears fruit and life.
The Theology of the Body, developed by Pope John Paul II, emphasizes the connection between the human body and the Holy Trinity, highlighting that our sexuality and the relationship between men and women reflect the eternal love and communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Theology of the Body posits that our bodies, particularly in their sexual dimensions, reveal the inner life of the Trinity and our call to loving communion.
The Theology of the Body provides a framework for understanding the human body as a visible manifestation of God's invisible love, particularly as it relates to the Holy Trinity's inner life and our call to loving communion with one another and with God.
Today we celebrate the love of our Heavenly Father with the Son and the Spirit and how it has been seen in the love of our earthly Fathers.
Congratulations to all the dads in our lives and those who act like fathers to us in the ways they selflessly give love to strengthen our lives. May that same love be returned to you.
God Bless,
