Christians believe that God is Love itself. But love is never abstract: it always involves someone who loves, someone who is loved, and the love that unites them. If God is truly Love and does not depend on anything outside himself, then this loving relationship must exist within God himself. And we see this in the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not parts of God, nor do they divide God between them. Each person is fully God, sharing the same divine nature. What distinguishes them is not what they are, but how they relate to one another. The Father eternally generates the Son, the Son is eternally begotten by the Father, and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. These relationships have always existed: there was never a “before” or “after” within God.

One way to glimpse this mystery is through God’s knowledge and love. God knows himself perfectly, and this perfect self-knowledge is so complete that it is not just a thought, but a divine person: the Son. The Father and the Son then love each other with a love so total and infinite that it is not just an action, but another divine person: the Holy Spirit. This is the mystery of the Trinity, an eternal communion of love, and every Christian is invited into this life of love.

Discussion questions

Why does the Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 234) call the Trinity the ‘central mystery’ of Christian faith and life?

Why do you think God wants us to know He is not solitary but in fact three persons?

What kind of relationship do you have with each of the three persons of the Trinity? How can you strengthen your relationship with each of the three persons?

How does knowing about the Trinity affect how you relate to other people?