One of the greatest mysteries of our faith is that of the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, it is something that challenges, that frustrates and that confuses us, because it brings us into the very heart of God and it compels us to speak directly about something none of us can ever completely know.

That, of course, does not mean that it is pointless for us to contemplate God Himself, rather, it shows and reminds us that this is one of those mysteries that cannot be solved by mere logical deduction, this is one of those mysteries that cannot be solved through study alone, because this mystery is what leads us to the greatest heights of prayer and to the overwhelming desire to drop to our knees in adoration. For, as one priest put it: “what else can we do in the face of God but contemplate?”

In fact, it was Archbishop Luis Martinez, author of the great spiritual classic, The Sanctifier, who put it well, he said: “If God were not so great, if he were not infinite, if we could comprehend him or exhaust him, we would not love him as we do; he would not satisfy our hearts.”

For, it is in contemplating Him that we constantly learn more about Him and in learning more about Him, we find more things to love, again and again, so that, in that love we reach the most perfect and purest form of adoration, and, in that, get to experience a glimpse, a moment, a passing understanding of who God truly is.

Because, though He is shrouded in mystery, though He is incomprehensible and inexhaustible, He still reaches us out us to allow us to come closer to the fullness of Himself as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is not some remote being out in some far off galaxy, but God Himself who is here in our midst, in our Eucharist, in one who desires that, indeed, we do come to know Him more and more. And, the way that happens is through contemplation, what many spiritual writers would call, “the highest form of prayer.” Yet, if we are honest, this is the type of prayer we don’t take the time to do, to contemplate Him, to seek Him and to know Him as He is, in short, to “Be still and know that He is God.”

Yet, all prayer, no matter what it is, is actually meant to lead to this greater contemplation of God Himself, for the Rosary, the novenas, the Scripture reading, everything we do, in that sense, is merely a gateway to the contemplation of Almighty God. And, when we kneel before that Blessed Sacrament, when we fall down in adoration before Him, we are, in actual fact, before the Blessed Trinity.

So that, before us, we see the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and though veiled from our physical eyes, we see Him with the eyes of faith. For, there the Trinity is revealed, there we understand and get a fleeting glimpse of Heaven itself.

Because we all know that He is 3 Persons yet one God, that He is infinite, immortal, almighty and eternal, and that He is perfect love pouring Himself out for the other so that, as our second reading says: “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Yet, unless we contemplate that, unless we fall before Him in adoration and love, approaching Him, in faith, it will mean nothing, it will yield no greater understanding.

For, this day is the culmination of our faith, the summit of our belief and a reminder that daily we face one of the greatest and most incomprehensible mysteries of our lives, and no words, no amount of clarification can truly explain what we must experience for our very selves.

In fact, every time we celebrate this feast of the Holy Trinity, I cannot help but be reminded of that great story about St. Thomas Aquinas. For those who don’t know him, he is one of the greatest intellectuals the Church has ever had, and he spent his entire life writing the deepest and most profound theology and philosophy, most of which the Church still uses even today. It is said, that one day he had a vision of the Trinity itself and it so overwhelmed and astounded him that he never wrote again. He said: “I can write no more. I have seen things which make all my writings like straw.”

And, this mystery, though unfathomable in its scope, is one that God wishes to reveal to those who spend time with Him, to those who contemplate Him in His glory. For, in the words of a great spiritual writer, with whom I leave you with today: “What can [we] say in the presence of such a sublime mystery? What can [we] understand of it? Nothing!,” he says, But the mystery is so sublime and it so exceeds our understanding, that we can only bow our heads and adore in silence.”