My Dearly Beloved in Christ;

You may have heard the famous story of St. Augustine and his efforts to fully comprehend the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. He was trying to understand the mystery of the Trinity; “a Tri-unity” which states that God is both one and three; one essence, three persons. How can there be three persons in one God?... So, Augustine went to the bank of the river and was contemplating this mystery. As he walked along the bank of the river, he saw a small boy who was trying to empty the river into a small hole he had dug.

St Augustine questioned the boy as to what the rationale behind his action was - expressing the impossibility of pouring a river into a small hole. The boy then paused and looked at him and said, “just as it is impossible to pour a river into a small hole, so also, it is impossible for the human intellect to understand or grasp the mystery of the Holy Trinity”.

In essence, the Holy Trinity is more vast than the human intellect. No one can truly understand the Trinity unless he or she is guided by Divine Intelligence. This is why St Paul teaches that, “No one can know the things of God until he is led by the spirit of God” (1 Cor 2:11-12). We must accept that the Holy Trinity is a mystery which defies any rational explanation; this is not to say that rational arguments are useless in this regard, they could still be helpful in understanding it, but they can never be sufficient to penetrate the essence of God. And more so, there is no way that the limited human knowledge can come to a perfect knowledge of the Trinity by itself, because Trinity surpasses the capacity of the human intellect or understanding.

What is the message of the Trinity? It is the message of love and unity. The Trinity is a love relationship between the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. It is in the Holy Spirit because it is the love of the Holy Spirit that binds the Father and the Son. Since we have all been born anew into the Trinitarian relationship of love through baptism, for Jesus enjoined his disciples: “Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). We are called to be witnesses to the Divine love. The Trinity reminds each one of us that true love must involve three persons. The first is yourself, the second person is God, and the third is your neighbor. Any love that is short of any of these three persons leads to and ends in frustration.

Today also, we thank God for the gift of our Fathers as we celebrate Father’s Day. It is a day for celebration and reflection. It’s a day to honour the men who have shaped our lives with their unwavering strength, boundless love, and steadfast support. On every Father’s Day, we acknowledge all fathers because, without them, there would be no you or me. Scripture enjoins us to “Listen to your father who begot you” (Proverbs 23:22). Fathers literally bear the seed of our existence, and for this we are grateful.

A father is a man who reflects the image of His Father in heaven and who makes it easier for his children to know their father’s heavenly Father. Fathers play a critical role in the growth and development of their children. They don’t just provide the financial needs for the family. Their love and leadership enable their sons and daughters to grow in confidence and become the young men and women that God intended them to be. On this Father’s Day, we pause to honor all our fathers – our biological fathers, the spiritual fathers who have guided us on our journeys, and most importantly, our heavenly Father who has never failed us.

Happy Father’s Day to all Fathers, Grandfathers, Great-Grandfathers and all who have practiced the vocation of Fatherhood!

Peace be with You!
-Fr. Samuel Aliba

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