The following is an excerpt from the Marian Press book 52 Weeks with St. Faustina by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle:
“I knew, more distinctly, than ever before, the Three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But their being, their equality, and their majesty are one.” — Diary, 472
I remember what my parish priest said to me one day years ago when he saw that I had scheduled a few Masses for loved ones and requested that they be offered “in honor of the Holy Trinity.” He quipped, “You can’t get any higher than that!” That said, let’s explore the Holy Trinity and Sr. Faustina’s experiences in this week’s spiritual exercise!
Week 47
The Holy Trinity is a great mystery. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is 55:8-9). So how are we to understand God’s ways and thoughts, let alone the fact that He is triune? Our human minds have trouble fathoming this great mystery, but we accept it on faith.
Christians are baptized in the name of the Trinity. Specifically, we are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The Catechism says, “Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their names, for there is only one God, the almighty Father, his only Son, and the Holy Spirit: the Most Holy Trinity” (CCC, 233; emphasis in original). Right from the beginning in Genesis, we see that God used the pronouns “us” and “our.” He said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness” (Gen 1:26).
Christians are called to share in the life of the Trinity. The Holy Trinity is the central doctrine of the Catholic faith. Saint Faustina mentions the Holy Trinity often throughout her Diary. Yet the Holy Trinity is difficult to comprehend. The Church teaches:
The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the “hierarchy of the truths of faith” [GCD 43]. The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men “and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin” [GCD 47] (CCC 234).
Dr. Robert Stackpole, STD, who has written about Divine Mercy and the Trinity, once stated:
[T]he doctrine of the Trinity was not something invented by theologians in some academic “ivory tower” in order to make God too complicated for average Christians to understand. On the contrary, the earliest Christians experienced God in prayer and worship, in baptism, and in apostolic blessings in a Trinitarian way, and Jesus their Savior had taught them about the Trinity as well. So they could not help but speak of God as Tripersonal if they were going to be true to what they were taught, and to what they were experiencing, however paradoxical it all must have seemed to them at first.
Furthermore, the Catechism tells us:
The ultimate end of the whole divine economy is the entry of God’s creatures into the perfect unity of the Blessed Trinity. But even now we are called to be a dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity: “If a man loves me,” says the Lord, “he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him” [Jn 14:23] (CCC, 260).
There is so much to learn about the Holy Trinity; I encourage you to read the Catechism, Part One: “Profession of Faith.” It is important to note that the Church teaches, “The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the ‘consubstantial Trinity’” (CCC, 253, emphasis in original). We see that the Holy Spirit is clearly coequal and one with the Father and the Son: “The mission of the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of the Son (Jn 14:26) and by the Son ‘from the Father’ (Jn 15:26), reveals that, with them, the Spirit is one and the same God. ‘With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified’ (Nicene Creed)” (CCC, 263).
The Holy Trinity and St. Faustina
As we know, St. Faustina prayed continually that she might follow God’s holy will. Because of God’s grace, she communed often with Jesus and Mary. We are blessed indeed to have her writings so that, following her example, we can learn and advance in the spiritual life, knowing that her writings were entirely scrutinized by the Church before they received approval. One time, Sr. Faustina wrote, “I understand the spiritual espousal of a soul with God, which has no exterior manifestation. It is a purely interior act between the soul and God. This grace has drawn me into the very burning center of God’s love. I have come to understand His Trinitarian Quality and the absolute Oneness of His Being” (Diary, 1020).
On one occasion, Sr. Faustina “was reflecting on the Holy Trinity, on the essence of God.” She said her spirit seemed to be caught up in the next world. She saw words in the form of lightning come out of an inaccessible light. But this young mystic could not understand any of it and became sad. As was mentioned earlier, Sr. Faustina saw “our dearly beloved Savior, unutterably beautiful with His shining Wounds. And from this light there came a voice which said, ‘Who God is in His Essence, no one will fathom, neither the mind of angels nor of man.’ Jesus said to me, ‘Get to know God by contemplating His attributes.’” Right after that, Jesus “traced the sign of the cross with His hand and vanished” (Diary, 30). By contemplating God’s attributes, we, too, can begin to understand the Trinity.
Another time, St. Faustina experienced the Holy Trinity after receiving Holy Communion. She heard, “You are Our dwelling place.” Upon hearing those words, Sr. Faustina recalled, “I felt in my soul the presence of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I felt that I was the temple of God. I felt I was a child of the Father. I cannot explain all this, but the spirit understands it well.” She marveled, “O infinite Goodness, how low You stoop to Your miserable creature” (Diary, 451).
Sister Faustina attempted to explain the Trinity. She wrote:
On one occasion God’s presence pervaded my whole being, and my mind was mysteriously enlightened in respect to His Essence. He allowed me to understand His interior life. In spirit I saw the Three Divine Persons, but Their Essence was One. He is One, and One only, but in Three Persons; none of Them is either greater or smaller; there is no difference in either beauty or sanctity, for They are One. They are absolutely One. His Love transported me into this knowledge and united me with Himself. When I was united to One, I was equally united to the Second and to the Third in such a way that when we are united with One, by that very fact, we are equally united to the Two Persons in the same way as with the One. Their will is One, One God, though in Three Persons. When One of the Three Persons communicates with a soul, by the power of that one will, it finds itself united with the Three Persons and is inundated in the happiness flowing from the Most Holy Trinity, the same happiness that nourishes the saints. This same happiness that streams from the Most Holy Trinity makes all creation happy; from it springs that life which vivifies and bestows all life which takes its beginning from Him. In these moments, my soul experienced such great delights that I find this difficult to express (Diary, 911).
We can take some time to re-read her words and ponder them in our own hearts.
Over her lifetime, Sr. Faustina came to understand more about the mystery of the Holy Trinity, but was not always able to put it into words. One time, she wrote, “I knew, more distinctly, than ever before, the Three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” She explained as best as she could, but some things, especially the Holy Trinity, are too difficult to express. Also, sometimes she experienced extraordinary visions with her physical sight; other times, the experience was purely in her heart and soul. She continued, “But their being, their equality and their majesty are one. My soul is in communion with these Three; but I do not know how to express this in words; yet my soul understands it well. Whoever is united to One of the Three Persons is thereby united to the whole Blessed Trinity, for this Oneness is indivisible. This vision, or rather, this knowledge filled my soul with unimaginable happiness, because God is so great. What I am describing I did not see with my eyes, as on previous occasions, but in a purely interior manner, in a purely spiritual way, independent of the senses. This continued until the end of Holy Mass.” She added, “This now happens often to me, and not only in the chapel, but also at work and at times when I least expect it” (Diary, 472).
One time, St. Faustina wrote:
During Holy Mass, I found myself suddenly united with the Most Holy Trinity. I recognized His majesty and greatness. I was united to the Three Persons. And once I was united to One of these Most Venerable Persons, I was, at the same time, united to the other Two Persons. The joy and happiness that my soul felt is beyond description. It grieves me that I am unable to put down in words that which has no words (Diary, 1129).
Something to Ponder
We know that the Holy Trinity is difficult to understand and explain. Saint Faustina understood the great mystery of the Holy Trinity mostly interiorly, but had some trouble explaining what she had learned. However, what she has written in her Diary can be a great help to us. Saint Faustina once said, “Oh, if souls would only be willing to listen, at least a little, to the voice of conscience and the voice — that is, the inspirations — of the Holy Spirit! I say ‘at least a little’ because once we open ourselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit, He Himself will fulfill what is lacking in us” (Diary, 359). Take some time this week to try to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, to ponder St. Faustina’s words, and to pray to the Holy Trinity.
A Merciful Action
Pray and ponder ways you can carry out works of mercy this week in honor of the Holy Trinity. Take a moment to pray and jot down a few ideas for concrete works of mercy you can carry out. Refer to the lists in Week 23 for help.
A PRAYER OF MERCY FOR THIS WEEK
(To be prayed each day this week.)
Dear Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
I adore You, and I pray to love and adore
You more and more.
Mother Mary, protect me, please.
Saint Faustina, please pray for me.
Jesus, I trust in You!
Amen.
PRAYER OF ST. ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY
O my God,
Trinity whom I adore, help me forget
myself entirely so to establish myself in you,
unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already
in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my
peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging
God, but may each minute bring me more deeply
into your mystery! Grant my soul peace. Make it
your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place
of your rest. May I never abandon you there,
but may I be there, whole and entire, completely
vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly
given over to your creative action (CCC, 260)
You can order 52 Weeks with St. Faustina by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle here:
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