Jn 16:12-15
“I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you to bear now. However, when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking of his own accord, but will say only what he has been told; and he will reveal to you the things to come. He will glorify me, since all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine.”
The Holy Trinity, whom we venerate and adore, is so close and yet so far away.
It is far away because the fullness of its glory we will be able to contemplate only in eternity, when we will see God as He is. In this life, however, our knowledge of God is like seeing Him through a mirror, dimly (cf. 1 Cor 13:12), and we depend on the testimony of the Holy Scriptures. Sometimes we can glimpse the glory of God in a marvellous liturgy, when it has not been deprived of its transcendence.
But what will it be like when we behold God face to face and can worship Him visibly, together with all the angels and saints? For now, it is only possible for us to do so in faith, but this faith is already such a shining light that our heart yearns for fullness.
But God does not remain at a distance, but comes out to meet us. Already now the Lord wants us to perceive his closeness, so that he can dwell among us.
Thus the Holy Trinity, whose mystery we can never exhaust theologically and whose depth leaves us stammering, unable to express it in words, draws so close to us that we can say: God is a loving ‘You’! He is not only a distant and unreachable God; but He is not just any ‘You’ who loves us and whom we long for; He is the most loving ‘You’ par excellence; a ‘You’ who can fill us to such an extent that nothing else is lacking; a ‘You’ who has always existed and remains forever!
But how is it possible to understand God as a ‘ You ‘ if we do not even see Him?
It is love that makes it possible! God communicates to us through the light of faith and speaks to us in Holy Scripture. Moreover, he whispers directly to our hearts and, since God is Spirit, he does not always need the mediation of a human person; he can speak to us in the most diverse ways.
Now the image of the Holy Trinity is becoming clearer and clearer.
God reveals Himself to us as Father, and wants us to address Him as such. The existence of our human father should reflect the fatherhood of God.
The Second Person of the Godhead comes into this world as man. He reveals to us the goodness of our Heavenly Father and redeems mankind. We know His name: It is Jesus Christ! He enables us to understand God better by becoming one of us. He walks alongside his disciples and lives in communion with them. He gives us his own Mother, Mary, as Mother of all people. In the Cross he reveals to us his love unto death; and in his Resurrection, the life of the world to come.
And the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, manifests Himself particularly on the holy Feast of Pentecost. He enlightens Christ’s disciples, making them messengers of the Kingdom of God, full of power and authority. He lives invisibly but truly in the hearts of the faithful, and if they listen to Him, they will walk safely on the path of salvation.
Truly the love of God is great and infinite! The best we can do is to worship Him and serve Him full of gratitude. Then we will reach our goal as people, and in eternity we will be able to live unceasingly in His joy. How wonderful it would be if already in this earthly life we could live in this reality and take our place in the vineyard of the Lord!
