There is an ancient story that you may have heard. Saint Augustine was walking along a sandy beach meditating on the Holy Trinity. He kept saying over and over to himself, “How can God be both three and one? How can God be both three and one?” Suddenly, he was distracted from his meditation by the sight of a small child with a toy bucket, carrying water from the sea to a hole in the beach. Smiling at the child, Augustine asked, “And what are you doing?” The small child said, “I’m emptying the ocean into this hole.’ Augustine thought, “I’m trying to do what the child is doing. I’m trying to pour the infinite God into my finite little mind.’
Later, saints engaged in similar meditation on the Trinity, trying to get some partial glimpse into this central mystery of our faith. For example, Saint Ignatius of Loyola likened the three Persons in one God to three musical notes, united in the harmony of a single sound. Saint Luke does not say so explicitly in his Gospel or his Acts of the Apostles, but he clearly views Sacred Scripture as being Trinitarian in structure. The Old Testament focuses on the Father, who created the world. The Gospel focuses on the Son, who redeemed the world. The Acts of the Apostles and the letters of the apostles focus on the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies the world.
That brings us to ourselves. What might we do to make the Trinity come alive for us in our daily lives?
One way some people try to do this is a prayer exercise they follow each night before going to bed. They do a three-minute replay of their day. During the first minute, they pick out a highpoint of the day, for example, going out of their way to help someone. They speak to the Father about it and give thanks for the grace to do it. During the second minute, they pick out something bad that happened, like ignoring someone to whom they could have spoken a kind word. They speak to Jesus about it and ask him to forgive them and to give them the opportunity to make it up to that person. During the third minute, they look ahead to tomorrow to some critical point, for example, something they ought to do but have been putting off. They speak to the Holy Spirit about it and ask for the courage to deal with it in the day ahead. This exercise combines prayer with a simple examination of conscience.
In a very practical way, therefore, it brings the Holy Trinity into our daily lives.
Let us conclude with reflection: Glory to God the Father, who created the earth, and to God the Son who redeemed the earth, and to God the Holy Spirit who hallowed the earth…. Glory be to thee, Most Holy Trinity, today, tomorrow, and forever. Glory be to thee. Amen.