Readings: Proverbs 8:22-31; Psalms 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15;

In this brief excerpt from the Last Supper Discourse, the Lord teaches us something amazing today. He gives us a glimpse of the very nature of God. Like a lightening flash, he lights up for a split second the “structure” so to speak, of God.

The Holy Spirit, Jesus tells us, can only speak what he hears from the Son. And everything the Son has, he has received from the Father. That means that each one communicates their entire selves to the others. They don’t just share some points of view, information, or experiences: they actually communicate their whole selves, their entire divine persons.

What is God? God is a total unity of three persons, an everlasting community of living love, of mutual self-giving. There is no holding back, there are no hidden agendas, there is no manipulation – the inner life of God is absolute, no-holds-barred generosity, eternal and unlimited self-donation. That’s what God is: three perfect divine persons who perfectly share the unique divine nature.

How can this be? How can God be three distinct persons and still only be one God? We simply don’t know. We can only get an inkling of it from our human experience of life in a family. We are created in God’s image, and so the love that links husband and wife and gives rise to new life – this is a pale reflection of the divine family of the Blessed Trinity. Non-Christians often criticize this concept of the Trinity. They say it is a contradiction. But in fact the very mystery of it is a sign that it rings true. No merely human mind could have made this up; only God could have revealed it. And anyway, if we could understand God fully, he wouldn’t really be God.