The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity 2026

Written By Laarni Magdamo

Friends in Christ,

A few weeks ago, we passed through the stable of Bethlehem. We also passed and wept beneath the shadow of the cross during Lent, and we felt the fiery winds of Pentecost last Sunday. Today, we are gathered to reflect on the peak of the liturgical year: the Holy Trinity. The Church asks us to look not just at what God has done, but at WHO GOD IS.

Holy Trinity

The English word ‘Trinity’ comes from the Latin word ‘Trinitas’. Tri (from tres, meaning three) and ‘unitas’ (from unus, meaning one or unity). Literally, Trinity therefore means three-in-one. It is a hybrid word specifically invented to express a complex paradox: three distinct entities existing as a single, inseparable unit.

It was Tertullian, a brilliant Christian lawyer and writer living in Carthage (modern-day Tunisia), who invented and was the first to use the word ‘Trinity’ around 200 AD. He used it to fight against the early heresies facing the Church. He also gave us the phrase: “One substance, three persons” (substantia, tres personae).

Arguments Against the Holy Trinity

The Church has suffered from major figures and groups who argued against the Holy Trinity right from the Roman Era (Sabellius 215 AD, Arius 318 AD), the Reformation Era (Michael Servetus 1531 AD, Faustus Socinus 1570 AD), and the Modern Era (John Biddle, Theophilus Lindsey 1774 AD) down to the present day.

Trinity in the Scripture

There are several powerful moments where all three Persons of the Godhead appear simultaneously and in action together.

  • The Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:16–17) — The Clear Visual All three Persons are distinct and active at the exact same moment:

    "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"

    • The Son (Jesus): Standing in the Jordan River, being baptized.

    • The Holy Spirit: Descending physically from heaven in the likeness of a dove to anoint Jesus.

    • The Father: Speaking audibly from heaven, declaring His pleasure in the Son.

  • The Creation of the World (Genesis 1:1–3, 26) — The Beginning Right from the opening verses of Genesis, God reveals Himself in plurality and collaborative action:

    "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light'..." Later in verse 26: "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness...'"

    • The Father: The ultimate source of creation, speaking the divine command.

    • The Holy Spirit: Active and moving ("hovering") over the face of the waters, bringing order to chaos.

    • The Son (The Word): God spoke creation into existence. John 1:1–3 confirms that Jesus is the Word through whom all things were made.

  • The Incarnation of Christ — The Announcement When the angel Gabriel explains to Mary how she will conceive the Savior, he explicitly maps out a unified, triune operation:

    Luke 1:35: "The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'"

    • The Father ("The Most High"): The one whose power overshadows Mary.

    • The Holy Spirit: The active agent who comes upon Mary to miraculously conceive the child.

    • The Son: The holy one who is born into the flesh.

  • The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) Before ascending to heaven, Jesus gives His disciples their ultimate marching orders, sealing the identity of God in a singular "name" shared by three Persons:

    "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

    • The Action: Notice that Jesus uses the singular word "name," not the plural "names." This beautifully highlights the theological truth of the Trinity: three distinct Persons, but one unified divine identity and authority.

The Gospel

Jesus presented to us the ultimate summary of the universe in three brief verses in John 3:16–18. Can you see the divine choreography of this text? It is a three-fold movement of absolute giving. This GIFT is orchestrated by the Divine Holy Trinity.

Many saints wrote extensively about the Trinity. Most prominent among them was St. Patrick, who used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. St. Augustine wrote a beautiful masterpiece, “De Trinitate”, noting that the best way to understand the Trinity is to look at the concept of love (the same Love that the Gospel speaks of today). He noted that for Love to exist, it requires a relationship: the Father is the Lover, the Son is the Beloved, and the Holy Spirit is the Love itself. Other saints, like St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John of Damascus, echoed this profound mystery.

Furthermore, to help illustrate the Trinity, let us look at water. Chemically speaking, water consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. Yet, in its physical expression, it manifests itself in three distinct forms: liquid, solid, and gas (water, ice, and steam). Scientists call these the states of matter. In all three forms, it remains water—ice is the same substance as liquid water, and liquid water is the same as steam. None is greater than the other. In the same way, God is essentially one being called God, but in manifestation, exists as three Persons. They are co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent.

Finally, if you try to understand the Trinity completely, you will lose your mind; but if you deny it, you will lose your soul. The Holy Trinity is a great mystery—not a puzzle to be solved by the fragile tools of human logic, but a divine reality to be adored.

Fr. Emmanuel Tochukwu Igwe, HFFBY‍ ‍(The Voice in the Wilderness) Assistant Parish Priest, St. Ambrose Barlow

Laarni Magdamo
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Pentecost Sunday 2026