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Holy Trinity

The Mystery of Eternal Love: A Retreat Guide on the Blessed Trinity

/ Retreat Guides, Thematic

According to Pope Benedict XVI, as human beings, we have imprinted upon our spiritual DNA a profound mark of the Trinity, of God as Love. For we are created in the image and likeness of God, and, as the First Letter of John puts it, “God is love.” But who is this God in whose image we’re created? What difference does it make to say God is a Trinity of Persons? What kind of relationship can we have with the Blessed Trinity? These questions are central to any Christian’s life. In this Retreat Guide on the Blessed Trinity, The Mystery of Eternal Love, we’ll contemplate exactly that.

  • In the First Meditation, we’ll consider what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about the Blessed Trinity. We’ll also examine the experience of two friends of God to help guide us deeper into the mystery.
  • In the Second Meditation, we’ll look at the response of Abraham, our father in faith, to the “Theophany” at Mamre in the book of Genesis.
  • And finally, the Conference will explore Saint John Paul II’s teaching on the Trinitarian shape of prayer, helped by one of the greatest icons in Russian history. We’ll draw out some practical applications for our own lives, as we seek to live in the light of this tremendous mystery of love in whose image we are created.

We are excited to share with you an improved version of this Retreat Guide. It is now available for purchase as a booklet on Amazon. The booklet journal includes the entire text for each meditation, conference, and reflection questions by Fr. John Pietropaoli, LC along with space for taking notes and journaling. We hope it helps to further open your heart to Christ.

 
Retreat Guide Video Update! Here is what is new and improved:
  • The introduction and meditations are now available as ONE video. Pause at anytime or click ahead to watch the next meditation.
  • The Personal Questionnaire/Group discussion questions are available in the Companion Guide Book or Small Group Companion Guide. Either download the PDF Companion Guide Book or purchase it. The Companion Guide Book is available for purchase from Amazon. Pause the video at any moment to go to the Companion Guide Book or continue to the next meditation.

Let’s begin by turning to the Holy Spirit, and humbly asking him to guide us in this Retreat.

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“Ask a Priest: Who Is the Holy Spirit?”

/ Ask a Priest, God
Q: I really don’t understand the Holy Spirit. Would you please discuss that? -S.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: Your question touches on the Trinity, the core mystery of the Christian faith. The glossary of the Catechism defines “Trinity” like this:

“The mystery of one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The revealed truth of the Holy Trinity is at the very root of the Church’s living faith as expressed in the Creed. The mystery of the Trinity in itself is inaccessible to the human mind and is the object of faith only because it was revealed by Jesus Christ, the divine Son of the eternal Father.”

That reference to “three Persons” can confuse us. As humans, we hear “three Persons” and might be tempted to think of three people crammed into a phone booth. It is not like that with the Trinity; no one is “crammed together” into one God.

When we speak of a “Person” in God we mean, in technical language, a subsistent relation. Each Person in the Trinity is a real relation, distinct from one another, and each Person is God. Make sense? Don’t worry if it doesn’t – it is a mystery beyond our comprehension.

So what about the Holy Spirit in particular? The glossary of the Catechism gives this definition of “Holy Spirit”:

“The third divine Person of the Blessed Trinity, the personal love of Father and Son for each other. Also called the Paraclete (Advocate) and Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit is at work with the Father and the Son from the beginning to the completion of the divine plan for our salvation.”

The Holy Spirit is especially mysterious. Scripture speaks of him “descending like a dove” (Matthew 3:16) at Jesus’ baptism. At Pentecost the presence of the Spirit is expressed by a “strong driving wind” and “tongues as of fire” (see Acts 2:2-3).

A dove, wind, tongues as of fire – those are images that are not easy to attach to a divine Person. Indeed, they seem to accentuate his mysteriousness.

Let’s try to think of God like this. God is pure intellect. What does an intellect do? It thinks a thought. What does God think about? He thinks about himself. And God’s thought is so perfect that it is a divine Person: the Son. The Son “looks” at his Father (the first Person of the Trinity) and the Father looks at the Son, and the love between them is so perfect that it too is a Person: the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the bond of love between the Father and the Son.

The Father begets the Son, but the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (“filioque,” in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed).

To add one more level of mystery, this dynamic among the three Persons doesn’t happen “in time.” Rather, it occurs from all eternity. There was never a moment when the Father was alone, or when the Father and the Son were alone together. The three divine Persons exist from all eternity. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God.

Now, let’s shift to us. That love of God, the Spirit, is the one who inspires us, moves us, sanctifies us. He comes to us at baptism and confirmation in a special way. For more reading, see the Catechism, Nos. 687-701, or this article at Catholic Answers.

Or, if you are a visual learner, you might enjoy watching these video meditations about the Holy Spirit made by my friend and colleague, Father John Bartunek, LC: “Unleashing the Power of Pentecost: A Retreat Guide on the Holy Spirit”.

This attempt at an answer is only the tip of an infinitely deep subject. Rest assured, though, that when you feel inspired to pray or do works of charity, that it is the Holy Spirit at work in you. He is that close … and that mysterious. I hope this helps. God bless.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!