As we approach Holy week and the Easter season, it is important to meditate on the love that is revealed through the Trinity. The Holy Trinity is both the foundation and the ultimate goal of all theological understanding—it both informs and is further revealed through other aspects of faith.
By Kaitlyn Boyd
10 April 2025
The Catechism states: “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them” (CCC #234).
Every mystery, theme, or dimension of the faith is ultimately rooted in and illuminated by the mystery of the Trinity. Since the Trinity is described as “the source of all other mysteries of faith” (CCC #234), any chosen mystery must be understood in relation to the triune nature of God.
There is a reciprocal relationship present, one of love. Not only does the Trinity enlighten other mysteries, but it deepens one’s understanding of these mysteries and can, in turn, provide greater insight into the Trinity. This makes it evident that every experience of God is Trinitarian, even if not explicitly recognized.
One significant theme is the mystery of salvation. The Catechism identifies the Triune God in relation to us, particularly in the context of salvation. Here, it is important to distinguish between the Immanent Trinity (God existing eternally in intercommunion of persons) and the Economic Trinity (God as we experience him in the economy or plan of salvation within the world). The Economic Trinity, being clearer for us, reveals how God shares Himself with us through the missions of the Son and the Spirit, thus inviting us into the inner life of God.
By focusing on the Trinity, we gain a deeper understanding of salvation as not merely a historical event but as an ongoing invitation to participate in the divine life. The Trinity, as the source of all mysteries, illuminates the mystery of salvation by showing that it is rooted in the eternal love and communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, this understanding of salvation can lead us into a deeper perception of the Trinity itself. As we experience God’s salvific actions, we are drawn into the dynamic relationship of the Trinity, experiencing firsthand the love and communion that define God’s very being. This relational experience helps us to appreciate the mystery of the Trinity, not as an abstract doctrine, but as a lived reality that shapes our faith and life.
Looking more closely at salvation, we see that salvation Originates in the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together in the economy of salvation (meaning they work together for the good of the world). The Father wills salvation, the Son accomplishes it through His death and resurrection, and the Holy Spirit applies it to believers.
John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
This shows that the Father initiates salvation by sending the Son out of love.
In Ephesians 1:3-6 we read: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he[a] predestined us for adoption to sonship[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
Paul describes how the Father chose us for salvation before the foundation of the world, revealing the divine plan of salvation rooted in the Trinity.
In looking more closely at the role of each ‘Person’ in Salvation, we see a relational process. The Trinity clarifies salvation as a relational process. The Father sends the Son out of love for the world. The Son, in turn, redeems humanity through His sacrifice. The Holy Spirit sanctifies and leads believers into the fullness of salvation. When approaching the Trinity from a view of salvation, there is a similar relational process.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 states: “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Here we can see how the Father wills salvation for humanity.
Romans 5:8 states: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The Son accomplishes salvation.
Romans 8:11 states: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[a] his Spirit who lives in you.” The Holy Spirit applies salvation, working through humanity.
The Trinity then becomes a model of both triune nature and relationship, but also a model of Divine Love in Salvation. The mystery of salvation is understood better when seen through the lens of the Trinity’s perfect unity and love. Salvation is not just an individual event but an invitation into the divine life of the Trinity.
John 17:21-23 states: “That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
We see here how salvation is not just an individual event, but an invitation into the divine love of the Trinity.
Similarly, Galatians 4:6 writes: “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, [a] Father.’”
Salvation makes us children of God, drawn into the life of the Father, Son, and Spirit. As children of God, we too are invited into this relationship of love.
The mystery of the Trinity enlightens our understanding of the mystery of salvation by revealing it as an invitation to participate in the divine life. This, in turn, deepens our perception of the Trinity as we experience the relational and communal nature of God’s salvific actions. By reflecting on salvation, believers can grow in their understanding of the Trinity. Recognizing how God acts in salvation history deepens faith in the eternal relationships within the Trinity itself.
As we approach Holy Week, we must recall the Trinity acting within the Salvation of humanity, reflecting on the unity of the Trinity in the life of believers, confirming salvation to be an act of relational love, and a Trinitarian act.
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