Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we invite you to contemplate Andrei Rublev’s Trinity icon (found on the cover of this week’s bulletin). Though based on the story of the three angelic visitors to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18, Rublev’s icon moves beyond the narrative, depicting a symbolic and theological vision of the Triune God seated in perfect communion.

Each of the three angelic figures is clothed in garments of deep symbolic meaning. The figure on the left, traditionally interpreted as the Father, wears a robe of shimmering light, suggestive of the  unapproachable mystery of God. The central figure, representing the Son, wears both blue and reddish-brown garments, symbolizing divinity and humanity, and gestures toward the chalice, a foreshadowing of the Eucharistic sacrifice. The figure on the right, the Holy Spirit, wears green, the color of life and renewal, reflecting the Spirit’s work in creation and sanctification.

The architecture, tree, and mountain in the background also speak volumes. Behind the Father is a house, pointing to the heavenly dwelling place of God (Psalm 23:6) with many rooms (John 14:2). Behind the Son is the tree, symbolizing both the oak of Mamre and the wood of the Cross. Behind the Spirit rises a mountain, a traditional symbol of spiritual ascent and transformation. These background elements are not mere decoration. They anchor the mystery of the Trinity in salvation history and invite us to journey more deeply into divine life.

At the center of the icon is the table, shaped like an altar, with a chalice, an unmistakable reference to the Eucharist and the sacrifice of Christ. It reminds us that the Trinity’s love is not distant or abstract but made visible and accessible to us in the sacrifice of Christ. Through the Eucharist, we are drawn into the very life of the Trinity. The open space at the front of the table, where there is no visible fourth figure, is often interpreted as an invitation: we are being drawn into the circle of divine love, into the life of the Trinity.

As Catholics, the Trinity is not only a doctrine but the very pattern of our lives. We are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We live, pray, and love in the life of the Triune God. Rublev’s icon reminds us that this mystery is not meant to be solved but entered into with reverence, humility, and awe. On this solemn feast, let us be reminded that the Trinity is not an abstract concept but the living God who invites us into communion with His very self.