Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Imagine going to a play. The stage is set with simplicity. There are no elaborate props—just three characters. The first is the lover. The second is the one who is loved. And the third? Well, the third is an intriguing character too. Find out how this three character drama impacts your life.
The first character was the Lover, the second was the Beloved, and the third is Love itself, flowing between them, connecting them so deeply that they seem inseparable.
Now imagine that this is not just any story. This is the story behind every story! It is the divine drama of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And you and I were created out of this love and invited to step into it.
Throughout Christian history, theologians have tried to put into words the mystery of the Trinity. One God, three Persons. Not three gods. Not one God with three masks. But one divine essence, eternally shared among three co-equal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
One of the most beautiful explanations comes from St. Augustine, who lived over 1,600 years ago. In his great work De Trinitate (On the Trinity), Augustine reflects on how the Trinity is reflected in us—because we are made in God’s image. He suggests that just as God exists in a relationship of love, so too do we mirror that in our own minds and hearts.
Augustine offers this profound analogy: within every human person, there is memory, understanding, and will. We remember ourselves. We understand ourselves. We love ourselves. These three are distinct, but they are not separate—we are one person. In the same way (though infinitely more perfectly), God the Father is the source, the one who loves. The Son is the Beloved, the Word, begotten from the Father. And the Holy Spirit is the Love proceeding from both Father and Son, uniting them in perfect relationship.
Some theologians throughout history have used the language of a divine play to explain this relationship of love that exists within the Blessed Trinity. But this image and this message isn’t just for scholars. This is a message for you and me. Because we were not only made by this Trinity of love—we were made for it. We were made to enter into this relationship. Jesus prayed to His Father, “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us…” (John 17:21). This is our destiny.
When we begin to understand this, everything changes. The Christian life isn’t just about believing in a distant God. It’s about living in communion with a God who is a relationship of love. And we are most ourselves, not when we achieve or perform, but when we live in that love, reflect it, and share it.
So how do we do that?
St. Augustine would say: begin with the heart. Begin with self-knowledge—what he called notitia sui. Know yourself. Reflect on your life. Recognize the ways you remember, understand, and love. And through that, allow God to show you the deeper image within: His own Trinitarian life mirrored in you.
It’s in this quiet inner place that we come to know, not only ourselves, but the God who knows us better than we know ourselves. And from there, we’re called to reflect that love outward—to become, as Augustine might say, icons of the Trinity in the world.
So, the next time we’re feeling alone, uncertain, or disconnected, we should remember the play. Remember the Father who loves, the Son who is loved, and the Spirit who is Love itself. And remember this: each of us is written into this story, not as a spectator, but as a participant.
We must allow ourselves to be drawn into that divine drama. It is the only story where love never ends and love never fails.
Heavenly Father, thank you for calling me into your life of love. Help me always to love as you love me. Help me to reflect your love in everything I do. Amen!
AMDG
I always love to hear from you. You can email me by clicking here.
Please take a moment to share your thoughts about today’s message below.
- A Love Drama - November 2, 2025
- Catching Peak Color- The Seasons of Spiritual Life - October 27, 2025
- Calming The Monkey - October 19, 2025
