We all make the Sign of the Cross. Some make it very carefully, like they’ve just learned how to do it and want to do it right. Some make it like they’re brushing away a mosquito. Eastern Christians go the opposite way on the crossbar, from right to left. Whichever way it’s done, we go from Father to Son to Holy Spirit. But, when you come to think of it, the Holy Spirit really comes first, because without the Holy Spirit we wouldn’t even know about the Sign of Cross, much less try to do it.

In his letter to the Romans St Paul says, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except through the Holy Spirit.” It is because of the Holy Spirit that we can believe in Jesus. Jesus himself said, “After I depart, the Spirit will come and guide you to observe all I have taught you.” Probably the greatest thing that Jesus has taught us was to address God as “Father.” So there you have the Holy Trinity in a nutshell, as it were: the Holy Spirit teaching us to call Jesus “Lord,” and Jesus teaching us to call God our “Father.”

Jesus gave us a new image of God. The God that the Old Testament writers grasped was the all-powerful Creator with a mixture of love and punishment. That verse from today’s first reading captures the image of God as love: “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” But there are also passages where God is portrayed as a harsh judge condemning his people for worshipping false idols made of wood or metal. But Jesus gives us new insight into God. Jesus assures us that God is always ABBA = FATHER.

That’s the way he prayed: “Father, forgive them.” “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” And he taught us to do the same, saying “Our Father, who art in heaven…” We can recall also the image Jesus gave us of the father of the prodigal son welcoming back his stray son without making him feel guilty or embarrassed. We may fall or fail, but God does not give up on us. He does not focus on our past, our past mistakes, but on our present, our present heart. And this is a model for us. Jesus told us to “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful.” So it is thanks to Jesus’ image of God as Father and thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit that we received the gift of faith in the Trinity from our parents or from those who led us to the faith.

The Father is giver, the Son is gift, and the Spirit enables us to receive this gift. Everything begins with the loving action of the Father, who loves the world so much “that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” We respond to this love by sharing the same love and generosity and compassion that we have received. As St Paul says in today’s second reading: “Encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

I have said this before and maybe some of you remember. I like to compare Jesus to a triangular prism. When you shine a white light through a prism, it shows up in various colors on the other side. When the blinding light of God shines through Jesus, we see the three colors: Father, Son, and Spirit. We relate to each of these personally—to the Spirit dwelling in us, to the Son whom the Spirit tells us to call “Lord,” and to the Father whom the Son tells us to call “Father” because we are his children.

The interpersonal relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit is a model for our human relationships. Pope Leo in his recent encyclical for this age of A.I. reminds us to cherish the basic interpersonal relationships of our Magnificent Humanity. We pray that through our relationships and our witness to Jesus, more and more people can come to know God as Father, accept Jesus as our Lord, and receive the Spirit in inner and outward profession of faith.