On Holy Trinity Sunday, the Church raises her eyes to the greatest of mysteries: one God, three Persons, an eternal communion of selfgiving love. Our late Pope Francis called the Trinity “a communion of divine persons who are one with the other, one for the other, one in the other.” That rhythm—with, for, in—is not heavenly poetry alone. It is the blueprint for every Christian community and, in a special way, for every family.
In many parts of the world, the third Sunday of June is celebrated as Father’s Day. The calendar’s juxtaposition is more than convenient; it is catechetical. Right from the start of scripture, God presents himself as Father. So, being a father is more than just biological, it’s a calling to reflect the caring love of God the Father. Pope St. John Paul II called every dad to “reveal and relive on earth the very fatherhood of God.”
Pope Francis elaborated that “Every family needs a father who shares in its joy and pain, and waits for his children when they come home after failing.” Such patience is not weakness. It is Trinitarian strength translated into everyday flesh. Such words resonate more than ever in a culture tempted either to idolise autonomy or to dismiss fathers as optional extras.
To be a dad is to mirror, however imperfectly, the outwardpressing love of the Trinity—“one for the other.” Fatherhood, says St. John Paul, is a calling to “reveal and relive on earth the very fatherhood of God.” Biology may begin the story, but only generous, daily self-sacrifice completes it. When a dad kneels beside a child’s bed and signs the cross “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” he plants Trinitarian life in the soil of the ordinary. That small liturgy may be the moment a child first senses the beauty of divine communion.
St. Joseph stands out as an example. Facing an unexpected pregnancy and social turmoil, he chose faithfulness, not flight. He welcomed life, safeguarded mother and Child, and heeded God’s unsettling guidance. In him, modern fathers can see both their fears and their way forward. When a father is present—offering encouragement, provision, and prayer—the mother is strengthened and the child more easily accepted. When a father steps back, the whole family suffers.
Today, as we sign ourselves “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” let us remember that the very gesture summons us into relationship. It calls biological fathers to protect life from conception, spiritual fathers to guide souls, and every believer to foster familial bonds reflecting Trinitarian communion. Let us pray through St. Joseph that men who hesitate may find courage, that men who wound may seek mercy, and that men who strive may persevere. And let us thank God for the fathers—living and deceased—whose steadfast love has made His love believable.
May this Holy Trinity Sunday and Father’s Day renew our awe before the source of fatherhood and kindle in every dad the grace to be, in the words of Pope Francis, a “tender protector” who never abandons his own. Jose, CMF
