Why the Holy Trinity Can Help You Find Your Spouse

In our world today where many are trying to find, figure out, or live their vocations; we are in need of light and guidance. We often wonder, “Where can we look for help?” The Church gives us this guidance by telling us to look at God which is why she celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.  Yes, the way that we can understand, find, and live out our vocations is by looking at the Most Holy Trinity.

Let me explain a little bit more.  Scripture tells us that man is made in “the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1:26). An image is something that bears the resemblance of the thing it mirrors. So through our vocations, we mirror God since, “Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made” (Romans 1:20). Our vocations show us something about God and by reflecting on God; we are inspired to be more of ourselves. As St. Paul tells us, “Everyone should live as the Lord has assigned, just as God called each one” (1Corinthians 7:17). So let us look briefly at the vocations God has called us to and see how they image God while simultaneously learn about ourselves.

Single life 

We will look at is the single life first. It is the life that all of us are born into and some are called to continue for life. We can see why once we realize how it mirrors the Trinity. In the Trinity, we see that God first reveals Himself as One. He emphasizes that as a single God, there is a single place that His people should have for Him (see Deut. 6:4-9). God also reveals however, that each Person has a unique purpose in Himself as well as in time (missions).

The Father is not the Son or the Holy Spirit, the Son is not the Father or Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. This Trinitarian lesson shows us that we must fundamentally be firm in who we are as persons, before we can change history. The unique missions of each of the Persons of the Trinity show this. The Father does not have a mission in the strict sense since He is not sent (from the Latin “missio” meaning sent); but He is uniquely the origin of all that the Trinity does (starts with the Father, through the Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit).

Then the Father sends the Son to redeem mankind, while sending the "Holy Spirit, whom Christ the head pours out on his members, [to] build, animate, and sanctify the Church. She is the sacrament of the Holy Trinity's communion with men” (CCC, 747).

So what does God’s inner life teach us about embracing the single life?

St. Paul tells us, “The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord” (1Cor. 7:32). Just as each person in the Trinity is single so they can be “anxious” to do the things of the Lord (God); so too those called to the single life can be “anxious” about doing the things of God and find fulfillment through this purpose. We must embrace our single life, either temporarily or permanently so that we can focus on doing “the will of the Father” and thus live out our calling to become part of the family of God. St. Paul emphasizes this:

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8: 14-16).

Jesus says simply, “For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matt. 12:50).

Consecrated life

This brings us to the vocation of consecrated life. Broadly speaking, these are people who give themselves completely to God in a particular way. This includes all those who take religious vows (friars, monks, sisters, nuns), clergy who take promises to serve the Church (deacons, priests, and bishops), as well as lay consecrated virgins. All of these reflect the consecration of the Trinity because being consecrated reflects love, which in return, demands sacrifice. This sacrifice is intrinsically part of the Trinity because, “God is love” (1Jn. 4:8).

We see that the Son consecrates Himself to the Father’s will by praying in the Our Father, “Thy will be done” (Matt. 6:10). Jesus says this specifically, “I cannot do anything on my own; …because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me” (Jn. 5:30).

The Holy Spirit also demonstrates this consecration to the Son and Father, “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears” (Jn. 16:13). He does not speak on His own, but speaks what the Father and Son send Him to say.  Thus, through the Blessed Trinity’s example of consecration, sacrifice, and abandonment to simply self-will; they show us through the vocation of consecrated life we are called to give our entire self to God in order to do His work.

They follow Jesus’ example who said, “And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth” (Jn. 17:19). This truth is that we are not made simply for this life, but the next.  This is why Moses tells us:

This is why you must now acknowledge, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. And you must keep his statutes and commandments which I command you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever (Deut. 4: 39-40)

In truth, we are made not just for temporary happiness, but an everlasting prosperous life because we are doing the will of God; thus living as the family of God. The truth of this promise however, is based on sacrifice. St. Paul tells us this:

The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him (Rom. 8:16-17).

The consecrated life reflects the Trinity by reminding us that to find true happiness, we must be willing to suffer with the Lord or to sacrifice.

Married life

Finally, we come to married life. This is the vocation most of are called and this too is connected to the inner life of God. In marriage the “two become one” (Matt. 19:5); thus there is a co-union with each other and so is called a family community. This reflects the Trinity as there is an inseparable unity between the Three Divine Persons; a Tri-unity, or Trinity.

The Tri-unity (Trinity) of God is reflected in the Tri-unity of man, woman, and the fruit of their love (usually children, but this fruit is still present if the couple is unable to have children through no fault of their own). Every time we see a family; we should see a tri-unity of persons, and so be reminded of the inner life of the Blessed Trinity.

Thus, in conclusion we see that the Church gives us the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity to celebrate the answer and foundation of our vocations. God is One and each Person in the Trinity has its own special work/mission. God also shows through His consecration that we must learn to sacrifice.

Finally, we see that God is a Tri-unity of love. All of these Divine attributes are shown through our vocations and teach us valuable lessons.

The single life is necessary for us to realize the uniqueness of each person and their mission.

The consecrated life reflects that in following our special work/mission, we are promised eternal fulfillment on the condition that we learn how to sacrifice since love demands sacrifice.

Finally, marriage shows us that the Trinity of God is seen in the tri-unity of married life.

All vocations have their origins in God because they are meant to be pathways to Him. This is something we need to remember when trying to find, understand, or live out our vocation.  Like St. Therese of Lisieux, we must all say, “Our vocation is love” because God is love (1Jn. 4:8)! Thus, in Divine Love, we find a reason to celebrate.

May Mary, Queen of Vocations, help us celebrate this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and remember that in this celebration, we authentically celebrate love, life, and understand the happiness we were made for!