The Mystery of the Trinity Part 5

Part 5: Missions and Revelation of the Trinity

So far in this series, we have looked deeply into the inner life of God. We have seen how the Son proceeds eternally from the Father by way of intellect, and how the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son by way of love. These immanent processions occur eternally within the divine essence.

But how do we, as creatures in time, come to know this? The answer lies in what are called the divine missions. A mission is not a change in God, but the temporal appearance of an eternal truth. It is how God reveals, in time, what has always been true about His eternal life.

What Is a Mission?

In theology, a mission is the sending of a divine person into the world for a specific purpose. A mission is not a change in the person being sent. It is a new way of being present—not new to God, but new to us.

For example, when the Son becomes incarnate in the womb of Mary, He is not becoming something He was not. He is not changing in Himself. But He becomes present in time and space in a new way: through a human nature. Likewise, when the Holy Spirit is poured out at Pentecost, He does not begin to exist, but He becomes present in a new way: through grace in the Church.

These temporal missions correspond to the eternal processions. The Father sends the Son into the world because the Son is eternally begotten. The Father and the Son send the Spirit because the Spirit eternally proceeds from both. The missions reveal the processions.

The Mission of the Son

The clearest mission is that of the Son, who is sent by the Father and becomes man. This is the mystery of the Incarnation. The eternal Word takes on human nature and dwells among us.

This mission reveals the eternal relationship of paternity and filiation. The Father sends the Son, and the Son, though equal in divinity, obeys the Father in His human nature. We see this especially at Jesus’ baptism and in His prayer to the Father. These are not signs of inequality in divinity, but of real personal distinction and love.

By becoming man, the Son reveals the Father and invites us into the divine life. He is not a created intermediary, but the eternal Word made flesh.

The Mission of the Spirit

After the Resurrection, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, the Spirit descends upon the Church—not as a symbol or energy, but as a divine person who gives life, sanctifies, and dwells in the hearts of believers.

This mission corresponds to the eternal spiration of the Spirit from the Father and the Son. The Spirit is sent not by command or delegation, but by eternal origin. As the bond of love between the Father and the Son, He is poured out into the world to unite the Church to Christ.

The Spirit's mission is often invisible, dwelling in the soul through grace, but it can also be manifest, as at Pentecost or in the gifts and fruits of the Spirit. Wherever the Spirit is present, He draws us into communion with the Father through the Son.

Visible and Invisible Missions

The missions of the Son and Spirit can be either visible or invisible:

• The visible mission of the Son is His Incarnation.

• The visible mission of the Spirit includes Pentecost and other signs of His presence.

• Invisible missions include the coming of the Spirit into the soul through sanctifying grace or the indwelling presence of the Trinity in those who love God.

These missions are temporal effects of eternal truths. They allow us to encounter the Trinity not just in doctrine, but in experience.

Why It Matters

The missions of the Son and the Spirit show us that:

• God acts in history—not to change Himself, but to change us.

• The Trinity is not a distant idea, but the reality behind all of salvation.

• The Gospel is Trinitarian: the Father sends the Son and the Spirit, and through them, we are brought into the life of God.

This changes how we see the Church, the sacraments, and even our own prayer. When we are baptized, we are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The life of the Trinity is not far from us. It is the life we are called to share.

Looking Ahead

In the final part of this series, we will examine Trinitarian heresies, both ancient and modern. Many errors arise from misunderstanding the very truths we have explored: God's unity, the equality of persons, and the eternal nature of the processions. A clear view of the truth helps us avoid confusion and preserve the faith handed down by the Church.

“No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known.”—John 1:18