The Trinity is the cornerstone of all the other fundamental elements of our consecration in the Arnoldine family of SVD, SSpS and SSpSAP. For it is only from the Trinitarian love which is glimpsed in the divine mission that we can understand the root of our mission, participation and incorporation in it. That is why all ecclesial activity begins by invoking the Holy Trinity. The inter-trinitarian love relationship for the sake of love is the foundation of our faith and daily life.

Fr. Arnold went through three great periods of deepening, namely on the Sacred Heart (1865-1875), on the Divine Word (1875-1884) and on the Holy Spirit (1884-1909). All three remained important throughout the Founder’s life. The Universal Church then was also beginning to study more deeply the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity in this last century. Obviously, the initial love of all this would have led Fr. Founder for having listened daily to the reading of the prologue of St. John in family prayer. The terminology of light appears seven times, and twice as a pronoun in the prologue. It makes me think that this is what inspired the Founder to compose the ejaculatory prayer “May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace, and may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all”.

Divine light is the beginning and transformation of initial chaos in Creation and the harmony of Trinitarian communion in all. The Founder’s personal interest in understanding, as far as possible, of the Holy Trinity, elaborated mainly by St. Thomas Aquinas, could be said bearded fruit in the founding and life of the mission house. Fr. Arnold’s theological understanding of the Holy Trinity was influenced above all by his personal study of Matthias Scheeben (died 1888), the greatest dogmatist of the 19th century. (Cf. Scheeben, M., The Mysteries of Christianity, Herder Co. London, 1951). It is an invitation for us to pray and love the Trinitarian mystery and not to dismiss it as a dogmatic subject far-off to our reasoning, and to our life and mission.

What makes Scheeben’s understanding stand out is the profound vision of the mysteries of faith from the center of the Trinity and the Incarnation as the expansion of supernatural life from the bosom of the Holy Trinity, reflected in the whole of Creation. The influence of the great theologian highlighted in the life of our Founder, includes several elements, namely: the acceptance of the Trinity as the primary and essential principle of Christian faith; the understanding of the essence of God internally as self-communication and externally in God’s Creation, Incarnation and sanctifying grace. It speaks of a vocation of human beings to participate in God’s nature and divinity. Therein also lies the deep foundation of ecological spirituality, a characteristic and congregational dimension of JPIC.

Communication engenders communion and hypostatic union. This is what our Founder understood from the supernatural communication of the holy Trinity, imparted by the mentioned famous theologian. The Incarnation is a manifestation of communication of Trinitarian love and harmonious communion. There too we still have much to learn about communication and communion in community life in the digital age where we are all connected and perhaps without deep communication. For holy Trinitarian union and communion inspire us with the fraternity that is glimpsed concretely in the real life of our communities and with other international members. This understanding that communication engenders communion, union in life and shared mission is what sustains us in all our activities.

May the Holy Trinity live in our hearts for our community, fraternal and real life!

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Saju George Aruvelil, SVD is from India. He is one of the first OTP who has gone to Argentina. He finished his theological studies for the priesthood also there. He then began his service in the education field in our SVD institutions. He obtained a licentiate in Spirituality from Pontifical University of Comillas, Madrid. He also holds a doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical University of Argentina, Buenos Aires. He also helps in the formation of laity and religious candidates. He gives retreats and leads workshops, seminars, etc. He has a radio program and writes in a local newspaper. At present he is a promoter of Laudato Si Movement for caring for the Earth together with his parish priestly pastoral activities.