Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. The Most Holy Trinity is an eternal exchange of life-giving love. Throughout history, God has shown humanity His selfless love. Christ has revealed the Father’s love in the power of the Holy Spirit. He has shown us the inner life of the Holy Trinity: a communion of persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Church is also a community of persons that shares in God’s Trinitarian life and love.[1]
Marriage is a metaphor for God’s self-giving love. It is also a participation in it. Like all sacraments, Matrimony draws husbands and wives more deeply into the Trinitarian life of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit” (CCC, 2205).
In marriage man and woman together image the Holy Trinity: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). It is important to note that “man” in Hebrew is “adam” which is both singular and plural. The second creation story in Genesis 2 explains how this apparent contradiction can be: “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Gen 2:24).
God is most fully imaged by the one-flesh union of man and woman in the Sacrament of Marriage. Both maleness and femaleness have their role in imaging God. Husband and wife image God by representing His permanent, exclusive covenant relationship with His people. They also image the Trinity’s fruitful love because when husband and wife are united as one in the marital embrace, their love can produce a third person, a child.
Have you thought of your marriage as an image of the Holy Trinity? By living out your marriage according to God’s plan, you are reflecting the total, permanent, exclusive, and fruitful love of the Most Holy Trinity. Ask God to fill you with this life-giving love so that it may shine forth from your marriage to enlighten a world which is confused on the meaning of marriage and has lost sight of the love of God for His people.
[1] United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pastor Letter Marriage – Life and Love in the Divine Plan (Washington, D.C. USCCB, 2009), p. 35-37.
Calling Couples to Christ 
Hello! I am a student at a liberal arts school, and I am writing a paper on, “what it means to be human.” As I pondered this broad question, I thought about marriage reflecting the Trinity. As this is a research paper and not opinion, I had to find something that was interesting, and something I possess almost no prior knowledge of the subject. I came across this page in my research, and was wondering if you could direct me to the book(s), that were used to compose this piece, or other books that could be recommended. I hope this finds you well!
God bless,
Nate Landrum
New Saint Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho.
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Hello Nathan!
Thank you for your interest in marriage as an image of the Holy Trinity. One of the sources we cited in the post is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pastoral on Letter Marriage – Life and Love in the Divine Plan (Washington, D.C. USCCB, 2009), p. 35-37. Here is a link to a PDF of the document: https://www.usccb.org/resources/pastoral-letter-marriage-love-and-life-in-the-divine-plan.pdf We also cited the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” paragraph 2205. Here is a link to this section of the “Catechism:” http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a4.htm#2205.
Hope that helps. Prayers for your paper!
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Hello Nathan,
I thought I just sent a reply to you. But I don’t see it here. If you didn’t receive it, please contact me at jeremiah2911@comcast.net.
Thank you!
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