The Trinity: Connected to the Ocean of God

A beautiful legend attributed to St. Augustine tells of a day when he was reflecting on the mystery of the Holy Trinity. As he walked along the seashore, he saw a child trying to pour the ocean into a small hole in the sand. Augustine said, “That is impossible. The ocean is too vast, and the hole is too small.” The child replied that it would be even more impossible for Augustine to fully grasp the mystery of the Triune God with his limited mind.

The story reminds us that the Trinity is not a puzzle to be solved but a mystery to be entered. God cannot be reduced to our small categories. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not an idea we master, but a communion of love into which we are invited.

Yet, perhaps we can extend the image. We cannot pour the ocean into the hole. But we can connect the hole to the ocean by making a small canal. The hole still does not contain the ocean, but it is no longer separated from it. Fresh water flows in and out. It remains alive because it remains connected.

This is a beautiful image for the spiritual life. We may never fully understand God, but we can remain connected to God. Every prayer, every act of love, every moment of silence, every experience of forgiveness becomes a small inflow from the ocean of divine life.

Psychologists Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt describe awe as the experience of standing before something vast that stretches our understanding. Awe humbles us, but it also opens us. It teaches us that reality is larger than our control.

The Trinity invites this kind of awe. We do not need to empty the ocean of God into our minds. We need to keep the canal open. And as we remain connected, the ocean of God keeps refreshing the small shore of our lives.

We cannot contain the ocean of God, but we can stay connected to its life-giving flow.

Notes

Boodts, S. (2019, February 6). The child by the seaside: A medieval story about Saint Augustine. Medievalists.net. https://www.medievalists.net/2019/02/the-child-by-the-seaside-a-medieval-story-about-saint-augustine/

Keltner, D., & Haidt, J. (2003). Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 17(2), 297–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930302297

 ____________________________

Hi,

I hope this email finds you in good health of mind, body, and soul. This week's theme is “The Trinity: Connected to the Ocean of God.”

Explore this theme in three different formats—each offering a unique way to reflect and engage:

🎥 Video: https://youtu.be/l_IVsGlM3n8

🎧 Audio: https://youtu.be/rtLrrLLRBDE

📄 Article: https://lifespring-wholeness.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-trinity-connected-to-ocean-of-god.html

Share with someone who might benefit from this reflection!