God is love, an inseparable Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They have one operation, which means that what they do, they do together. If God is love and if the Trinity is God, then the Trinity is love, they act together, and each of their acts is an act of love.

They are three persons, so each has a distinct role within their one operation. We confess in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed that Jesus Christ is “eternally begotten of the Father” and that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son.” Generating is proper to the Father, begotten is proper to the Son, and proceeding is proper to the Spirit. The Trinity is the eternal exchange of the actions of divine love that we call generating, begetting, and proceeding.

Revelation gives us the knowledge that the Trinity has “destined us to share in that exchange (Catechism 221).” They created us, and our existence shows additional distinctions between the divine persons. Our creation is proper to the Father, our redemption is proper to the Son, and our sanctification is proper to the Holy Spirit. Creation, redemption, and sanctification bring us into communion with them. The Sacred Scriptures call it ‘merciful love’ (Ex 34:6), and our salvation flows from it.

The Church never tires of naming Trinitarian love. She calls it saving love, steadfast love, gratuitous love, all-powerful love, patient love, incalculable love, divine love, God’s love, the Creator’s love, the Father’s love, filial love, active love, jealous love, redeeming love, benevolent love, the Spirit of love, eternal love, infinite love, great love, preferential love, unfailing love, definite love, irrevocable love, faithful love, persevering love, and boundless love.

Our hope is to live in their love forever.