THE HOLY TRINITY Dt 4:32-34,39-40; Rom 8:14-17; Mt 28:16-20

 

THE HOLY TRINITY

Dt 4:32-34,39-40; Rom 8:14-17; Mt 28:16-20

“The Father is love, the Son is grace, the Holy Spirit is the one who unites, O blessed Trinity” (DO)

This week we return to the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. This Sunday and next Sunday are designated as solemnities, that call our attention to the central mysteries of faith of the Church. Today, on the first Sunday after Pentecost, the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This feast invites us to consider what we believe about God, who has revealed himself to us in the Trinity, one God in three Persons. Every baptized Christian partakes in the life of the blessed Trinity and shares God’s love.

Jesus revealed the great mystery of the Triune nature of one God in three persons and their inseparable union. Jesus’ mission was to reveal the glory of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - and to unite us with the same God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly says that the ultimate end, the purpose for which God created us, is the entry of God's sons and daughters into the perfect unity of the blessed Trinity. We need to reach union with God after this life.

The Jews understood God as Creator and Father of all that he made (Dt 32:6). They understood the nation of Israel as God’s firstborn son (Ex 4:22). Contrary to that Jesus reveals the Father as his Father and also Father of all beings created in his image and likeness. He reveals himself as the only begotten Son, sent to redeem the fallen world shedding his precious blood. The Spirit, likewise, is inseparably one with the Father and the Son counselling and leading the believers. The Holy Spirit had been with the Father from the beginning of the creation and leading the Son (Jn 14:17,26; 16:13).

Clement of Alexandria, a third century church father, wrote: “What an astonishing mystery! There is one Father of the universe, one Logos (Word) of the universe, and one Holy Spirit. And there is one Church. We can have a personal relationship with the Father and the Son. How can we personally know the Father and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ? It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the Father and the Son to us. He helps us to understand the mysteries in the scripture. He guides us to proclaim our faith in the resurrection of Jesus until he comes again. He helps us to grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God.

Jesus’ departure and ascension into heaven was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus’ physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus’ presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time. He assured them of his presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. The same assurance of the “Paraclete” and Helper is for us too. And, in baptism we are called to partake in the life of the Holy Trinity here on earth in faith, and in the eternal life after death. Our mission is to proclaim the love of God our Father who saved us through his Son, Jesus Christ. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are called to draw many people to live in union with God.

The Father created us, the Son redeemed us and the Spirit is leading us into the mystery of God