The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Lectionary: 165
Reading 1
Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Moses said to the people:
"Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
This is why you must now know,
and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God
in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22
R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made;
by the breath of his mouth all their host.
For he spoke, and it was made;
he commanded, and it stood forth.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Reading 2
Romans 8:14-17
Brothers and sisters:
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, "Abba, Father!"
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.
Alleluia
Revelation 1:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
The Essence of the Most Holy Trinity
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19–20 (Year B Gospel)
Of all the great feasts we celebrate within the Church throughout the year, today’s Solemnity presents us with a Mystery that is so deep and transcendent that our eternity will be spent in perpetual contemplation. The Trinity, the life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, will never get old, never be fully understood, and will be the cause of our everlasting adoration and joy. Though the Church has used philosophical concepts to explain the Trinity, no human concept or description will ever fully explain Who God is. Though we can point to some general truths about God, we will never be able to fully depict the inner essence, depth, beauty and omnipotence of the Trinity.
As we consider that fact, it’s important to understand that the Trinity is not first a theological mystery we try to define. Rather, the Trinity is first a communion of Persons we are invited to know. We do not primarily come to know God through intellectual deduction. We come to know God through prayerful union with Him. Though theology is exceptionally useful and important, the essence of God is beyond any and every philosophical concept we can define.
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are Persons. And as Persons, they want to be known. And they want to be known primarily through a life of deep and intimate prayer. Praying to One Person, of course, is praying to all, since they are One God. But we are, nonetheless, called to a relationship of love with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And though our feeble minds may not be able to fully comprehend the essence of God, He will draw us deeper and deeper into a knowledge of Him if we let Him.
Prayer often begins by saying prayers, by meditating upon Scripture, and by listening. But true prayer is something much deeper. True prayer is contemplative prayer that ultimately leads to divine union. Only God can initiate this form of prayer in our lives, and only God, through this deep form of prayer, can communicate Himself to us as He is. Some of the greatest mystics of our Church, such as Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Ávila, explain in their mystical theology that the deepest knowledge of God does not come through concepts or images. In fact, if we wish to obtain a knowledge of God in His essence, we must allow Him to purge every concept of Who He is so that the pure light of His essence can be poured forth upon our minds. This knowledge, they say, is beyond knowing “about” God. It’s the beginning of a knowledge “of” God.
Reflect, today, upon the Most Holy Trinity. As you do, say a prayer to God asking for a deeper and more intimate knowledge of Him. Ask Him to communicate to you His divine love and to open your mind and heart to a deeper understanding of Who He is. Try to humble yourself before the great Mystery of the inner life of God. Humility before the Mystery of God means that we know how little we know about Him and how little we know of Him. But that humble truth will help you move closer to the deeper relationship of love to which you are called.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
FATHER’S DAY
“Make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them in the name ‘of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ ” —Matthew 28:19
We have been created to be baptized “in the name ‘of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ ” The word “baptized” means “to be immersed in.” The meaning of life is to be immersed in, that is, preoccupied with and consumed by the Holy Trinity (see Heb 12:29).
We enter into Trinitarian love and life through Jesus, the only Way to the Father (Jn 14:6) and the One Who baptizes us in the Spirit (Mk 1:8). Then the Father reveals the Son (see Lk 10:21-22), and the Spirit witnesses for Jesus (Jn 15:26) and proclaims Jesus as Lord (1 Cor 12:3). We are then immersed within a crossfire of Trinitarian love.
To be drawn even more deeply into the mystery of Trinitarian love, one of the most important events which must occur is for the Spirit to cry out in our hearts “Abba,” that is, “Father” (Rm 8:15; Gal 4:6). When we know the Father’s love so personally, we are usually immersed in the Trinity forever. However, we may withdraw from Trinitarian love if we quench the Spirit by refusing to trust God the Father, forgive our earthly fathers, or repent of our sins of selfishness and self-reliance.
Are you going to remain with the Trinity or back out? The Holy Spirit is crying “Abba.” Fall into your Father’s arms.
Prayer: Abba...
Promise: “And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!” —Mt 28:20
Praise: All praise and glory is yours, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
Though we can never understand fully the dogma of the Holy Trinity, it is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. God makes Himself known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Pope Francis rightly teaches, “Celebrating the Holy Trinity is not so much a theological exercise, but a revolution in our way of life.” The existence of God as a community of persons reminds us that we are related to one another and we have no existence without the other because we are all made in the image and likeness of God. Since our communities are modelled on the image of the Trinitarian community, there ought to be a new way of being Christian today. There is no room for individualism or self-glorification in the Christian community. There should exist, as in the Trinity, perfect harmony, complementarity of functions and mutual self-giving.
Prayers
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, please draw me into a relationship of love with You Who are one God and three divine Persons. May the mystery and beauty of Your life become more known and loved by me each day through the gift of transforming mystical prayer. Jesus, I trust in You.
May the Lord Jesus put his hands on our eyes also, for then we too shall begin to look not at what is seen but at what is not seen. May he open the eyes that are concerned not with the present but with what is yet to come, may he unseal the heart's vision, that we may gaze on God in the Spirit, through the same Lord, Jesus Christ, whose glory and power will endure throughout the unending succession of ages. (prayer of Origin, 185-254 AD)
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 146: Praying with the Passion of Christ
All of us are aware of the sacred Passion of our Lord. But few are able to gaze upon His Passion with true feeling and love. In our prayer, we must learn to meditate upon the Passion of our Lord with great devotion. This is not so much something we do by our own effort; rather, it’s something that we allow our Lord to do in us. We must allow Him to reveal to us the great suffering He went through and, in that revelation, we must allow our whole being to become consumed with love of Him who died this horrid death out of love for us (See Diary #737).
Do you spend time meditating on the Passion of our Lord? Perhaps it’s easier to look at the Resurrection and His triumphal victory over sin and death. But the way to the Resurrection and Glorification is through the Passion. Reflect, today, upon how willing you are to allow yourself to be drawn into every pain and every suffering that our Lord endured. Seeing His Passion for what it is allows you to love Him more deeply. The more you become aware of His suffering, the more you will desire to console His wounded Heart through your love and submission to His holy Will. Let every aspect of the Passion of Christ speak to you and change you. The result will be a deeper love of God and an abundance of Mercy for those suffering all around you.
Lord, help me to become aware of Your holy Passion. Help me to see the love that enabled You to endure such torment. May I see in Your Passion Your endless love for all and may I, in turn, love those who suffer with the same love I have for You. Jesus, I trust in You.
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