Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
We just celebrated Pentecost last Sunday. Today, we have another great celebration. We celebrate and give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity. However, it makes sense to have this celebration immediately after Pentecost. Pentecost was the celebration of the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity. So, we have the Father sending His Son Jesus into the world in the Incarnation. Then, we have Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. He sends the gift of the Holy Spirit to the world – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God in three Persons.
There are some clues in the Old Testament that point to the Trinity being one God in three Persons. One of the clues that we can find is in our responsorial psalm for today, Psalm 33. One of the verses says: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host.” Jesus is known as the Word of God. In the psalm, we heard: “By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made.” Part of our faith is that we believe that all creation was made in and through Jesus, who is the Word. We also heard in the psalm, “By the breath of his mouth all their host.” The breath of God is the Holy Spirit. God formed Adam from the dust of the ground. God breathed into his nostrils, giving life to Adam. We know the Holy Spirit as “the giver of life” in the Nicene Creed.
Why is all this important? The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of our faith (CCC 234). Some might think that the Incarnation, Jesus' taking on human flesh, or His death and resurrection are the central mysteries. Some might think that the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist could be the central mystery. No, the central mystery of our faith is the Trinity—one God in three divine Persons.
Jesus Himself gives a clue to this, which we heard in our Gospel reading (Mt 28:16-20). Jesus said, “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.” It is important to note that Jesus said, “baptizing them in the name” which is singular, not in the “names”, which would be plural. If Jesus said that they should baptize them in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, then why would He say that they should baptize them in the “name” since He mentions three people? Jesus does this because there is only one God. He could have said, “Baptizing them in the “names” of God.” But to be more specific Jesus says who God is by using the word “name” in the singular form. God is one God in three divine Persons.
When we are baptized, we are baptized into the life of the Holy Trinity. Through the waters of baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we become one with God. We belong to God, and by His gift, God belongs to us. It is a relationship based on the purest unconditional love. God promises us that He will always be there for us. As Jesus said, “I will be with you always, until the end of the world.”
Someday, this world will end. Jesus will return the Kingdom to His Father. Where God will be all in all. Also, one day, our lives will come to an end in this world. Since we have been incorporated into the life of the Trinity, we need to make sure we stay close to Jesus. If we turn away from Jesus, we risk losing the gift of eternal life. If it happens that we distance ourselves from Jesus, He will always do everything possible to get us back. Jesus is always working in our hearts trying to bring us back to Him and draw us closer to His heart. May we always have a heart that is open to the grace of God working within us.
As we heard in the responsorial psalm, “Blessed are the people the Lord has chosen to be His own. Upright is the word of the Lord, and all His works are trustworthy. . . His mercy fills the earth. The eyes of the Lord are fixed on His faithful, on those who hope in His mercy, to free their lives from death. . . . 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.” Blessed are the people the Lord has chosen to be His own.
Fr. Tim Ilgen
