THE SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY MOST TRINITY

Sunday, 30th May,

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY, OUR MODEL OF UNITY

1st: Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40,

Psalm: Ps 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22, 2nd:

Romans 8:14-17,

Gospel:

Matthew 28:16-20

Today we celebrate one of the greatest mysteries of our Christian faith, the Holy Trinity. This celebration reminds us that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are working together. They are never separated though, each one of them is a distinct divine person. There is the unity of essence and relation within the three divine persons.

In the story of salvation, we usually attribute creation to the Father, redemption to the Son and sanctification to the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, though they are distinct as persons, neither the Father nor the Son nor the Holy Spirit ever exists or acts in isolation from the other two persons of the Godhead.

In our first reading, Moses reminds us, of the wonderful and mysterious nature of the works of God. That it takes a loving and mysterious God to accomplish such a wonderful and mysterious task of salvation. Our God is never far away. He takes an interest in our welcome and intervenes in our lives. Hence, we are encouraged to strengthen our faith in God by simply obeying his commandments.

In the second reading, Paul presents the three divine persons in their concrete forms and actions: “Led by the Spirit, we are sons of God...And we are heirs with Christ.” It is the same spirit that proceeds from both the Father and the Son that helps us to call God Abba Father.

In today’s gospel, Christ himself revealed the mystery of the three divine persons to us. He revealed this with a mandate: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This is the Trinitarian formula. So, any sincere prayer offered in the name of the Holy Trinity bears a mark of excellence.

Here, we are reminded that the three divine persons are not divided in their actions of grace. Instead, they work and walk together. They have the same mission, which is the salvation of the world. The Father sent the Son to redeem the world (Jn 1:1-3). And the Father and the Son sent us the Holy Spirit as our Counselor and Advocate (Act 1:8). So, the prayer of Christ to the father: “May they be one, as we are One” (Jn 17:22), is a prayer that arises from Trinitarian love.

Therefore, the whole church and each family that forms the universal Church is the sacrament of the Trinity, and as such must be characterized by love and unity. Therefore, what we celebrate today is a model for our unity. We have many lessons to learn from the Holy

Trinity. The most important is that, like the Holy Trinity, we can live and work together as one family of God. This is because we bear one and the same image of God and were baptized by the same Spirit of God whose mark we bear. So, in spite of our individual personalities and differences, unity is possible and a fundamental option.

Hence, today’s celebration has much to teach us about unity in our relationships, friendships, marriages, families, and communities. It also reminds us that in spite of our different talents, gifts, social and economic levels, we can live and work together for our salvation and for the salvation of the world.

Finally, the celebration of the Holy Trinity reminds us that if we remain united, our different personalities would become our strength, rather than our weakness or the cause of our disintegration. Remembering that, where there is unity, there is victory.

May the grace of the Holy Trinity help us to banish all traces of self-centeredness in our lives and live as united Christians.