The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – June 12, 2022
June6,2022
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – June 12, 2022
John 3:16: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
In this age of texting may I recommend the above passage from St. John. Just text “BTW John 3:16.” Maybe that short text would go a long way in offering encouragement, consolation, joy to a fellow traveler on this earthly pilgrimage to our heavenly home. Of all people we Christians need to be grounded in what matters most. We need to be grounded in God, who revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We need to be aware that Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, always stands ready to lead us to His loving Father. Of this, we are certain. Here is the Truth that never changes thus never disappoints and remains absolute for all time. On this Sunday we reaffirm our faith in the Most Blessed Trinity. There is one God, but three Divine persons. This is the greatest Truth revealed to us about God, thus at the heart of our Christian faith.
Though gradually revealed to us by God Himself from the beginning, it took several centuries before the Catholic Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, would clarify the dogma on the Blessed Trinity. In the first centuries there were many heresies. This is a period well worth studying to keep ahead of current attacks on this most important dogma that have revisited us in recent years. In our worship we profess two ancient creeds that basically sum up our belief: the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. Usually, we use the Nicene Creed. In the new translations introduced on the First Sunday of Advent in 2011 our bishops went to great lengths to offer a better translation of the Latin text which best corresponds to the original Greek.
In his fine book Introduction to Christianity, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, pope emeritus Benedict XVI, offers an important insight into understanding the Holy Trinity. He suggests that we see the three persons as existing in unity (one God), where each is in a dynamic relationship with each other that ultimately draws us in. In other words, the teaching on the Blessed Trinity is not some dry mathematical formula. The Blessed Trinity is about the highest relationship of love. The Father and Son love each other perfectly and that love is reflected perfectly in the Holy Spirit. And you and I are invited to join in. The Holy Spirit loves us into the love of the Father and the Son. That is our greatest privilege that we own through Baptism by faith and by grace. Thus, at every Mass we pray to the Father through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit.