20-second Summary
Each Liturgical Year on the Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, also known as “Trinity Sunday”. This lesson teaches why we celebrate this feast and the significance of it.
The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith; it is the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the “hierarchy of the truths of faith.” The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin. CCC 234 (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 234, emphasis added)
This Week’s Mass Warm-Up!
Catechesis At Home – Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – Year A
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
First Reading
Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai
as the LORD had commanded him,
taking along the two stone tablets.
Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there
and proclaimed his name, “LORD.”
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.”
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O Lord,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own.”
Responsorial Psalm
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Second Reading
Brothers and sisters, rejoice.
Mend your ways, encourage one another,
agree with one another, live in peace,
and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the holy ones greet you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Gospel Reading
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
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
REFLECTION – What is the Trinity?
Trinity Sunday is a chance for us to celebrate the Most Holy Trinity – this “central mystery of Christian faith and life” – ponder it and allow ourselves to be awed by it. We proclaim this mystery with every Sign of the Cross and recitation of the Creed, but we rarely recognize or contemplate its profundity with each prayer. This week, we take time to do that.
So, what is the Trinity? We call it the Most Holy Trinity, the Blessed Trinity, and we express it other ways, too: One God in three Persons, The Triune Godhead, or The Triune God.
We use all kinds of symbols and allegories to try to explain the Trinity:
-
- A triangle with a circle around it
- Celtic Knot
- Trinity “shield”
- Candle flames
- An apple (like in the book 3-in-1: A Picture of God, which is an allegory, and helpful for kids, but still misses some points theologically.)
- The shamrock
Each analogy or image we can think of will be lacking in some way.
The Blessed Trinity is One God in Three Persons.
Each of us has a human nature (what we are), yet we are all individual persons (who we are). As humans, we have unique aspects of our nature – we can walk upright, speak, think logically (reason), we recognize that when we do not see something it still exists, it is just out of our field of view. And even within this human nature we share, each individual has our own attributes, gifts, talents, and personalities. Animals do not share all of these traits, plants share even fewer traits with humans. And rocks and minerals share even less. Each of the created things and beings have their own natures. And the Creator has His own nature – the divine nature.
This divine nature we call God, with a capital “G”. God is three Persons in this One Nature. The Divine Nature of God is such that there is only one of Him – One God, but three persons. It can be put this way: there is only One “what God is” – God. There are three “who God is” – Father, Son, Holy Spirit. In contrast, there are billions of “what humans are” – men, women, boys and girls, just as many as “who humans are” – each individual with a name, birthday, life, etc.
God’s divine nature is such that the three Persons share it, they do not have individual birthdays (they existed from all eternity in this union of Trinity). They each have a name, but they do not have individual likes and dislikes, they do not love any differently from the other, their attributes of Goodness, Truth and Beauty are the same. In this way, we can understand a little about the nature of God, His infinite love and mercy, and how He relates to each of us.
As we contemplate the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, we ask the Lord, our God, to reveal more about Himself to us as we strive to grow in holiness, wisdom, understanding, and love.
DISCUSSION – Father, Son, or Holy Spirit?
The Holy Trinity offers us an amazing gift, in allowing us to relate to God in special ways with each Person – Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Discuss with your family how each person thinks of the Trinity and which Person they feel most drawn to at this point in their spiritual journey.
At times we may feel very close to God our Father, a protector and provider, a wise and generous, forgiving Person. Other times we feel that Jesus, our Brother and Savior is whom we need most to help us in our faith. And calling upon the Holy Spirit to shower us with grace and His gifts in times of confusion or fear is our need. We can find ourselves praying to each Person of the Trinity multiple times each day, or we might be focusing on one or the other for long periods of time.
All ways we relate to the Trinity are good. It is not as if one Person of the Trinity will ever be jealous of the other, because it is One God whom we address, One God who hears our pleas, adoration, contrition and praise. It is the One God who answers all our prayers, and who desires nothing more than for us to be with Him in heaven for all eternity.
ACTIVITY – Trinity Sunday Supper
Some ways to have a fun Trinity Sunday celebration is to make a Trinity Supper.
- Tri-tip roast, with vegetables.
- Southern-style creole or red beans and rice using the “holy trinity” of Southern cooking: bell pepper, onion, and celery as a base.
- Cloverleaf rolls
- Three-bean salad
- Three-cheese lasagna or macaroni and cheese
- Neapolitan ice cream for dessert!
You get the idea…make it fun and festive with napkins folded into triangles, and a three wick candle or triple candlestick for a centerpiece. Then while feasting, discuss with each other the readings and feast of the day celebrated at Mass!
DIG DEEPER – Other Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity resources from Holy Owned and Operated:
Page: Prayer Basics
TWMWU: The Central Mystery: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
TWMWU: Trinity Sunday
TWMWU: The Lord Feeds Us – Feast of Corpus Christi
Podcast Episode: The Holy Trinity – Episode 99
Podcast Episode: God the Father – Episode 104
Podcast Episode: God the Son – Episode 105
Podcast Episode: God the Holy Spirit – Episode 106
Video: Heirarchy of Truths
How do you pray to the Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son, Holy Spirit?
by Beth & Kristofer Cowles
HOO™ Co-Founders
Other Help on HOO
Being On The Road To Perfection – Episode 166
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:32 — 22.6MB)
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We are called to be perfect, as we discussed last week.
So, what does being on the road to perfection look like?
If Jesus was “finished” and his ministry was “completed,” as it means when He said, “It is done,” by saying, “It is perfected” just before He died on the Cross, He must have walked a road to perfection.
And so must we.
In this episode we discuss that concept, in terms of what we are doing and how we respond to the call for our life.
It’s a simple concept, and a difficult task, but we have the example of Our Lord which, from the proper perspective, is not an impossible example to follow and exemplify.
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