Peace and grace to you!
This weekend the Church celebrates the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. It seems fitting that this feast should follow Pentecost because Jesus frequently referred to the Father before and after his death. Then following his death and resurrection, he promised that the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth, would come upon them and remain with the community. The mighty wind signaled the presence and action of the Spirit among the disciples at Pentecost. So at this point of revelation, God is understood as three distinct persons but of one divine nature: Father as Origin and Source of All that is; Son as Word of God, Savior and Redeemer; Spirit as the Animator, Indwelling Love and Guiding Light of God’s people, thus comes the Christian knowledge of God as the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity always defies our complete understanding but there are a couple of things that are very clear. God is completely relational, which is to say that God is an eternal spring of interested and active love! God is completely in love with each one of us, personally! Jesus came as a human being to restore the relationship between human beings and God. Jesus expressed himself as God by being entirely loving and merciful during his life and ministry. He showed us this love by healing us, embracing suffering and death to expiate us from sin. Now we have the presence of the Holy Spirit nourishing us with the Word and the Eucharist, guiding us in right faith and inspiring us to continue the work of Jesus in the world. We have been anointed by the Holy Spirit to act in God’s name in the world because we share in his divine life—what an amazing gift! One of the greatest things to contemplate is that you and I and all the baptized receive the Holy Spirit inside of us, working within us! We are sharers in the divine life of the Trinity!
This week the disciples receive a commission to “go 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.” This great commission is yours and mine and we do it when we put our faith in action and trust Jesus’ words “behold, I am with you always!” May God bless you all! +++ Fr. Peter