June 11, 2017 — The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
EX 34: 4B-6, 8-9; DN 3: 52-56; 2 COR 13: 11-13; JN 3: 16-18
In the Gospel of Matthew 28:19 we hear Jesus instruct his Apostles, “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.” This is, of course, one of many references in Holy Scripture to the Holy Trinity which we celebrate on this Solemnity today.
When we receive the Eucharist at Mass, we are receiving more than the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ; we are also receiving the Father and the Holy Spirit because they are all One. This concept of Three Persons in one God is surely a mystery beyond our comprehension. We take this belief on faith as part of our Catholic beliefs because our human brains can never fully understand it.
We received the Holy Spirit when we were confirmed, but we also received the Father and the Son. When we look at the Tabernacle which is in every Catholic Church throughout the world, we know that Christ is present, but the Father and the Holy Spirit are as well. They all dwell in heaven which means that our Tabernacle might be called a “gateway to heaven.”
Do we think of all this when we come into the church, when we attend Mass? We should. The Holy Trinity is present there every hour of every day and every day of every month and every year. That is one of the reasons we need to attend Mass — to understand and celebrate the Holy Trinity.
