The Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity! And Happy Father's Day!
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity! And Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers! Five weeks ago, we honored our moms. Today, on this Father's Day, we are doing the same: offering our dads – those who are with us or have gone before us, or those who are like fathers in our lives – on the altar of God during this Holy Mass, invoking our heavenly Father’s blessings on them. Fathers are a blessing, and we thank them for blessing us with lives of dedication, endurance, and love. Happy Father’s Day!
Last weekend, we celebrated Pentecost. I would like to thank everyone who served Mass to make the celebration of Pentecost beautiful. Special thanks to all those who did reading in different languages: Marcia Lalonde, Elizabeth Warren, Stacy Santos, Terry Palecek, and Robert Lobermeier. If any of you can do a reading in a different language, please call the office; it will be helpful in the future. On Pentecost Sunday, we reflected on how the animating power of love (Holy Spirit) transformed the lives of the apostles and the Church.
The Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Holy Trinity. Trinity is a mystery, but Jesus makes it easier for us. Today’s Gospel (John 16:15) says “Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” In the Gospel of Matthew (28:16-20), Jesus speaks to his disciples about the mission. Jesus says, “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.” Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” In Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength.”
A simple definition of the Holy Trinity is that One God subsists in three persons. We see in the Gospel of Luke 1:26-38, God the Father sent the angel Gabriel to Mary and told her the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would conceive in her womb and bear a son, whom she would name Jesus. Luke 3:21-22 describes the event when Jesus, the Son, was baptized. The heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit came down like a dove, accompanied by the voice of the Father from heaven, saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased.” In the Gospel of John 15:26, at the Last Supper discourse, Jesus says, “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.”
If we look at the Book of Genesis 1:1-3, God created heaven and earth by uttering the Word and the Spirit of God, moving the face of the waters. Gospel of John 1:1-5 says, The Word was in the beginning, the Word was God, and all things came through him. God the Father sent his only begotten Son, through him we may have eternal life (John 3:16). The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1) – means house of bread – and laid in a manger (Luke 2:7) – where animals were fed. In the Gospel of John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.”
St. Patrick uses the shamrock to explain the doctrine of the Holy Trinity to his flocks in Ireland. Each of the leaves represent one of the three persons, but yet, it was still only one shamrock. Trinity is a community of self-giving love; an intimate relationship. We are made to love as the Holy Trinity loved.
A family is a simple form of community; it grows into a church, different organizations, and it grows into a wider community. The Holy Trinity is perfect unity and love. While modeling family life after the Holy Trinity is a beautiful and powerful vision, centered on love, unity, and mutual self-giving, it remains a profound challenge. We all live through those challenges in our daily lives. Yet, through grace, prayer, and commitment to growth, families can begin to mirror this divine communion in real, meaningful ways. We can call God our Father, Son Jesus, “Emmanuel,” and Holy Spirit to give strength in those struggles.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Mass: The Sign of Peace – Rite of Peace occurs after the Lord’s Prayer during the Communion Rite. It is rooted in Christ’s words to His Apostles: “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.” In the biblical context, John 14:27, Jesus gives His peace to the Apostles at the Last Supper. Matthew 5:23-24 – Reconcile with your brother before offering sacrifice. 1 Corinthians 16:20; Romans 16:16; 1 Peter 5:14 – Paul and Peter encourage Christians to greet one another with a holy kiss, which became a liturgical gesture.
Pope Innocent I (5th c.) asserted the Roman custom of placing the Sign of Peace after the Eucharistic Prayer, as a ratification of the Eucharistic mysteries. He insists it should be shared by both clergy and laity. Later it taken away from the laity. Paul VI (1970) restores the exchange of peace to all the faithful, and locates it in the Communion Rite, after the Eucharistic Prayer and before Communion.
Totus Tuus: Let us welcome our Totus Tuus Team. Please encourage all our children and youth to register for Totus Tuus and celebrate faith.