Trinity Sunday

What exactly is the Trinity and what does it have to do with me?

Welcome back for another edition of deacon rudy’s notes! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together we’re going to break open the Word!

The Trinity is the whole of Christian doctrine. In the creed we recite during the Mass, we say everything in terms of the Trinity. “In fact, the whole creed is a statement of belief in the Trinity.” <1> We say, “We believe in one God, the Father who…” and then follows the doctrines of creation and providence; and “in the Son who…” then comes the doctrines of the incarnation, redemption and resurrection; and “in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who…” and finally come the doctrines of Scripture, tradition, the church and the end times. <2>

The Trinity is the ultimate example of agape love. That means total self-gift, total, unselfish reception, and a reciprocating total, self-gift. That’s why we often hold up the Trinity as an image for married couples. There’s so much we could unpack as we try to understand the Trinity. But holy Mother Church gave us the closing lines of the Matthew’s Gospel account to consider. So, let’s discuss Trinity through that lens.

In our Gospel this weekend from Matthew, Jesus affirms our belief in the Trinity. In the Great Commission, Jesus tells them to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This is the very heart of evangelization. Evangelization is sharing the Good News of Salvation in Jesus Christ. Evangelization is rooted in our belief in Trinity. The willingness to share the Good News – to evangelize – is an expression of our love as we try to imitate the selfless love of the Trinity.

That’s partly why we have the first two readings this weekend. The first reading from Deuteronomy refers to the Exodus. In our second reading from Romans, Paul sees salvation in Jesus Christ as the new Exodus. So, Jesus calls on the church to preach this new Exodus – the Good News.

Jesus gave this message to the eleven (Matthew 28:16). Now, “the eleven” of course refers to the apostles. We are an apostolic church which means that we believe our bishops today are the living apostles – that leadership has been handed down through a succession process from the first apostles to the present day. But can the apostles evangelize the world all by themselves?

Of course not! As the early church developed, we see the rise of priests and deacons. We see the formation of consecrated religious communities of men and women. And throughout history, we also see examples lay faithful evangelists.

Our church teaches us that by virtue of our baptism we all are obligated to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone we encounter, beginning with those closest to us. In my personal experience, this is easier said than done.

For example, growing up, I wasn’t taught how to share my faith – what words to use to share my faith or how to defend the faith. I was raised in a time when we delegated the role of evangelist to the clergy and the consecrated religious. The rest of us were expected to absorb what we needed from the Mass perhaps through some holy osmosis because rarely in the Mass was my role as a disciple addressed.

This passive approach to evangelization is not what Jesus proclaimed in the Gospel. Jesus didn’t say, “if you’d like, you could go and baptize…” or “if it’s not too much trouble, would you go and baptize…” or “I hate to ask, but could you go and baptize.” No! Jesus said “Go” (Matthew 28:19).

How do we correct this problem today?

Our Protestant brothers and sisters spend a lot of time, especially during their youth, learning how to share their faith. Through various activities, they learn the words to use and how to use them. Now, we can’t take a trip on the way back machine and correct the past. But we can learn from the experiences of our Protestant brothers and sisters – from their successes and their setbacks.

We can and should help our clergy and our parishes explore new and innovative programs and strategies designed to help Catholic communities share their faith. It doesn’t matter whether you are eight or eighty. At every stage in life, we can share our faith. How we do that will change of course based on the stage of life we’re in and our experiences.

The Good News of Jesus is liberating and life-giving. This world which seems increasingly focused on the self above all else needs to hear the liberating message of the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Homework! Nourished by the Trinity through Word and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, how can I support my clergy and my parish to learn more about evangelization training programs?
Second, how do I share the Good News with my family and friends?

I think doing our homework will help us as disciples honor Jesus’s instruction to go out into world! Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image: Trinity symbol. Artist unknown. JPG.

Notes:
<1> Michael Himes, Chapter One Trinity. Kindle.
<2> Ibid.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Hahn, Scott W. and Curtis Mitch. Romans. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2017. Kindle.
2. Himes, Michael. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004. Kindle.
3. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. The mystery of the Trinity: 202, 232-60, 684, 732
2. The Trinity in the Church and her liturgy: 249, 813, 950, 1077-1109, 2845
3. Grace of divine sonship: 257, 1996-97
4. Divine sonship in the Old Testament: 441
5. The Church as missionary: 767-68, 849-56
6. Gifts and fruits of the Spirit: 1830-32
7. The family as an image of the Trinity: 2205
8. The Trinity and prayer: 2655, 2664
9. Prayer to God as Father: 2777-82

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/053021.cfm
Lectionary: 165

Reading 1
Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever.”

Responsorial
Psalm 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22
R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host. For he spoke, and it was made; he commanded, and it stood forth.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, To deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Reading 2
Romans 8:14-17
Brothers and sisters: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Alleluia
Revelation 1:8
R. Alleluia, 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
Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

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