The Most Holy Trinity

My dear parishioners,

God is Good!!!  All the time!!!  And all the time!!!  God is Good!!!

At this point the people of Israel have finished their wilderness wandering. They have at last pitched their tents east of the Jordan River. All that remains is to cross over that river into the Promised Land. Moses’ concern is that, once they experience the bounty of that land, the people may become complacent in their relationship with God. To ward against this, Moses urges them never to forget that their very existence is entirely due to God’s grace. This was true all through the 40 years of wandering; it will be no less true in the years that lie ahead of them in the Promised Land.

The doctrine of the Trinity is central to the belief system of the Catholic Church. In brief this doctrine is described as the mystery of one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It was hotly debated for over three centuries getting its mature understanding only with the Councils of Nicea (325) and Constantinople (381). There are clearly bits and pieces of this doctrine found in Scripture, but the full articulation comes later in Church teaching.

Jesus’ final appearance to his disciples. Today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ final appearance to the disciples and his commissioning of them to carry on the work of evangelization. This event takes place on a mountain which is generally the location of divine commands and revelations. Jesus’ final appearance draws a mixed reaction. They worshipped him, but they doubted. After all the disciples have experienced with Jesus including his suffering, death, and resurrection, still some doubted. Coming to full faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God was not easy even for those who were eyewitnesses.

The commissioning of the disciples. The Risen Lord declares that he is now in charge of heaven and earth. All power has been handed over to him. The message to the disciples is that they are now to go and make disciples of all nations. This is a much-expanded vision than the earlier mandate to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then comes the remarkable mandate to baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Obviously, this is a Trinitarian formula that must have been in use in Matthew’s community. The implication is that this belief in the Trinity was active in the early Christian community long before it received its final articulation in church teaching. Clearly Matthew’s Church used it in conjunction with Baptism.

Perpetual presence. Jesus concludes with a mandate to teach all that he had commanded them. Many thinks this is a reference to the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7). In return Jesus promises that he will be with his disciples until the end of the age. They are not on their own left without any support. The divine presence will remain with the disciples perpetually.

Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved

 Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Aloysius