Dear Parishioner,

Historically, the Feast of the Holy Trinity was established in local dioceses. It was made a feast of the Universal Church by Pope John XXII in 1334. It was particularly popular in England because St Thomas Becket was consecrated Bishop on Trinity Sunday, 1162.  

        We worship one God, three persons. Our God is dynamic – he is not just looking down on his creation, he is active: the Father begets the Son, the Holy Spirit proceeds from both and leads us into all truth. This goes on all the time. The Holy Trinity is the perfect community of love, always doing what the others wish. It may seem far-fetched to expect our families and communities to see the perfect love of Holy Trinity as our model, but this love is available to us through the grace we received at baptism and receive in the Eucharist – united to Christ we are united with the Holy Trinity because Christ is always united with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We know that real love is dynamic. It is not just a feeling or a matter of words. According to our capabilities we act to do the will of God and work for each other. 

        On earth, Jesus lived in a family community with Mary and Joseph. We are also called to live in communities. We see this first in the fact that we are born and raised in a family. Then we may marry and start our own families. We may find ourselves house-sharing. But furthermore, we are all called to live in the community of the Church, which for most, means, first, the local parish. Then we also interact with others in other communities – work, club, and neighbourhood. The Holy Trinity works lovingly for the common good. We also, therefore, inspired by the Holy Spirit and with the grace of the sacraments, can and should work for each other. Maybe, also, we might try and remember, when we pray, that God is One in Three and Three in One!

Yours in Christ,

D Timothy Gorham OSB