Many of our newly ordained priests are arriving at their first parishes in these early days of June. While they are probably still unpacking moving boxes, the Church calls them today to unpack for the faithful the central mystery of our faith: the Most Holy Trinity.
The truth about God is that He is a communion of Love. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Lover, the Beloved, and the Love they share. “God is love” says St. John, and love is only possible between persons. These co-eternal Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - are not three gods but a unity of one divine substance. But neither are they three modes of one Being, since true love requires a real distinction of Persons. The reality of the Most Holy Trinity reveals to us that Love is the underlying truth which originates the universe. Love unlocks for us the inner meaning of life and eternity.
Today’s Collect, or Opening Prayer, speaks of how God revealed Himself: “God our Father, who by sending into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification made known to the human race your wondrous mystery…” Jesus told His disciples, “He who sees me, sees the Father. The Father and I are one. Before Abraham came to be, I AM.” He said to them at the Last Supper that He wanted them to share in the inner life of the Trinity, to be made eternal partakers in divine love. “Father, I want them to be where I am, that they may see my glory, the glory I had with you before the foundation of the world.” St. Paul says of Jesus that He is the Yes to every promise the Father made to the human race.
When Jesus ascended to heaven, He did not leave us orphans. He and the Father sent the Holy Spirit, the Love of Father and Son, to abide with us always. We celebrated last week at Pentecost the fact that the Spirit abides within the souls of the baptized, that our insertion into the eternal life of the Trinity has already begun. What Jesus made possible by His sacrifice - living in a way that flows totally to and from Love - the Holy Spirit makes actual by the working of His gifts within us.
Every Mass is an encounter with the entire Holy Trinity. In the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit is called down upon the gifts of bread and wine. By the power of Holy Spirit abiding in a validly ordained priest, the substance of bread and wine is transformed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which makes present the sacrifice of the Cross, is offered to God the Father for the redemption of our souls and for all the particular intentions we bring with us.
Please join us in praying for all of our newly ordained priests who have begun to celebrate these sacred mysteries throughout New England. Thank you for your support, which has made their formation possible and given new priests to proclaim the mystery of the Holy Trinity!
By: Fr. Peter Stamm
Forming Disciples. Proclaiming Jesus Christ.
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