Sunday, May 23, 2027 · Solemnity
The Most Holy Trinity
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
Moses marvels that God has spoken to His people and chosen them as His own. Paul says the Spirit makes us children who cry, “Abba, Father!” On a mountain in Galilee, the risen Jesus sends the Eleven to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Mass Readings
- First Reading Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
- Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22
- Second Reading Romans 8:14-17
- Gospel Matthew 28:16-20
Open the Mass Readings on USCCB.org →
First Reading Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Moses asks whether any people has ever heard the voice of God and lived, or been taken by God from another nation with signs and wonders. The Lord alone is God in heaven above and on earth below; keep His commandments.
Psalm Psalm 33
Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be His own.
Second Reading Romans 8:14-17
Those led by the Spirit of God are children of God. You received a Spirit of adoption, by which we cry, “Abba, Father!” If children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
Gospel Matthew 28:16-20
The Eleven meet the risen Jesus on the mountain. He tells them all authority has been given Him, sends them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and promises to be with them always.
Step Into the Story
Deuteronomy 4 asks a cheeky question: did any other god ever take a nation for himself out of the middle of another nation, with signs, wonders and an outstretched arm? In a world crowded with gods, from Egypt’s Amun-Ra to Canaan’s Baal, Israel’s claim was outrageous: “there is no other.” The Didache, a church manual likely from the late first century, already prescribes baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, preferably in running water. The councils of Nicaea in 325 and Constantinople in 381 gave us the Creed.
- 4 B.C.Antipas rules Galilee
- 14 A.D.Tiberius becomes emperor
- 26 A.D.Pilate becomes prefect
- c. 30 A.D.Jesus is crucified
- This week’s scene: c. 30 A.D.“Go and make disciples”
Go north to Galilee with the Eleven in the weeks after Easter. If the usual dating holds, the year is 30 A.D. Matthew says only that they went to the mountain Jesus had appointed; he names no peak, so picture a Galilean hillside above the lake. The winter green is fading to gold, and the grain is ripening in the valleys. Climb with eleven tired men who have walked some three days from Jerusalem.
At the top, He is there. Some fall down and worship. “But they doubted,” Matthew admits, with refreshing candor. Stand among them, worship and doubt together if you must. The wind moves through the dry grass. He comes closer and begins to speak.
Encounter the Lord
Stand on the mountain in Galilee with the Eleven. Some worship; Matthew says some still doubt. Jesus comes close and speaks: go, baptize, teach. Then the promise: “I am with you always.”
The Trinity is not a puzzle for theologians. It is the life of God, and you were baptized into it. The Father chose you, the Son redeemed you, and the Spirit lives in you and teaches you to say “Abba.” Every sign of the cross is a short profession of faith in this mystery. God is not a lonely power but an eternal communion of love, and He made you to share in it.
This week, make the sign of the cross slowly and deliberately each time you pray. As you touch your forehead, heart and shoulders, thank each divine Person by name.
Know Your Faith
- 35·why we believe in one God in three Persons
- 36·whether reason can deduce the Trinity
- 38·the Holy Spirit
One God in Three Persons
The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life, the mystery of God in Himself (CCC 234). We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three Persons. Each of the Persons is God, whole and entire (CCC 253).
The Trinity Revealed
God has left traces of His Trinitarian being in creation and in the Old Testament, but His inmost being as Holy Trinity is a mystery revealed only by the Son and the Spirit (CCC 237, 244). The Church formulated this faith at the first councils (CCC 245, 249).
Baptized into the Trinity
Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, not in their names, for there is only one God (CCC 233). The whole Christian life is communion with each of the divine Persons (CCC 259).
The Trinity and Prayer
The Spirit teaches us to pray to the Father through Christ (CCC 2664, 2670). Liturgical prayer is addressed to the Father, through the Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1082).
Key Takeaways
- Scripture
- Doctrine
- Sacraments
- Christian Life
- Doctrine: There is one God in three divine Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Doctrine: Each divine Person is fully God, and the three are distinct from one another.
- Doctrine: We know God is a Trinity because Jesus revealed it.
- Sacraments: In Baptism we are brought into the life of the Trinity as children of God.
Test Your Knowledge
True or false? Tap your answer.
Christians believe in three Gods.
False: we confess one God in three Persons, CCC 253.
The mystery of the Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith.
True.
Jesus told the apostles to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
True.
“Abba” is an Aramaic word for father.
True.
Human reason alone can discover that God is a Trinity.
False: it is a mystery revealed only by the Son and the Spirit, CCC 237.
Each divine Person is God, whole and entire.
True.
Moses says other nations had also heard the voice of God and lived.
False: he asks whether any people ever had; Israel alone did.
Paul says the Spirit makes us heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
True.
The Council of Nicaea took place in 325.
True.
Liturgical prayer is usually addressed to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.
True.
Answers: 1 F (we confess one God in three Persons, CCC 253) · 2 T · 3 T · 4 T · 5 F (it is a mystery revealed only by the Son and the Spirit, CCC 237) · 6 T · 7 F (he asks whether any people ever had; Israel alone did) · 8 T · 9 T · 10 T
Journal Prompts
Which divine Person do I pray to most naturally? Which do I tend to neglect?
What does it mean to me that I can call God “Abba”?
How do I make the sign of the cross: carelessly or with faith?
Where do I most need to remember that Jesus is with me always?
Talk to God
Glory to You, Father, who created me; to You, Son, who redeemed me; to You, Holy Spirit, who make me holy. Draw me into Your life of love, and keep me faithful to the grace of my Baptism. Amen.