Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity B

The speaker shares the joy of celebrating the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity after the Easter season. They emphasize the abundance of divine life that comes from Jesus' triumph over death and the Resurrection. The speaker encourages listeners to prepare for this celebration by quieting their inner selves and opening themselves to the movement of the Holy Spirit through Lectio Divina, a prayerful reading of Scripture. They then read a passage from Matthew's Gospel where Jesus commissions his disciples to make disciples of all nations and assures them of his constant presence. The speaker reflects on the significance of this passage, highlighting the doubt and struggles that can accompany faith, but also the assurance of God's power and presence. They emphasize the importance of relationship and communion with others, and the promise that God will always be with us. The speaker invites listeners to meditate on the passage and allow Jesus to reveal his presence to them. They encourage list Greetings, friends. What a joy to share the Gospel. After our 50-day celebration of Easter, we return now to ordinary time. Our return to ordinary time, however, brings us to the celebration of the extraordinary Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. It is almost as if the great mystery of Jesus' triumph over death and the Resurrection simply must pour over in abundance. That abundance is nothing less than the divine life of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The reality of the Resurrection, after all, is our own coming to share in the divine eternal life of God. Let us prepare ourselves to celebrate this precious mystery of God by taking a moment to quiet our inner selves. If you will, take a deep breath, slowly in and slowly out. Come, Lord Jesus, allow your Holy Spirit to bring your Word to life in me. May I hear your voice, Good Shepherd. The ancient prayer of Lectio Divina invites us, first of all, simply to read a passage from Scripture. In the reading, we begin to grow familiar with the Word so as to open ourselves increasingly to what is beyond the Word, to the movement of the Holy Spirit carried on the words of the Gospel. So in this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we read from Matthew's Gospel, chapter 28, verses 16 through 20. The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshipped, 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. Our Gospel gathers us with the eleven disciples on the mountain. Always in Scripture, the mountain is the place of theophany, the encounter with the living God modeled on Moses' encounter with God on Mount Sinai. Are we at this moment attentive, anticipating the revelation of God to us in prayer as we ponder the Gospel? How powerful verse 17 is! They worship Jesus. They know him in the light of resurrection faith, standing before them now as divine Son of God, God from God, light from light, true God and true man. And yet, how strange to hear, they doubted. Faith does not preserve us from struggle, doing battle with the real darkness that stubbornly persists in us and in the world. There are times of personal weakness and times of the silence of God, times of internal darkness and the awful experience of great evils in the world around us. None of this changes the reality, however. All power in heaven and on earth has been invested in Jesus. We know this. How? Well, as St. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 7, we walk by faith, not by sight. We trust in the one who has reached into the deepest darkness of death and drew his Son to new life in the resurrection. Resurrection, new life is, on this Feast of the Trinity, revealed to be for us, the disciples of Jesus, a sharing by baptism in the life of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Not, notice, a God of solitariness and isolation, rugged independence, but the God of eternal relationship, communion, loving, mutual interdependence, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are made, not for standing on our own, but for life lived in the embrace of communion with others, of which the church is a sign, a sacrament. Let's not overlook Matthew's great conclusion to this Gospel. He began his Gospel by announcing in chapter 1, verse 23, the arrival of Emmanuel, that name which means God with us. Here now we are divinely assured that God will always be with us, yes, to the end of the age. This we trust entirely, by faith, even in the midst of doubt. Oh friends, there is so much in this brief passage. Let's turn now again for a second time to read it. Notice as we do what stands out for you. Be sensitive to the word or phrase or what moves your imagination as you read and listen to the Gospel. In the word that moves within you, Jesus seeks to manifest himself as the Son of the living God. We read 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 worshipped, 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. This brings us now to the second step of Lectio Divina, which is, after reading, meditation. By meditating we seek to surrender to the movement of the Spirit carried on the word. We become curious about what is touching us in the passage, and we give ourselves over to it. What is speaking to you at this moment? I am moved by the atmosphere of presence communicated in this text. Jesus has revealed to us a God of eternal presence, in relationship of generosity and receptivity from all eternity. Father, present to Son, Son to Father, present always in the warmth and love of the Holy Spirit. And this presence promised us by Jesus, behold, I am with you always. Lord Jesus Christ, reveal to me now in this moment your real presence. In the eternal presence of Trinity, three divine persons in one divine embrace of love, reveal your real, enduring presence to me and all your disciples in the Church, always with us, everywhere. Friends, please continue to remain present with this Gospel. In the word you hear, allow Jesus to reveal again his presence to you. Before leaving prayer, be sure to intentionally place the word you have received deep in your spirit where the Lord might bring it growth throughout this week ahead. And friends, it is a joy to share the Gospel with you.