THE HOLY TRINITY

Trinity Sunday

The Sunday after Pentecost

THE BLESSED TRINITY
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper in secula seculorum. Amen.
The Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The revealed truth of the Holy Trinity is at the very root of the Church's living faith as expressed in the Creed. The mystery of the Trinity in itself is inaccessible to the human mind, and is the object of faith only because it was revealed by Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of the Eternal Father. - Catechism of the Catholic Church The Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity "The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of Christian life. God alone can make it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. "The Incarnation of God's Son reveals that God is the eternal Father and that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, which means that, in the Father and with the Father, the Son is one and the same God. "The mission of the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of the Son (John 14:26) and by the Son :from the Father (John 15:26), reveals that, with them, the Spirit is one and the same God. "With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified" (Nicene Creed). "Inseparable in what they are, the Divine Persons are also inseparable in what they do. But within the single divine operation each shows forth what is proper to Him in the Trinity, especially in the divine missions of the Son's Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit." -- Catechism of the Catholic Church §§ 261, 262, 263, 267
The Holy Trinity from Disputa dei Sacramento - The Triumph of the Christian Faith Raphael (ca 1508) Stanza della Segnatura, Apostolic Palace, Vatican
June 15, 2003 The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Antiphon Benedictus sit Deus Pater, unigenitusque Dei Filius, Sanctus quoque Spiritus, quia fecit nobiscum misericordiam suam. Blessed be God the Father and his only begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, who has shown us his merciful love. Collect Father, who sent your Word to bring us truth and your Spirit to make us holy. Through them we come to know the mystery of your life. Help us to worship you, one God in three Persons, by proclaiming and living our faith in you. We ask you this, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, true and living, for ever and ever. Amen + Year A First Reading: Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9 With the two tablets of stone in his hands, Moses went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tables of stone. And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness". And Moses made haste to bow his head toward the earth, and worshipped. And he said, "If now I have found favor in Thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray thee, go in the midst of us, although it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thy inheritance." Second Reading: II Corinthians 13:11-13 Finally, brethen, farewell. Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Gospel Reading: John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Year B First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40 Moses said to the people: "Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever." Responsorial Psalm: Ps 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22 R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full. R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host. For he spoke, and it was made; he commanded, and it stood forth. R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you. R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Second Reading: Romans 8:14-17 Brothers and sisters: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. Gospel Reading: 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 worshiped, 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." Year C First Reading: Proverbs 8:22-31 Second Reading: Romans 5:1-5 Gospel Reading: John 16:12-15 Creeds The word Creed comes from the Latin word Credo -- I believe -- and the Creeds are summaries of the Christian faith. There are three Creeds, or professions of faith, that are symbols of the faith, affirming the essential Trinitarian dogma: the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed, also called the Quicumque, an important Trinitarian formula dating from the 4th Century, intended to address the Arian heresy which denied the two natures of Christ. The Creeds are called "symbols of faith", from the Greek word symbolon, meaning identifiers or summaries. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds thus: "The Apostles Creed is so called because it is rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles' faith. It is the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome. Its great authority arises from this fact: It is 'the Creed of the roman Church, the See of Peter, the first of the apostles, to which he brought the common faith.'" "The Niceno-Constantinopolitan or Nicene Creed draws its great authority from the fact that it stems from the first two ecumenical Councils (in 35 and 381). It remains common to all the great Churches of both East and West to this day." [CCC §§194, 195]. The plan of presentation of Catholic doctrine and dogmas in the Catechism of the Catholic Church follows the Apostles Creed, "the oldest Roman catechism". (For more on the Creeds, see the Catechism §§184-197. Note: The entire Catechism is availale online from the Holy See.
Litany to the Holy Trinity V. Blessed be the holy Trinity and undivided Unity; R. We will give glory to Him, because He hath shown His mercy to us. V. O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in all the earth! R. O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy Blessed Trinity, hear us. Adorable Unity, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Response: have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, God the Holy Ghost, Holy Trinity, One God, Father from Whom are all things, Son through Whom are all things, Holy Ghost in Whom are all things, Holy and undivided Trinity, Father everlasting, Only-begotten Son of the Father, Spirit Who preceedeth from the Father and the Son, Co-eternal Majesty of Three Divine Persons, Father, the Creator, Son, the Redeemer, Holy Ghost, the Comforter, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, Who art, Who wast, and Who art to come, God Most High, Who inhabitest eternity, To Whom alone are due all honor and glory, Who alone doest great wonders, Power infinite, Wisdom, incomprehensible, Love unspeakable, Be merciful, Spare us, O Holy Trinity. Be merciful, Graciously hear us, O Holy Trinity. From all evil, Response: Deliver us, O Holy Trinity. From all sin, From all pride, From all love of riches, From all uncleanness, From all sloth, From all inordinate affection, From all envy and malice, From all anger and impatience, From every thought, word, and deed contrary to Thy holy law, From Thine everlasting malediciton, Through Thy plenteous loving kindness, Through the exceeding treasure of Thy goodness and love, Through the depths of Thy wisdom and knowledge, Through all Thy unspeakable perfections, We sinners, Beseech Thee to hear us. That we may ever serve Thee alone, Response: We beseech Thee to hear us. That we may worship Thee in spirit and in truth, That we may love Thee with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength, That, for Thy sake, we may love our neighbor as ourselves, That we may faithfully keep Thy holy commandments, That we may never defile our bodies and souls with sin, That we may go from grace to grace, and from virtue to virtue, That we may finally enjoy the sight of Thee in glory, That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to hear us, O Blessed Trinity, We beseech Thee, deliver us. O Blessed Trinity, We beseech Thee, save us. O Blessed Trinity, Have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord, have mercy. Our Father (silently). Hail Mary (silently). V. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of Heaven, R. And worthy to be praised, and glorious, and highly exalted forever. Let Us Pray: Almighty and everlasting God, Who hast granted Thy servants in the confession of the True Faith, to acknowledge the glory of an Eternal Trinity, and in the power of Thy majesty to adore Thy Unity: we beseech Thee that by the strength of this faith we may be defended from all adversity. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.+
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT TRINITY SUNDAY WHAT IS TRINITY SUNDAY? The first Sunday after Pentecost is the Festival of the Holy Trinity.  On this day, we rejoice in the infinitely complex and impenetrable mystery that God is three-in-one:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. WHAT IS THE ATHANASIAN CREED? The Athanasian Creed is the Christian church's wonderful and profound confession of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.  This creed takes its name from the influential Egyptian bishop and theologian of the 4th century, Athanasius, who was once thought to be its author.  Because of its length, it is not recited in church on a regular basis.  However, many congregations use it on Trinity Sunday.  This creed, along with the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, is one of the three ecumenical creeds that have been universally accepted and confessed by the Christian church since ancient times. WHY IS TRINITY CELEBRATED ON THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST? How God can be one God in three Persons is a mystery.  While it is taught in the Bible (for example, in Matthew 28:18-20 and 2 Corinthians 13:14), it can never be understood or rationalized -- it can only be accepted by faith.  Since faith comes only through the work of the Holy Spirit, it is appropriate that this glorious mystery is celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost, the great festival of the coming of the Holy Spirit. WHAT IS THE LITURGICAL COLOR FOR TRINITY? The liturgical color for Trinity Sunday is white.  White represents the holiness and perfection of God. WHAT IS THE TRINITY SEASON? The part of the church calendar between Trinity and the first Sunday of Advent is sometimes called the Trinity Season.  While some churches (particularly those from the Episcopal/Anglican tradition) still use this designation, others (including Saint Paul's and most Lutheran churches) prefer to describe this part of the year as the Season after Pentecost. WHY DOES THE CHURCH ASSIGN A SPECIAL FESTIVAL TO GLORIFY THE HOLY TRINITY? Throughout Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost, the church ponders with wonder, joy, and thanksgiving what Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have done to accomplish the salvation of the world. During the Season after Pentecost, we focus on how we as Christians ought to respond to the love that God has shown us. Trinity Sunday is a transitional day between these two parts of the liturgical year. This is a solemn day on which we praise and adore God, not just for what He has done for us, but for who He is: FATHER - Our Creator and Sustainer SON - Our Savior and Redeemer HOLY SPIRIT - Our Sanctifier and Comforter
June 06, 2004	The Holy Trinity - Solemnity
Seasons of the Liturgical Year The seasons of the liturgical year begin with Advent, a time of preparation for the Christmas season. The Christmas season celebrates the birth of Jesus (on December 25) and continues until the Baptism of Our Lord. This is followed by the first of two periods of Ordinary Time, which continues until Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, a time of penitence leading to the Paschal Triduum after the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. The Triduum is the three days before Easter. Easter Sunday marks the start of the Easter season, which continues as a time of celebration until Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost Sunday marks the start of the second period of Ordinary Time, which continues until the Advent season begins again.
Holy Days of Obligation Holy days of obligation are special feasts on which Catholics who have reached the age of reason are seriously obliged to assist at Mass and avoid unnecessary work.
Feasts, Memorials, Commemorations and Solemnities These are days, which the Church has set aside as having special meaning. There are several types of celebrations. Some are events in the life of Christ. Some are days dedicated to a particular saint. There are three types of feast days. Optional Feasts are not universally celebrated. Holy Days of Obligation are days on which Catholics are required to attend Mass. All other celebrations are celebrated, but Catholics are not obligated to attend.
How Great Thou Art Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder Thy power throughout the universe displayed When Christ shall come With shout of acclamation And take me home What joy shall fill my heart Then I shall bow in humble adoration And there proclaim my God how great Thou art Then sings my soul my savior God to thee How great Thou art How great Thou art Then sings my soul my savior God to thee How great Thou art how great Thou art Words & music: Stuart K. Hine Music: How Great Thou Art, sung by Elvis Presley
The music is purely for your listening pleasure only, without any commercial interest whatsoever or profit of any kind. Titles have copyright by their respective artists and record companies. Graceland, Elvis, and Elvis Presley are trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
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