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.” (Mt 28:18-20)
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Do you realize that almost all of the “solemnities” and “feasts” of our Church point to some “earthly” event? Think about it. They’re either focused on an event in the life of Christ (His incarnation, His birth, His death, His resurrection, His ascension) or an event in the lives of His Mother, St. Joseph or one of His followers – the Saints. But only one event in the Church calendar points to something that can only be described as “other worldly.” That’s Trinity Sunday. It points to a Heavenly Reality – the reality that God is three persons in one God. It’s a mystery that has been revealed to us by God Himself. And it’s really the only day on the Church calendar that we specifically point to God the Father in Heaven.
Much of our lives is spent on decidedly earthly pursuits. We wake up, eat, go to work, take care of our earthly needs and the needs of our dependents, run errands, learn about the world, return home and then sleep only to get up and do the same thing again. But God calls us this weekend to help us focus on the reality of Heaven. Sometimes when I’m praying in our church by myself, my gaze from the pews rises higher and higher, and then there at the TOP of the mural I notice what St. Stephen saw as he was being stoned. It’s at the very top, and it’s a representation of the Holy Trinity. It’s there to remind us that our goals during our life all need to be directed to the ultimate goal. And it’s a Heavenly reality.
Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty
msgr.nalty@gmail.com
