Mass prep: 30 seconds/3 points: How do we envision the Trinity?

Our belief in the Trinity distinguishes Christianity from every other religion.

1. What distinguishes Christianity from other religions?

Belief in the Trinity is what distinguishes Christianity from every other religion. We were baptized in the name of the Trinity, and we begin each day praying in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. What do I know about the Holy Trinity?

2. Key Words

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19b) – There is a story about how one day St. Augustine was walking along the seashore and saw a boy pouring water from the sea into a small hole. This scene is said to have taught Augustine the lesson that it will take less time for this boy to pour all the water of the sea into a small hole than for us to understand the Holy Trinity.

Someone might give up and say: if that is true, then there is no point in exploring this mystery. Yet, this is precisely an encouragement to look even more, to know even more of the Lord’s beauty, to choose Him and trust Him.

Go and teach all the nations (Mt 28:19a) – The word “teach,” in Greek, MATHETEUSATE, literally means “make disciples.” It is important not only to preach the Gospel but to preach in such a way that others are convinced. Who have I convinced of the value of being a believer, of following the Lord God?

Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age (Mt 28:20) – This is the last sentence of the Gospel according to Matthew. This is what Jesus leaves us with. He gives us the certainty that in all of life’s different situations, we are not alone, God is with us. We remind ourselves of this even when greeting each other in the flow of the day, saying: Godspeed, Adios, God bless.

3. Today

There are few images and statues of the Holy Trinity. In Prostyn, a small village in the east of Poland, there is a Sanctuary of the Holy Trinity, where there is a statue of the Holy Trinity in the form of a throne of grace. God the Father is sitting on the throne, holding Jesus Christ on the cross, and above the cross is the Holy Spirit. This is a good illustration of the essence of the Trinity: The God who so loved us that He sent His Son to earth for our salvation and sent us the Holy Spirit. From the throne of grace, He gives us many graces, and He himself says “Ask and you shall receive.”