The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Cycle B May 27, 2018

First Reading
Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40
Moses teaches the people that Yahweh is the only God.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 33:4-5,6,9,18-19,20,22
A prayer for the Lord's mercy

Second Reading
Romans 8:14-17
Through the Spirit, we have been adopted as children of God.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 28:16-20
Jesus sends his disciples to make disciples of all nations.

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."


Background on the Gospel Reading
This week we return to the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. This Sunday
and next Sunday, however, are designated as solemnities, special days that
call our attention to the central mysteries of our faith. Today, on the
first Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy
Trinity. This feast invites us to consider what we believe about God, who
has revealed himself to us in the Trinity, one God in three Persons.The
Gospel for this Solemnity is taken from the Gospel of Matthew. In its
conclusion, Matthew's Gospel quickly moves from the disciples' discovery
of Jesus' empty tomb and Jesus' appearance to Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary to the commission that Jesus gives to his disciples in today's
Gospel.

The final commission, as this part of Matthew's Gospel is sometimes
called, is given on the mountaintop. Throughout Scripture, many of the
most important events happen on a mountaintop, and Matthew used this motif
often. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured on the mountaintop,
and Jesus taught the crowds from the mountaintop in the Sermon on the
Mount. In today's Gospel, the eleven disciples go the mountaintop in
Galilee, as Jesus had instructed them through Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary. They see Jesus, and they worship and doubt at the same time. Jesus
approaches them and commissions them to baptize and teach. It is a task
for which Jesus had previously prepared his disciples; recall that Jesus
had already sent the twelve apostles to preach the Kingdom of God and to
heal. Yet earlier, the Twelve were sent only to the House of Israel; in
this final commission, the eleven are told to go to all nations. The
mission of Jesus is now to be taken to all people, and the task is to
baptize and to teach.

Jesus commissions his disciples to baptize in the name of the Trinity;
this is one of the clearest attestations for Baptism in the name of the
Holy Trinity found in Scripture. Other New Testament references to Baptism
describe it as being celebrated in the name of Jesus. As we read this
Gospel on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we are reminded that
this central mystery of faith is meant to be lived. As baptized
Christians, we share in the life of the blessed Trinity and seek to invite
others to share in God's love.

Family Connection
The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity invites us to remember that God has
revealed himself to us as one God in three Persons. As Jesus departed from
his disciples, he shared with them the power to make disciples of all
nations. He taught his disciples to invite others to share in the life of
the blessed Trinity by sharing with others the gift of Baptism. This
continues to be the mission of the Church. Each of us who has been
baptized shares in the life of the blessed Trinity and also shares in the
Church's mission of inviting others to share in God's love.

As you gather as a family, bring out pictures and other mementos of family
celebrations of the Sacrament of Baptism. Talk about the significance of
Baptism with your family. Read together today's Gospel, Matthew 28:16-20.
Notice that Jesus taught his disciples to baptize all nations in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. What else does this
remind you of? (the Sign of the Cross) Recall that whenever we pray the
Sign of the Cross, we are reminding ourselves that we are united with God
through our Baptism and share in the life of the blessed Trinity. Conclude
by thanking God for sharing his life with us. Pray together the Glory Be
to the Father.


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings