Knowing the Most Holy Trinity in Imitation of Our Lady: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, May 27, 2018

J.M.J.

“ . . . 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.”

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today, the Sunday after Pentecost, is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

What a reality! God is Three in One: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Most of us were probably very young when we first learned this truth. It governs all we know. And it governs who we are.

Here is a brief and incomplete summary of the Most Blessed Trinity.

1. The Most Holy Trinity is the Supreme Being Who is God—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is Catholicism’s foundation.

2. The Holy Trinity—eternal, perfect, limitless—always existed, exists now and will exist always.

3. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are three distinct and equal Persons. God is Three in One.

4. The Father is not greater than the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each is a different Person, but equal in majesty.

5. God has created, redeemed and made us holy. His love brought us into being, restored us to health when we had sinned and sanctified us.

6. God wants us to be happy on earth; He shows us the path to happiness: knowing and obeying His holy plan. His will alone is our joy and salvation.

7. By obeying His plan, we prepare to see Him “face to face” in Heaven. Experiencing the Blessed Trinity in Paradise is the ultimate happiness.

8. Love connects the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

9. The Holy Trinity is merciful. Although we cannot match God’s goodness, He wants us to imitate Him through our love and compassion.

10. God, Who is love, is pleased when we—His children—know, love and serve Him.

As we hear in today’s Holy Gospel from Saint Matthew, Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Mary, just before His Ascension, promised to be with us until the end of time. Let us put our trust in His promise.

The Ever-Virgin Mother of God is the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit.

When we pray, receive the Holy Sacraments, venerate Our Blessed Lady, read Sacred Scripture, study the Teachings of the Church and the Lives of the Saints, and perform works of charity and self-denial, then we witness to the Presence and the Power of the Most Holy Trinity in us.

As a venerable hymn puts it:

“O Most Holy Trinity,

Undivided Unity.

Holy God, Mighty God,

God Immortal, Be adored.”

Begging the Holy Spirit to Come: Pentecost Sunday, May 20, 2018

J.M.J.

Invoking the Holy Spirit--the Third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity--is to be a constant exercise of love and adoration on the part of all Christians. Our genuine attention to the Consoler is to lead to imitation of Him and even to our abandonment to Him and all that He desires.

Pentecost Sunday highlights our desperate need for the Paraclete--a pressing need that we have every moment of each day.

The saintly Father Dolindo Ruotolo (1882-1970), a member of the Third Order Regular Franciscan Congregation, was known for his unabashed affection for, and obedience to, the Holy Spirit.

At the end of his excellent work entitled "Vieni, O Spirito Santo!" ("Come, O Holy Spirit") is found some Prayers in which the incredible favors of the Holy Spirit are requested.

These Prayers are short but intense and are appropriate for daily use. Here are a few of them.

Invocation

O Holy Spirit, sweet Guest of my soul, remain with me and assist me so that I may remain always with You.

Offering

Eternal Divine Spirit, I offer You all the prayers of the Virgin Mary and of the Apostles gathered in the Cenacle, and to those I unite all my prayers, begging You to come quickly to renew the face of the earth.

For the Gift of Tears

Almighty and most merciful God, Who made a fountain of water gush forth from the rock to quench the thirst of Your People, obtain from the hardness of our hearts the tears of compunction, so that we may cry on account of our sins and merit to obtain their remission through Your Mercy. Mercifully infuse into our hearts, Lord God, the grace of the Holy Spirit, which helps cancel--through our cries and tears--the stains of our sins, and obtains for us from Your generosity the effect of our desired pardon. Through Jesus our Lord. Amen.

To Expel Impure Thoughts

Almighty and most merciful God, hear favorably our prayers, and free our hearts from the temptations of impure thoughts, so that we may merit to become a worthy dwelling of the Holy Spirit. Deign, Lord, to purify our souls from impure thoughts, to guard them intact, and to illuminate them with the grace of the Holy Spirit. You Who enlighten every man who comes into this world, alas! Enlighten our hearts with the splendor of Your grace, so that we may always think of those things that are worthy and acceptable to Your majesty, and love You sincerely. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

No disciple of Christ worthy of the name would deny that the Holy Spirit is to be our sure Refuge and Guide. No authentic friend of Jesus would argue that presently in our world, the calming presence of the Counselor is recognized and adhered to as it should be.

We sadly but readily admit that the Holy Spirit and His wise wishes are not held in the required esteem. Obstacles have been built that stand in the way of His renewing the earth. Yes, He can surely overcome those hurdles. But often His approach is that He wants us to do what we can to break through those barriers so that His gentle and persuasive influence may be felt.

Therefore, our hearts must first be converted if there is any chance that the world will be. Our closeness and submission to the Holy Spirit paves the way for His further work in our society.

Our prayer to the Holy Spirit is simple: Come, Holy Spirit . . . Holy Spirit, come . . . transform our hearts so that we may join in Your labor to renew the face of the earth.

Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us!