The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – Year A (2026)
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. We profess faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—one God in three Persons, not three Gods. The mystery of the Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. We may naturally be tempted to approach the Trinity as though it were a kind of mathematical puzzle: how God can be both one and three at the same time. The readings in today’s lectionary do not attempt to explain this mystery in mathematical or philosophical terms. Instead, they present the Trinity as a revealed mystery through God’s relationship with humanity: the Father who creates, the Son who redeems, and the Holy Spirit who guides, sanctifies, and brings us into communion. The scene from today’s Old Testament reading from Exodus tells us that the Lord came down and stood with Moses as the Lord revealed his own identity to Moses: “The Lord, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity.” The Church teaches that: “After Israel’s sin, when the people had turned away from God to worship the golden calf, God hears Moses’ prayer of intercession and agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating his love.” — Catechism §210. Today’s feast is not a concept, abstraction, or construct; it is the revelation of God’s character as loving, patient, merciful, and faithful.
The New Testament reading is St. Paul’s farewell in his Second Letter to the Corinthians; he concludes by revealing the nature of the Trinitarian God: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you.” — 2 Corinthians 13:13. Christ is especially associated with the grace we received; God the Father is the source of love; and the Holy Spirit is the source of communion. Noteworthy is how St. Paul builds towards that final blessing by urging believers, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” — 2 Corinthians 13:11. God’s revealed nature is not simply something we believe and recite, but it is what we live and embody for unity and peace within our community and the world.
Then the Gospel reveals the most profound and startling truth about God’s love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” — John 3:16. God’s love for us is neither passive nor merely emotional; it is expressed not simply in words or feelings but in sacrificial, self-giving action.
Today’s feast is about relationships: the eternal relationship among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; God’s relationship with humanity; and our relationship with God and with one another. Having received the gift of love and life freely, let us resolve to bring the good news of love and salvation to those around us.
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.