The Most Holy Trinity

Blest be God the Father,
and the Only Begotten Son of God,
and also the Holy Spirit,
for he has shown us his merciful love.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
And also with you.

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Have mercy on us, O Lord.
For we have sinned against you.

Show us, O Lord, your mercy.
And grant us your salvation.

May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

Let us pray.

O blessed Trinity,
in whom we know the Maker of all things, seen and unseen,
the Saviour of all, both near and far:
by your Spirit enable us so to worship your divine majesty,|
that with all the company of heaven
we may magnify your glorious name, saying,
Holy, holy, holy. Glory to you, O Lord most high. Amen.

Blessèd art thou, O Lord God of our fathers:
and to be praised and exalted above all for ever.

And blessèd is thy glorious and holy Name:
and to be praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessèd art thou in the Temple of thine holy glory:
and to be praised and glorified above all for ever.

Blessèd art thou that beholdest the depths,
and to be praised and exalted above all for ever.

Blessèd art thou on the glorious Throne of thy kingdom:
and to be praised and glorified above all for ever.

Blessèd art thou in the firmament of heaven:
and above all to be praised and glorified for ever.

A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

Brothers and sisters, put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

For the word of the Lord,
thanks be to God.

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

For the Gospel of the Lord,
praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Trinity Sunday is a very inspiring and encouraging day with which to conclude the major schedule of festivals and holy days in the Church Calendar.  It speaks to us of who and what we are in this life on earth in the universe.

It has become increasingly accepted, despite what some politicians say that human beings are primarily a society – we are made for community. We are a community or society first, then, possibly an economy, or something else depending on one’s interests.  This reflects our God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is the Maker of all things - here God is over us and before us. The Son is God Incarnate as Jesus Christ, fully human, fully divine. Here, God is beside us. The Holy Spirit is God breathing into our lives and into all creation, imparting to us mutual love and wisdom. In the Christian Faith we believe that there is no hierarchy in God but simply mutual love and harmony. Thus we can, very truthfully, say we believe in the One God.

Today, on Trinity Sunday, we celebrate our common, divine origin along with the divine origin of the natural world and all living creatures within this world. We are connected with everything in this world. What we do can affect both nature and other living creatures. In the Mass we pray that we may become one in body with each other and one in spirit with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit connects us to each other and to the natural world.

It is tragic how the creation as we know it in this world does not seem to reflect its potential. The beauty and the diversity of the planet are diminished by millions of people living in dire poverty, creature after creature driven to extinction, waters polluted, and our climate adversely affected, quite possibly, by human activity. The further we drift away from the basic understanding of our connectedness the more we tend to neglect our responsibility in and to the world. We have become increasingly deaf to the cries of the poor and the cries of the earth.

Anytime, but especially during the spring, summer and autumn, is a good time to set about appreciating everything about this life which we love and cherish, giving special thanks for God at work in life.  Christians are people, not of judgement but of thanksgiving, and truly thankful people do not usually destroy and hurt.

On and after this Trinity Sunday may we all be people of joy, heartfelt gratitude and peace as we face up to the responsibilities of this life.

Living God,
receive all we offer you this day.
Grant that hearing your word and responding to your Spirit,
we may share in your divine life.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.

You are truly worthy of all glory and praise,
O holy God, eternal and mighty,
whom we worship as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You we praise, great Trinity of power and love,
our God, forever and ever.

In the darkness of time's beginning,
your word brought order out of chaos,
spread out the universe in space,
and gave birth to every living thing.
Your breath gave life to dust.
You called us to love and serve you,
but we turned from you to our own ways.
In your mercy, you did not turn from us,
and sent prophets to call us to return to your way.

Then, out of your great love for us,
you came in Jesus Christ,
taking our flesh and living among us,
that we might be reconciled to you.

In your Holy Spirit you abide with us still,
breathing new life into us,
leading us into your truth,
and empowering us to be your witnesses.

Therefore, joining our voices with choirs of angels,
and with all the faithful who have served you in every age,
we proclaim the glory of your name:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

You are holy, O God of majesty,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
for in his coming among us,
we have seen your glory,
and by his death and resurrection
you have raised us to new life,
and made us a new people by water and the Spirit.

We give you thanks that the Lord Jesus,
on the night before he died,
took bread,
and after giving thanks to you,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying:
Take, eat. This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way he took the cup, saying:
This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,
shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this in remembrance of me.

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

Remembering your gracious acts in Jesus Christ,
we take from your creation this bread and wine
and celebrate his death and resurrection,
offering ourselves to you,
a living and holy sacrifice in Christ our Lord.

Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these your gifts of bread and wine,
that the bread we break and the cup we bless
may be for us the body and blood of Christ, your Son.
Made one with Christ in his sacrifice,
grant that all who share this bread and this cup
may become one in body and spirit,
to the glory of your name.

Keep us faithful in your service until Christ comes
|and gathers the redeemed
of every language, race and nation,
into your kingdom of peace and justice,
where we shall feast together
at the banquet you have promised.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour are yours,
almighty God, now and forever. Amen.

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
We who are many are one body,

for we all share in the one bread.

While the bread is broken Agnus Dei is sung –

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

Almighty and eternal God,
may we who have received this eucharist
worship you in all we do,
and proclaim the glory of your majesty.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

1 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

2  Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

3  Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee
perfect in pow'r, in love, and purity.

4  Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!