First reading: Dt. 4:32–34, 39–40

Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? This is why 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. You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever.”

Second reading: Rm. 8:14–17

Brothers and sisters: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Gospel: Mt. 28:16–20

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.”

In other words

by Fr. Glenn Paul Gomez, SVD (Christ the King Mission Seminary, Quezon City)

One of the many mysteries I enjoy contemplating is the most Blessed Trinity—one God in three Persons. I feel and experience this mystery in my daily life. God participates in human history by revealing himself. How does God manifest himself? I connect God’s Trinitarian revelation to three different chapters of life.

First, God reveals himself through creation. He is the creator—God the Father. Science and the Bible agree that life started with light. In the Big Bang theory, everything started with a huge, gigantic explosion. What is there in an explosion? Light. What did God create first? In Genesis, God said: “Let there be light.” From there, God created everything that we have here on earth and in the multiverse. This is the first revelation of God: Creation.

Second, God manifested himself in a visible and tangible way. God sent his only begotten son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He incarnated—he became human to love and save humanity. He taught and healed. His central message is: Go to the whole world and proclaim the Kingdom of God and spread the good news. He died, was resurrected, and went back to the Father. This is the second revelation of God: Incarnation.

When Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit descended on earth. This is the third revelation of God: Pentecost—he came as the Holy Spirit to sanctify the entire humanity and creation. This is the third chapter of life: sanctification. The Holy Spirit reminds us of our true nature as humans—we are God’s children and to become holy or divine is our vocation.

Creation, Incarnation, and Pentecost already happened but sanctification continues. God continues to reveal himself. God’s manifestation is happening at this very moment. This is what I call the fourth and final revelation: transformation. All of God’s creation is reaching its zenith of development. It is where the fullness of becoming holy or divine happens. In this fourth and final chapter of life, wee are all transformed. Yes, we are spiritual beings! This is the fullness of our human development—all of us becoming holy, becoming saints, manifesting our true nature as children of God.

Happy feast of the most Blessed Trinity!