Father, Son and Holy Spirit

The Most Holy Trinity

In today’s gospel we see that because God the Father loves us, he sent his son to save us. After his return to the Father, he does not abandon us. He sent us the Holy Spirit, so that through him, we can get to know him better. In turn, getting to know Jesus, will lead us to the Father.

We have now started Ordinary Time and the Church gives us another two major celebrations after Pentecost Sunday. Today we celebrate the Trinity and on the coming Sunday we celebrate the precious Body and Blood of Christ.

Today’s Gospel is taken from the first chapters of John’s gospel. It is the last part of a conversation Jesus is having with Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, but he is very much interested in Jesus’ teachings. In order that he is not seen, he goes to speak with Jesus at night. In the earlier part of this conversation, Jesus explains to Nicodemus that people are saved through Baptism. Nicodemus however cannot understand. We need to put ourselves in Nicodemus place. Jesus’ teachings were new and challenging and he found it difficult to understand them at first.

In today’s gospel, Jesus is explaining further about salvation. Today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. It is through the Holy Trinity that we are saved. God is three persons in one God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father sent his Son to save the world. The Son gives us the Holy Spirit to introduce us into the Trinity’s mystery of love and perfect communion. God is love, all his actions are rooted in love. He never condemns or acts in anger.

During mass, we recite the Creed. Besides reciting it, we need to believe it, understand it and live it. We can achieve this through the power of the Holy Spirit.

A reading from the gospel according to John (Jn 3, 16-18)

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.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,

but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,

because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and why?
  3. Today we celebrate the great mystery of faith, Lord God is three persons in One. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We grow as Christians when dedicate our lives to coming to know God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It seems an impossible task, but we can try to accomplish this through perseverance in prayer and love for each other.
  4. Prayer is a way to show trust in Jesus. Jesus told Nicodemus that he would save the people who trusted him. Do I really trust Jesus? Create a Trust Jesus prayer box and encourage family members to write prayer requests and place them in the box. Place all your requests in the hands of Jesus by praying together at the end of the week.  
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this Gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare;
    i. The Bible reading from St John (Jn 3: 16-18)
    ii. a candle
    iii. Cover the table with a white cloth
    iv. A computer/laptop with the reading and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested).
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊 
  9. Go to the Prayer Corner section to continue praying as a family. 

Today we are celebrating the feast of the Holy Trinity. ‘Trinity’ means ‘three,’ every time we make the sign of the Cross, we are calling upon the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

  • God loves us
  • 3 hearts cut out from cardboard
  • colours and decorations
  • a felt pen
  • different coloured string
  • a pencil
  • hole punch
activity Download

In today’s Gospel Jesus gives us a very important message. Jesus tells us that God the Father, showed his great love for us by sending his only Son Jesus, to save the world. Think about all the people in your life who love you, maybe your parents, grandparents, siblings, or friends. How do you know that they love you?  Most probably because they do kind and loving things for you, they take care of you and protect you. God’s great love for us is shown in the gift of Jesus to the world. God the Father, sent Jesus into the world to save humanity. God our Father made us out of love. His Son Jesus, brings us the Father’s love. He is our friend and Saviour who gave his life on the cross so that we can be with him in heaven. God the Father, sent Jesus to give us eternal life. Every time that we make the Sign of the Cross, we are remembering the Father’s great love for us and his loving gift of Jesus. That is why we make the Sign of the Cross before we pray and at the beginning of Mass and when we bless ourselves with holy water, but not only at these times. We can make the Sign of the Cross as soon as we wake up. By remembering the Holy Trinity, we remember God’s love for us and how he helps us through the day.  

On the hearts, the children (with help from the parents, if need be) write:

  • On the first heart, on one side God the Father. On the other side, God the Father loves me.
  • On the second heart, on one side God the Son. On the other side, God the Son loves me.
  • On the third heart, on one side God the Holy Spirit. On the other side, God the Holy Spirit loves me.

The children can now decorate the hearts. When they are ready, cut 3 pieces of string of different lengths, punch a hole in the hearts. Tie a piece of string to each of the hearts and tie them to the pencil. Make a loop of string so that you can hang the pencil in the children’s room, so that they remember that God loves them.

Listen to the song, Trinity Song.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, I love you and adore you. Amen.

This Sunday, we are invited to learn about God: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity; three persons in one God.

  • We celebrate the solemnity of Trinity Sunday to rejoice that God chooses to interact with us in different, loving ways.
  • Trinity template
  • Colours
templateDownload

Did you know that every time we make the Sign of the Cross, we are remembering a great mystery of our faith, the Trinity? We are expressing what we believe as Christians. It’s called a mystery not because it’s like a crime which needs solving. A mystery of faith is a way for God to communicate with us. It is hard for us to understand, but through it we know that God loves us.

We believe in the Holy Trinity, one God who is three persons, God the Father, Jesus, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Understanding this, we know how much God loves us. Today’s Gospel sheds light upon how God acts and why he acts in such a manner. God the Father, sent his only son Jesus to save the world through his death on the Cross and His Resurrection. God the Father did this because he loves us. In today’s Gospel Jesus explains to a man called Nicodemus that out of His great love for the world, God the Father has given Jesus to us. The Holy Spirit is given to us so that we may believe that God the Father loves us and wants to give us the gift of eternal life. When reflecting upon the Trinity, we experience God’s love for us in different ways. What different words would you use to describe the different persons in the Trinity? Through revelation, we may speak about God the Father as Creator, God the Son (Jesus) as Redeemer and Saviour, and about the Holy Spirit as the Giver of Life. The central descriptive word which connects them is the word ‘loving.’ Because of his great love for us, the Father sent his Son, Jesus, to save the world. Jesus gave us his Love (that existed between Him and the Father), his Holy Spirit, as a gift. The Trinity is a relationship of love. God is so full of love and wants to share it with others. As a way of remembering the Trinity as three persons in one God, print out and colour the template.

Listen to the song, Trinity Song.

Sign of the Cross

God the Father, we thank you for your great love. God the Son, we thank you for giving your life to save us. God the Holy Spirit, we thank you for guiding us in all things. In the name of the Blessed Trinity, we pray. Amen.

Coming soon.

How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.