Trinity Sunday
Dedication of New Altar
St. Joseph Fullerton
May 31, 2026
The Trinity: Eternal Exchange of Divine Love
In days gone by, bishops in some parts of the world would send out a pastoral letter to be read on Trinity Sunday in place of a homily. They did this because it is difficult to preach about the Trinity. Not only do eyes glaze over when the preacher launches into the intricacies of Trinitarian doctrine, but indeed, in preaching about those same intricacies the preacher may unknowingly fall into error. Hopefully, I will neither bore you nor lapse into heresy.
I can’t guarantee that I won’t bore you but I’m saved from heresy by my reliance on the Catechism of the Church, the “gold standard” of Christian doctrine. It takes us to the heart of the Trinitarian mystery when it says: “By sending his only Son and the Spirit of love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange [of love]” (CCC, 221). Indeed God wants nothing more than that we share in his life and love, for as today’s reading from John’s Gospel so beautifully proclaims, “God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). God loved the world by sending us his only Son, the Word made flesh. Jesus revealed his Father’s merciful heart by laying down his life to save us, and with the Father sent the Holy Spirit who pours divine love into our hearts.
The Mystery of Trinitarian Love in Our Midst
Whenever we read Scripture and open our hearts in prayer, the Lord Jesus leads us to his Father in the power of the Spirit. God’s Word resonates in our souls and comes alive in the power of the Spirit. We are continually invited to be caught up into the mystery of divine love, to share in the exchange of love of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. This should be our daily experience of prayer.
But today, in the consecration of this altar, the experience of Trinitarian love in our midst intensifies. For the altar, the focal point of every church, is where God’s saving deeds are remembered, celebrated, and made present among us. Here we encounter God the Father of mercies, the source of every blessing, who sent his Son into the world to save us. Here, in the power of the overshadowing Spirit, the living memorial of Christ’s Paschal Mystery is celebrated, namely, his saving death, resurrection, and exaltation; for it is only in his Name and in his One Sacrifice that we are saved. As Holy Spirit descends upon this altar bread and wine are completely changed into the Body and Blood Christ. In receiving Christ’s Body we are united as one body, one spirit in Christ, and thus we say that the Eucharist builds up the Church. Truly, the Eucharistic Liturgy, celebrated on this altar, is not in the first instance something we do for God; it is rather a gift from the Triune God, a living re-presentation of all that God in his mercy has done to save us. Indeed, the altar is a meeting place of heaven and earth, and from this altar we receive God’s pledge of future glory.
As the Trinity descends upon us in the Sacred Liturgy, we are sanctified. Here we return, week after week, even day after day, sinful and sorrowful, acknowledging our need for mercy, seeking to open our hearts to the cleansing power of God’s love. In uniting ourselves to the One Sacrifice of Christ celebrated on this altar we receive God’s mercy; we are reconciled to God and to one another. The Spirit works in each of our hearts and in the whole assembly, enabling us to offer to God our work of heart and hand, indeed, our very selves, enabling us thereby to become more like the Christ whom we receive, so that the Father can see and love in us what he sees and loves in Christ. Restored and reconciled we truly “lift up our hearts” to God in praise, thanksgiving, adoration, and a joy born of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we become worshippers “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:24): in the Spirit who makes us holy, in Christ the Truth who makes us free.
Re-Consecrating Ourselves
As the consecration of this altar unfolds, I invite you to listen closely to the prayer that will be offered to God, and to fix your eyes and hearts on the sacred actions to be performed. Hear in the prayer of consecration echoes of the Father’s love, the God who loved the world so much that he gave us his only Son. Discover more deeply in that prayer who we are as God’s holy people, for in sharing in God’s Triune love we are changed from sin to grace and from grace to glory. See in the anointing of the altar the action of the Spirit in setting it apart so that the One Sacrifice of Christ might be celebrated anew upon it. As incense rises from the altar, let our prayers rise like incense, as through Christ and in the Spirit we offer the Father fitting worship. As the altar is dressed and lighted, let us reclaim our baptismal innocence symbolized by the white garment we received on the day of our re-birth. Let us resolve to let the light of Christ shine more brightly in our hearts. and be reflected in what we say and do. As we consecrate of this altar, let us re-consecrate ourselves to the mission Jesus entrusted to his Church – to go, teach all nations, and baptized them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Thus, “[m]ay the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Cor 13:12) – now and forever! Amen!