St Peter and St Patrick Catholic Churches

06/01/2026

05/31/2026

Today, May 31st, is the Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, while pregnant with Jesus, greeted her cousin, Elizabeth. At the sound of the Mary's greeting, St. John the Baptist jumped for joy in Elizabeth's womb!

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. 🙏⁣ ⁣“Blessed are you who believed 15 that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Luke 1, 45).

Learn more: https://ewtnmission.com/seasonsandfeastdays/visitation/

05/31/2026

Happy Feast day of the Holy Trinity!
“The three Persons are distinct from one another; a sublime knowledge is infused into the soul, imbuing it with a certainty of the truth that the Three are of one substance, power, and knowledge and are one God.”
-St. Teresa of Ávila

05/30/2026

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,” God says to Moses in the first reading (Exodus 34:6). It is interesting that God uses a description that does not include the first words that may come to mind regarding the divine essence: words like all-powerful, all-knowing, infinite, or perfect. These words are true, of course, but God instead chooses to use words that are relational. God cannot be any of these things—merciful or gracious, kind or faithful—without someone else. But the fact that God is three persons means that God is relational from the start. Indeed, Jesus relies on these qualities when he faces his suffering and death. He relies on his faith that the Father is merciful to him, is gracious to him, is faithful to him. He also relies on these qualities when he promises the Holy
Spirit to his disciples. Our God is a relational God, and God’s mercy, grace, love, and fidelity to us reflects these qualities among Father, Son, and Spirit.

God’s generosity is strongly reflected in today’s readings. God’s self-description to Moses relates God’s generosity with mercy, grace, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness. Perhaps the ultimate example of God’s generosity comes in God’s Son—a gift to the world in the incarnation who gives himself over to death on the cross. As John points out, God is also generous with salvation. It is available to anyone who believes in the Son. Finally, God has given us the Holy Spirit, who remains with us always. Generosity is
another relational quality, needing another person to be generous to.

We cannot be all-powerful, all-knowing, infinite, or perfect. Nor can we bring salvation to the world. However, we can be merciful, gracious, slow to anger, kind, faithful, loving, and generous. The qualities that God puts first and foremost as godlike are qualities we can have—and use—as well. When we forgive and bear with one another, act kindly, give of ourselves, and love each other, we are acting as God self-identifies. (Pastoral Patterns May 31, 2026)

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/053126.cfm

05/30/2026

BE IN THE KNOW | Understanding the Holy Trinity: Common Misunderstandings and the Catholic Faith

The Holy Trinity is the greatest mystery of our faith. While we cannot fully understand God, we can know what He has revealed about Himself.

1️⃣ What the Trinity Does NOT Mean

Many people misunderstand the Trinity.

The Catholic Church does not teach:

* There are three gods.
* One God changes into three different forms.
* Three equals one in a mathematical sense.

Instead, the Church teaches:

There is one God in three distinct Persons:

* The Father
* The Son
* The Holy Spirit

A Simple Formula

One Divine Nature + Three Divine Persons = One God

The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.

Yet there are not three Gods, but one God.

2️⃣ Who Are the Three Divine Persons?

God the Father

The Father is the eternal source within the Trinity.

God the Son

The Son is eternally begotten of the Father.

This does not mean the Son was created. There was never a time when the Son did not exist.

As Jesus said:

“In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1).

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.

He is the Person of divine love who unites the Father and the Son.

3️⃣ The Three Persons Are Distinct but Equal

The Father is not the Son.

The Son is not the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not the Father.

Yet all three share the same divine nature.

Therefore:

* The Father is fully God.
* The Son is fully God.
* The Holy Spirit is fully God.

All are eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, and worthy of the same worship.

4️⃣ What Does the Bible Show Us?

The Father and the Son Are Distinct

Jesus prayed:

“Father, glorify me in your presence” (John 17:5).

Here we see Jesus speaking to the Father as a distinct Person.

The Son Is God

Jesus declared:

“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

The Holy Spirit Is God

Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit knows the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:10) and speaks with divine authority.

5️⃣ Why Do We Say “God Is Love”?

The Bible says:

“God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Love requires:

* Someone who loves
* Someone who is loved
* The love shared between them

From all eternity:

* The Father loves the Son.
* The Son loves the Father.
* The Holy Spirit is the eternal bond of love between them.

Because God is Trinity, God has always been love.

6️⃣ Helpful Analogies (Not Perfect, But Useful)

No analogy can fully explain God, but some can help us understand.

The Mind Analogy (St. Augustine)

Within one human soul, we can distinguish:

* Memory
* Understanding
* Will

These are distinct realities, yet they belong to one person.

Likewise, in God there are distinctions without dividing His unity.

The Family Analogy

A father, mother, and child are three distinct persons who share one human nature.

Similarly, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share one divine nature.

The difference is that a human family consists of three separate beings, while the Trinity is one divine Being.

7️⃣ The Most Important Truth

The Trinity is not merely a doctrine to study.

It reveals who God is.

God is an eternal communion of love:

* The Father loves the Son.
* The Son loves the Father.
* The Holy Spirit is the love shared between them.

Through Baptism, faith, prayer, and the sacraments, we are invited to share in this divine life.

✝️ A Catechism Summary

The Holy Trinity is one God in three Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three Persons are distinct from one another, yet they are perfectly united in one divine nature and one divine life.

This is the central mystery of the Christian faith and the source of all God’s works of creation, redemption, and sanctification. (CCC 234)

Source: Revised from Catholic Answers
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God bless!