"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . ." Where have you found the greatest graces? For what gifts are you particularly grateful? What does redemption and salvation mean to you?

Studies show that Catholics are the least catechized of the major faiths, but that is not to say they don't have a desire to learn. Many Catholics, particularly younger Catholics, hunger for a better understanding of their faith.

SAINT PAUL OFFERS a wonderful prism through which to consider the Trinity: the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. To begin at the natural top of this triangle, many scripture texts support the revelation of divine love. God is memorably defined by this central attribute in 1 John 4:16.

While the Trinity is perhaps the Christian doctrine, it's also one of the hardest to explain. Over the centuries people have used everything from sunbeams to shamrocks to try to describe how three "Persons"--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--can be one God.

God's going to punish you!" the angry older sister said. Her little brother had been misbehaving since they'd arrived at the playground. Her babysitting resources all depleted, the girl resorted to her trump card--threatening punishment from God.

Back when I was a student in the seminary, we would be tested in general areas of theology as well as in the specific course work we were taking. They would give us an extensive reading list for those "area" exams. One of them included the theology of the Holy Trinity.

Let God speak for himself. People erroneously caricature the God of the Old Testament as a punishing God. Here's how God introduces himself in today's first reading, "The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity."

We turn to God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--for the forgiveness that reconciles us to God and one another.

The Lord, a merciful and gracious God. Interestingly, on a solemnity devoted to the sublime and in some ways difficult to grasp reality of the Trinity, the scripture readings are some of the shortest in the lectionary. Rather than try to "explain" the Trinity, the readings address the same question the doctrine of the Trinity does, "Who is God?", by talking about what God does.

Mystery of the living God, and of his love  for humankind, the Most High sends his Son to us and reveals himself as our Father; Christ exalted in glory gives us his Spirit in whom we praise you, God who is, who was, and who comes! --Antiphon of Canticle of Mary, Trinity Sunday