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Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne
May 31, 2026
On this page you will find:
The readings for Mass, the Mass leaflet with the choice of hymns
A sample universal prayer available for download, in PDF and editable Word formats.
A meditation on the Sunday Gospel, a spiritual text and commentary by Marie-Noëlle Thabut
Holy Trinity
Solemnity
Icon of the Holy Trinity after the one painted by Andrei Rublev in the 15th century
God sent his Son,
so that, through him,
May the world be saved.
John 3:17
Readings from the Mass
Mass leaflet
Universal Prayer
Consult the Lectio Divina page, which invites you to read the Gospel in a prayerful atmosphere so that you may be touched in your heart. It is important not to rush to read commentaries or homilies before having this personal experience of encountering Christ in Scripture.
Next, if you wish, you can read the meditations below which will enrich your personal reading and meditation.
MEDITATION POPE FRANCIS
Today, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the Gospel reading is taken from the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus (cf. Jn 3:16-18). Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, deeply interested in the mystery of God. He recognized Jesus as a divine teacher and went to speak to him secretly, at night. Jesus listened, understood that Nicodemus was a man on a quest, and first surprised him by telling him that to enter the Kingdom of God, one must be born again. Then he revealed the heart of the mystery, telling him that God so loved humanity that he sent his Son into the world. Jesus, therefore, the Son, speaks to us of the Father and his immense love.
Father and Son. It's a familiar image that, upon reflection, shakes our understanding of God. The very word "God" suggests a singular, majestic, and distant reality, whereas hearing about a Father and a Son brings us home. Yes, we can think of God in this way, through the image of a family gathered around a table, where life is shared. Moreover, the table, which is also an altar, is a symbol with which some icons represent the Trinity. It's an image that speaks to us of a God of communion. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: communion.
But this is not just an image; it is reality! It is reality because the Holy Spirit, the Spirit whom the Father poured into our hearts through Jesus (cf. Gal 4:6), allows us to taste, to savor the presence of God: a presence that is always near, compassionate, and tender. The Holy Spirit does with us what Jesus did with Nicodemus: he leads us into the mystery of the new birth—the birth of faith, of Christian life—reveals to us the heart of the Father, and makes us sharers in the very life of God.
The invitation he extends to us, we might say, is to sit down at table with God to share his love. This is what happens at every Mass, at the altar of Eucharistic sharing, where Jesus offers himself to the Father and offers himself for us. And yes, brothers and sisters, it is so, our God is a communion of love: this is how Jesus revealed him to us. And do you know how we can remember this? Through the simplest gesture, one we learned in childhood: the sign of the cross. By tracing the cross on our bodies, we remember how much God loved us, to the point of giving his life for us; and we remind ourselves that his love envelops us completely, from head to toe, from left to right, like an embrace that never abandons us. And at the same time, we commit ourselves to bearing witness to God's love, creating a communion in his name. Now let each of us, and all of us together, make the sign of the cross [the Pope makes the sign of the cross].
Today, we can ask ourselves: do we bear witness to God's love? Or has God's love become, in turn, a concept, something already heard, which no longer has any effect and no longer inspires life? If God is love, do our communities bear witness to this? Do they know how to love? Do our communities know how to love? And our families, do we know how to love as a family? Do we always keep the door open, do we know how to welcome everyone—and I mean everyone—as brothers and sisters? Do we offer everyone the food of God's forgiveness and the joy of the Gospel? Do we breathe a familiar air, or do we resemble an office or a private space where only the chosen few enter? God is love, God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and gave his life for us; that is why we make the sign of the cross.
And may Mary help us to live the Church as this home where we love each other like a family, to the glory of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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POPE FRANCIS
ANGELUS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, June 4, 2023
[ Multimedia ]
Homily
Draw from the source
During a catechism class, little Bernadette of Lourdes was asked to say who God is. She had to recite the text she had memorized from her book. Unable to do so, she said, "He is someone who loves us." This answer was not accepted by the catechist because it wasn't the one in the book. And yet, Bernadette didn't realize how right she was.
“God is someone who loves us.” That is precisely what we just read in this Sunday’s biblical texts. The Book of Exodus (first reading) presents us with a liberating God who makes a covenant with his people. He wants to make them his friends. But the people have committed a very grave sin. Instead of embracing this friendship with God, they have turned away from it. They have fashioned a god in the form of a calf and worshiped it. Moses intercedes for his guilty people. And it is then that God reveals himself to them in a way they had never known. The great and awesome Lord is at the same time tender and merciful, full of love and faithfulness. He is a saving God. His love extends to forgiveness. This is how he makes us his people.
In the second reading, Saint Paul invites us to welcome the love that is in God and to allow ourselves to be transformed by it. This should truly change our relationships with one another. Paul speaks to us of "joy," of "perfect love." It is through the way we live together as brothers and sisters that we will express something of God's love. We cannot bear witness to a God of love and peace if we remain angry with someone. On this Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. It is the feast of God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God who is "Love." We are invited to open ourselves to a life filled with this love that comes from him.
In the Gospel of John, we find powerful words: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The world John speaks of is the world of evil. Human beings are sinners. God could have come to judge this world and destroy evil. He could have punished sinners. Instead, he loves this world and sends it what is most precious to him, his one and only Son. He sent him to take away humanity's sins through his sacrifice. Jesus himself told us one day that he came to seek and save those who were lost. Through his death and resurrection, Christ opens a path for us to this new world, which he calls the Kingdom of God.
This is how God-Love revealed himself. Whoever believes in him is freed from sin and death. He obtains Eternal Life, life in communion with him. If God created us, it is to be loved by him and to love with him. This is good news that we must embrace every day of our lives. And it is by looking each day toward the cross of Christ that we recognize its full significance. We will never finish discovering the full grandeur of this love that is in him.
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned. Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Sinners who believe in Jesus and turn to him receive forgiveness for their sins and the strength to sin no more. Those who refuse to believe reject the salvation offered to them. They condemn themselves. Let us understand clearly: it is not God who lacks love. The sinner who persists and does not accept this love condemns themselves. They do not believe in the love that was revealed on the cross. By organizing their life apart from God, they rush toward their own destruction.
Some believers think they know God because they attended a few years of catechism and skimmed the Gospels. That's completely ridiculous. If we want to enter into the mystery of faith, we must walk step by step with Jesus; we must welcome his word each day. The Lord is here, knocking at our door. We hold the key to open it and welcome him into our lives.
Our words are inadequate to express the dogma of the Holy Trinity. But what matters most is the revelation of a God filled with love for humanity. Jesus speaks to us of the Father; he teaches us to pray to him and to throw ourselves into his arms like the prodigal son. Then he sends us his Holy Spirit to make us messengers of the Good News.
In celebrating this Eucharist, we turn together to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This God, who is love, desires to unite us to himself and to one another. How blessed we are to enter into this communion of love! Let us pray together that this communion may extend to the whole world, that it may transcend the boundaries of the Church, making us a fraternal people, happy to give thanks. Amen
Understanding the readings
with Marie-Noëlle THABUT
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