Last Sunday on Pentecost, something significant happened beyond our parish walls. Bishop Gruss proclaimed a Year of the Holy Spirit for the entire Diocese of Saginaw beginning Pentecost 2026 and running through Pentecost 2027. That announcement was not just a calendar note. It was a pastoral call where our Bishop is inviting us to actually encounter the Holy Spirit. And this Sunday — the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity — is the perfect moment to hear that call and respond. Trinity Sunday is not just a feast about God’s inner life. It is a call to let the inner life of God reshape ours and here is what I want us to hold onto from the readings.
The God who shows up and tells us who He is.
In the book of Exodus 34:4b–6, 8–9, Moses climbs the mountain and God passes before him, not to terrify him, but to introduce Himself: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, rich in kindness. This is the God who leads with love and mercy and not with wrath. Moses’ response? He drops to his knees and worships. That’s the right instinct for us too. When we see who God actually is, the knees go down first.
The most important verse in the Gospel
The Gospel (John 3:16–18) takes us to the heart of everything: “For 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.” The Father sends the Son and the Son saves. And through Baptism, we are invited into a deeper encounter with the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, who has sent us on mission. That is the inner logic of Holy Trinity Sunday and the Year of the Holy Spirit, held together. The Father loves. The Son saves. The Spirit stays recreating us, strengthening us, and sending us out on mission.
The Holy Spirit is already living in us.
In Bishop Gruss’ words: “The Holy Spirit is the power, breath, and fire of the Church. The Spirit is the One who makes Christ present, breaks the chains of sin, heals wounds of the heart, restores hope, strengthens virtue, ignites courage, and awakens holiness. The Spirit does not merely improve us — He recreates us.”
Bishop Gruss has invited us to become “more missional focused” and that ministry begins “with the power of the Holy Spirit.” He envisions numerous events in the Diocese and in particular parishes to celebrate the Year of the Holy Spirit.
Here are three simple things we can do starting this week:
1. Pray to the Holy Spirit daily. “Come, Holy Spirit.” Say it in the morning. Say it before a hard conversation. Say it before Mass. Let it become an innate reflex.
2. Make the Sign of the Cross slowly and deliberately. It is a profession of faith in the Trinity, a reminder of our Baptism, and a small act of worship every time we make it. Don’t rush it.
Go to Confession. The Holy Spirit reconciles us with God and one another. If we want to be open to the Spirit’s work this year, let us start with a clean slate. The confessional is where that begins.
God is not far away. He is Father, Son, and Spirit and He is with us.