The Trinity

Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes,

The mystery of the Trinity calls for worship. Like the light of the sun, it is difficult to see in itself, but it is that by which we see all other things. As we celebrate our new life in Christ, and live out the gift of the Spirit, let us answer the call to worship the Trinitarian mystery.

In the liturgy, we participate in the Trinity, because at Mass, the Son offers Himself to the Father in the Spirit. Worship that is right and just, therefore, aligns us with the sacrificial love of the Son, the receiving love of the Father, and the unifying love of the Spirit. Getting worship right, therefore, is a high calling. I would like to explain a few aspects of worship which the Church teaches in the Second Vatican Council. I want to highlight a few facets here, and you can learn more in the Liturgy Lessons article on page 6 of this week’s bulletin (May 31, 2026).

We are beginning a process of inviting and training servers, at the impetus and direction of the Family Worship Commission. One topic that many people feel passionately about is incense. The Bible tells us that incense is used in the liturgy in Heaven, and St. Michael himself stands at the altar as a server carrying the incense, which carries prayers to God’s throne. While the Church envisions that Mass be customarily celebrated with incense, in participation with the liturgy in Heaven, it is not always possible or practicable. When we develop a fuller complement of servers, we can have some Masses regularly with incense and some without, which can be marked in the bulletin. Temporarily this summer, as we work to build a more robust server program, I will have one or two seminarians assisting at the Masses I celebrate, and we will use incense at those Masses (with the exception of the 7:30 PM Mass; there won’t be incense at that Mass). That way, as I rotate through the parishes, everyone can have a chance to see incense in action, as a preview of the Heavenly liturgy, and those who wish to avoid it, can avoid the Masses I celebrate (don’t worry, I won’t take it personally). As an aside, the incense we have recently started to use in our parishes is sourced from Ethiopia. It is grown naturally, is environmentally friendly, and is hypo-allergenic, as it is pure natural frankincense, without the chemicals or additives in other incense. Using this incense helps the environment, aids the Christian people who cultivate the incense trees in Africa, and adds an element of purity and beauty to our worship.

Music is another element of worship that evokes the heavenly reality of Trinitarian liturgy. The Second Vatican Council says that the musical tradition of the Church is her greatest artistic treasure. The way that music combines diversity and unity into one melody reminds us of the providence of God in the multiplicity of history. The Church has always taught that the organ is the primary instrument of worship, as it designed for sacred use, and has been used in worship all the way back in Jewish times. It produces sound closest to the way the human throat works (thus the term ‘organ’) and it symbolizes the breath of the Spirit in our respiratory organs. Other instruments are permitted to support the singing and add beauty to the music, provided that they are sacred or apt for the sacred. In various teaching documents, the Church has given us a profound and practical approach to music at the service of worship.

As we approach the mystery of the Trinity, it is best (as always) to imitate Mary. She is the daughter of the Father, the mother of the Son, and the spouse of the Spirit. Imitating her, we can perfect our relationship with the Trinity, and become icons and models of God’s love in the world, as she is.

Yours in Christ, with Mary,
Fr. Henry Hoffmann