Jesus as risen Lord, the focal point of the renewal of all creation (v 18) sends his disciples forth on the mission that sums up the entire purpose of the Church: to make disciples of all nations. "Baptism in the name of" someone signifies belonging — immersion of one’s own reality into that person’s reality. Thus the Christian belongs to the Trinity, united to the Son as a child of the Father, a union accomplished and vivified by the Holy Spirit. The new covenant of Jesus is not merely a new set of laws, but a totally new way of life, founded on his continued presence. The life and activity of the Church continues (or should continue) to display the living Jesus to the world. (See also the commentary on the Gospel of the Solemnity of the Ascension, Year A.)

Moses’ exhortation here serves as a preamble to the Jewish covenant-law. The law was not simply a set of rules to be obeyed for good order, nor, as later tradition distorted it, a necessary condition for pleasing God. The law was the constitution of the people God had chosen as his own. Observance of the law was the way of life that corresponded to the covenant. Thus Jesus, by establishing the new covenant, did not so much replace the law as fulfill it.

This psalm praises God’s past works and acknowledges that he still works to save his people. Response: "Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own."

This passages sums up the meaning of the Trinity for us. V 15 alludes to our right to make the prayer of Jesus our own. But union with the Trinity does not happen automatically. Our active participation means joining with Christ as he is — in the suffering of the cross — rather than as we might wish him to be.

1. Describe your understanding of the distinctive personalities of the Three Divine Persons.

2. What difference does your belief in God as Three Persons make in your life?