May 31, 2026 Essay: The Trinity & Priesthood: A Furnace of Love
For centuries, philosophers and theologians have tried to make sense of the Mystery of the Trinity. Pages have been filled, terms have been defined, formulas written, all to try and grasp the Indivisible One, our Triune God. Mystics and poets have grappled with this mystery, too, as they’ve told us of their visions and expressed the Trinity in meter and rhyme, all to try and find some vantage point into the truth of the Divine. Preachers, on the other hand, have often tried to be out of town on Trinity Sunday! It’s hard to make sense of this core of our faith in an 8–10-minute homily—let alone a bulletin essay! So, instead, humor me as I reflect on this first year of priesthood as I approach my anniversary.
Pope Francis writes in Desiderio Desideravi that for a priest, “To preside at Eucharist is to be plunged into the furnace of God’s love.” That has very much been my experience as I’ve presided at Eucharist on weekdays and Sundays, as I’ve baptized babies and young children, and as I’ve married young couples. Sitting in the merciful furnace of God’s love—or “in the box,” as I call it—as I’ve heard confessions has been a tremendous privilege, which I always look forward to. So too, the opportunities to anoint those close to death, and then to care for and console families as they mourn the loss of their loved ones—those moments have been an indescribable gift. And, of course, being present as our children deepened their faith as they received the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation—a true joy. I’ve been blessed with a front row seat to God’s grace and love at work in your sacramental lives!
When I was ordained in our Church last June 14th, Cardinal Dolan focused his homily on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pulling from Pope Francis’ encyclical Dilexit Nos, and calling us new priests to have our hearts reordered and conformed to the Lord’s “soul, mind, and heart.” He called us to love and tend and feed those whom the Lord love—his people, you. Or as Pope Francis instructs us, “It is as if [the priest] were placed in the middle between Jesus’ burning heart of love and the heart of each of the faithful, which is the object of the Lord’s love.” What a challenging call! What a grace-filled invitation!
It’s hard to properly verbalize what this year of priesthood has done for my heart. How being placed in the middle of Jesus’ burning heart of love and your hearts has been such an honor and, selfishly, how it has expanded my heart. How your kind and generous words and greetings after Mass have encouraged me, consoled me, and challenged me. How your turning to me for a word of counsel and advice has humbled me deeply. I hope, as imperfect and flawed as it has been, I hope that I have loved you and served you in a way that mirrors the very perfect and complete love that God has for you.
By a stroke of providence, my first Mass last June was on Trinity Sunday. I preached about how my Nonna used to say to us grandchildren, “I love you too much.” That phrase sums up the Trinity, our God who is a communion of love, a furnace of love, and who loves too much, without limit or end! Every time we love—in word and deed, in ways small and large—we share in the Trinity, the communion of love, as our hearts expand and become more like the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At least, that’s what I’ve come to experience in this first year of priesthood.
Sorry to miss you this Sunday—I’m out of town! Happy Trinity Sunday!
— Fr. Jonathan P. Pennacchia, S.J., Pastoral Year Priest