The Christian year consists of two parts: from Advent to Trinity Sunday; and from Trinity to Advent. The first half of the Church year has set before us the saving life and work of Jesus Christ: at Advent and Christmas with the celebration of the incarnation of Jesus; at Epiphany with the manifestation of our Lord to the Gentiles; at Lent with his fasting, temptation, agony, the cross, passion, death and burial; at Easter with his glorious resurrection; at the Ascension; at Pentecost with his sending of the Holy Spirit to comfort us. During all this time the Church has us remember with thankful hearts the benefits we receive from the Father, first by his Son, and then by his Holy Spirit. This part of the Christian year concludes on Trinity Sunday when the Church gives praise and glory to the whole Trinity, three persons in One God.
We are beginning the second half of the Christian year – Trinity season, which prompts us to conform our lives to the truth we have seen in the first half of the year. As Christians we are not only to know that our salvation is in Jesus Christ, but we ourselves must become like him. Religion consists of things to be believed and things to be done. Advent to Trinity has made clear the truth to be believed; but belief is unreal unless it is made the basis of action. The emphasis in Trinity season is on the transformation of our life by and through the Love of God. The Collects in Trinity season are prayers for Divine help and guidance to enable us to bring forth the fruits of Christianity. We seek to understand our faith in a way which shows us how we can become more charitable, compassionate, humble and patient. The Sunday lessons are concerned with the practical life of God’s Kingdom within us as individuals and among us as a Christian community.
The Christian life is lived within God himself: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The continuing theme throughout Trinity season is that of the practice of allowing God to live in us so that we might be able to say with St. Paul: “I am crucified with Christ, yet I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2. 20).
Trinitytide is a time when we daily offer our life to God so that he may transform it by his life and make it more beautiful to God, to others and to ourselves.
(drawn from St. Peter Publications Online, Canada)