dirige-nos-domine:

In Hebrew, there are no degrees of perfection (good, better, best; bad, worse, worst). Instead, you must repeat the world three times for emphasis. That’s why we say things like “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord” in church. It means “The Holiest Lord”. 

Remember, Peter denied Jesus three times in the Bible, making it the worst he could do. Jesus also asked Peter if he loved him three times, another way to ask “Peter, do you love me the most that you possibly can?” 

(via dirige-nos-domine-deactivated20)