First Sunday after Pentecost:
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, June 11, 2017
1st Reading:Book of Exodus 34:4b-6.8-9.
Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets.
Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with him there and proclaimed his name, “LORD.” Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, “The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own.” The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm: 3:52.53.54.55.56.
R/. Glory and praise for ever!
2nd Reading: 2nd Corinthians 13:11-13.
Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you. The word of the Lord.
Holy Gospel: John 3:16-18.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. The gospel of the Lord.
SUNDAY REFLECTIONS:
The Trinity! The inner life of God! The Greatest Mystery of our Faith! We all are used to the idea that there is one God. And we fully accept that this one God is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. On the surface, this seems like a contradiction. How can God be one and three at the same time? It’s a mystery that is worth penetrating and contemplating. First, we need to understand that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three divine Persons. Each one distinct from the other. Each Person has a perfect intellect and free will. Each one is capable of knowing and loving to a perfect degree.
But it is this “perfection” of their ability to know and love that makes them one. They each share in the one divine nature and, within that divine nature, are perfectly united. This means that each one knows and loves the other perfectly. And that knowledge (an act of their perfect intellect) and love (an act of their perfect will) brings about a unity so profound and deep that they live and act as one God. What’s also inspiring to know and understand is that the unity they share by their mutual knowledge and love also offers each one of them perfect fulfillment as a Person. This shows that “personhood” is fulfilled by unity. What a wonderful lesson this is for each of us. We are not God, but we are made in God’s image and likeness. Therefore, we find fulfillment in the same way that God does. Specifically, we find fulfillment in life by our love of others and our freewill choice to enter into a knowledge of each person, forming a communion with them.
Together we pray: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, help me to know You and to love You. Help me to discover the love You share within Your own divine life. In that discovery, help me to also love others with Your heart. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I trust in You that You alone will heal our sick brethren and set them free. May the souls of our faithful departed brethren rest in perfect peace, amen. Have a blessed and fulfilled Sunday.