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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 06-11-17, SOL, The Most Holy Trinity
USCCB.org/RNAB ^
| 06-11-17
| Revised New American Bible
Posted on 06/10/2017 10:17:50 PM PDT by Salvation
June 11, 2017
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
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 Moses 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."
R. (52b)
Glory and praise for ever!Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
R.
Glory and praise for ever!Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
R.
Glory and praise for ever!Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R.
Glory and praise for ever!Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R.
Glory and praise for ever!
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.
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave his only 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.
TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; ordinarytime; prayer; trinity
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To: All
Archdiocese of Washington
There is an old spiritual that says, My God is so high you cant get over Him. Hes so low you cant get under Him. Hes so wide you cant get around Him. You must come in, by and through the Lamb.
Its not a bad way of saying that God is other. He is beyond what human words can describe, beyond what human thoughts can conjure. On the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity we do well to remember that we are pondering a mystery that cannot fit in our minds.
A mystery, though, is not something wholly unknown. In the Christian tradition, the word mystery refers to (among other things) something that is partially revealed, something much more of which remains hidden. As we ponder the Trinity, consider that although there are some things we can know by revelation, much more is beyond our understanding.
Lets ponder the Trinity by exploring it, seeing how it is exhibited in Scripture, and observing how we, who are made in Gods image, experience it.
I. The Teaching on the Trinity Explored
Perhaps we do best to begin by quoting the Catechism, which says, The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons: [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit]
The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God, whole and entire (Catechism, 253).
There is one God and each of the three persons of the Trinity possesses the one divine nature fully. The Father is God; He is not one-third of God. Likewise, the Son, Jesus, is God; He is not one-third of God. And the Holy Spirit is God, not merely one-third of God.
It is our human experience that if there is only one of something, and someone possesses it fully, then there is nothing left for anyone else. Yet mysteriously, each of the three persons of the Trinity fully possesses the one and only divine nature while remaining a distinct person.
One of the great masterpieces of the Latin Liturgy is the preface for Trinity Sunday. It compactly and clearly sets forth the Christian teaching on the Trinity. The following translation of the Latin is my own:
It is truly fitting and just, right and helpful unto salvation that we should always and everywhere give thanks to you O Holy Lord, Father almighty and eternal God: who, with your only begotten Son and the Holy Spirit are one God, one Lord: not in the oneness of a single person, but in a Trinity of one substance. For that which we believe from your revelation concerning your glory, we acknowledge of your Son and the Holy Spirit without difference or distinction. Thus, in the confession of the true and eternal Godhead there is adored a distinctness of persons, a oneness in essence, and an equality in majesty, whom the angels and archangels, the Cherubim also and the Seraphim, do not cease to daily cry out with one voice saying, Holy, Holy, Holy
Wow! Its a careful and clear masterpiece, but one that baffles the mind. So deep is this mystery that we had to invent a paradoxical word to summarize it: Triune (or Trinity). Triune literally means three-one (tri + unus), and Trinity is a conflation of Tri-unity, meaning the three-oneness of God.
If all of this baffles you, good! If you were to say that you fully understood all this, I would have to say you were likely a heretic. The teaching on the Trinity, while not contrary to reason per se, does transcend it and it is surely beyond human understanding.
Here is a final image before we leave our exploration stage. The picture at the upper right is from an experiment I remember doing when I was in high school. We took three projectors, each of which projected a circle: one red, one green, and one blue (the three primary colors). At the intersection of the three circles the color white appeared. Mysteriously, the three primary colors are present in the color white, but only one shows forth. The analogy is not perfect (no analogy is or it wouldnt be an analogy) for Father, Son, and Spirit do not blend to make God, but it does manifest a mysterious three-oneness of the color white. Somehow in the one, three are present. (By the way, this experiment only works with light; dont try it with paint!)
II. The Teaching on the Trinity Exhibited – Scripture also presents images of the Trinity. Interestingly enough, most of the ones I want to present here are from the Old Testament.
As a disclaimer, Id like to point out that Scripture scholars debate the meaning of these texts; thats what they get paid the big bucks to do. I am reading these texts as a New Testament Christian and seeing in them a doctrine that later became clear. I am not getting into a time machine and trying to understand them as a Jew from the 8th century B.C. might have. Why should I? Thats not what I am. I am reading these texts as a Christian in the light of the New Testament, as I have a perfect right to do. You, of course, are free to decide whether you think these texts really are images or hints of the Trinity. Here they are:
1. Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness
(Gen 1:26)
God speaks of himself in the plural: Let us
our
Some claim that this is just an instance of the royal we being used. Perhaps, but I see an image of the Trinity. There is one (God said) but there is also a plural (us, our). Right at the very beginning in Genesis there is already a hint that God is not all by himself, but rather is in a communion of love.
2. Elohim
In the passage above, the word used for God is אֱלֹהִ֔ים (Elohim). It is interesting to note that this word is in the plural form. From a grammatical standpoint, Elohim actually means Gods, but the Jewish people understood the sense of the word to be singular. This is a much debated point, however. You can read more about it from a Jewish perspective here: Elohim as Plural yet Singular.
(We have certain words like this in English, words that are plural in form but singular in meaning such as news, mathematics, and acoustics.) My point here is not to try to understand it as a Jew from the 8th century B.C. or even as a present day Jew. Rather, I am observing with interest that one of the main words for God in the Old Testament is plural yet singular, singular yet plural. God is one yet three. I say this as a Christian observing this about one of the main titles of God, and I see an image of the Trinity.
3. And the LORD appeared to [Abram] by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, My Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I fetch a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass onsince you have come to your servant. So they said, Do as you have said (Gen 18:1-5).
From a purely grammatical standpoint this is a very difficult passage because it switches back and forth between singular and plural references. The Lord (singular) appears to Abram, yet Abram sees three men (some have said that this is just God and two angels, but I think it is the Trinity). Then when Abram addresses them he says, My Lord (singular). The tortured grammar continues as Abram suggests that the Lord (singular) rest yourselves (plural) under the tree. The same thing happens in the next sentence, in which Abram wants to fetch bread so that you may refresh yourselves (plural). In the end, the Lord (singular) answers, but it is rendered as So they said. Plural, singular
which is it? Both. God is one and God is three. For me as a Christian, this is a picture of the Trinity. Because the reality of God cannot be reduced to mere words, this is a grammatically difficult passage, but I can see what is going on: God is one and God is three; He is singular and He is plural.
4. Having come down in a cloud, the Lord stood with Moses 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 (Exodus 34:5).
When God announces His name, He does so in a threefold way: Lord!
The Lord, the Lord. There is implicit a threefold introduction or announcement of God. Is it a coincidence or is it significant? You decide.
5. In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the Seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory (Is 6:1-3).
God is Holy, Holy, and yet again, Holy. Some say that this is just a Jewish way of saying very Holy, but as Christian I see more. I see a reference to each of the three persons of the Trinity. Perfect praise here requires three holys. Why? Omni Trinum Perfectum (all things are perfect in threes). But why? As a Christian, I see the angels praising each of the three persons of the Trinity. God is three (Holy, holy, holy
) and yet God is one (holy is the Lord
). There are three declarations of the word Holy. Is it a coincidence or is it significant? You decide.
6. Here are three (of many) references to the Trinity in the New Testament:
- Jesus says, The Father and I are one (Jn 10:30).
- Jesus also says, To have seen me is to have seen the Father (Jn 14:9).
- Have you ever noticed that in the baptismal formula, Jesus uses bad grammar? He says, Baptize them in the name (not names (plural)) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19). God is one (name) and God is three (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Thus Scripture exhibits the teaching of the Trinity, going back even to the beginning.
III. The Teaching of the Trinity Experienced We who are made in the image and likeness of God ought to experience something of the mystery of the Trinity within us, and sure enough, we do.
- It is clear that we are all distinct individuals. I am not you; you are not I. Yet it is also true that we are made for communion. We humans cannot exist apart from one another. Obviously we depend on our parents, through whom God made us, but even beyond that we need one another for completion.
- Despite what the Paul Simon song says, no man is a rock or an island. There is no such thing as a self-made man. Even the private business owner needs customers, suppliers, shippers, and other middlemen. He uses roads he did not build, has electricity supplied to him over lines he did not string, and speaks a language to his customers that he did not create. Further, the product he makes was likely the result of technologies and processes he did not invent. The list could go on and on.
- We are individual, but we are social. We are one, but we are linked to many. Clearly we do not possess the kind of unity that God does, but the three-oneness of God echoes in us. We are one, yet we are many.
- We have entered into perilous times where our interdependence and communal influence are under-appreciated. The attitude that prevails today is a rather extreme individualism: I can do as I please. There is a reduced sense of how our individual choices affect the community, Church, or nation. That I am an individual is true, but it is also true that I live in communion with others and must respect that dimension of who I am. I exist not only for me, but for others. What I do affects others, for good or ill.
- The attitude that its none of my business what others do needs some attention. Privacy and discretion have important places in our life, but so does concern for what others think and do, the choices they make, and the effects that such things have on others. A common moral and religious vision is an important thing to cultivate. It is ultimately quite important what others think and do. We should care about fundamental things like respect for life, love, care for the poor, education, marriage, and family. Indeed, marriage and family are fundamental to community, nation, and the Church. I am one, but I am also in communion with others and they with me.
- Finally, there is a rather remarkable conclusion that some have drawn: the best image of God in us is not a man alone or a woman alone, but rather a man and a woman together in the lasting and fruitful relationship we call marriage. When God said, Let us make man in our image (Genesis 1:26), the text goes on to say, Male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). God then says to them, Be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1:28). So the image of God (as He sets it forth most perfectly) is the married and fruitful couple.
We must be careful to understand that what humans manifest sexually, God manifests spiritually, for God is neither male nor female in His essence. We may say that the First Person loves the Second Person and the Second Person loves the First Person. So real is that love that it bears fruit in the Third Person. In this way the married couple images God, for the husband and wife love each other and their love bears fruit in their children (See, USCCB, Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan).
So today, as we extol the great mystery of the Trinity, we look not merely outward and upward so as to understand, but also inward to discover that mystery at work in us, who are made in the image and likeness of God.
21
posted on
06/10/2017 10:58:22 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
22
posted on
06/10/2017 11:01:05 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Sunday Gospel ReflectionsTrinity Sunday
Reading I: Exodus 34:4-6,8-9 II: 2Cor 13:11-13
Gospel John 3:16-18
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
18 He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Interesting Details
- This gospel is extracted from the dialog between Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3:1-21). Nicodemus, a Jewish leader and a educator, came to question Jesus about his teachings of the kingdom of God.
- The encounter of Jesus with Nicodemus is one of the four accounts which emphasize the "newness" that Jesus has brought into the world.
One Main Point God's love for the world is so great that he sent his son, Jesus, to save us. Whoever believes in Jesus will have the eternal life.
Reflections
- John insisted on the intimate relationship between faith and love. Faith is a loving union with Jesus. Is my faith a "loving faith?" Is my faith closely tied to the standards and principles?
- What experiences in my life have helped me see God's love for me?
- How does Jesus' teaching lead me close to God?
- Through what activities do I nourish my faith?
23
posted on
06/10/2017 11:04:58 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
'I know that after my death some men will come to you, bringing new doctrines, new constitutions, new ceremonies. Do not believe them. If an angel from heaven should so come, let him be anathema.' St. John of Capistrano
24
posted on
06/10/2017 11:07:30 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
The Angelus
|
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Lk 1:42). |
25
posted on
06/10/2017 11:08:37 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Saint Barnabas Fr. Don Miller, OFM
Image: Stained glass window of Saints Peter and Barnabas in the cathedral of Saint Corentin| photo by ThesupermatSaint Barnabas
Saint of the Day for June 11
(c. 75)
Saint Barnabas’ Story
Barnabas, a Jew of Cyprus, comes as close as anyone outside the Twelve to being a full-fledged apostle. He was closely associated with Saint Paul–he introduced Paul to Peter and the other apostles–and served as a kind of mediator between the former persecutor and the still suspicious Jewish Christians.
When a Christian community developed at Antioch, Barnabas was sent as the official representative of the church of Jerusalem to incorporate them into the fold. He and Paul instructed in Antioch for a year, after which they took relief contributions to Jerusalem.
Later Paul and Barnabas, now clearly seen as charismatic leaders, were sent by Antioch officials to preach to the gentiles. Enormous success crowned their efforts. After a miracle at Lystra, the people wanted to offer sacrifice to them as godsBarnabas being Zeus, and Paul, Hermesbut the two said, We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God (see Acts 14:8-18).
But all was not peaceful. They were expelled from one town, they had to go to Jerusalem to clear up the ever-recurring controversy about circumcision, and even the best of friends can have differences. When Paul wanted to revisit the places they had evangelized, Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin John Mark, author of the Gospel, but Paul insisted that since Mark had deserted them once, he was not fit to take along now. The disagreement that followed was so sharp that Barnabas and Paul separated: Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus, Paul taking Silas to Syria. Later they were reconciledPaul, Barnabas and Mark.
When Paul stood up to Peter for not eating with gentiles for fear of his Jewish friends, we learn that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy (see Galatians 2:1-13).
Reflection
Barnabas is spoken of simply as one who dedicated his life to the Lord. He was a man filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Thereby, large numbers were added to the Lord. Even when he and Paul were expelled from Antioch in Pisidia–modern-day Turkey–they were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Saint Barnabas is the Patron Saint of:
Cyprus
26
posted on
06/11/2017 2:53:41 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
27
posted on
06/11/2017 2:57:09 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Information:
St. BarnabasFeast Day: June 11
Born: Cyprus
Died: 61 AD, Salamis, Cyprus
Major Shrine: Monastery of St Barnabas in Famagusta, Cyprus
Patron of: Cyprus, Antioch, against hailstorms, invoked as peacemaker
28
posted on
06/11/2017 3:25:46 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
St. Barnabas
Feast Day: June 11 Born: (around the time of Jesus) :: Died: (around) 61
Joseph was a Levite Jew born on the island of Cyprus and a cousin of St. Mark. Soon after Pentecost, Joseph became a Christian and the apostles changed his name to Barnabas, which means "son of consolation." Although he was not one of the original twelve apostles, Barnabas is called an apostle by St. Luke in his Acts of the Apostles. This is because, like Paul the apostle, Barnabas received a special mission from God.
As soon as he became a Christian, St. Barnabas sold all he owned and gave the money to the apostles. He was a good, kind-hearted man who was full of enthusiasm to share his belief in and love for Jesus. The Apostles found that Barnabas was a very good preacher. He was sent to the city of Antioch to preach the Gospel. Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and it was here that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. Barnabas soon realized that he needed help to reach all the people. He thought of St. Paul of Tarsus who was earlier called Saul. He believed that Paul's conversion had been real and Barnabas helped convince St. Peter and the Christian community that Paul was now true to God and a follower of Jesus. Barnabas who was a humble person, asked St. Paul to come and work with him. He was not afraid of sharing the responsibility and the power. He knew that Paul, too, had a great gift to give and he wanted him to have the chance to share it. Then the Holy Spirit chose Paul and Barnabas for a special mission, that of preaching the gospel in far off lands. The two apostles set off on their daring and dangerous missionary journey. They had many sufferings to bear and often risked their lives but their hardships did not stop them from preaching. They won many people to Jesus and his Church. Later St. Barnabas went on another missionary journey with St. Mark. They went to Barnabas' own country of Cyprus and so many people became believers through his preaching that Barnabas is called the apostle of Cyprus. St. Barnabas died a martyr when he was stoned to death in the year 61.
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29
posted on
06/11/2017 3:27:51 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
John |
|
English: Douay-Rheims |
Latin: Vulgata Clementina |
Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) |
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John 3
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16. |
For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. |
Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret : ut omnis qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam æternam. |
ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον |
17. |
For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him. |
Non enim misit Deus Filium suum in mundum, ut judicet mundum, sed ut salvetur mundus per ipsum. |
ου γαρ απεστειλεν ο θεος τον υιον αυτου εις τον κοσμον ινα κρινη τον κοσμον αλλ ινα σωθη ο κοσμος δι αυτου |
18. |
He that believeth in him is not judged. But he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God. |
Qui credit in eum, non judicatur ; qui autem non credit, jam judicatus est : quia non credit in nomine unigeniti Filii Dei. |
ο πιστευων εις αυτον ου κρινεται ο δε μη πιστευων ηδη κεκριται οτι μη πεπιστευκεν εις το ονομα του μονογενους υιου του θεου |
30
posted on
06/11/2017 3:52:36 PM PDT
by
annalex
(fear them not)
To: annalex
16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18. He that believes in him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
CHRYS. Having said, Even so must the Son of man be lifted up, alluding to His death; lest His hearer should be cast down by His words, forming some human notion of Him, and thinking of His death as an evil, He corrects this by saying, that He who was given up to death was the Son of God, and that His death would be the source of life eternal; So God loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life; as if He said, Marvel not that I must be lifted up, that you may be saved: for so it seems good to the Father, who has so loved you, that He has given His Son to suffer for ungrateful and careless servants. The text, God so loved the world, shows intensity of love. For great indeed and infinite is the distance between the two. He who is without end, or beginning of existence, Infinite Greatness, loved those who were of earth and ashes, creatures laden with sins innumerable. And the act which springs from the love is equally indicative of its vastness. For God gave not a servant, or an Angel, or an Archangel, but His Son. Again, had He had many sons, and given one, this would have been a very great gift; but now He has given His Only Begotten Son.
HILARY; If it were only a creature given up for the sake of a creature, such a poor and insignificant loss were no great evidence of love. They must be precious things which prove our love, great things must evidence its greatness. God, in love to the world, gave His Son, not an adopted Son, but His own, even His Only Begotten. Here is proper Sonship, birth, truth: no creation, no adoption, no lie: here is the test of love and charity, that God sent His own and only begotten Son to save the world.
THEOPHYL As He said above, that the Son of man came down from heaven, not meaning that His flesh did come down from heaven, on account of the unity of person in Christ, attributing to man what belonged to God: so now conversely what belongs to man, he assigns to God the Word. The Son of God was impassible; but being one in respect of person with man who was passable, the Son is said to be given up to death, inasmuch as He truly suffered, not in His own nature, but in His own flesh. From this death follows an exceeding great and incomprehensible benefit: viz. that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The Old Testament promised to those who obey obeyed it, length of days: the Gospel promises life eternal, and imperishable.
BEDE; Note here, that the same which he before said of the Son of man, lifted up on the cross, he repeats of the only begotten Son of God: viz. That whosoever believes in Him, &c. For the same our Maker and Redeemer, who was Son of God before the world was, was made at the end of the world the Son of man; so that He who by the power of His Godhead had created us to enjoy the happiness of an endless life, the same restored us to the life we have lost by taking our human frailty upon Him.
ALCUIN. Truly through the Son of God shall the world have life; for no other cause came He into the world, except to save the world. God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
AUG. For why is He called the Savior of the world, but because He saves the world? The physician, so far as his will is concerned, heals the sick. If the sick despises or will not observe the directions of the physician, he destroys himself.
CHRYS. Because however He says this, slothful men in the multitude of their sins, and excess of carelessness, abuse God's mercy, and say, There is no hell, no punishment; God remits us all our sins. But let us remember, that there are two advents of Christ; one past, the other to come. The former was, not to judge but to pardon us: the latter will be, not to pardon but to judge us. It is of the former that He says, I have not come to judge the world. Because He is merciful, instead of judgment, He grants an internal remission of all sins by baptism; and even after baptism opens to us the door of repentance, which had He not done all had been lost; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Afterwards, however, there follows something about the punishment of unbelievers, to warn us against flattering ourselves that we can sin with impunity. Of the unbeliever He says, 'he is judged already.' - But first He says, He that believes in Him is not judged. He who believes, He says, not who inquires. But what if his life be impure? Paul very strongly declares that such are not believers: They confess, he says, that they know God, but in works deny Him. That is to say, Such will not be judged for their belief, but will receive a heavy punishment for their works, though unbelief will not be charged against them.
ALCUIN. He who believes in Him, and cleaves to Him as a member to the head, will not be condemned.
AUG. What did you expect Him to say of him who believed not, except that he is condemned. Yet mark His words: He that believes not is condemned already. The Judgment has not appeared, but it is already given. For the Lord knows who are His; who are awaiting the crown, and who the fire.
CHRYS. Or the meaning is, that disbelief itself is the punishment of the impenitent: inasmuch as that is to be without light, and to be without light is of itself the greatest punishment. Or He is announcing what is to be. Though a murderer be not yet sentenced by the Judge, still his crime has already condemned him. In like manner he who believes not, is dead, even as Adam, on the day that he ate of the tree, died.
GREG. Or thus: In the last judgment some perish without being judged, of whom it is here said, He that believes not is condemned already. For the day of judgment does not try those who for unbelief are already banished from the sight of a discerning judge, are under sentence of damnation; but those, who retaining the profession of faith, have no works to show suitable to that profession. For those who have not kept even the sacraments of faith, do not even hear the curse of the Judge at the last trial. They have already, in the darkness of their unbelief, received their sentence, and are not thought worthy of being convicted by the rebuke of Him whom they had despised Again; For an earthly sovereign, in the government of his state, has a different rule of punishment, in the case of the disaffected subject, and the foreign rebel. In the former case he consults the civil law; but against the enemy he proceeds at once to war, and repays his malice with the punishment it deserves, without regard to law, inasmuch as he who never submitted to law, has no claim to suffer by the law.
ALCUIN. He then gives the reason why he who believes not is condemned, viz. because he believes not in the name of the only begotten Son of God. For in this name alone is there salvation. God has not many sons who can save; He by whom He saves is the Only Begotten.
AUG. Where then do we place baptized children? Amongst those who believe? This is acquired for them by the virtue of the Sacrament, and the pledges of the sponsors. And by this same rule we reckon those who are not baptized, among those who believe not.
Catena Aurea John 3
31
posted on
06/11/2017 3:53:46 PM PDT
by
annalex
(fear them not)
To: annalex
Mystical Crucifixion
Matteo di Giovanni
1450
32
posted on
06/11/2017 3:54:31 PM PDT
by
annalex
(fear them not)
To: All
CATHOLIC ALMANACSunday, June 11
Liturgical Color: Red
Today is the Memorial of St.
Barnabas. He was a companion
of St. Paul and worked with him
to spread the Gospel message
to the Gentiles. He helped
establish the Church in Antioch
before undergoing a martyr's
death.
33
posted on
06/11/2017 5:15:02 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Catholic Culture
Ordinary Time: June 11th
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
MASS READINGS
June 11, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)
COLLECT PRAYER
God our Father, who by sending into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification made known to the human race your wondrous mystery, grant us, we pray, that in professing the true faith, we may acknowledge the Trinity of eternal glory and adore your Unity, powerful in majesty. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
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Old Calendar: Trinity Sunday
The fundamental dogma, on which everything in Christianity is based, is that of the Blessed Trinity in whose name all Christians are baptized. The feast of the Blessed Trinity needs to be understood and celebrated as a prolongation of the mysteries of Christ and as the solemn expression of our faith in this triune life of the Divine Persons, to which we have been given access by Baptism and by the Redemption won for us by Christ. Only in heaven shall we properly understand what it means, in union with Christ, to share as sons in the very life of God.
The feast of the Blessed Trinity was introduced in the ninth century and was only inserted in the general calendar of the Church in the fourteenth century by Pope John XXII. But the cultus of the Trinity is, of course, to be found throughout the liturgy. Constantly the Church causes us to praise and adore the thrice-holy God who has so shown His mercy towards us and has given us to share in His life.
The feast of St. Barnabus, which is ordinarily celebrated today, is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.
Trinity Sunday
The dogma of faith which forms the object of the feast is this: There is one God and in this one God there are three Divine Persons; the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but one, eternal, incomprehensible God! The Father is not more God than the Son, neither is the Son more God than the Holy Spirit. The Father is the first Divine Person; the Son is the second Divine Person, begotten from the nature of the Father from eternity; the Holy Spirit is the third Divine Person, proceeding from the Father and the Son. No mortal can fully fathom this sublime truth. But I submit humbly and say: Lord, I believe, help my weak faith.
Why is this feast celebrated at this particular time? It may be interpreted as a finale to all the preceding feasts. All three Persons contributed to and shared in the work of redemption. The Father sent His Son to earth, for "God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son." The Father called us to the faith. The Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, became man and died for us. He redeemed us and made us children of God. He ever remains the liturgist par excellence to whom we are united in all sacred functions. After Christ's ascension the Holy Spirit, however, became our Teacher, our Leader, our Guide, our Consoler. On solemn occasions a thanksgiving Te Deum rises spontaneously from Christian hearts.
The feast of the Most Holy Trinity may well be regarded as the Church's Te Deum of gratitude over all the blessings of the Christmas and Easter seasons; for this mystery is a synthesis of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. This feast, which falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost, should make us mindful that actually every Sunday is devoted to the honor of the Most Holy Trinity, that every Sunday is sanctified and consecrated to the triune God. Sunday after Sunday we should recall in a spirit of gratitude the gifts which the Blessed Trinity is bestowing upon us. The Father created and predestined us; on the first day of the week He began the work of creation. The Son redeemed us; Sunday is the "Day of the Lord," the day of His resurrection. The Holy Spirit sanctified us, made us His temple; on Sunday the Holy Spirit descended upon the infant Church. Sunday, therefore, is the day of the Most Holy Trinity.
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Symbols of the Trinity: Equilateral Triange; Circle of Eternity; Three interwoven Circles; Triangle in Circle; Circle within Triangle; Interwoven Circle and Triangle; Two Triangles interwoven in shape of Star of David; Two Triangles in shape of Star of David interwoven with Circle; Trefoil; Trefoil and Triangle; Trefoil with points; Triquetra; Triquetra and circle; Shield of the Holy Trinity; Three Fishes linked together in shape of a triangle; Cross and Triangle overlapping; Fleur de Lys; St. Patrick's Shamrock.
Things to Do:
- Depending on the ages of family members, research symbols of the Trinity and create something for the centerpiece of your family table, or something for your family altar, such as a small banner or poster. It can be as little as a 4 x 6 photograph or something to use every year as a backdrop or wall hanging.
- Think of different foods to serve that can reflect the symbolism of the Trinity. One example is clover leaf rolls. These rolls are formed with three balls of dough put into one hole of the muffin tin for each roll. They are easy to make. Use your favorite roll recipe (you can even buy frozen bread or roll dough), or search on the Internet for one of many examples.
- The Directory on Popular Piety explains some of the pious exercises related to the devotion of the Holy or Blessed Trinity. Three very simple prayers are the Sign of the Cross, Gloria Patri (Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, etc.) and the Trisagion (meaning "thrice holy"): "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy on us." This is just one version, there are many others, and it is usually found in the Eastern liturgies.
34
posted on
06/11/2017 6:39:47 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
The Word Among Us
Meditation: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
The Most Holy Trinity (Solemnity)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Corinthians 13:13)
Any time we try to think about the Holy Trinity, we can feel stumped. This doctrine of our faith tells us that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons. But how can God be both one and three at the same time?
While our understanding of the Trinity has advanced and deepened over the centuries, this dogma of our faith will always remain a mystery. We believe that God is one—one in substance, one in essence, and one in nature. We also believe that the three Persons of the Trinity are consubstantial, that each of them is God, whole and entire.
At the same time, we also believe that God is three Persons. This doesnt mean that God is three distinct, independent individuals, as human beings are separate persons. No, the distinction between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit doesnt rest in their autonomy, but in the relationship of each Person to the others (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 252). In other words, God exists in a relationship of love—a love that he invites us to share.
Finally, we believe that God created us in his image and likeness. This means that he created us to be relational as well. Jesus command to love God and one another means that he wants us to strive to be united with each other. He wants us to be at one so that the world can have countless witnesses to the love of God.
So on this great day of celebration, let Gods love become your love. Let it move you to forgive those who have hurt you. Let it move you to speak a kind word, offer a blessing, and care for those in need. Let it move you to put aside divisions in your family. Let it move you to become a brighter light shining the love of God in a world darkened by sin and division.
Father, Son, and Spirit, help me to put on love.
Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9
(Psalm) Daniel 3:52-56
John 3:16-18
35
posted on
06/11/2017 6:43:05 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
A Christian Pilgrim
THE HOLY TRINITY
(A biblical reflection on the Solemnity of THE MOST HOLY TRINITY [YEAR A] Sunday, 11 June 2017)
Gospel Reading: John 3:16-18
First Reading: Exodus 34:4b-6,8-9; Psalms: Daniel 3:52-56; Second Reading: 2Corinthians 13:11-13
The Scripture Text
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned, He does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16-18 RSV)
In todays reading, Jesus explains to us the real reason He came into the world. He did not wish to condemn us or to scare us into obeying Gods laws, but rather to show us He loves us and wants us to respond to that love by loving Him in return. The Bible often compares this love between God and His people to the love between a husband and wife.
A husband who knows his wife doesnt like to pump gas, fills the tank before she uses the car. A wife who doesnt like science fiction movies attends a Star Trek film festival with her husband because thats his favorite show. The husband and wife do these things not because they have to but because they want to express their love for each other.
Our relationship with God is very similar. Just as the husband and wife communicate their likes and dislikes to each other, God communicates His likes and dislikes to us through Scripture and just as the couple show their love for each other by doing certain things and avoiding others, we show our love for God by doing what pleases Him and avoiding what makes Him angry. That sounds simple enough but, in reality, showing our love for God is often very difficult.
Sometimes we think of the Ten Commandments simply as a list of dos and donts and maybe only reluctantly follow them because we dont want to go to hell when we die. When this is how we view the Commandments, we are forgetting the reason God gave them to us.
Because the Commandments are Gods way of telling us what pleases Him and what does not please Him, obeying them is like the wife watching Star Trek or the husband pumping gas. Following the Commandments, then, shows our love for God. If we understand them in this way, we will no longer ask if we have to obey them but will want to obey them because that is what loving God is all about.
(Adapted from Jerome J. Sabatowich, Cycling Through the Gospels, pages 112-113.)
PRAYER: Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, grant us in our misery that we may do for Your sake alone what we know You want us to do, and always want what pleases You; so that, cleansed and enlightened interiorly and fired with the ardour of the Holy Spirit, we may be able to follow in the footsteps of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and so make our way to You, Most High, by Your grace alone, You who live and reign in perfect Trinity and simple Unity, and are glorified, God all-powerful, for ever and ever. Amen. (A prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi [1224] at the close of his Letter to a General Chapter).
36
posted on
06/11/2017 6:46:17 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
37
posted on
06/11/2017 6:48:13 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us PartDaily Marriage Tip for June 11, 2017:
Encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Cor 13:11) How can you work to bring about peace in your interactions with your family today? A kind word, a moment of patience, a listening ear all of these can bring [
]
38
posted on
06/11/2017 6:52:10 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Reflections from Scott Hahn
How God Loves: Scott Hahn Reflects on Trinity Sunday
Readings:
Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9
Daniel 3:52-56
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
John 3:16-18
We often begin Mass with the prayer from today's Epistle: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." We praise the God who has revealed himself as a Trinity, a communion of persons.
Communion with the Trinity is the goal of our worship—and the purpose of the salvation history that begins in the Bible and continues in the Eucharist and sacraments of the Church.
We see the beginnings of God's self-revelation in today's First Reading, as He passes before Moses and cries out His holy name.
Israel had sinned in worshipping the golden calf (see Exodus 32). But God does not condemn them to perish. Instead He proclaims His mercy and faithfulness to His covenant.
God loved Israel as His firstborn son among the nations (see Exodus 4:22). Through Israel—heirs of His covenant with Abraham—God planned to reveal himself as the Father of all nations (see Genesis 22:18).
The memory of God's covenant testing of Abraham—and Abraham's faithful obedience—lies behind today's Gospel.
In commanding Abraham to offer his only beloved son (see Genesis 22:2,12,16), God was preparing us for the fullest possible revelation of His love for the world.
As Abraham was willing to offer Isaac, God did not spare His own Son but handed Him over for us all (see Romans 8:32).
In this, He revealed what was only disclosed partially to Moses—that His kindness continues for a thousand generations, that He forgives our sin, and takes us back as His very own people (see Deuteronomy 4:20; 9:29).
Jesus humbled himself to die in obedience to God's will. And for this, the Spirit of God raised Him from the dead (see Romans 8:11), and gave Him a name above every name (see Philippians 2:8-10).
This is the name we glorify in today's Responsorial—the name of our Lord, the God who is Love (see 1 John 4;8,16).
39
posted on
06/11/2017 6:58:58 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: All
Feast of the Holy Trinity: Unity in Community
"The LORD, a merciful and gracious God"
Ex 34: 4B-6, 8-9
2 Cor 13: 11-13
Jn 3: 16-18
There is an Indian folk tale about three blind men who examine an elephant to try to determine what sort of animal it might be. So, the first grabs hold of the elephant’s tale and says, “This animal is like a rope.” The second man stands towards the front and rubs his hand over the large tusks as he declares, “This creature is very much like a sword.” The third reaches up and runs his hand over the side of the enormous elephant, patting it firmly, and states, “This creature is surely a wall.”
Each man sensed one characteristic of the elephant but their understanding was limited. Yet, as they shared their perceptions, each of them was given an understanding of the animal they could not have come to on their own. But, the animal still remained a mystery as to its full identity. It would take many more of the parts to put together a true image of the elephant.
When it comes to the question of God, in the same way, we may feel somewhat limited in our understanding. After all we deal with spiritual mystery here. Yet, we comprehend a part of who God is but he remains beyond our full understanding. As Christians we have come to know more of God through his own Son Jesus Christ. He revealed to us, in a true sense uncovered for us, some of the hidden aspects of God. If Christ had not come to us we would be in total darkness. There is a good reason why he referred to himself as the “light of the world” and Jesus himself reminded us that the “Father and I are One” and “we will send the Spirit.”
This weekend on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, always falling on the Sunday after Pentecost, we mark that great uncovering on the nature of the divine. Belief in the Holy Trinity is uniquely Christian for no other world religion sees God in this way. As we have come to know him as a Trinity of Persons we know what God is like. We have an image not of just one part but of the whole of God. Although limited in our full understanding, we believe God is three yet one; three divine persons yet one in their unity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit - One eternal God. Our Jewish brethren, while joining with us in belief that there is only One true God, see him as totally other and single in nature.
True, this is heady stuff to be sure. Yet, the Church, in direct defense against false understanding about the nature of the Son, formally defined the Trinity in what we proclaim as the Nicene Creed in the year 325. It should be very familiar to us for we proclaim it every Sunday and Feast Day of the year: “I believe in one God the Father Almighty . . .I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God . . . I believe in the Holy Spirit . . . who proceeds from the Father and the Son.” It is the central (objective) truth of the Christian faith and what we profess to believe.
We are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each time we make the sign of the cross we proclaim this core belief of the Christian faith. Still how important is this and how will it impact my daily personal life? I need more than a theological explanation to live by.
Our Gospel reading from John offers more than theology but an invitation: John writes a very familiar phrase: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16).
In the same way, in the first reading from Exodus we hear God reveal his nature: “merciful and gracious . . . slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” Here Moses pleaded with God on behalf of a people who had quickly forgotten the original covenant on Mt. Sinai, that he would give his people a second chance. God relents and assures Moses he is Lord who reaches out and desires a renewed covenant with his people.
John tells us: God “loved” and God “sent.” Those two words to love and to send imply an active God. A God who reaches out, who extends himself not out of vengeance or punishment but out of love and mercy towards those he reaches to. He communicates with us as a living being. His Son is his Word. Like a hand reached out to rescue a drowning man God has extended himself out to us in love to rescue us from our own sin.
So God is love as John tells us. God did not remain hidden but took on our own flawed human nature and became visible to us on our terms, in a language we could understand. This Jesus, his Word, as our Creed reminds us is God from God, light from light, true God from true God, made a proposition to us – love God and love your neighbor. That God does not desire our death but offers us eternal life. Faith in his Son is the promise of eternal life.
This reach out in love for humanity tells us that our faith is not one of just laws, rules and regulations. We are invited to a personal relationship with this living God who invites us through his Son to come to know him on a personal level. He desires a covenant, a promise with us that is eternal and binding. God is a God of promise, of love and communicates himself to us.
Therefore we might say that God in his unity creates a community of persons whose very nature is to love us into life. This unity in community is the great understanding for how we are to live. If we as Christians live as God desires then our own lives will promote unity and not division; faithfulness and not selfishness; love and not violence; inclusiveness and not prejudice; forgiveness and not judgment. The potential for human society is unlimited if we were to follow the way Christ has shown us.
This Trinity of Persons invites us to be united as one and to become a force for truth in the world and an inspiration that gathers rather than scatters and a community which welcomes rather than rejects. With Christ himself as the center we stand around him particularly in the Holy Eucharist which reveals the true nature of God to us.
A unity in community is a model for marriage and family life, for the diverse collection of parishioners in any parish, in our own personal prayer to desire a deeper knowledge of God as we experience his presence in our life.
How blessed are we in our Catholic life which promotes community of persons united by one faith around a common word and his altar. May that unity in community reflect the true nature of this God who loves and reaches out to us continually.
May the love of the Father,
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with us and remain with us
for all the ages.
40
posted on
06/11/2017 7:04:12 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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