Posted on 06/14/2014 7:57:44 PM PDT by Salvation
June 15, 2014
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Reading 1 Ex 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 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."
Responsorial Psalm Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
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!
Reading 2 2 Cor 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.
Gospel Jn 3:16-18
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.
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From: Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9
The Covenant is Renewed
God Appears
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Commentary:
34:1-28. This chapter narrating the renewal of the Covenant follows the same pat-
tern as the account of its original establishment (cf. Ex 19-24); but it is shorter, con-
centrating on the two main protagonists, God and Moses. Thus, it begins with the
preparations for the theophany and for the encounter with the Lord (vv. 1-5); then
follows the revelation of God, and Moses’ prayer (vv. 6-9); and it ends with the re-
newal of the Covenant and the so-called Rite of the Covenant (vv. 10-28). The ac-
count hinges on the remaking of the tables of stone after the sin of the golden calf;
the tables symbolize God’s offer to keep to the pact and never to go back on it.
34:1-5. The theophany is described very soberly here, but it has exactly the same
elements as given in chapter 19: very careful preparation by Moses (v. 2; cf 19:10-
11); the people forbidden to approach the mountain (v. 3; cf. 19:12-13); God ap-
pearing wrapped in the cloud (v. 5; cf. 19:16-20).
Comparing the two accounts, this one says less about the transcendence of God
and puts more stress on his closeness to Moses: “he stood with him there” (v. 5).
God’s initiative in drawing close to man is clear to see; it lies at the very basis of
the Covenant.
“He proclaimed the name of the Lord” (v. 6); the context would suggest that it is
Moses who proclaims the name of the Lord, but the Hebrew could indeed be as
the RSV has it, “and he proclaimed his name, ‘Lord’ “. The same wording appears
in v. 6 implying that it is the Lord who is “proclaiming”, defining himself as he pro-
mised he would (cf. 33:19). The sacred writer may have intentionally left these
words open to either interpretation; whether spoken by Moses or said directly by
God, they are equal from the revelation point of view.
34:6-7. In response to Moses’ pleading, the Lord makes himself manifest. The
solemn repetition of the name of Yahweh (Lord) emphasizes that the Lord is in-
troducing himself liturgically to the assembled Israelites. In the description of
himself which follows (and which is repeated elsewhere, cf. 20:5-6; Num 14:18;
Deut 5:9-18; etc.), two key attributes of God are underlined—justice and mercy.
God cannot let sin go unpunished, nor does he; the prophets, too, will teach that
sin is, first and foremost, something personal (cf. Jer 31:29; Ezek 18:2ff). But
this ancient text refers only in a general way to the fact that God is just, and
puts more stress on his mercy. A person who is conscious of his own sin has
access to God only if he is sure that God can and will forgive him. “The concept
of ‘mercy’ in the Old Testament,” John Paul II comments, “has a long and rich hi-
story. We have to refer back to it in order that the mercy revealed by Christ may
shine forth more clearly. [...] Sin too constitutes man’s misery. The people of the
Old Covenant experienced this misery from the time of the Exodus, when they
set up the golden calf. The Lord himself triumphed over this act of breaking the
covenant when he solemnly declared to Moses that he was a ‘God merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’ (Ex
34:6). It is in this central revelation that the chosen people, and each of its mem-
bers, will find, every time that they have sinned, the strength and the motive for
turning to the Lord to remind him of what he had exactly revealed about himself
and to beseech his forgiveness” (”Dives In Misericordia”, 4). On “God’s jealousy”,
see the note on 20:5-6.
34:8-9. Moses once more implores the Lord on behalf of his people; he makes
three requests, which sum up many earlier petitions: he begs God to stay with
the people and protect them in their hazardous journeying in the desert (cf.
33:15-17), to forgive the very grave sin they have committed (cf. 32:11-14), and
finally to make them his own property, thereby distinguishing them from all other
peoples (cf. 33:16) and restoring them to their status as “his own possession”
(cf. 19:5). These three requests are ones that were constantly on the lips of the
people of Israel and in the hearts of everyone who acknowledges God (cf. Ps
86:1-15; 103:8-10; etc.).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13
Epilogue
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Commentary:
11. In his words of farewell, the Apostle once more shows his great affection for
the faithful of Corinth, exhorting them to practise the fraternity proper to Christians
and thus live in concord and peace (cf. 1 Cor 1:10-17). And, St John Chrysostom
comments, he tells them what this will lead to: “Live in peace, and the God of love
and peace will be with you, for God is a God of love and a God of peace, and in
these he takes his delight. It is love that will give you peace and remove every evil
from your church” (”Hom. on 2 Cor”, 30).
St Paul’s call to the faithful to be cheerful is particularly significant — “gaudete”
(rejoice) in the New Vulgate — contains a rnessage he repeats on other occasions:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil 4:4; cf. 3:1). Joy is
something very characteristic of Christians because their awareness of being chil-
dren of God tells them that they are in the hands of God, who knows everything
and can do everything (cf. note on 5:10). Therefore, we should never be sad; on
the contrary: we should go out into the world, St. Escriva says, “to be sowers of
peace and joy through everything we say and do” (”Christ Is Passing By”, 168).
12. On the “holy kiss”, see the note on 1 Cor 16:20.
“The saints” who send greetings to the Corinthians are the Christians of Macedo-
nia, from where St Paul is writing. Regarding this description of Christians, see
the note on 1 Cor 1:2.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: John 3:16-18
The Visit of Nicodemus (Continuation)
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Commentary:
16-21. These words, so charged with meaning, summarize how Christ’s death
is the supreme sign of God’s love for men (cf. the section on charity in the “In-
troduction to the Gospel according to John”: pp. 31ff above). “’For God so loved
the world that He gave His only Son’ for its salvation. All our religion is a revela-
tion of God’s kindness, mercy and love for us. ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:16), that is,
love poured forth unsparingly. All is summed up in this supreme truth, which ex-
plains and illuminates everything. The story of Jesus must be seen in this light.
‘(He) loved me’, St. Paul writes. Each of us can and must repeat it for himself —
‘He loved me, and gave Himself for me’ (Galatians 2:20)” (Paul VI, “Homily on
Corpus Christi”, 13 June 1976).
Christ’s self-surrender is a pressing call to respond to His great love for us: “If
it is true that God has created us, that He has redeemed us, that He loves us
so much that He has given up His only-begotten Son for us (John 3:16), that He
waits for us—every day!—as eagerly as the father of the prodigal son did (cf.
Luke 15:11-32), how can we doubt that He wants us to respond to Him with all
our love? The strange thing would be not to talk to God, to draw away and for-
get Him, and busy ourselves in activities which are closed to the constant
promptings of His grace” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 251).
“Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for
himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encoun-
ter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not partici-
pate intimately in it. This [...] is why Christ the Redeemer ‘fully reveals man to
himself’. If we may use the expression, this is the human dimension of the mys-
tery of the Redemption. In this dimension man finds again the greatness, dignity
and value that belong to his humanity. [...] The one who wishes to understand
himself thoroughly [...] must, with his unrest and uncertainty and even his weak-
ness and sinfulness, with his life and death, draw near to Christ. He must, so to
speak, enter into Him with all his own self, he must ‘appropriate’ and assimilate
the whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself.
If this profound process takes place within him, he then bears fruit not only of
adoration of God but also of deep wonder at himself.
How precious must man be in the eyes of the Creator, if he ‘gained so great a
Redeemer’, (”Roman Missal, Exultet” at Easter Vigil), and if God ‘gave His only
Son’ in order that man ‘should not perish but have eternal life’. [...]
‘Increasingly contemplating the whole of Christ’s mystery, the Church knows with
all the certainty of faith that the Redemption that took place through the Cross
has definitively restored his dignity to man and given back meaning to his life in
the world, a meaning that was lost to a considerable extent because of sin. And
for that reason, the Redemption was accomplished in the paschal mystery, lea-
ding through the Cross and death to Resurrection” (John Paul II, “Redemptor
Hominis”, 10).
Jesus demands that we have faith in Him as a first prerequisite to sharing in His
love. Faith brings us out of darkness into the light, and sets us on the road to sal-
vation. “He who does not believe is condemned already” (verse 18).
“The words of Christ are at once words of judgment and grace, of life and death.
For it is only by putting to death that which is old that we can come to newness
of life. Now, although this refers primarily to people, it is also true of various world-
ly goods which bear the mark both of man’s sin and the blessing of God. [...] No
one is freed from sin by himself or by his own efforts, no one is raised above him-
self or completely delivered from his own weakness, solitude or slavery; all have
need of Christ, who is the model, master, liberator, savior, and giver of life. Even
in the secular history of mankind the Gospel has acted as a leaven in the inte-
rests of liberty and progress, and it always offers itself as a leaven with regard to
brotherhood, unity and peace” (Vatican II, “Ad Gentes”, 8).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
|
First reading |
|
Exodus 34:4-6,8-9 © |
With the two tablets of stone in his hands, Moses went up the mountain of Sinai in the early morning as the Lord had commanded him. And the Lord descended in the form of a cloud, and Moses stood with him there.
He called on the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger rich in kindness and faithfulness.’ And Moses bowed down to the ground at once and worshipped. ‘If I have indeed won your favour, Lord,’ he said ‘let my Lord come with us, I beg. True, they are a headstrong people, but forgive us our faults and our sins, and adopt us as your heritage.’
|
Canticle |
Daniel 3:52-55 © |
You are blest, Lord God of our fathers.
To you glory and praise for evermore.
Blest your glorious holy name.
To you glory and praise for evermore.
You are blest in the temple of your glory.
To you glory and praise for evermore.
You are blest on the throne of your kingdom.
To you glory and praise for evermore.
You are blest who gaze into the depths.
To you glory and praise for evermore.
You are blest in the firmament of heaven.
To you glory and praise for evermore.
|
Second reading |
|
2 Corinthians 13:11-13 © |
Brothers, we wish you happiness; try to grow perfect; help one another. Be united; live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with the holy kiss. All the saints send you greetings.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
|
Gospel Acclamation |
cf.Rv1:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
the God who is, who was, and who is to come.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel |
John 3:16-18 © |
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.
No one who believes in him will be condemned;
but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already,
because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son.’
We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.
The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary
By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.
The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+
From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"
PLEASE JOIN US -
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The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.
INVOCATION
O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
Devotion to the Sacred Heart was the characteristic note of the piety of Saint Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), Benedictine nun and renowned mystic. She was, in fact, the first great exponent of devotion to the Sacred Heart. In our efforts to honor the Heart of Jesus we have this prayer as a model for our own:
Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, 0 my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.
Saint Gertrude
FOR THE CHURCH
O most holy Heart of Jesus, shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff and upon all the clergy; to the just grant perseverance; convert sinners; enlighten unbelievers; bless our relations, friends and benefactors; assist the dying; deliver the holy souls in purgatory; and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love. Amen.
A PRAYER OF TRUST
O God, who didst in wondrous manner reveal to the virgin, Margaret Mary, the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart, grant that loving Thee, after her example, in all things and above all things, we may in Thy Heart find our abiding home.
Roman Missal
ACT OF LOVE
Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus, and show me Its attractions. Unite me to It for ever. Grant that all my aspirations and all the beats of my heart, which cease not even while I sleep, may be a testimonial to Thee of my love for Thee and may say to Thee: Yes, Lord, I am all Thine;
pledge of my allegiance to Thee rests ever in my heart will never cease to be there. Do Thou accept the slight amount of good that I do and be graciously pleased to repair all m] wrong-doing; so that I may be able to bless Thee in time and in eternity. Amen.
Cardinal Merry del Val
MEMORARE TO THE SACRED HEART
Remember, O most sweet Jesus, that no one who has had recourse to Thy Sacred Heart, implored its help, or sought its mercy was ever abandoned. Encouraged with confidence, O tenderest of hearts, we present ourselves before Thee, crushed beneath the weight of our sins. In our misery, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, despise not our simple prayers, but mercifully grant our requests. Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
Only for Love: The Sacred Heart and the Priesthood [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART, 10-19-09
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart Today
The Biblical Foundation of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Heart to Heart (Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion) [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
(June) The Month of the Sacred Heart {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
The Heart of the World (On the Sacred Heart of Jesus) (Catholic Caucus)
The Sacred Heart Is The Holy Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Origin of the Sacred Heart Badge
Importance of Devotion to the Sacred Heart
An Awesome Homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Father Edmond Kline
Catholic Prayer and Devotion: June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Devotions: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pope Urges Jesuits to Spread Sacred Heart Devotion
Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Meditation and Devotion: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Daily Recomendation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus powerful prayer!
The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist
The Love of the Sacred Heart
On the Sacred Heart - "We Adore God's Love of Humanity"
HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) - Encyclical by Pope Pius XII
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sacred Heart a Feast of God's Love, Says John Paul II
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: Symbol of Combativity and the Restoration of Christendom
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-The Early Church, Middle Ages up to St. Margaret Mary
See this Heart
‘God Will Act and Will Reign’
About Devotion To The Sacred Heart:The Story Of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Rediscover Feast of Sacred Heart, John Paul II Tells Youth
"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."
- Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary
Our Lord also made 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary for those that are devoted to His Sacred Heart.
Pope's Intentions
Universal: That the unemployed may receive support and find the work they need to live in dignity.
For Evangelization: That Europe may rediscover its Christian roots through the witness of believers.
The Most Holy Trinity - Solemnity - Year A
Commentary of the day
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] (1891-1942), Carmelite, martyr, co-patron of Europe
Poem « I will remain with you », 1938 (trans. ©Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, 1992)
« Then the angel showed me the river of Life…flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb » (Rv 22,1)
You reign at the Father's right hand (Ps 109 (110),1)
In the kingdom of his eternal glory
As God's Word from the beginning. (Jn 1,1)
You reign on the Almighty's throne
Also in transfigured human form,
Ever since the completion of your work on earth (Jn 17,4; 19,30).
I believe this because your word teaches me so,
And because I believe, I know it gives me joy,
And blessed hope blooms forth from it.
For where you are, there also are your own, (Jn 17,24)
Heaven is my glorious homeland,
I share with you the Father's throne. (Ap 3,21)
The Eternal who made all creatures,
Who, thrice holy, encompasses all being,
In addition has a silent, special kingdom of his own.
The innermost chamber of the human soul
Is the Trinity's favorite place to be,
His heavenly throne on earth.
To deliver this heavenly kingdom from the hand of the enemy,
The Son of God has come as Son of Man,
He gave his blood as the price of deliverance.
In the heart of Jesus, which was pierced, (Jn 19,34)
The kingdom of heaven and the land of earth are bound together.
Here is for us the source of life. (Jn 7,38)
This heart is the heart of the triune Divinity,
And the center of all human hearts
That bestows on us the life of God.
It draws us to itself with secret power, (Jn 12,32)
It conceals us in itself in the Father's bosom
And floods us with the Holy Spirit.
Roman Rite
Ex 34: 4b-6. 8-9; PS: Dn 3, 52.56; 2 Cor 13: 11-13; Jn 3: 16-18
Introduction.
The Trinity is a shining mystery: "As only three, each is contained in the other, so that there is only one light, given the intimate interpenetration" (St. John Damascene). The revelation of the Most Holy Trinity is summarized in a simple and profound way in the short phrase from the First Letter of St. John: "God is love." God is so not only in relation to us or to the created Universe. He is so in himself, in his intimacy, essentially, infinitely, eternally. On the other hand, love is truly itself in the relationship with another that constitute it. To be charity, love must lean towards another (St. Gregory the Great).
1) To live is living together.
There are two fundamental mysteries of the Christian faith: the Unity and Trinity[1] of God and the incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
However, despite the importance that the Trinity has for our faith, we often have the impression that for many it is nothing more than a truth to be believed, a completely incomprehensible mystery about which we should not ask many questions.
The Trinity is a dogma that can be perceived far away and not affecting our life. Instead, it is the revelation of the secret of life, of wisdom about life, death and love. It affirms: at the beginning of all there is the bond of freedom that is communion of love.
One God in three persons: God is not solitude but communion, the ocean of his being vibrates with an infinite movement of love, reciprocity, exchange, encounter, family and celebration. When "at the beginning” God says, "Let us make man in our image and likeness", the image he speaks about is not that of the Creator, neither the one of the Spirit, nor the one of the eternal Word of God, but it is all of these things together.
In front of the revelation of the Trinity not only silence, but also wonder and joy are required because this is indeed a reality inaccessible and infinitely greater than we are, but it is at the same time a shining reality. Man himself is all lit up by it in the mind and in the heart, in contemplation and in action.
This revelation is done not to satisfy our need to know God; it directly affects the destiny of man and creation. Salvation, as a communion of love of God and of man, reflects the characters of the two entities that constitute it: God and man. Man cannot be understood without starting from God, he is made in God's image and modeled on Christ, the perfect image of God (Col 1:15). The questions and the answers about God are of fundamental importance to understand man.
In knowing the Father (The Lover[2]), the Son (the Beloved) and the Spirit (love), we catch a glimpse that, in his innermost being, God is a dialogue, a life of love among the three Persons. This is the originality of the Christian conception of God, and it is here that man finds the true explanation of himself. Man feels an irrepressible yearning for community, solidarity and dialogue; he needs it to live and grow, he needs it more than the air. But it is only in the light of the Trinity that this finding acquires an unexpected depth: we are meant to meet, to dialogue and to love, because we are "image of God", and God is, in fact - as far as we are given to understand - a community of love.
2) Life is love.
The vocation to community is the trace of the Trinity in man. “If we see love, we see the Trinity" (St. Augustine[3]). Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI explains: "The Spirit, in fact, is that interior power which harmonizes the hearts of the believers with Christ's heart and moves them to love their brethren as Christ loved them "(Letter Enc. Deus Caritas Est, n. 19). The Spirit immerses us in the rhythm of divine life, which is a life of love, making us personally in relations between the Father and the Son. It is not without significance that when Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit, puts love in the first place: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc...” (Gal 5:22). And since by definition love unites, this means first of all that the Spirit is the creator of communion within the Christian community, as we say at the beginning of Mass "... the communion of the Holy Spirit [i.e. the one that is made by him] be with you all "(2 Cor 13:13). On the other hand, it is also true that the Spirit stimulates us to engage in relationships of charity with all men. Therefore, when we love we make room for the Spirit, we allow him to be fully manifested.
The texts of today's liturgy, in fact, draw our attention not so much on the Mystery of the Three Persons, but on the reality of love that is contained in this first and supreme Mystery of our faith. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one because they are love and love is the absolute life-giving power. Unity created by love is more than a unit purely physical. The Father gives everything to the Son; the Son receives everything from the Father with gratitude; and the Holy Spirit is like the fruit of this mutual love of the Father and the Son.
The passage taken today from the Gospel of St. John, makes us reflect and contemplate the amazing depth and gratuitousness of the love of the Father who gives us the Son. He in his becoming flesh[4] touches man in his concrete reality and in whatever situation he finds himself. God took the human condition to heal it from all that separates it from him and to allow us to call Him, in his only-begotten Son, with the name "Abba, Father" and be truly children of God. St. Irenaeus says: "This is why the Word became man, and the Son of God, Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine filiation, might become son of God "(Adversus Haereses, 3,19,1: PG 7.939).
The Word of God becomes flesh not for a legal requirement, but for a free requirement of love, thanks to an overabundance of love. The Trinity is nothing more than this superabundant mystery of love that has been poured out from heaven on the earth beyond all borders and all boundaries. God gives us the gift of his beloved Son, but let’s not forget that it is a gift for everyone and for the entire world.
And that's why, again in today's Gospel, St. John goes on to say that God has sent his Son to save the world, not to judge it. But the fact remains that the presence of the gift leads to a crisis: the gift of the Father can be accepted or rejected.
3) Life is to welcome Life.
What is our vocation? To live the life of the Trinity: there is no other vocation than this. Each of us is called to live the life of God and the life of God is the Holy Trinity. Our vocation is this. It is not to teach, to do a job, to work in the house or to look after the children. Our vocation is not even the simple prayer. Our vocation is God himself, to be in Him, to live Him. Our vocation calls us to this: to believe in love, to accept it, to live it.
Who, at least once in the day, does not make the sign of the cross or doesn’t recite the Lord's Prayer? These are signs which indicate our natural belonging to God, who wants to make us divine like him. The Saints had well understood that, living their own life embodying the model of Trinitarian love along the roads of the world, such as S. Francis of Assisi in poverty, St. Pius of Pietrelcina in a paternal way, Mother Teresa of Calcutta in charity, St. Therese of Lisieux secretly behind the grates of a cloistered monastery, and the Martins, the parents of the Saint of Lisieux, in the family.
Among all the Saints shines the Virgin Mary, the creature closest to the Holy Trinity: daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The Virgin Mary, in her docile humility, has become the humble servant of Love. She has been able to accept the will of the Father, thus conceiving the Son by the Holy Spirit. In her, the Almighty, has been able to build a temple worthy of Him, making her the model and the image of the Church, the house of communion for every man and woman.
May Mary, mirror of the Trinity, help us to grow in faith and to welcome into our lives the Trinitarian mystery, a mystery that speaks of love, acceptance and communion.
May the Consecrated Virgin be an example for us. They in the everyday life guard the call to holiness through a simple life with a "profane” job. With their style of life they make Christ present everyday so to transform the world according to the Heart of God -Trinity. These women do this especially through the practice of the evangelical recommendations. In fact, "The consecrated life is thus called constantly to deepen the gift of the evangelical counsels with a love which grows ever more genuine and strong in the Trinitarian dimension: love for Christ, which leads to closeness with him; love for the Holy Spirit, who opens our hearts to his inspiration; love for the Father, the first origin and supreme goal of the consecrated life. The consecrated life thus becomes a confession and a sign of the Trinity, whose mystery is held up to the Church as the model and source of every form of Christian life "(St. John Paul II, Apostolic exhortation. Post-Synodal Consecrated Life, n. 21)
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Patristic Reading
St. Athanasius' first letter to Serapion (Ep. 1 ad Serapionem 28-30: PG 26, 594-95.
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"It will not be out of place to consider the ancient tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church, which was revealed by the Lord, proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the fathers. For upon this faith the Church is built, and if anyone were to lapse from it, he would no longer be a Christian either in fact or in name.
We acknowledge the Trinity, holy and perfect, to consist of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In this Trinity there is no intrusion of any alien element or of anything from outside, nor is the Trinity a blend of creative and created being. It is a wholly creative and energizing reality, self-consistent and undivided in its active power, for the Father makes all things through the Word and in the Holy Spirit, and in this way the unity of the holy Trinity is preserved. Accordingly, in the Church, one God is preached, one God who is above all things and through all things and in all things. God is above all things as Father, for he is principle and source; he is through all things through the Word; and he is in all things in the Holy Spirit.
Writing to the Corinthians about spiritual matters, Paul traces all reality back to one God, the Father, saying: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of service but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone.
Even the gifts that the Spirit dispenses to individuals are given by the Father through the Word. For all that belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son, and so the graces given by the Son in the Spirit are true gifts of the Father. Similarly, when the Spirit dwells in us, the Word who bestows the Spirit is in us too, and the Father is present in the Word. This is the meaning of the text: My Father and I will come to him and make our home with him. For where the light is, there also is the radiance; and where the radiance is, there too are its power and its resplendent grace.
This is also Paul's teaching in his second letter to the Corinthians (2:13): The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. For grace and the gift of the Trinity are given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Just as grace is given from the Father through the Son, so there could be no communication of the gift to us except in the Holy Spirit. But when we share in the Spirit, we possess the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Spirit himself." Saint Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria
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[1] The mystery of the Trinity is the foundation of the Christian faith, and yet, paradoxically, although the faith of the early Christians had already been Trinitarian (cf. Mt 28:16 and 1 Corinthians), the term Trinity appears only at the end of the second century A. C. with Theophilus of Antioch, to indicate the mystery of God who is at once One and revealed in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
[2] St. Augustine writes evocatively in his "De Trinitate," "God the Father, in thinking, generates his own inner wisdom, or Word. But it is above all a relationship of love that binds the thinking mind to his Logos. So, if you seecharity, you see the Trinity. The Father is unreservedly infinite donation, the Son is active receiving, and the Spirit is the perfect unity of the one who gives and the one who receives. They are three: the Lover, the Beloved, Love. "
[3] We can never be grateful enough to Augustine to have set his speech on the Trinity on the word of John: "God is love" (1 Jn 4:10). God is love for this reason, Augustine concludes, he is Trinity! "Love implies one who loves, the object of love and love itself" -In the Trinity the Father is the one who loves, the source and the beginning of all things; the Son is the one who is loved; the Holy Spirit is the love with which they love each other
[4] "The Word became flesh" (Jn 1:14). Here the word "flesh", according to the Hebrew usage, shows a man in full but just from the aspect of his transience and temporality, his poverty and contingency.
GOSPEL COMMENTARY JN 3:16-18
Living in divine love
Fr. Robert Wagner
Nowhere in Scripture do we find the word “trinity” in reference to God as three divine persons. Of course, it is in Scripture where this divine truth is revealed, for the Gospels distinguish the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in many passages. For instance, when John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River, the voice of the Heavenly Father announces Jesus as His Son, while the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove (Mt 3:13–17, Mk 1:9–11, Lk 3:21–22, Jn 1:31–34).
By calling God the Holy Trinity, we identify Him by his divine characteristics. This is nothing new. We say that God is omnipotent, omniscient, holy, perfect, merciful, and just because God has shown us these attributes through the ages. This helps us relate to God, to pray to Him, to place our faith in Him. Yet while adjectives like “omnipotent” and “perfect” are easily understood with regard to God, describing God as a trinity of three persons provides a characteristic that requires further reflection to grasp its importance with regard to our relationship with God and, in turn, our understanding of ourselves.
It is the incarnation of God, Jesus Christ, who not only shows us the face of God, but also reveals the Holy Trinity to us. The Gospel of John is the source of much of this teaching, especially in the Last Supper discourse found in chapters 14 through 16. As we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we hear another passage from John's Gospel where Jesus reveals, “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). This well-known passage, while brief, is a source of great fruitfulness in our reflection on the Holy Trinity.
Before the world was created, God existed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with each divine person distinct from the others yet sharing the same divine nature, no one person greater than the other, all three united eternally. This divine union lacks nothing, for what can be added to perfect perfection? However, the love of God is so abundant it becomes a creating force, flowing outward from the loving union of the Holy Trinity and filling the universe with all things, visible and invisible. Yes, God did not need creation, but in His abundant and overflowing generosity, He created and continues to create all that is.
Among His creation, humanity holds an honored place. Not only are we creatures formed in the image and likeness of God, but the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, took on our human nature. Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, who took our flesh and offered Himself on the cross for us. Each of us is created out of the divine love of the Holy Trinity. Each of us is redeemed by the love of the Holy Trinity.
Not only that, but when we are baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19), each of us becomes a partaker of the divine nature of God, members of the body of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit (cf. Catechism, No. 1265). As baptized Christians, we are swept up into the intimate union of the Holy Trinity as Jesus promises: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (Jn 14:23); “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, … it remains with you, and will be in you” (Jn 14:16,17).
When we remain in God's grace, we are united to the Holy Trinity in an undeniable reality. Not only that, but also we are united to the whole church, the mystical body of Christ, because of the divine love of God. In this way, we also imitate the Holy Trinity, for we are made for communion, with God and with others. God is love (1 Jn 4:8). We are the result of that love and the dwelling places for that love. Let us live that love abundantly in this life, that we may share in its fullness for all of eternity.
Fr. Wagner is Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde’s secretary.","serif"'>
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Year A - The Most Holy Trinity For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son John 3:16-18 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, He also created man and woman in his image for His own glory. Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary |
There is an old Spiritual that says, My God is so high, you can’t over him, he’s so low, you can’t under him, he’s so wide you can’t round him, you must come in, by and through the Lamb.
Not a bad way of saying that God is other, He is beyond what human words can tell or describe, He is beyond what human thoughts can conjure. And 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 something partially revealed, much more of which lies hid. Thus, as we ponder the teaching on the Trinity, there are some things we can know by revelation, but much more is beyond our reach or understanding.
Lets ponder the Trinity by exploring it, seeing how it is exhibited in Scripture, and how we, who are made in God’s 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).
So there is one God, and the three persons of the Trinity each possess the one Divine nature fully. The Father IS God, He is not 1/3 of God. Likewise the Son, Jesus, IS God. He is not 1/3 of God. And so too, the Holy Spirit IS God, not a mere third of God. So each of the three persons possesses the one Divine nature fully.
It is our experience that if there is only one of something, and I possess that something fully, there is nothing left for you. Yet, mysteriously each of the Three Persons fully possess the one and only Divine Nature fully while remaining distinct persons.
One of the great masterpieces of the Latin Liturgy is the preface for Trinity Sunday. The Preface, compactly, yet clearly sets for 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….
Wowza! A careful and clear masterpiece, but one which baffles the mind as its words and phrases come forth. 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 this baffles you, good. If you were to say, you fully understood all this, I would have to call you a heretic. For the teaching on the Trinity, while not contrary to reason per se, does transcend it.
A final picture or image, before we leave our exploration stage. The picture at the upper right is an experiment I remember doing back in High School. We took three projectors, each of which projected a circle: One was red, another green, another blue. As we made the three circles intersect, at that intersection, was the color white (see above). Mysteriously, three colors are present there, but only one shows forth. There are three but there is one. The analogy is not perfect (no analogy is, it wouldn’t be an analogy) for Father, Son and Spirit do not “blend” to make God. But the analogy 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, don’t try it with paint )
II. The Teaching on the Trinity Exhibited : Scripture too presents images and pictures of the Trinity. Interestingly enough most of the pictures I want to present are from the Old Testament.
Now I want to say, as a disclaimer, that Scripture Scholars debate the meaning of the texts I am about to present, that’s what they get paid the big bucks to do. Let me be clear to say that I am reading these texts as a New Testament Christian and seeing in them a Doctrine that later became clear. I am not getting in a time machine and trying to understand them as a Jew from the 8th Century BC might have understood them. Why should I? That’s 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, the reader are free to decide if these texts really ARE images or hints of the Trinity from your perspective. Take them or leave them. Here they are:
1. From today’s first reading we have: 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. And thus we see that the LORD announces his name three times, LORD…LORD…LORD. It is not without some implied instruction hat the LORD announces his name formally three times; as if to say LORD once, for each person. Coincidence or of significance? You decide.
2. “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… (Gen 1:26) So God speaks to himself in the plural: “let us….our.” Some claim 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 is in a communion of love.
2. Elohim?? In the quote above, the word used for God is אֱלֹהִ֔ים (Elohim). Now it is interesting that this word is in a plural form. From the view point of pure grammatical form Elohim means “Gods.” However, the Jewish people understood the sense of the word to be singular. Now this is a much debated point and you can read something more of it from a Jewish perspective here: Elohim as Plural yet Singular. My point here is not to try and understand it as a Jew from the 8th Century BC or a Jew today might understand it. Rather, what I observing is that it is interesting that one of the main words for God in the Old Testament is plural, yet singular, singular yet plural. It is one, it is also plural. God is one, yet he is three. I say this as a Christian observing this about one of the main titles of God. 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 on — since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” (Gen 18:1-5). Now this passage from a purely grammatical point of view is very difficult since we switch back and forth from singular references to plural. Note first that the Lord (singular) appeared to Abram. (In this case יְהוָ֔ה Yahweh (YHWH) is the name used for God). And yet what Abram sees is three men. Some have wanted to say, this is just God and two angels. But I see the Trinity being imaged or alluded to here. And yet when Abram address “them” he says, “My Lord” (singular). The “tortured” grammar continues as Abram asks that water be fetched so that he can “wash your feet” (singular) and that the “LORD” (singular) can rest yourselves (plural). The same thing happens in the next sentence where Abram wants to fetch bread that you (singular) may refresh yourselves (plural) In the end the LORD (singular) gives answer but it is rendered: “So they said” Plural, singular….. what is it? Both. God is one, God is three. For me, as a Christian, this is a picture of the Trinity. Since the reality of God cannot be reduced to words we have here a grammatically difficult passage. But I “see” what is going on. God is one and God is three, he is singular and yet is plural.
4. 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 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. Perfect praise here requires three “holys”, why? Omni Trinum Perfectum (all things are perfect in threes), but why? So, as a Christian I see the angels not just using the superlative but also praising each of the Three persons. God is three (Holy, Holy, Holy) and God is one, and so the text says, Holy ”IS the Lord.” Three declarations “Holy”: Coincidence or of significance? You decide.
5. In the New Testament there are obviously many references but let me just refer to three quickly. Jesus says, The Father and I are one (Jn 10:30). He says again, To have seen me is to have seen the Father (Jn. 14:9). And, have you ever noticed that in the baptismal formula Jesus uses is “bad” grammar? He says, Baptize them in the Name (not names as it grammatically “should” be) 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.
For, it is clear that we are all distinct individuals. I am not you, you are not me. Yet it is also true that we are made for communion. Humanly we cannot exist apart from one another. Obviously we depend on our parents through whom God made us. But even beyond physical descent, we need one another for completion.
Despite what old songs say, no man is a rock or an island. There is no self-made man. Even the private business owner needs customers, suppliers and shippers, and other middle men. 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 and others he did not create. Further, whatever the product he makes, he is likely the heir of technologies and processes he did not invent, others before him did. And the list could go on.
We are individual, but we are social. We are one, but linked to many. Clearly we do not possess the kind of unity 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. That attitude that prevails today is a rather extreme individualism wherein “I can do as I please.” There is a reduced sense at how our individual choices affect the whole of 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. And what I do affects others, for good or ill.
The “It’s none of my business, what others do” attitude also needs some attention. Privacy and discretion have important places in our life, but so does having concern for what others do and think, the choices they are making and the effects that such things have on others. A common moral and religious vision is an important thing to cultivate. It is ultimately important what others think and do, and we should care about fundamental things like respect for life, love, care for the poor, education, marriage and family. Indeed, marriage an 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, that 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 lasting a fruitful relationship we call marriage. For, 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). And God says to them, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1:28). So the image of God (as God sets it forth most perfectly) is the married and fruitful couple.
Here of course we must be careful to understand that what we manifest sexually, God manifests spiritually. For God is not male or female in His essence. Thus, we may say, The First Person loves the Second Person, and the Second Person loves the First Person. And so real is that love that it bears fruit in the Third Person. In this way the married couple images God, for the husband loves his wife and the wife loves her husband, and their love bears fruit in their children. [1]
So, today as we extol the great mystery of the Trinity, we look not merely outward and upward to understand but also inward to discover that mystery at work in us who are made in the image and likeness of God.
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