Reading from the Book of Exodus 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.”
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm DN 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. 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!
Second Reading
Reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians 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.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. CF. RV 1:8
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia
Gospel
P: The Lord be with you.
P: A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
HOMILY
Many saints have tried to explain the Holy Trinity by giving examples we can experience through our senses. For example, St Cyril tried to explain this mystery by using the sun as an example. He said that God the Father is that blazing sun, God the Son is its light and God the Holy Spirit is its heat but there is only one sun.
But since the Holy Trinity is a mystery, all examples are only shadows of the shadows of truth.
The Theological answer to the Trinity, if we can put it in one sentence is, that God’s very nature is in relationship among three persons. We can say that They are (or God is) a community of love.
Now we can say that this is all complex material and irrelevant to us. Why does the Church every year remind us of this mystery? What does this matter in our daily lives?
To begin with, it can encourage us to enter more deeply into relationships with one another. Notice how many passages in St Paul’s letters are about the relationships within the early Christian communities. In most cases, Paul is primarily talking not about private religious practices but about interpersonal relationships.
Much of this has to do with the fact that these communities often were dealing with internal conflicts. But it is also reflective of the fact that if we are to live like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, on whose image we were created and baptised, it will mean that we find God through relationships.
This week we priests had our yearly renewal talks and one of the things which the speakers were insisting was about the communion between us priests, especially now that most of us are on our own.
We all need each other and this does not apply only to us priests but to all of us. Families are becoming smaller and smaller. Individualism is growing. The concept of sharing in families, especially where there are no siblings, is not being experience and therefore forgotten. It’s all about me, hence the growing number of people with narcissistic behaviour.
St Paul in the 2nd reading tells us how to be rational “Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you”.
All this serves as a reminder against the kind of Christianity that is just about “me and God”. Why do I need other people for my salvation when they annoy me so much? Why do I need a community which is so imperfect? Why do I need the Church when some of its members are sinners?
The answer is: The Holy Trinity. Furthermore, Jesus built His Church not on perfection but on human weakness. As Jesus says in the Gospel: “God so loved the world that He sent His only son so that all those who believe in him shall not perish”
Today’s readings convey the fundamental mystery that the Trinity reaches out to people with love, seeking the deepest communion with them. Our awareness and conviction of the presence of God within us, strengthens us to face the challenges of life with Christian courage.
BIDDING PRAYERS:
Assured of God’s love for the world in Christ, let us invoke the Spirit of God that grace and peace may abound among us.
Our response is, “Spirit of love, be with us.”
- For the grace to renew societies in Christ’s love; may the Spirit help us to dismantle racism, destruction of human life, and abuse of creation. We pray: “Spirit of love, be with us.”
- For Christian churches throughout the world; may our worship of the one God through Christ and in the Holy Spirit lead us to deeper unity. We pray: “Spirit of love, be with us.”
- For greater harmony and peace among members of the Catholic church; may we come to embrace our rich diversity and our common profession of faith as the work of the Spirit. We pray: “Spirit of love, be with us.”
- For an increase of the virtues of kindness and fidelity in all marriages; may the mutual love of husband and wife be rooted in Christ’s love for us. We pray: “Spirit of love, be with us.”
Gracious God, pour the Spirit of love into our hearts that we may be united to Christ and to each other in the bond of peace. May our prayers be acceptable to you in the name of your only Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
