The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity †

†Readings for Sunday June 19th 2011





I think that this Sunday (Trinity Sunday) we should all think about what it means to be guided in the truth. Do we believe that because we are being led by this awesome truth, that we can just take things for granted? Or should each one of us take a look at our lives and realize that we cannot go on without trusting God.
I recently read an excerpt from a music album by Aaron Shust, in it he talks about how when we have a good day. We say. "God, Thank you. You are really blessing me." Blessing is a word that I only hear Christians use. I have heard it means to "speak well about a thing,” but I think it's used more often in the sense of I need a raise, or a gift, or something specific. "God, Bless Me.” in this context means: I want straight AAA's in school, or I want to buy lots of new clothes, please get me a new car.
When I am having a bad day, I say, "God, don't forget me, please hear my prayers", as if He may have forgotten about me. Aaron tells the story of a man who, through a series of events, misses his flight and, when the plane crashes and everyone dies, an article is written in a Christian publication saying, "God was watching out for him." Not long after that article appeared, another article is written by the wife of a man who, by a series of seemingly miraculous events, made it onto that flight, and the last communication that they had was waving goodbye to each other with joy in their hearts at how God had orchestrated events that allowed him to make his flight… that would take him to his death. So who was God really looking out for? Was God working in one man's life and not the others?
Some people or healed of cancer after much prayer. Many people die of cancer, even after much prayer. Some people are born physically beautiful, and with robust health; other people are born with physical deformities and terrible diseases. Who is God looking out for in these situations? The answer is that it is not in our capacity to understand.
Too often, our perception of how God should operate is focused on how He should make our lives better- according to us. But one of the reasons His name is "God" is because He is smart, wiser, and infinitely better (perfect actually) than we are in all areas. We can't figure out the reasoning behind all that God does (just as we cannot figure out the mystery of the Trinity) But we know that we are really loved by Him, because we FEEL it! We know in our hearts that the promises written in the Bible are true. Is this an act of faith? Absolutely. But it is like feeling the warmth of the sun on our skin; there can be no question that there is really a ball of fire in the sky.

Enjoy the readings, pass them on


Reading 1 Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9

4b Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets. 5 Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there
and proclaimed his name, "LORD." 6 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." 8 Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. 9 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."

Questions for Discussion:

1. Besides his name, what did God reveal about himself to Moses on Mount Sinai? What was Moses’ response to this revelation? What is your response to knowledge of God’s love?

2. If the Lord were to come along in our company, would it mean that God loves us every moment exactly as we are, even though we are “stiff-necked” sometimes? Do you forgive others when they are harsh to you? Can you accept them as they are?

3. This is a good time to ask how does our own image of God and our actions, measure up to the revelation of God the Scriptures present to us today and throughout both the Hebrew texts in the New Testament?



Reading II 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

11 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. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. 13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Questions for Discussion:

1. What were his final instructions and greetings? (13:11-13) B. How did he bless them? (13:14)

2. What do you know about the Trinity from the following lines of the reading? ”The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” If God’s nature is love, then has he invited us to come along in his company? What are the implications for our community?

3. We can all agree with and/or encourage each other in order to live in peace. How important is this to you? Can you agree with most people? Do you feel the tone of this reading is comforting or admonishing?


Gospel John 3:16-18

16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 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.

Questions for Discussion:

1. What did the Father do that tells you he “loved the world”? What did the Son do? What have you done as a response to God’s immense love for the world and for you personally?

2. What might this gift of "eternal life" look like in our lives?

3. Do you love God above all else? Does he take first place in your life, in your thoughts, and actions?

4. From this reading, what stands out to you about God? About what he wants you to do? About

5. how a person is saved? About how a person is condemned? What does it mean to “believe”

6. What does Jesus mean when he talks about eternal life? What does it call to mind for you?

7. What does eternal life mean to you in regards to duration? Quality? Activity?

8. What does it mean to be “saved? From what? For what? What is the alternative? When did you begin to see God as saving you, rather than condemning you?

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday; here our belief in the one God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the central truth of all Christian faith. Early in the history of the Church various controversies arose over the nature of the Trinity. The most prominent of these concerned the heresy of Arianism in the fourth century. Arias and his followers insisted that the Son of God was created and not eternal. This heresy found many followers, especially in the Eastern Church.
The Council of Nicea in A.D. 325 settled the controversy by defining the nature of the Trinity. Belief in the Trinity had been central to the Church since the time of the Apostles. As a response to Arianism, however, that belief was given a formal definition. The Church’s understanding was crystallized in what we now know as the Nicene Creed, which states: The Council of Nicea explained that there were three persons in the Trinity, but only one being. The three persons are equal and of the same substance. All three persons are eternal and are to be worshiped.
The Council provided definition and clarity in the midst of controversy. However, the Trinity remains a mystery beyond the ability of the human mind to fathom.
Sunday's Mass invites us to enter into the mystery and partake of the grace God offers. One of the prayers for Trinity Sunday speaks in these words to God: "You reveal yourself in the depths of our being, drawing us to share in your life and love."

The love between Father and Son is so strong that it is itself a person, the Holy Spirit. The love shared between the Three Persons of the Trinity is so strong that God created life to share with us, His children. God has created us out of love, and His goal for us is to teach us what it means to love perfectly, to love as He loves. God wants our love for Him to be so devoted to Him that it calls us to put nothing ahead of Him. It is a love that is so valuable that we would be willing to love God completely, totally – even if we can’t see Him. It is a love that is so important to us that we would rather suffer and die than to lose that love.
In short, God’s love is the greatest possession we will ever have. (Think of this idea in light of the Second Reading from this Sunday, Romans 5:1-5. Look it up now.) God’s love is our true treasure. The Trinity is not only the source of our lives, but it is the goal of who we are. When we die, our hope and prayer is that we will enter into the life of the Trinity for all eternity. Our hope is that we will become members of the family of God, free from the effects of sin, free from all suffering and death. While we may be tempted to just accept God as Trinity on blind faith, allow yourself to meditate on this Reality. Reflect upon God’s great love, and let God Himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to transform all your actions into an offering of love.