Catechism Links[1]
CCC 202, 232-260, 684, 732: The mystery of the Trinity
CCC 249, 813, 950, 1077-1109, 2845: The Trinity in the Church and her liturgy
CCC 2655, 2664-2672: The Trinity and prayer
CCC 2205: The family as an image of the Trinity
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| “Adoration of the Holy Trinity” by Johann Heinrich Schönfeld, 1647-49 |
Readings and Commentary:[4]
Reading 1: Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9
Commentary on Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9
The events in this section of Exodus are occurring after Moses came down the mountain with the initial tablets, had found the people had fallen to idolatry, and had smashed them. This exchange, between God and Moses ("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.") demonstrates that the Covenant between God and the people is still intact.
CCC: Ex 34:5-6 210; Ex 34:6 214, 231, 2577; Ex 34:9 210
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Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
Commentary on Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
The Responsorial Psalm is a song of praise to God taken from the Book of Daniel. This selection is the hymn chanted by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they stood in the white-hot furnace. This section is part of one of the litanies contained in the hymn – this one is a doxology (“In general this word means a short verse praising God and beginning, as a rule, with the Greek word Doxa.”)[5]
They were being punished by King Nebuchadnezzar for not worshiping a golden idol he had set up. An angel of God came to them in their plight and kept them from harm even though the furnace was so hot it burned those who tended it. (This is where we miss Daniel 1:7 when Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given the Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.)
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Reading II: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Commentary on 2 Cor 13:11-13
These verses, which conclude the second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, are perhaps the clearest Trinitarian passage in the New Testament. It takes the form of a blessing, proposing the peace of Christ, almost ironic after the many stormy passages contained within the letter.
CCC: 2 Cor 13:13 249, 734, 1109, 2627
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Gospel: John 3:16-18
Commentary on Jn 3:16-18
This passage is part of the section of St. John’s Gospel that describes Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus. At this point it has turned into a monologue and in these verses, it is clear that the Evangelist is speaking, as the promise of eternal life is made to those who believe in Jesus as the Only Son of God.
'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, leading through the Cross and death to Resurrection" (St. John Paul II, "Redemptor Hominis", 10)." [6]
CCC: Jn 3:16 219, 444, 454, 458, 706; Jn 3:17 2447
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Reflection:
Our understanding of the One God in three persons is, while implicit in Holy Scripture, not explicit. The word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, and it took great scholars many years to formulate an understanding that attempts to describe the relationship in essence between the three persons.
I was once told by a parishioner that he hated it when, on Trinity Sunday, all he could take away from a homily was that it was a “mystery.” Unfortunately for him – that is what it is. But what is important about our belief in the Trinity is what it says to us, as faith-filled believers.
The three persons of the Holy Trinity are mentioned in scripture today. First, we hear Moses, pleading with God to remember the covenant he had made. Moses tells God that, yes, the people are a stiff-necked and stubborn lot, prone to sin. Of course, God knows this. Then Moses asks for forgiveness on behalf of all the people. And God, the merciful Father also acceded to that request, but there had to be more, the Law God gave to Moses was not enough.
Next, God sent the Prophets, individuals directly influenced by the Father, doing their best to interpret the Father’s will to the people through the flawed mechanism of human speech and understanding. Still they could not grasp the unfathomable love their Father and Creator had for them. They saw him as a child sees a disciplinarian; the punishment handed out was quick and often severe.
In love, he sent His Only Son, begotten but not made, into the world so we could understand the depth of his love for us. It was not until the Son revealed the Father that we understood that he indeed had answered Moses' request for forgiveness. It was so difficult for the people to understand this purpose that instead of raising the Son of God upon their shoulders in triumph, they raised him upon the cross in crucifixion.
But the revelation was made, the seed was sown and those whom the Father had given the Son were not lost. Still they needed an Advocate, the Spirit of Truth to reside with them because they must not be alone. So, God gave us the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, so that we could have his guidance and a palpable sense of his love for us indwelling.
The Holy Trinity is, in its construct and relationship a mystery, but the unified purpose is clear. It is God the most high, creator of all things, lover of all creation, and guide to all mankind. It is he who offers us Eternal Life.
Pax
In other years on this date: Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2] The picture used today is “Adoration of the Holy Trinity” by Johann Heinrich Schönfeld, 1647-49
[6] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, pp.570
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