The Holy Trinity Sunday C
Sunday 26 May 2013
Proverbs:8:22-31. Ps 8:4-9. Rv.2.
Rom.
5:1-5. John 16:12-15.
Wisdom ever at play in his
presence and delighting to be with the sons of men.
You have made man little less
than a god.
The love of God has been poured
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit
All the Father has is mine. All
the Spirit tells you will be taken from what is mine.
Readings at Mass
____________________
First
reading
Proverbs 8:22-31
Before the earth was made, Wisdom
was conceived.
Thus says the wisdom of God:
“The Lord
possessed me, the beginning of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long
ago;
From of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought
forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of
water;
Before the mountains were settled into
place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
While as yet the earth and fields were not
made,
nor the first clods of the world.
“When he established the heavens I was
there,
when he marked out the vault over the face
of the deep;
When he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the
earth;
When he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress
his command;
Then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
Playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race.”
“In
the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…All
things were made through him and without him was made nothing that was made”
(John 1:1). The author personifies wisdom. We can see wisdom as Christ. Christ
Jesus is the human expression of God. He is the human face of God. To become
one with Christ is share in the wisdom of God.
____________________
Psalm
Psalm 8:4-5,6-7,8-9
O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in
all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of
your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in
place—
What is man that you should be mindful of
him,
or the son of man that you should care for
him?
O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in
all the earth!
You have made him little less than the
angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of
your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in
all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, the fishes of the
sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in
all the earth!
____________________
Second
reading
Romans 5:1-5
To God, through Christ, in love
poured out through the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters: Since we have been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of
our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance,
proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit that has been given to us.
God is a family and through faith in Jesus
we are invited to join this families as sons along with the Son. This is not a
legal fiction. We are born again by the Holy Spirit. By this rebirth we share
in the very life of God.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
see Revelation 1:8
Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
Alleluia, alleluia.
____________________
Gospel
John 16:12-15
Everything that the Father has is
mine; the Spirit will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much
more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of
truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he
will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to
you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he
will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”
A loving Dad in heaven
We
have all heard of shamrock and the Trinity, a triangle and the three persons
but one God. The mind boggles. If we try to get the Trinity into our heads then
it splits. It is like an ant trying to understand you. In fact, that is easy
compared to trying to understand God. Then why did Jesus reveal this mystery?
It was for our happiness and salvation. Many parents and teachers have
unwittingly often caused great harm. Many taught us that God is a God who punishes
sinners, that he has put us in a straitjacket with his commandments and forbids
us to do the very things we want to, that he always says ‘no’ and throws a wet
blanket over everything, almost that he likes to see us suffer and doesn’t seem
to bother about our pain and lets the wicked escape. How many have thought,
“Anyway he will throw me into hell, I may as well enjoy myself now” Those who
reject God, reject a God who does not exist. Those who walk away, walk away
from a God they have never met. God is nothing like what even saints imagine.
No
one has ever seen God. The Scriptures say further, no one can see God. As a result,
no human being can say anything about God. Whatever they say is as valuable as
the description of the elephant given by the six blind men. Only the Son who
dwells in the bosom of the Father knows him. Only Jesus can teach about the
Father because he is the visible image of the Father. Jesus is the invisible
God translated into human form. Look at Jesus and you look at the Father.
Listen to Jesus and you listen to God the Father.
Far
from condemning sinners, Jesus welcomed them – the tax collectors, the sinful
woman in the house of Simon, the woman taken in adultery, the paralytic,
Zachaeus the swindler par excellence, Peter after his threefold denial, and so
many others until in his last moment the thief on the cross – the only person
guaranteed a place in heaven. He had fellowship with them without
preconditions. He simply loved them and hoped that his love would be
contagious. In this, he confirmed the Word: God takes delight in forgiving
sins.
Most
of all he revealed God as Abba – our heavenly Dad who loves to take his
children in his arms and bless them (Hosea11:3). He is Abba who longs for his
children to come to him even if they have ruined their lives and hit rock
bottom. He embraces them, gives them the best robe and ring, and makes a feast
for all the angels and saints.
What
is your image of God? Do you see God as Jesus did or as people speak of
him? How does Jesus speak of his Father?
Father, grant that we may bring you joy by calling you Abba from our
hearts.
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