God's Incredible Gift of Love for the World
Introduction
May you
be drawn more and more into the relationship with the One GOD Who is Abba-Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit!
Our One
GOD is a relationship of persons. The way the three persons of Blessed Trinity relate
to each other is unique and yet so uniting that we have a Trinity of Person in the
Oneness of our GOD. The Trinity is a mystery (Greek mysterion; Latin
sacramentum). The Trinity is not something which can be explained, but the mystery of
the Trinity can be experienced. We are not to try to solve the mystery, but to live
and be united with our One GOD Who is three distinct Persons. The more we relate
to our GOD, the more we apprehend (not comprehend) Who this GOD is. We are drawn
into this relationship and will be able to enjoy this relationship not just now,
but for all eternity. How awesome is our GOD!
The readings
today are not theological explanations of the mystery of the Holy Trinity (that
is, that there is only One GOD, yet three persons in the One GOD). Rather they give
us a glimpse of some of the characteristics of our Triune GOD. Obviously, even these
are only our human way of trying to relate to a GOD Who is far beyond our understanding,
yet so close to us as our next breath.
First Reading: Exodus 34:4-6,8-9
'Lord,
Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion'
Commentary: This is one of the really very central passages of the Bible. In Judaism
the special name of God (sometimes written ‘Yahweh’) is never spoken. For two reasons.
It is too sacred and awesome to be pronounced, for the name somehow makes the personality
present. It is also too intimate: we do not bandy around in public the special family
name by which we are affectionately known by our nearest and dearest. So where the
name occurs in the Bible, a conventional ‘the LORD’ is used. The name itself was
revealed to Moses at the Burning Bush, but not its meaning. Here for the first time
the meaning is given, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God of tenderness and compassion.’
Only when God has to forgive Israel for its first, heinous but rapid, rebellion,
is the meaning of the name revealed. And this meaning is echoed again and again
down the scriptures, in Deuteronomy, in Psalms, in Jeremiah. Even Jonah has to admit
it when, to his fury, Nineveh is forgiven! This is the way Israel loves to picture
its God, as a God of forgiveness. The Prologue of St John and the Parable of the
Prodigal Son are no new inventions.
Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:52-56
To you
glory and praise for evermore.
Commentary: The three men praise and glorify God in the expanse of heaven. They
acknowledge His greatness and declare that He is deserving of eternal praise
and glory.
This
hymn of praise by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego reflects their unwavering
faith in God and their commitment to worship Him alone, even in the face of
persecution and the threat of death. It serves as a powerful example of
steadfast devotion and trust in God's sovereignty and power.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13·
The grace
of Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
Commentary: This reading, concluding with the Trinitarian blessing, is the finale
of this Letter to the Corinthians. The interrelationship of the three Persons of
the Trinity is a theological elaboration which was reached only gradually in Christian
meditation. Paul, however, already often mentions the three Persons in parallel,
making some distinction between them or at any rate between their functions in the
story of salvation. When he mentions one he seems at the same time to be conscious
of the influence also of the other Persons of the Trinity. The constant triple mention
of each of the Persons in itself suggests equality, each playing a special part,
as ‘It is God who gives you a sure place in Christ, giving us as pledge the Spirit
in our hearts’ (2 Corinthians 1.21), or ‘You have been justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God’ (1 Corinthians 6.11). Rather
than prying, so to speak, into the personal interrelationships of the three, the
scripture limits itself to mentioning the part played by each in our creation, salvation
and sanctification. God, whom we also address as Abba, Father, is the initiator.
It is through the work of Christ that we are justified, saved, redeemed, reconciled.
The Spirit is at work in transforming us in holiness.
Gospel: John 3:16-18
God sent
his Son so that through him the world might be saved
Commentary: At first sight this part of the dialogue with Nicodemus seems to mention
only the Father and the Son. A chief concern of the Gospel of John is to show the
relationship of loving obedience between Father and Son. The love and equality in
a perfect relationship between a human father and a son is the nearest reflection
of such love which we can envisage. In complete trust and confidence father gives
to son everything that is his. His only interest is the advancement of the son.
Son’s only care is to please his father and to be as close to father as he can be,
in word, action and relationships. Each has a vibrant and continuous bond of love
for the other. Such a relationship may be rare in human family life, but it can
model for us a pale reflection of the loving relationship between the Father and
the Son. And the Spirit is in fact mentioned because the love itself is the living
bond which unites the two. We must, however, appreciate that any such language limps
and belittles the divine relationship, which is of a different order of perfection
and intensity. Human language can never begin to render the divine reality, which
is utterly beyond our comprehension.
Reflection: What does Scripture tell us about God and how he relates to us? When God
met with Moses on Mount Sinai and made a covenant with the people of Israel, he
revealed the nature of his character and his personal love for them:
"The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, "The
LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abounding in mercy and faithfulness'" (Exodus 34:6).
God is all-loving, faithful, merciful, and forgiving by nature. God's love
is supreme because it directs, orders, and shapes everything he does.
Love and judgment
Scripture tells us that God is all just and all loving. How does his love
and justice go together? God opposes sin and evil with his just wrath (his righteous
anger) and right judgment - and he approaches sinful people and evil doers with
mercy ("slow to anger" and "ready to forgive") and discipline
("fatherly correction" and "training in righteousness"). John
the Evangelist tells us that the Father sent his Son into the world - not to condemn
but to redeem - not to destroy but to heal and restore. Paul the Apostle tells us
that "the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). God does not
desire the death of anyone (Ezekiel 18:23,32, Ezekiel 33:11,
Wisdom of Solomon 1:13). Instead he gives us the freedom to choose between
life and death - good and evil.
When we choose to sin and to go our own way apart from God, we bring condemnation
upon ourselves. Sin draws us away from God and leads to a spiritual death - a death
that is worse than physical loss of life because it results in a hopeless life of
misery and separation from God's peace and joy. Jesus was sent on a rescue mission
to free us from slavery to sin and death and to bring us the abundant life which
will never end. His death brought us true freedom and abundant new life in his Spirit
- as well as pardon, reconciliation and adoption as sons and daughters of God.
Jesus took upon himself all of our sins and nailed them to the cross (Colossians 2:14). His death was an atoning sacrifice for our
sins and a perfect offering to the Father on our behalf. We can find no greater
proof of God's love for fallen sinful humanity than the cross of Jesus Christ. "To
ransom a slave God gave away his Son" (from an early Christian hymn for the
Easter vigil liturgy). Jesus' mission was motivated by love and obedience. That
is why he willingly laid down his life for us. Jesus told his disciples that there
is no greater love than for a person to willingly lay down his or her life for a
friend (John 15:13). Jesus loved us first - even while we were captives
to sin and Satan - in order to set us free and make us friends and beloved children
of God.
Believing in the Son of God
Do you believe that Jesus personally died for you - for you alone - simply
because he loved you? Scripture tells us that God knew each one of us even before
we were knit in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13, Jeremiah 1:5).
We were created for a purpose - to be united with God and to share in his love and
glory now and forever. Augustine of Hippo wrote: "God loves each one of us
as if there were only one of us to love." God's love is complete and perfect
because it is wholly directed towards our greatest good - to make us whole and to
unite us in a perfect bond of love and peace. That is why God was willing to go
to any length necessary to save us from slavery to sin and death.
How does God's love bring healing, pardon, and wholeness to our lives? God's
love has power to set each one of us free from every form of bondage to sin - whether
it be bondage to fear and guilt, pride and greed, envy and hatred. We can only know
the love of God and experience his healing power to the degree that we put our faith
in him and surrender our lives to his will. Faith is the key that opens the door
to Christ and to his healing power in our lives. But for faith to be effective we
must act and do our part. That is why faith requires repentance and obedience -
turning away from unbelief and disobedience - and turning to the Lord with a believing
heart and listening ear. That is why Jesus said, "whoever believes in me is
not condemned" (John 3:18).
To believe that Jesus is the only Son of God who died for our sins is the
key that opens the door to his presence and work in our lives. Jesus said, "Behold,
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). The Lord Jesus
knocks at the door of your heart - will you listen today and open at once?
Triune nature of God
The Lord Jesus has revealed to his disciples the great mystery of our faith
- the triune nature of God and the inseparable union of the eternal Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. Jesus' mission is to reveal the glory of God to us - a Trinity
of persons - God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and to unite us with God in
a community of love. The ultimate end, the purpose for which God created us, is
the entry of God's creatures into the perfect unity of the blessed Trinity.
The Jews understood God as Creator and Father of all that he made (Deuteronomy 32:6) and they understood the nation of Israel
as God's firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). Jesus reveals the Father in an unheard-of
sense. He is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son, who, reciprocally,
is Son only in relation to his Father (see Matthew 11:27). The
Spirit, likewise, is inseparably one with the Father and the Son.
The mission of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit are the same. That is why Jesus
tells his disciples that the Spirit will reveal the glory of the Father and the
Son and will speak what is true. Before his Passover, Jesus revealed the Holy Spirit
as the "Paraclete" and Helper who will be with Jesus' disciples to teach
and guide them "into all the truth" (John 14:17,26; 16:13). In
baptism we are called to share in the life of the Holy Trinity here on earth in
faith and after death in eternal light.
Clement of Alexandria, a third century church father, wrote:"What an
astonishing mystery! There is one Father of the universe, one Logos (Word) of the
universe, and also one Holy Spirit, everywhere one and the same; there is also one
virgin become mother, and I should like to call her 'Church'."
We can know God personally
How can we grow in our understanding and experience of God the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit? It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the Father and the Son to us
and who gives us the gift of faith to know and understand the truth of God's word.
Through baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Lord renews the gift
of the Spirit in each one of us as we open our hearts with expectant faith and yield
to his work in our lives. Jesus promised his disciples that he would send them the
Spirit of truth who would be their Teacher and Guide. Ask the Lord Jesus to renew
in you the gift of the Holy Spirit who strengthens us in the seven-fold gifts of
wisdom and understanding, right judgment and courage, knowledge and reverence, and
holy fear in God's presence (Isaiah 11:2-3).
May the Lord Jesus put his hands on our eyes also, for then we too shall
begin to look not at what is seen but at what is not seen. May he open the eyes
that are concerned not with the present but with what is yet to come, may he unseal
the heart's vision, that we may gaze on God in the Spirit, through the same Lord,
Jesus Christ, whose glory and power will endure throughout the unending succession
of ages. (Prayer of Origin, 185-254 AD)
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The
pledge of the Holy Spirit, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the
spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the
spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard
what you have received. God the Father has marked you with His sign; Christ the
Lord has confirmed you and has placed His pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts"
(excerpt from De Mysteriis 7, 42).
THREE FOR LOVE
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!” —2 Corinthians 13:13
Love is Trinitarian. The sign of the cross, which
we make at the beginning of every Mass, is Trinitarian. At our Baptism, we were
baptized in the Trinitarian formula; Jesus Himself commanded His disciples to “baptize
them in the name ‘of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’ ” (Mt 28:19).
The Holy Trinity is a communion of love. Everything
the Trinity does — creating, saving, healing, anointing — is done in love (Jn 3:16; Gn 1:1ff). If the Triune God did not love
us, we would cease to exist. Love is the reason why God saves us (see Jn 3:16-17). It is the self-emptying love of
God, Who constantly gives Himself to us. Love always reaches out; as an example,
the father of the prodigal son moved forth from his dwelling to reach out to both
of his beloved sons (see Lk 15:20, 28).
The only way we could know about the Holy Trinity
is for the Lord to reveal Himself to us. Such intimate self-revelation comes because
the Triune God lavishes His love upon us (see Ti 3:6) and longs to be with us, His beloved
(see Sg 2:8, 14).
On this Trinity Sunday, give God the gift He most
wants: your heart. Abandon yourself into the arms of the Triune God.
Prayer: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I reveal my heart to You in response to Your incredible self-revelation to me. I am all Yours. “The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity...” —Ex 34:6. “Praise the Holy Trinity, undivided Unity; Holy God, mighty God, God immortal, be adored!”
The personal
action for today: What does the Trinity mean to me? How do I relate to each of the three persons
in the Blessed Trinity? How does the relationship which exists within the Triune
GOD affect me and my relationship with the LORD GOD, and my relationship with other
people? How can I profess and give witness to my faith in the Triune GOD as I interact
with others? Which characteristics or attributes of GOD mentioned in today’s readings
(mercy, graciousness, slow to anger, rich in kindness and fidelity) can I extend
to another person today so that they can come to better know those attributes of
GOD?