Word: The unity of the Blessed Trinity empowers us as one community.
Order: Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ….” (Mt 28:19)
Reflection:
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we believe in One God in Three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The Council of Florence (1442) confirms that the Blessed Trinity is Divine Unity. Everything in them is One, there is no opposition of relationship. Because of that Unity, the Father is wholly in the Son and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Son wholly in the Father and wholly in the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Son. (CCC 253, 255)
All of us who are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, have been given the grace to live in that Divine Unity thereby empowering us to be one community. As one community, we can bring the Divine Unity of the Blessed Trinity to others by following our community’s Order of the Month: “Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ….” (Mt 28:19)
The Theme for the First Week is: We are empowered as one community when, as God’s children, we bear witness. As we are one in our faith in the Blessed Trinity, we can therefore witness to others that we follow God’s Commandments in word and in deed. We love God with all our heart, with all of our mind, and with all our strength and we love others as ourselves. We also witness that as we seek His Kingdom, we will not be afraid or be anxious about our present circumstance or the future, for God is with us; for the Promise for the Week says: “I am with you always, until the end of the age,” (Mt 28:20b).
The Theme for the Second Week is: We are empowered as one community when we are regularly nourished by the Holy Eucharist. Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to enable us to be mindful always of His supreme sacrifice on the Cross for the love of us. As we regularly go to mass and receive His Body and Blood, we renew our commitment to be His disciples. As we thank Him constantly for His Love and sacrifice, Jesus will nourish and strengthen our body, soul, and spirit. He will strengthen our resolve to follow His commandments. And we are assured of the Promise of the Week: “… those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance,” (Hb 9:15).
The Theme for the Third Week is: We are empowered as one community when we draw people to the Kingdom of God. As we follow the gentleness and humility of Jesus in our lives and in how we relate to others; as we walk by faith and not by sight even when beset by problems, we will draw people to the Kingdom of God. The Promise of the Week admonishes us to persevere in our walk with God: “They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.” (Ps 92:14)
The Theme for the Fourth Week is: We are empowered as one community when we prepare for the Lord’s second coming. Just as St. John the Baptist prepared the first coming of our Lord Jesus by giving His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, so must we prepare ourselves daily for the gift of Eternal Life and for the second coming of Jesus. As we seek more the heavenly things rather than idolize the passing allures, honors, and adulation of this world, we will have the Promise of the Week: “…. my reward is with the Lord and my recompense is with my God.” (Is 49:4)
