Blessed Trinity Sunday (Cycle C, Year I)
Community Word: The Holy Spirit empowers all those who keep the word of God.
Theme: The Holy Spirit empowers us to glorify the Father and the Son.
Promise: “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.” (Jn 16:15)
Reflection:
This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity, or Trinity Sunday. As Catholics, it identifies us among other religious sects, because belief in the Triune God – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, is fundamental to our faith. The Readings for this particular Sunday allow us to better see the face of God and to have a deeper knowledge of who our God really is.
As we reflect on the readings, they help us to acquire a clearer understanding of what it means to believe in one God in three divine persons.
Initially, it is not easy to understand this central fact of our Christian faith. But as the theme unfolds, we grow in faith in God the Father who created everything with wisdom and love. We likewise believe that because of His great love for humankind, He sent His Word – His Son, Jesus, to be incarnate as a human being, to be one like us. And finally, we believe that the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation can only be accomplished through the power of His Holy Spirit.
“What is man that you should be mindful of him?” asks David in the Psalms, expressing amazement that God should find mere mortal man worthy of His attention, love and care, even assigning him the place of honor in creation, and giving him dominion over all creatures on earth.
God’s greatness and glory are also reflected in the 1st Reading, taken from the Book of Proverbs (8:22-31), which refers to the Son, Jesus, as Wisdom, who is described as the Father’s daily delight, and who has “been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth.” It is Christ who was there, beside the Father as the ‘master craftsman’ of creation and who, like the Father, “took delight in the sons of men.”
From the beginning, God the Father conceived a perfect plan for man’s salvation. He worked this plan through, and in the person of His Son, Jesus, the perfect image of the Father. Mankind receives divine justification by faith in Jesus, who came into the world to deliver the Good News of our salvation, and to speak of the unconditional love and justice of the Father. That is why we are all called children of God. All of us, regardless of who we are and what we have done, are welcome to come to the Father, through Jesus, the Son. Consequently, we cannot boast that we are justified by our own merit, for it was God, through His Son, who came to us with open arms, and called us to His fold. It was Jesus who, on the cross, paid the price to ransom man with His life and His blood. Jesus’ death on the cross put to death the power of sin over man. It was this sacrifice on the cross that gave us life and the freedom to live in the spirit as He breathes His Spirit within us.
In the 2nd Reading, Paul draws a juxtaposition between the sinful First Adam and the sinless Second Adam, Christ. In it, Paul lists the advantages of the believer who follows Jesus: First, the believer experiences inner peace. Second, the believer has access to God in prayer and supplication, in which his hope rests on the action of God’s grace that brings great confidence and joy concerning the future. Third, God assures us that His presence will always be there for us, even in times of trials and distress, giving us strength to cope with suffering, which in turn produces perseverance and builds character. Fourth, the believer is indwelt by God, through the Holy Spirit that lives in our hearts. And fifth, since Christ is alive in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the believer is preserved in God. Paul reminds us that Christ died to save us and now lives to keep us saved. (Harold Willmington, The Outline Bible)
What a privilege then, for us to have been called to a Life in the Spirit through which we were baptized in the Spirit of God. For most of us, it was the turning point of our lives. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the Counselor, the Holy Spirit who, when Jesus ascends to the Father, will come upon those who accept Him into their lives as Lord and Saviour. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin and empowers us to resist evil. It is the same Spirit which counsels us when we are anxious, or in doubt. It is the Holy Spirit that prods us into action to seek the grace of God, and enables us to live victorious in Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for the new insights on the fundamentals of our faith. Thank You for helping us understand how blessed we are to be called Your sons and daughters. We are forever grateful for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ. And thank You, Jesus, for giving us Your Holy Spirit who continually empowers us to do mighty things, even beyond our imagination. You truly are Wisdom eternal, God and King of all ages. All glory and honor are Yours O Lord, now and forever, Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. How significant has the Charismatic movement been to you? In what ways have you
given importance to the gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life?
2. Have you experienced the five divine justifications as mentioned by Paul in the 2nd Reading? Share an instance.
3. How do you see yourself growing in the Spirit?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
May 26, 2013 (Sun) Prv 8:22-31/Ps 8:4-9/Rom 5:1-5/Jn 16:12-15
May 27, 2013 (Mon) Sir 17:20-24/Ps 32:1,2,6-7/Mk 10:17-27
May 28, 2013 (Tues) Sir 35:1-12/Ps 50:5-8,14,23?Mk 10:28-31
May 29 2013 (Wed) Sir 36:1,4,5,10-17/Ps 79:8,9,11,13/Mk 10:32-45
May 30, 2013 (Thur) Sir 42:15-25/Ps 33:2-9/Mk 10:46-52
May 31, 2013 (Fri) Zep 3:14-18 or Rom12:9-16/Is 12:2-6/Lk 1:39-56
June 1, 2013 (Sat) Sir 51:12-20/Ps 19:8-11/Mk 11:27-33
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
