Sunday, June 11, 2017
The
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
It-Trinita'
Qaddisa - Solennita`
Messalin A pp 238
Exodus 34:4b-6,
8-9
Early in the morning Moses went upMount Sinai as the LORD
had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets. Having come down in a
cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there and proclaimed his name,
"LORD." Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, "The
LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness
and fidelity." Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he
said, "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." This is the
Word of the Lord
Early in the morning Moses went up
Qari mill-Ktieb ta' l-Eżodu 34, 4b-6. 8-9
F'dak iż-żmien, Mose' qam filgħodu kmieni, u tala' fuq
il-muntanja tas-Sinaj, kif kien ordnalu
l-Mulej, u ħa f'idejh iż-żewġ twavel tal-ġebel. Imbagħad il-Mulej niżel fi sħaba u waqaf hemm Maġenbu; u xandar l-isem tal-Mulej. U l-Mulej għadda minn quddiemu u
għajjat: "Jaħweh! Jaħweh! Alla li
jagħder u jħenn; tqil biex jagħdab u
kbir fit-tjieba u fil-fedelta'."
Mose' minnufih inxteħet għal wiċċu fl-art, u ta qima u qal: "Jekk jien
tassew sibt ħniena quddiemek, Sidi, ħa jiġi Sidi ġo nofsna, nitolbuk; għax dan
hu poplu rasu iebsa. Aħfrilna ħżunitna u ħtijietna, u ħduna b'wirt
għalik.! Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial
Psalm
Daniel 3:52, 53,
54, 55, 56
Blessed
are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Salm
Responsjali
Danjel.
3, 32,33,34,55,56
R/ Ta' min ifaħħrek u jgħollik
fuq kollox għal dejjem.
Imbierek, int, Mulej, Alla ta' missirijietna. R/
Inbierek ismek, qaddis u msebbaħ. R/
Imbierek int fit-tempju tas-sebh imqaddes tiegħek. R/
Imbierek int li qiegħed fuq il-kerubini, li ħarstek
tifned l-abbissi. R/
Imbierek int fuq it-tron ta' saltnatek. R/
Imbierek int fil-wisa' kollu tas-sema. R/
2 Corinthians
13:11-13
Brothers
and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one
another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet
one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
with all of you. This is the Word of the
Lord
It-Tieni
Lezzjoni
Għeluq tat-Tieni Ittra
lill-Korintin 13, 11-13
Ħuti, ifirħu, ħabirku għall-perfezzjoni, isimgħu milli wieħed
igħidilkom, kunu ta' fehma waħda, żommu s-sliem, u Alla ta' l-imħabba u s-sliem
ikun magħkom. Sellmu lil xulxin b'bewsa qaddisa. Il-qaddisin kollha
jsellmulkom. Il-grazzja ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu, l-imħabba ta' Alla
u l-għaqda fl-Ispirtu s-Santu jkunu magħkom ilkoll. 1l-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel
John 3:16-18
God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through
him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not
believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. This is the Word of the Lord
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. This is the Word of the Lord
L-Evanġelju
Qari mill-Evanġelju skond San
Ġwann 3, 16-18
F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lil Nikodemu:
"Alla hekk ħabb id-dinja li ta lil Ibnu l-waħdieni, biex kull min
jemmen fih ma jintilifx, iżda jkollu l-ħajja ta' dejjem. Għax Alla
ma bagħatx lil Ibnu fid-dinja biex jagħmel ħaqq mid-dinja, imma biex id-dinja salva permezz tiegħu. Min
jemmen fih ma jkunx ikkundannat; iżda min ma jemminx huwa ġa kkundannat, gas ma
emminx fl-isem ta' l-Iben il-waħdieni ta' Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
////////////////////////////////////////////
The Trinity is the Model of Every
Human Community
A reflection for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
by Fr Thomas Rosica CSB
The Holy Trinity is a mystery that Scripture does not prove.
This Sunday following Pentecost, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Blessed
Trinity. The Triune nature of God is the principal mystery of the Catholic
faith. Today we contemplate the first and last horizon of the universe and of
history: the Love of God – the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is
not solitude, but perfect communion.
To understand better the Trinity, we need not only the words
of Sacred Scripture but holy images. An image is worth more than a thousand
words. One image that has helped me enter into the Trinitarian mystery is the
famous icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev. The icon introduces us to the
threshold of the mystery of God.
I have always loved Rublev’s image because it depicts in an
extraordinary way what lies at the heart of our Triune God. The Father gazes
lovingly towards the Son; the Son is looking obediently towards the Father; and
the Holy Spirit is that breadth of love between the Father and the Son. We
could say that God’s nature reveals itself in the dynamic relations among the
divines. It is in the self-emptying and gazing at the other that the
transcendence of God becomes manifest.
Rublev’s symbols
Behind each of the three personages in the icon, Rublev has
put a symbol that enables each person to be identified. On the left, the House
of the Father; at the centre a tree, where the Cross transforms itself into a
new tree of life; and on the right a rock, from which gushed out the water in
the desert that prefigured the gift of the Spirit. The dish offered by Abraham
to his guests resembles the Paschal cup, which prefigures the Eucharistic cup.
For Rublev, the meeting of Abraham with the three angels reveals God, his
divine council who elaborates the plan of salvation. The contemplation of the
icon of the Trinity is transformed into a meditation on the whole history of
salvation. It finds its completion in the very mystery of the Father, of the
Son, and the Spirit.
The Lord, a God who is merciful
In today’s first reading from Exodus (34:4b-6, 8-9), God is
revealed to Moses: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious…” (34:6ff)
God proclaims his own Name to us! He does so in the presence of Moses with whom
he spoke face to face, as with a friend. There could be no better way to tell
us the truth about God’s identity. God’s Name is Mercy, Grace, and Faithfulness.
The second reading of today’s liturgy (2 Corinthians
13:11-13), closes with the words: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love
of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” The mention
of Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit is more than a hint of the three
persons in God, One and Unique, whom we want to encounter in our prayer. This
formula probably has its roots in the Tradition of the early Church.
The first verse of today’s Gospel begins with the statement
that God loves the world (John. 3:16). “Whoever does not love does not know
God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). “So we have known and believe the love that
God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God
abides in them” (1 John 4:16). God loves the Son: “The Father loves the Son and
has placed all things in his hands” (John 3:35). God loves Israel
Our God is rich in relationships
Our God is rich in relationships, communication, and love for
all people. This God models to us what the dynamic Trinitarian life is all
about – communication, relationship, and affection. The quality of our
Christian life is based on imitation of the interior life of the Trinity. The
Trinity is the model of every human community, from the most simple and
elemental, which is the family, to the universal Church. It shows how love
creates unity out of diversity: unity of intentions, of thought, of will;
diversity of subjects, of characteristics, and, in the human realm, of sex. And
we see, specifically, what a family can learn from the Trinitarian model.
Embracing the mystery each day
On Trinity Sunday, rather than try to solve the mystery, let
us ask how open we are to it: the mystery of why God created us to begin with;
the mystery of God loving us, desiring to be part of our lives, to live in our
hearts; to be one with us; the mystery of God inviting us to share in the life
of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit; the mystery of a God who cares for us
like a loving parent, who lays down his life for us like a best friend, who
fills our hearts like a lover who will not be refused.
While the Holy Trinity is a mystery that cannot be proven by
Scripture we come into contact, through our liturgy, with the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and
the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”
How many times each day do we make the sign of the Cross? It
may be in our Morning Offering, at grace before meals, at Mass, or before we
retire for the night. It may be when we pray the Liturgy of the Hours, or
recite the Rosary. How often do we sign ourselves “In the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”? How often do we think about the deep
meaning of these words and this simple, yet profound Trinitarian gesture?
Today let us pause and think of what we are doing when we
mark ourselves with the sign of the Cross. What does it mean to sign myself
with the Divine love that binds the Godhead as One? God said at creation, “Let
us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26). He spoke of Himself as “Us,” implying
the Trinitarian nature in which we Catholics believe. God also said that we
humans would image that nature. How does my life reflect the community of love
that is the Godhead? How do I image the Divine nature, which is Love itself?
Are mercy, grace, and faithfulness part of my identity?
Examining our relationships
The Christian God is a living being who exists in intimate
relationship with us. One of the important dimensions of our Trinitarian God is
the community of love and persons modeled for us in the mystery of the Holy
Trinity. For Christians, the Trinity is the primary symbol of a community that
is held together by containing diversity within itself. The language of Father
and Son is relational language, and reminds us that, for God, as for us –
created in God’s image – relationship and community are primary.
Today let us examine our relationships. Do I love as God
loves? Am I willing to lay down my life for those whom the Lord has given me to
care for? I will remember that community and relationship are the hallmarks of
the very life of God and I will pray for the grace to make these my priorities
and the hallmarks of my life?
Today I will pray to the God the Father. I will ask Him to
draw me closer to Him, to let me know His fatherly care. I will ponder God’s
great love in sending His only Son so that I might be saved and born again as
His child.
Who is the Holy Spirit in my life? What does this third
Person of the Trinity mean to me and how do I think of Him? Do I ever pray to
the Holy Spirit? Today I will talk to the Holy Spirit. I will remember all the
gifts we receive in Baptism and Confirmation: wisdom, understanding, right
judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, wonder and awe. I will pray that He
make these gifts come alive in me. I will also pray that the Spirit dwell in me
richly, producing His fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
gentleness, self-control, and faithfulness.
Caritas in Veritate
Let us conclude this reflection with the beautiful words of
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in his encyclical letter Caritas
in Veritate –
“Charity in Truth” (#54):
The Trinity
is absolute unity insofar as the three divine Persons are pure relationality.
The reciprocal transparency among the divine Persons is total and the bond
between each of them complete, since they constitute a unique and absolute
unity. God desires to incorporate us into this reality of communion as well:
“that they may be one even as we are one” (Jn 17:22). The Church is a sign and instrument of this unity.
Relationships between human beings throughout history cannot but be enriched by
reference to this divine model. In particular, in the light of the revealed mystery of the Trinity, we understand that true openness does not mean loss of
individual identity but profound interpenetration. This also emerges from the
common human experiences of love and truth. Just as the sacramental love of
spouses unites them spiritually in “one flesh” (Gen 2:24; Mt 19:5; Eph 5:31) and makes out of
the two a real and relational unity, so in an analogous way truth unites
spirits and causes them to think in unison, attracting them as a unity to
itself.
/////////////////////////////////////////
No comments:
Post a Comment