Embracing the Trinity

Sunday, June 11, 2017

      The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity                                        

                        It-Trinita' Qaddisa   -  Solennita`                                                 

Messalin A pp 238

Reading 1                

Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9
Early in the morning Moses went up Mount 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

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni

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!

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/

Reading II                

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

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

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 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 with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). To celebrate the Trinity is to be in the “communion of the Holy Spirit”’ (2 Corinthians 13:13) wherein we know that God loves us.

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.

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The Holy Spirit – re-igniting in us the fire of His Love!

Pentecost Sunday 

At the Vigil Mass

Lectionary: 62

Ghid il-Hamsin 

                                                            Quddies tal-Vgili                                                             

Tifkira Solenni tal-Migja tal-Ispirtu s-Santu  

Missalin A  p 224 

Reading 1 –

GeNesis 11:1-9

The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words. While the people were migrating in the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, "Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire." They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth." The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built. Then the LORD said: "If now, while they are one people, all speaking the same language, they have started to do this, nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do. Let us then go down there and confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says." Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world. It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari –

Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Genesi 11, 1-9

L-art kollha kienet ilsien wiehed u kliem wiehed.  Izda gara li, meta  telqu mill-Lvant, sabu pjanura f’art Singhar, u qaghdu hemm.  U qalu lil xulxin:   “Ejjew naghmlu gebel tat-tafal u nahmuh fil-fohharija.”   Il-gebel taghhom kien tal-fuhhar, u  flok tajn kienu jazaw iz-zift.  Imbaghad qalu:  “Ejjew nibnu belt ghalina u torri, b’quccata tilhaq is-smewwiet, u naghmlu munument ghalina halli ma nitferrxux ma’ wicc l-art kollha.” U l-Mulej nizel jara l-belt u t-torri li kienu qeghdin jibnu l-bnedmin.  U qal il-Mulej: “Arahom daqsxejn, gens wiehed huma, u jitkellmu lsien wiehed.  U dan ghadu l-bidu tax-xoghol taghhom!  Issa kull ma jfettilhom jaghmlu ma jaqtghalhomx  qalbhom.  Zul ha ninzel hemm inhabblilhom islienhom biex ma jifhmux ‘il xulxin.”  U minn hemm il-Mulej xerridhom ma’ wicc l-art kollha,u huma waqfu mill-bini tal-belt. Ghalhekk issejhet Babel, ghax hemmhekk il-Mulej hawwad ilsien l-art kollha, u  minn hemm mil-Mulej xerridhom ma’ wicc l-art kollha.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Or….. EXodus 19:3-8A, 16-20B

Moses went up the mountain to God. Then the LORD called to him and said, "Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob; tell the Israelites:  You have seen for  yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. That is what you must tell the Israelites." So Moses went and summoned the elders of the people. When he set before them all that the LORD had ordered him to tell them, the people all answered together, "Everything the LORD has said, we will do."  On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the LORD came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking, and God answering him with thunder. When the LORD came down to the top of Mount Sinai, he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain.  This is the Word of the Lord.

Jew….. Qari mill-Ktieb ta’ l-Ezodu 19, 3-8;  20

F’dak iz-zmien:  Mose’ tela’ hdejn Alla, u l-Mulej sejjahlu mill-muntanja u qallu:  “Dan ghid lil dar Gakob u tgharraf lil ulied Israel:  ‘Intom  rajtu x’ghamilt lill-Egizzjani.  Jiena rfajthkom, fuq gwienah l-ajkli  u ressaqtkom lejja.  Issa, jekk tisimghu sewwa lehni u tharsu l-patt tieghi, intom tkunu l-wirt tieghi minn fost il-gnus kollha.  Ghaliex l-art kollha  kemm hi hija tieghi.  Tkunu ghalija saltna ta’qassisin, gens qaddis.’  Dan hu l-kliem li ghandek tghid lil ulied Israel.” Mose’ mar u sejjah lix-xjuh tal-poplu u qieghed quddiemhom kull ma ordnalu l-Mulej.  Il-poplu kollu, b’lehen wiehed, wiegeb”  “Kull ma qalilna l-Mulej naghmluh.” Fit-tielet jum mas-sebh kien hemm raghad u beraq. U shab ohxon ghatta l-muntanja.  Instama’ wkoll iz-zarzir qawwi tat-tromba, u trieghed il-poplu kollu fil-kamp.  Mose’ hareg il-poplu mill-kamp biex jiltaqghu ma’ Alla; u waqfu f’riglejn il-muntanja. Il-muntanja Sinaj  bidet iddahhan kollha kemm hi ghax nizel fuqha l-Mulej fin-nar.  Id-duhhan beda tiela’ ‘l fuq bhad-duhhan ta’ forn, u l-muntanja kienet tithezhez kollha.  Kull ma jmur, id-daqq tat-tromba beda dejjem jitqawwa.   Imbaghad tkellem Mose’, u Alla wiegbu b’raghda. U nizel il-Mulej fuq il-quccata tal-Muntanja Sinaj, u l-Mulej sejjah  ‘ il Mose’ biex jitla’ fuq il-quccata tal-muntanja. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Or….. EZekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he led me out in the spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the plain, which was now filled with bones. He made me walk among the bones in every direction so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain. How dry they were! He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come to life? I answered, "Lord GOD, you alone know that." Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life. I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put spirit in you so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD. I, Ezekiel, prophesied as I had been told, and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise; it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone. I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them, and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them. Then the LORD said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life. I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army. Then he said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They have been saying, "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off." Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD. This is the Word of the Lord.

Jew …..Ezekjel 37:1-14

F’dak iz-zmien:  Id il-Mulej qabditni u haditni  bl-ispirtu tal-Mulej, u  qeghditni f’nofs il-wied.  Dan kien mizghud bil-ghadam.   Huwa ghaddieni dawramejt madwarhom;  kien  hemm kotra bla qjies fuq  wicc il-wied, u kienu mexfin qoxqox.  U l-Mulej qalli:  “Bin Adam, jista’ dan il-ghadam jerga’ jiehu l-hajja?  Jiena wegibt  “Sidi Mulej, dan inti tafu.”U qalli:  “Habbar lil dan il-ghadam u ghidlu:  Ja ghadam niexef, isma’ l-kelma tal-Mulej. Hekk qal Sidi l-Mulej lil dan il-ghadam niexef:  ‘Ara, jiena se ngib fik ir-ruh, u inti terga tghix.  U nqieghed fik in-nervi, u ntellaghalek il-laham, u nghattik bil-gilda, u nqieghed  fik ir-ruh.  U inti terga’ tghix, u tkun taf li jiena l-Mulej.” Imbaghad habbart kif ordnali.  U jiena u nhabbar  instema’ hoss, u ara, il-ghadam tqanqal, u kollha bdew resqin lejn xulxin, ghadma lejn ghadma.  Jien harist, u ara, gew fihom in-nervi,  telghalhom il-laham, fuqhom infirxet il-gilda, imma nifs ma kienx hemm fihom.  U qalli: “Habbar lir-ruh; habbar, bin Adam, u ghid lir-ruh.”  Hekk qal Sidi l-Mulej:  “Ejja, ja ruh, mill-erbat irjieh tad-dinja, onfoh fuq dawn il-mejtin, u jergghu jiehdu l-hajja.”Jien habbart kif ordnali, u r-ruh dahlet fihom, regghu hadu l-hajja, u waqfu fuq riglejhom, ezercitu kbir.  U qalli:  Bin Adam, dan il-ghadam huwa d-dar kollha ta’ Israel.  Ara, huma jghidu:  Nixef ghadamana, it-tama taghna ghabet, inqridna ghal kollox.  Ghalhekk habbrilhom u ghidilhom.  Hekk qal Sidi l-Mulej:  Ara, jiena niftah l-oqbra taghkom u ntellaghkom mill-oqbra taghkom, ja poplu tieghi, u ngibkom lura f’art Israel.  Imbaghad tkunu tafu li jiena l-Mulej, meta niftah l-oqbra taghkom u ntellaghkom mill-oqbra taghkom, ja poplu tieghi.  U  jiena nqieghed ruhi fikom, u tergghu tiehdu l-hajja.  Naghtikom il-mistrieh f’artkom, u tkunu tafu li jiena l-Mulej.  Hekk ghidt, u hekk naghmel.”  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Or….. JoeL 3:1-5

Thus says the LORD: I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; even upon the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. And I will work wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood, fire, and columns of smoke; the sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, at the coming of the day of the LORD, the great and terrible day.  Then everyone shall be rescued who calls on the name of the LORD; for on Mount Zion there  shall be a remnant, as the LORD has said, and in Jerusalem survivors whom the LORD shall call. This is the Word of the Lord.

Jew….. Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Goel 3, 1-5

Dan jghid il-Mulej:  Jiena nsawwab l-Ispirtu tieghi fuq il-hlejjaq kollha. Uliedkom ihabbru,  subien u bniet, ikollhom holm ix-xjuh taghkom, iz-zghazagh taghkom jaraw vizjonijiet. U fuq l-ilsiera wkoll, irgiel u nisa, insawwab l-Ispirtu tieghi f’dawk il-jiem. Fis-sema  u l-art nuri sinjali, demm u nar u kolonii ta’ duhhan!” Ix-xemx tinbidel fid-dlam u l-qamar f’demm qabel ma jasal jum il-Mulej, kbir u tal-biza’! Jehlisha kull min isejjah isem il-Mulej; ghaliex fuq il-muntanja ta’ Sijon u Gerusalem ikun hemm il-mehlusin, kif qal il-Mulej; u fost il-mahrubin ikun hemm min isejjahlu l-Mulej. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

PSalm 104:1-2, 24, 35, 27-28, 29, 30

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:    R. Alleluia.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.                                                  R.

How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them allC
the earth is full of your creatures;
bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.                                     R. 

Creatures all look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things     R/

If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.                                      R.

Salm Responsorjali

Salm 103

            R/  Hallelujah.

Bierek ruh tieghi, il-Mulej!

Mulej, Alla tieghi, int kbir bil-bosta!

bis-sebh u l-gmiel inti mlibbes,

bid-dawl int mkebbeb bhal b’mantell.              R/

Kemm huma kotrana l-eghmejjel tieghek, Mulej!

Kollha bil-gherf int ghamilthom,

mimlija hi l-art bil-hlejjaq tieghek.

Bierek ruh tieghi, il-Mulej.                                R/

Il-hlejjaq kollha minnek jistennenw

li taghtihom l-ikel taghhomf’waqtu;

inti taghtihom, u humajigbru,

tiftah idejk, u jixbghu bil-gid.                            R/

Jekk tehdilhom nifishom imutu,

u lejn it-trab jergghu jmorru.

Meta tibghat l-Ispirtu tieghek, jinhalqu;

u inti ggedded il-wicc ta’ l-art.                         R/.

                      

Reading 2

ROMans 8:22-27

Brothers and sisters: We know that all creation is groaning in  labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see,  we wait with endurance. In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will. This is the Word of the Lord.

                                   

It-Tieni Qari  -  

mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 8, 22-27

Huti:  Ahna nafu li l-holqien kollu ghadu s-issa jitniehed u jokrob bhal wahda fl-ugigh tal-hlas; u mhux hu biss,  imma wkoll  ahna li ghandna l-ewwl frott ta’ l-Ispirtu, ahna wkoll nitniehdu fina nnifisna waqt li nistennaw l-adozzjoni ta’ wlied Alla,  il-fidwa ta’  gisimna.  Ghax ahna wkoll salvati bit-tama.  Meta wiehed jara l-hwejjeg li jkun ittama, ma  jkunx hemm aktar tama;  ghax kif jista’ wiehed  jittama l-hwejjeg li ga qieghed jara? Imma dak li qeghdin nittamaw, jekk m’ahniex narawh, qeghdin  nistennewh bis-sabar.  Hekk ukoll l-Ispirtu, min-naha tieghu, ighinna fin-nuqqas ta’ hila taghna.  Ghax ahna  anqas biss nafu x‘ghandna nitolbu kif imiss, imma l-Ispirtu stess jidhol ghalina fit-talb tieghu bi tnehid li ma jistax jitfisser bil-kliem; u Dak li l-harsa tieghu tinfed il-qlub jaf x’inhi x-xewqa ta’ l-Ispirtu, kif bit-talb tieghu jidhol ghall-qaddisin skond ma jrid Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej               

Hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Hallelujah

………………….

Ejja, Spirtu s-Santu , imla l-qlub tal-fidili tieghek u kebbes fihom in-nar ta’ mhabbtek.

Hallelujah.

Gospel

JohN 7:37-39

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed,  "Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. As Scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me." He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evangelju –

skond San Gwann  7, 37-39

Fl-ahhar jum tal-festa, il-jum l-aktar solenni, Gesu’ qam jghid b’lehen gholi:  “Min jiehdu l-ghatx, jigi ghandi u jixrob.  Kif tghid l-Iskrittura, min jemmen fija minnu  johorgu xmajjar ta’ ilma haj.” B’dan ried ifisser l-Ispirtu s-Santu li kellhom jircievu dawk li jemmnu fih—ghax l-Ispirtu  s-Santu kien ghadu ma giex moghti  billi Gesu’ kien ghadu magiex igglorifikat. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Viewing the Church through the Lenses of Pentecost

A reflection by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

Pentecost is the 50th day after Easter that signals the start of the universal mission of the Church – a mission that overcomes human obstacles and has the Spirit as its driving force. The mighty breath of God and the fire of the Spirit’s presence engulf the group of disciples gathered in prayer around Mary, Mother of the Lord, in the Upper Room.

Luke’s narrative of Pentecost in Acts contains today’s first reading (2:1-11) and consists of: an introduction (2:1-13), a speech ascribed to Peter declaring the Resurrection of Jesus and its Messianic significance (2:14-36), and a favourable response from the audience (2:37-41). The Twelve were not originally in a position to proclaim publicly the Messianic office of Jesus without incurring immediate reprisal from those religious authorities in Jerusalem who had brought about Jesus’ death precisely to stem the rising tide in his favour.

He breathed on them

The Gospel of John (19:20-23) describes another way the Holy Spirit is given to the apostles: the Risen Jesus breathing on the apostles to impart the Holy Spirit. The power of the Spirit not only authorizes, but also empowers the apostles to forgive and to retain sins. Jesus formally sends out his apostles to the world, as he had been sent to the world by the Father. Jesus’ breathing on the apostles huddled in the Upper Room recalls Genesis 2:7, where God breathed on the first man and gave him life; just as Adam’s life came from God, so now the disciples’ new spiritual life comes from Jesus.

In a similar vein, Sunday’s Psalm 104 reminds us that the Holy Spirit, this breath of God that we as Christians have received, is the same Spirit that sustains the constant renewal of all created things.

The lenses of Pentecost

In my work at Salt and Light Television Network in Canada, I have had to quickly learn about broadcast technology, and all that goes into making a good film. One important aspect of television is the intricate camera work “behind the scenes.” The close up and wide-angle camera shots make all the difference in filming and telling a story. If we use too many close-ups, we lose sight of the bigger picture. If we overuse the wide-angle lens without attention to the particulars, it doesn’t make for good television. Good television combines the wide-angle or panoramic shots, the intermediate views of the surface, and finally the close-ups that offer attention to detail and often provide necessary depth for understanding the whole picture.

I would like to offer three lenses through which we might consider this feast:-

1) the wide-angle lens that looks at our belonging to the Church;

2) an intermediate lens that focuses in on the ideologies at work in the Church today; and

3) a zoom lens to sharpen our hope, the great manifestation of the Holy Spirit to the Church.

“Sentire cum ecclesia”

Pentecost is considered to be the birth of the Church. Our baptismal consecration in service to Christ cannot be separated from consecration in service to the Church. One of the main themes permeating the thought of St. Ignatius of Loyola is his exhortation Sentire cum ecclesia or “think with the Church.” Sentire cum ecclesia also means to feel with the Church and to love the Church. Pentecost invites us once again to walk with the Church, breathe with the Church, hope with the Church, feel with the Church: Sentire cum ecclesia. What does the Church mean for me as an individual? What is my personal relationship with the Church? Do I love the Church? Do I feel loved by the Church?

Moving Beyond Ideology

From the wide-angle view of the Church, let us take a closer look at our current ecclesial reality. Today, some of us seem to be stuck in the ideological battles that followed the Second Vatican Council. Perhaps we are frozen in categories of left and right; traditional vs. avant-garde; male vs. female; hierarchical vs. lay-led; or prophetic vs. static. Our inter-ecclesial and inter-community fixations and polarizations on all sides of the ecclesial spectrum can distract us from addressing with requisite depth and discernment the issues facing us today. Whatever is not purified and transformed within us is transmitted to others – especially to the next generation. When we sell ourselves to cynicism and despair, meanness of heart, smallness of spirit, and harshness in ecclesial discourse, we betray our deepest identity as bearers of joy, hope, and truth. Is joy present in our Christian witness? What prevents me as an individual and us as a community from giving a robust, joyful witness to Jesus Christ, the Catholic faith, and the Church?

Hope: a manifestation of the Spirit

Finally, let us zoom in on hope, a true manifestation of the Spirit at Pentecost. Is it not true that for the past few years, many of us in the Church have felt like we are frequently caught in a flash flood that is unexpected, powerful, destructive, and filled with despair? The flame seems to have gone out and our influence was terribly diminished. The flash flood bears down with immense force on all of us. Some can easily view our present situation with great pessimism and grow disheartened, depressed, and even cynical. But so much of that mood has changed drastically since the night of March 13, 2013, when Pope Francis first appeared on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. Many have said that the Cardinal who came “from the ends of the earth” in Buenos Aires ushered into the Church the new Pentecost of which Pope John XXIII spoke so beautifully when he convened the Second Vatican Council over 50 years ago. For the world of sound bites, hope usually means that we make ourselves believe that everything is going to turn out all right. We use the word hope lightly and cheaply. This is not the hope of Christians. We must be icons of hope, a people with a new vision, a people that learn to see the world through the lenses of Christ, the Spirit, and the Church.

Signs of the times and signs of hope

The Second Vatican Council encouraged Christians to read the signs of the times, and for Pope John XXIII these were signs of hope and glimpses of the Kingdom’s presence in our midst. It is not a kingdom of this world, so that it cannot be identified specifically in this or that location, but it is nevertheless here already fostered by the Eucharist, which is the pattern to be reproduced in all society, as well as still to come. The Kingdom manifests itself through the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, courage, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. And the Spirit’s fruits make the Kingdom palpable and palatable: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long-suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continence, and chastity.

It is also possible to follow a via negativa and to say where the Kingdom is not. Where there is no justice, no peace, no sharing, no mutual trust, no forgiveness – there is no Kingdom. Where there is rancour, envy, distrust, hatred, ignorance, indifference, unchastity, and cynicism – there is no Kingdom and certainly no life.

“Duc in altum!”

We cannot weigh the life of faith and judge the vitality of the Church solely on the basis of demographical or sociological indicators, numbers, polls, and outside statistics, as helpful as they may be. The fire of Pentecost invites us to rediscover the depth, beauty and vastness of the Church’s mission. What is required of those imagining and building the Church is to think big, and to cast our nets into the deep. “Duc in altum!” We must shape our vision on our firm conviction in the victory of the Cross and in Jesus Christ’s triumph over sin and death. Individuals and communities without vision and a Church without a mission are like a person without relationships. Unless we are able to go beyond ourselves, we will remain undeveloped personalities. When the Spirit truly dwells within us, we will be blessed anew with creativity, imagination, and hope.

Guarantee of the Spirit’s presence

What is the deepest and surest assurance and intimation that the Holy Spirit is present in our world and Church today? The answer is: joy. If there is joy present you can bet that the Holy Spirit has something to do with this precious gift. St. Augustine, who was the most musically passionate of the Fathers of the Church, memorably evokes the experience of this joy with these words (Exposition of Psalm 32, Sermon 1, 7-8):

Whenever people must labour hard they begin with songs whose words express their joy. But when joy brims over and words are not enough they abandon even this coherence and give themselves to the sheer sound of singing. What is this jubilation? What is this exultant song? It is the melody that means our hearts are bursting with feelings that cannot express themselves. And to whom does this jubilation most surely belong? Truly to God who is unutterable, if words will not come and may not remain silent what else can you do but let the melody soar? This is the song of the Holy Spirit.

On this great feast of the birth of the Church, let us ponder anew the whole reality of the Church: from the wide-angle view of its vastness and beauty, to the sometimes turbulent and complex surface, zooming in finally on hope, one of the deepest manifestations of the Spirit alive in the Church. In doing so, we can marvel once again at the mercy and generosity of God and give thanks to the Lord who continues to call us to fidelity and joy.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful,

and reignite in us the fire of your Love!

Make us joyful witnesses to your hope in the Church!

Move us beyond our ideologies that divide and blind us.

Lord, send us your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth...

The face of our Church, the face of our local communities,

our own faces, our own hearts. Amen.

That they may know Thee, the One true God

The Seventh Sunday of Easter

                                                                                      

Is-Seba'  Ħadd tal-Għid

Messalin A pp 217

Reading 1    

ACTS 1:1-11
In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with the them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”  This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni

Bidu tal-Ktieb ta' l-Atti ta' l-Appostli 1, 1-11

Fl-ewwel rakkont tiegħi, Teofilu, tkellimt fuq dak kollu li Ġesu' kien għamel u għallem minn mindu beda sal-jum li fih kien meħud fis-sema, wara li, permezz ta' l-Ispirtu s-Santu, ta l-ordnijiet tiegħu lill-appostli li hu kien għażel. Wara l-passjoni tiegħu dehrilhom u tahom ħafna provi li hu ħaj; f'erbgħin jum rawh kemm-il darba u kellimhom fuq il-ħwejjeġ tas-Saltana ta' Alla.  Meta kien għadu magħħom, ordnalhom biex ma jitilqux minn Ġerusalemm, imma joqogħdu jistennew sa ma sseħħ il-wegħda tal-Missier, "li fuqha  -  qalilhom – smajtu x'kont għedtilkom:Ġwanni għammed bl-ilma, imma intom, fi ftit ijiem oħra  titgħammdu bl-Ispirtu s-Santu." Kif kienu flimkien staqsewh:  "Mulej, hu dan iż-żmien li fih int se terġa' twaqqaf is-Saltna ta' Iżrael?" Hu weġibhom:  "M'hijiex biċċa tagħkom li tkunu tafu  l-waqt u ż-żmien li l-Missier għażel bis-setgħa tiegħu. Imma meta jiġi fuqkom l-Ispirtu s-Santu, intom  tirċievu l-qawwa, u tkunu xhieda tiegħi f'Ġerusalemm,  fil-Lhudija kollha u s-Samarija u sa truf l-art." Wara li qal dan, huma u jħarsu lejh, kien meħud 'il fuq, u sħaba ħadithulhom minn quddiem għajnejhom.  Waqt li kienu b'għajnejhom fis-sema jħarsu lejh sejjer, f'daqqa waħda dehru ħdejhom żewġt irġiel libsin l-abjad, u qalulhom:  "Irġiel tal-Galilija, x'intom tħarsu lejn is-sema? Dan Ġesu', li kien meħud minn magħkom lejn is-sema, għad  jerġa' jiġi kif rajtuh sejjer." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm            

PSALM 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

R. Alleluia.

All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.                  R/

                                  
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.                R/

For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.                        R/

Salm Responsorajli                                                          

Salm 46 (47)

                    

R/ Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Popli kollha, ċapċpu idejkom,

għajtu b'leħen ta' ferħ lil Alla!

Għax il-Mulej, l-Għoli, hu tal-biża',

sultan kbir fuq l-art kollha.                               R/

Tela' Alla b'għajat ta' ferħ,

il-Mulej bid-daqq tat-trombi.

Għannu lil Alla għannu,

għannu lis-sultan tagħna, għannu.                  R/

Għax Alla s-sultan ta' l-art kollha:

għannulu bis-sengħa għanja sabiħa.

Isaltan Alla fuq il-ġnus kollha,

joqgħod Alla fuq it-tron imqaddes tiegħu.        R/

Reading II      

EPHESIANS 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.  May the eyes of your Hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni

Qari mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl Appostlu lil Efesin 1, 17-23

Ħuti, Alla ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu, il-Missier tal-glorja, jagħtikom spirtu ta' għerf u rivelazzjoni biex tagħrfuh sewwa. Hu jdawlilkom l-għajnejn ta' qalbkom biex tagħrfu x'inhi t-tama tas-sejħa tagħkom;  x'inhu l-għana tal-glorja tal-wirt li takom taqsmu mal-qaddisin. Tagħrfu x'inhu l-kobor bla qjies tas-setgħa tiegħu fina li emminna, skond il-ħila tal-qawwa kbira tiegħu li ħaddem fi Kristu, meta qajmu mill-imwiet, u qiegħdu fil-lemin tiegħu fis-smewwiet, 'il fuq minnkull Saltana u Setgħa, minn kull Qawwa u Ħakma,  'il fuq minn kull isem li jissemma,mhux biss għaż-żmien ta' issa, imma wkoll għal li ġej. Iva, qiegħed kollox taħt riġlejh,u għamlu ras fuq il-Knisja kollha, li hi Ġismu,  il-milja ta' dak li jimla kollox f'kollox. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                      

MATTHEW 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evangelju

Għeluq ta' l-Evanġelju skond San Mattew 28, 16-20

F'dak iż-żmien, il-ħdax id-dixxiplu telqu lejn il-Galilija u marru fuq il-muntanja fejn kien ordnalhom Ġesu'. Kif rawh, inxteħtu quddiemu, għalkemm xi wħud iddubitaw, Ġesu' resaq ikollimhom u qalilhom:  "Lili ngħatat kull  setgħa fis-sema u fl-art.   Morru, mela, agħmlu dixxipli mill-ġnus kollha, u għammduhom fl-isem tal-Missier u ta' l-Iben u ta' l-Ispirtu s-Santu, u għallmuhom iħarsu dak kollu li ordnajtilkom jien.  U ara, jiena magħkom dejjem sa l-aħħar taż-żmien. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Knowing the Only True God

B y Fr. Paul G. Hinnebusch, O.P., S.T.M.

(Teaching to Mother Teresa’s Sisters)

St. Paul speaks of this knowing of God by experience when he says in Eph 3: 17-19: “May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may charity be the root and foundation of your life. Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love, and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God Himself.” This is the unity for which Jesus prays in that prayer when He says, “That they all may be one; as You Father are in me and I am in you, that they also may be in us.” (Jn 17:21) The answer to the prayer is the Church, which St. Cyrian defines as “a people made one in the unity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” It is not a static, lifeless union like two pieces of metal welded together. It is a dynamic union, a living union in living knowledge and love.

Nowadays, we give that prayer of Jesus, “that they may all be one,” (John 17:21) too narrow a meaning. We think only of praying for the intentions of the present day ecumenical movement of Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox and all other Christians in one visible Church. That, however, is but a secondary meaning of Our Lord’s prayer. That unity of the now-divided Churches would surely come more quickly if we all really lived and savoured that interior communion in the life of the Holy Trinity, that unity which is an entering into the unity that exists between the Father and Jesus, Himself. The oneness of all believers in the unity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is what Jesus primarily had in mind in this prayer: “That you all may be one; as You Father are in me and I am in you, that they may be one in Us.” (Jn 17:21) “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (17:3) Jesus calls the Father “the only true God,” not as if He were saying that He, Himself, is not God.

He adds immediately, “and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” In fact, we know that only true God only knows the one whom He sent. “No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed Him.” (Jn 1:18) Or as Jesus explains it, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn 14:9) We have not really known the one true God till we have known Him in Jesus Christ whom He sent. The only true God can be known in no other way. Thus it is not a matter of knowing the one true God in one act of knowledge and knowing the One whom He sent in another act of knowledge. In the one act of knowing Jesus Christ whom He sent, we know Son and Father as the one true God.

We have not really known the one true God until we have known Him in the Son. Until the Word was made flesh, the true nature of God as Holy Trinity of Persons was unknown, and in that sense, the one true God was unknown. The people of Israel knew that there is only one true God. But His inner life, His intimate interior self was unknown. In that sense, thus the one true God was unknown. In His prayer to the Father, Jesus is really saying to the Father, “Eternal life consists in knowing that you and I whom you sent are the one true God.” Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, He is not excluded, since He is the living bond of love uniting Father and Son.

Thus in calling the Father “the one true God” (John 17:3) Jesus is not denying that He, Himself, is God, just as in the Gloria of the Mass when we say to Jesus, “You alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,” we are not denying that the Father and the Holy Spirit are God, for we add immediately, “with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father.” Along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus is the only true God. And so, too, in this prayer at the Last Supper, Jesus says that the Father is “the only true God,” together with Jesus Christ whom He sent. Eternal life is knowing both of them, knowing the Father by knowing Jesus Christ whom He sent. In other words, eternal life is this: to know that the only true God is Holy Trinity, a communion of three divine persons and to respond to this knowledge with love. Eternal life is to enter into that communion of the divine persons by knowing the Father and the Son in love, [and responding to God’s love by living in a communion of all persons].

“This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (17:3) One sending refers to the Incarnation. Jesus Christ was sent into the world in the incarnation, the Son coming into the world as man to reveal the Father. Thus, in eternal life we rejoice also in the humanity of the Son of God. Even in heaven, we will see the Father in the glory of the Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore Jesus prays, “Father, glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you.” (Jn 17:5) He also prays, “Father, I will that where I am, they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (Jn 17:24) Only in seeing the glory of Jesus Christ will we truly know the one true God. It is absolutely essential that we see the glory of Jesus, for only thus is His mission of glorifying God, that is, revealing Him accomplished.

Only then is His work complete. Therefore Jesus prays, “Father, glorify Your Son, (that is reveal His Divinity) so that your Son may glorify you.” (John 17:1) The divinity of Jesus has to be revealed, otherwise God cannot be known. If God is to be known, Jesus has to be known. “Now glorify Me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.” (Jn 17:5) In seeing the divine glory the Father has given this man Jesus, we see our own glory as sons and daughters of God in His eternal Son. It is only when we see the full revelation of divinity in Christ that we appreciate ourselves as sharers in that divinity. In other words, we have to know what God is to appreciate what we are as His children. The more clearly we see God as revealed in Jesus, the more clearly we will experience our own glorious condition as children of God.

To see the glory of Jesus, to see the fullness of divinity in Him, is to see what it means for any man or woman to be child of God, sharer in the divinity, life of the Trinity. God loved Jesus before the creation of the world. “Do you now Father give me glory at your side, a glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:5) “I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because of the love you bore me before the world began.” (Jn 17:24)

He loved this Son of Mary and in that love endowed Him with the fullness of divinity, because in that same eternal love He loved us. That is, He gave divinity to Jesus, a member of the human race, precisely because in this love He wanted to bring all of us into His divine, eternal life. Therefore Jesus ends His prayer at the Last Supper saying, “Righteous Father…I made known your name and will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:26) The whole purpose of the Father loving the man Jesus and giving Him the grace of divinity in the very instant of His conception in Mary’s womb was that this love for Jesus might be in us, forming us in divine life as children of God, sharers in His divinity. And this love for Jesus is in us through the presence of Jesus in us forming us as sons and daughters of God

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