The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, invite us to contemplate the love that is the mystery of the Trinity and act to build relationships with the people on our journey.
The reading from Exodus declares God as merciful and gracious.
* [34:6] Gracious…fidelity: this succinct poetic description of God is an often-repeated statement of belief (see Nm 14:18; Ps 103:8; 145:8; Jl 2:13; Jon 4:2). All the terms describe God’s relationship to the covenant people. (Exodus, CHAPTER 34, n.d.)
The response from the Book of Daniel proclaims Glory and praise for ever!
* [3:24–90] These verses are additions to the Aramaic text of Daniel, translated from the Greek form of the book. They were probably first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic, but are no longer extant in the original language. The Roman Catholic Church has always regarded them as part of the canonical Scriptures. (Daniel, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
The reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians offers final greetings and Benediction.
* [13:11–13] These verses may have originally concluded 2 Cor 10–13, but they have nothing specifically to do with the material of that section. It is also possible to consider them a conclusion to the whole of 2 Corinthians in its present edited form. The exhortations are general, including a final appeal for peace in the community. The letter ends calmly, after its many storms, with the prospect of ecclesial unity and divine blessing. The final verse is one of the clearest trinitarian passages in the New Testament.
(2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus teaches Nicodemus about the Love of God.
* [3:16] Gave: as a gift in the incarnation, and also “over to death” in the crucifixion; cf. Rom 8:32.
* [3:17–19] Condemn: the Greek root means both judgment and condemnation. Jesus’ purpose is to save, but his coming provokes judgment; some condemn themselves by turning from the light. (John, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that our human arrogance desires to figure out God, just as we like to figure out everybody else for safety reasons, so we can perform, manipulate or render benevolent the other.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are good words, names, human concepts, but these do not take away our desire for “More please” which keeps us reaching. What John’s verses say to us is that this One-God does not choose to love us as we do with one another. This One-God does one relational move, to continually and constantly and creationly love us and each. We want to know why and how and for how long and be satisfied!! We would wish to objectify this God so we could perhaps get more love, or more forgiveness or more new objects to figure out.
What we celebrate in this liturgy is our human limitedness and the infinite embrace of the un-figure-outableness of this mystery Jesus called Father. We, like Moses bow down and in our humility say, “If that’s the way You want it, well it’s not really the way we’d like it, but okay”. “Have it Your Way and Ways”. God so loves the world that He keeps sending us life and life eternal. This is all not to be figured out or objectified, but received, not achieved, but believed. (Gillick, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “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). (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 comments on the familiar verse from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians as one of the clearest passages in the New Testament that talks about the Holy Trinity.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Corinthians 13:13)
And while Paul’s prayer does not even begin to exhaust the depth and complexity of the Trinity, it can certainly give us some insight. So let’s ponder these words to explore how each Person of the Trinity might want to be with all of us today.
As you join your fellow parishioners in worshipping this triune God at Mass today, know that he is pouring out his grace on “all of you” (2 Corinthians 13:13). So go ahead and open your heart to receive it.
“Holy Trinity, you are a mystery. Help me to say yes to your work in my life today.” (Meditation on 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, n.d.)
John Moffatt SJ , who teaches Scripture at the Jesuit Institute, says the Trinity can be a ‘dauntingly abstract concept ‘, but it is important for us to use words and images, as far as we can, to explore the truth that it represents: ‘the single origin of all things is in essence relationship’.
The writers of the fourth century constantly draw on images from the New Testament to paint a picture of a God whose dynamic creativity is still at work. The Spirit transforms the hearts of believers, enabling them to follow the pathway of the Word and find their way home to the presence of the Father. The divine three, who share all they have in common, call, guide and raise up humankind to participate in the oneness of their glory and delight.
But they are also careful to point out the limits of what they say and indeed of what can be said. In the end our words and concepts crumble when we speak of God. We are left with images to guide our understanding in the direction it needs to go. Three suns, one light. One ray of light refracted into three colours. Three notes forming a single harmony. These give us hints and glimpses of how it can be that the reality behind all things begins and ends in love. (Moffatt, 2013)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the extraordinary event in the Exodus passage as God reveals His Name and nature as mercy and grace to Moses. In 2 Corinthians, Paul presents the first unambiguous mention of Trinity in the mid 50’s. Friar Jude reminds us that God cannot force us to love Him as we learn of Jesus and the Cross as the meaning of Divine Love.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, believes that the doctrine of the Trinity affirms the relational, loving nature of reality.
In the Trinity, love finally has a solid definition and description. If Trinity is the template for all creation, from atoms to galaxies, then a fine metaphor for God is that of a water wheel that is always outpouring in one direction. Giving and surrendered receiving are the shape of reality. Now love becomes much bigger than mere emotions, feelings, infatuation, or passing romance. It is even the physical and metaphysical shape of the universe…
With Trinity as the first and final template for reality, love is the ontological “Ground of Being” itself (as Paul Tillich has said). [2] It is the air that we breathe, as any true mystic discovers, consciously or unconsciously. We do not have to be able to describe this in words to experience it. In fact, we can’t describe it. We can only live it and breathe it. (Rohr, 2023)
We contemplate the grace through which our lives are made full and ponder the message of Trinity as the template for relationships.
References
Daniel, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/3?52
Exodus, CHAPTER 34. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/34?
Gillick, L. (2023, June 4). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060423.html
John, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/3?16
Meditation on 2 Corinthians 13:11-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/04/699488/
Moffatt, J. (2013, May 24). God is three and God is one. Thinking Faith. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130524_1.htm
Rohr, R. (2023, June 4). The Ultimate Paradigm Shift — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-ultimate-paradigm-shift-2023-06-04/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). God's Incredible Gift of Love for the World. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun4
2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/13?11
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