Grace Blessing and Love

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.

Celebrate the Holy Trinity

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 

Wisdom and Authority

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to be grateful for the gift of Wisdom that is activated by the Spirit to guide our actions on our journey.

Wisdom Guide

The reading from the Book of Sirach offers Praise and an Autobiographical Poem on Wisdom.

* [51:13–30] A Hebrew manuscript from Qumran demonstrates the acrostic style of vv. 13–20. This is an elegant twenty-three-line alphabetic acrostic hymn that describes Ben Sira’s relationship to wisdom: (a) his approach to wisdom through prayer, persistent study, and instruction (vv. 13–17); (b) his purification from sin, his enlightenment, and ardent desire to possess wisdom (vv. 18–22). Ben Sira concludes with an urgent invitation to his students to receive instruction in wisdom from him, and to live by it, because wisdom gives herself to those who seek her (vv. 23–26); and for their labor, God will reward them in his own time (vv. 27–30). Cf. Mt 11:28; Eccl 12:14. (Sirach, CHAPTER 51, n.d.)

Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law.

* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem. (Psalms, PSALM 19, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ Authority Is Questioned

* [11:27–33] The mounting hostility toward Jesus came from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders (Mk 11:27); the Herodians and the Pharisees (Mk 12:13); and the Sadducees (Mk 12:18). By their rejection of God’s messengers, John the Baptist and Jesus, they incurred the divine judgment implied in Mk 11:27–33 and confirmed in the parable of the vineyard tenants (Mk 12:1–12). (Mark, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)

Nancy Shirley (2011) comments that the wisdom we so desperately seek, is so evident in the divine.

Jesus approaches each situation with a calm, simplistic way.  He is able to ask one or two questions and immediately the others have to re-think their stand.  As the elders try to trap Him by demanding his source of authority, Jesus turns the table with his question requiring them to address the ultimate authority.  The elders are torn between heavenly and earthly origins.  It is the struggle between masters that we all experience daily.  If we truly ascribe to Heaven’s authority then how can we not believe and behave accordingly?

I will continue to pray for Wisdom as I do countless times each day. So many of the decisions required of me will fall short with only knowledge regardless of the depth of that knowledge, wisdom is needed to provide the context and guide the application.   I know I will experience “joy in my heart” when I direct my soul to seeking Wisdom and to listening to the song it sings. (Shirley, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Fearing the truth,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Fearing a stoning, but fearing more an admission of the truth, they answered the truth with a lie, reminiscent of the Scripture: 'injustice has lied within herself' (Psalm 27:12). For they said, 'We know not.' And because they had shut themselves up against him, by asserting that they did not know what they knew, the Lord did not open up to them because they did not knock. For it has been said, 'Knock and it will be opened to you' (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9). But they not only had not knocked that it might be opened, but by their denial they barricaded the door itself against themselves. And the Lord said to them, 'Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things' (Matthew 21:27; Mark 11:33; Luke 20:7). (excerpt from TRACTATE ON JOHN 2.9.4) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Sirach 51:12-20 comments that because we can never be too wise, we should never stop praying for wisdom. Today, let’s make that our prayer.

“Lord, give me the wisdom to put you first in my life. May I wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night with your praise on my lips. May I look to you to lead me, and may I follow you wherever you are calling me—even if it’s a road I’d rather not take.

“Lord, I need wisdom to understand the hearts of my loved ones. May I be sensitive to their feelings and struggles. Give me the wisdom to accompany them in all their trials.

“Lord, make me wise so that I know when to speak and when to stay silent. And when I do speak, let my words be a blessing to those who hear them.

“Lord, give me the wisdom to know how important it is to follow your commandments. Even when I struggle with obeying them, help me to see how they are always for my ultimate good. And when I fail, give me the wisdom to know that you will always welcome me back to you.

“Lord, help me to understand that life is short and that this world is passing away. May I value the things of heaven more than I value the things of this world. May I live with my death always in view so that I do not have regrets when you call me to yourself.”

“Lord, source of all wisdom, make me wise so that I may glorify you!”

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the structure of the poem of Sirach concerning the pursuit of Wisdom that is written to enable easier recall. Wisdom is shown in the cleverness of Jesus' response to the elders concerning His authority. Friar Jude notes how Jesus is truly filled with God’s Wisdom that was highly esteemed in his time.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces spiritual teacher and CAC friend Mirabai Starr who guides us in a prayer to God using feminine language.

 

We invite you to breathe intentionally for a few moments, feel your breath as it moves through your body, and receive the words of this prayer. 

Beloved One 

Shekinah 

Indwelling  

Feminine Presence 

Immanence 

Embodiment 

Mother-Heart 

Please come flowing into every open window in our souls right now, 

as we call to you.  

Infuse every cell of our bodies with your fierce and tender Mother-Wisdom.  

Give us the strength to speak truth to power in these fractured times.  

Give us the tenderness and humility to listen deeply 

to those that we are conditioned to otherize. 

And remind us again and again when we forget that we belong to each other,  

and we belong to you.  

Amen. (Rohr, 2023)

We share Wisdom as a gift of the Spirit that informs our action through mindful attention to the signs of the times.

References

Mark, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/11? 

Meditation on Sirach 51:12-20. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/03/698850/ 

Psalms, PSALM 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?8 

Rohr, R. (2023, June 3). The Holy Spirit: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-holy-spirit-weekly-summary-2023-06-03/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Who Gave You This Authority? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun3 

Shirley, N. (2023, June 3). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060323.html 

Sirach, CHAPTER 51. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/51?12