The Most Holy Trinity Sunday
04th June 2023 (Sunday) Readings and Reflection
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Exodus 34: 4b-6, 8-9
4b And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R/. You are to be praised and highly exalted forever
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.
Gospel : John 3:16-18
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: MOST HOLY TRINITY
Indicative: One God and three persons, but not three Gods: the mystery of the most holy Trinity. The mystery of the Trinity is core to Christianity.{alertSuccess}
1. The Holy Trinity forms the crux of Jesus' teaching and mission. Jesus reveals the Father and the Spirit. He reveals the face of the Father as he reflects his love to humanity. He is the perfect icon of the Father. The Spirit is the greatest testimony of his continued presence, guidance, and power.
2. The mission of redemption is Trinitarian. It is derived from the Father; implemented and activated directly by the Son; and reinforced and confirmed through the Spirit.
3. The Father sends the Son in the incarnation, to liberate, reconcile and rejuvenate the sin-tainted humanity. The Son redeems them through his life, death and resurrection. The Spirit as Comforter, Helper, Advocate, and Guide continues and fortifies this mission of sanctification through the disciples in the Church.
4. The Trinity is not a matter to be solved, probed into or proved. Rather it is a reality to be accepted and lived. Certainly, it is a mystery, in the sense of transcending human comprehension.
5. But the fact that it is beyond sense and reason, does not make it senseless and unreasonable. It only indicates and affirms the infinity, profundity, and immensity of the Trinity on one hand, and the limit, limitation, and superfluity of the human reality on the other hand.
6. Any explanation for Trinity is only analogous and not literal. We need not break our head to make a perfect sense of Trinity. It is enough to know what the Trinity does for us, what Trinity implies for our life, and how we can live the life and mission of the Trinity in our own lives.
7. Perhaps analogously the Father is like the Spring, the Son is the well or the channel, and the Spirit is the water. The Father is like the Sun, the Son is the rays, and the Holy Spirit is the heat or radiance.
8. What is essential to Trinity is perfect unity. They are one God. They are one in identity, which is divinity: the Father is divine, the Son is divine and the Holy Spirit is divine. They are equally divine in nature, status, and power.
9. However, equality does not mean full identity in their role and function. Trinity is one in fellowship and love. The one and same love resides in each of them, flows across, and binds them together in communion and concern.
10. Trinity is one in mission. It is one mission of salvation or redemption or re-creation or re-integration of humanity, whatever be the terms used, the Trinity is engaged with, in solidarity and commitment.
11. Accordingly, there is distinction but not division, comprehension and not a contradiction, coordination and not subordination, collaboration and not a competition, self-donation and not domination, mutual respect and not contempt, self-emptying and not self-filling, generosity and not jealousy. There are no ego-clashes or seeking self- glory.
12. it is this Trinity that becomes our foundation, animation, and actualization. Trinity is not a mere concept to be understood. Trinity is a life-reality, a concern of experience, relation, living, and commitment. This is our one and unique identity: we are divine images.
13. We belong to God. Trinity constantly invites us to be more and more focused on them, rooted in them, built on them, grow in deep personal communion with them, in love and surrender.
14. Trinity calls us incessantly to live the same unity in fraternity, marked by respect and benevolence. Trinity also challenges us to be selflessly devoted to the one mission of God, in loyalty and commitment.
15. Alas! How far are we as persons, as families and as communities, from the life and mission of the Trinity? The one identity of the divine likeness and belonging is often dominated and even substituted by secondary and deviated identities and affinities like caste, region, language, culture, power, position, etc.
16. The one bond of love and fellowship is often suffocated and stifled by resentments, hatred, and arrogance. The one mission is often frustrated, ruptured and defeated by ego-projection, ego-promotion, and self-glory.
Imperative: It is high time that we "release" the power of the Trinity to "release" us from our mediocrity and duplicity!{alertSuccess}