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June 7, 2020

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Welcome to The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity!

I invite you to celebrate the Word of God by taking time to read and reflect on the message of the Holy Spirit for you during this celebration.

FIRST PART - SCRIPTURE READINGS

Reading 1     EX 34:4 B-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."

Responsorial     Psalm DN 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

R. (52b) Glory and praise forever!
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 forever!
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
R. Glory and praise forever!
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise forever!
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise forever!

Reading 2     2 COR 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.

Alleluia     CF. RV 1:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel     JN 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.

SECOND PART - REFLECTIONS/APPLICATIONS

First Reading

Intercessors: Old and New

Beginning in Ex 19, the Lord God was communicating to the people through Moses by speaking through him. From setting boundaries and through purification God made it clear that people shall observe them accordingly. (Ex 19:10-14, 21-25) God continued to inform the people of his laws and ordinances through Moses who faithfully and diligently played his part. But in an unexpected turn of events, while Moses was with God and having received the written covenant on two tablets of stones, (Ex 31:18) the people became impatient and demanded that Aaron commit idolatry. (Ex 32:1-6) After God informed Moses of this corruption, he asked him to leave so that his wrath may burn hot against them and consume them and to Moses he said, “I will make you a great nation”. (Ex 32:7-10) But Moses begged the Lord God by reminding him of the promise he made to his forefathers. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people. (Ex. 32:14) Through the intercessory prayer of Moses he acted in between God and his people and so provided a model that would inspire Israel’s leaders for years to come. God had always been a just God, and now he began to manifest more clearly his unbounded forgiveness. (CCC 210, 2112-2114, 2577)

Moses interceded for the whole nation but proceeded to execute those who committed idolatry. (Ex 32:25-29) This action simply reflected what was lacking in the spirit of the old law to preserve faith and morality (CCC 2459) but later on was completed and perfected in the new covenant by our Lord Jesus Christ who became an intercessor for all sinners. (CCC 2634) In the meantime, Moses achieved a great feat of confidence in his relationship with God. Later, Moses will exploit this confidence with God to intercede for his people while God would reveal himself through his benevolence and mercy. (CCC 210, 696-697, 2666). This revelation is clearly manifested in the giving of the new tablets of stone to replace the old ones when Moses himself testified to the glory of God, “The Lord, the Lord God, is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy and faithfulness, keeping merciful love for thousands of generations, forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and children’s children, to the third and a fourth generation.” (Ex 34:6-8)

Second Reading

Relationship

One fascinating truth about God is that he is a Trinity. (CCC 237) By revelation we know God is one as a divine substance. (CCC 253) But this truth is not easily grasped until it is fully revealed in the Trinity. This Trinity refers to the three persons God reveals himself in history: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Basically, it is a relationship. It is a relationship that proceeds from the Father and the Son. (CCC 238-245) This truth is rooted in his great promise (Gen 3:15) and eventually in the manifestations of its fullness on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:2-13) Always at the bottom of this relationship is the undying quest for God to restore man into his kingdom. Working in this line of truth Paul continues to nurture the Christians in Corinth who are losing their relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ by sliding back to their former ways of life. ( 2 Cor 13:11-13) Despite the gravity of their sins he offers them the opportunity to repent and be reconciled to God reminding them of God’s plan of salvation from the beginning with the Father, to the present with the Son (2 Cor 13:14), until the end of time with the Holy Spirit. (Mt. 28:20)

Gospel Reading

Authority

God is life and we believe he is the author of life. Being the author of life, everything that moves and has its being on earth or in the heavens comes from him. (CCC 290-292) (Acts 27:28) This authority is given to our Lord Jesus Christ. (Mt 28:18) His coming to the world is to restore life that was lost through sin and death. (Jn 8:12) (Is 12:2) (Jn 3:16) (Rm 5:17-21) This authority is entrusted to his church so that many will have life and have it to the fullest. (Jn 20:10) The Church received this authority and will continue to carry out this mission until the end of time as our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded, “... baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ...” (Mt 28:19)

REFLECTIONS/APPLICATIONS

We profess God as Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. (Nicene Creed) This truth is part of the mystery of our faith that will be fully revealed when we are face to face with God. (1 Cor 13:12) The following excerpts will bring us back in time and reveals how God is known by his people according to the old covenant:

“I do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath, nor I who set in order the elements within each of you. Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of man and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws.” (2 Mac 7:22-23) These words are coming from the mouth of a mother who was about to witness the most gruesome death of her seven sons. Right before her very own eyes each of them willingly died a martyr’s death after they listened to her words. This took place during the Maccabean revolt in the time of King Antiochus IV around 167 BCE. The reason to suffer from these evil actions was the decree which the King had passed to abolish the Jewish religion. Seven children and a mother chose death rather than abandon their faith and the laws of God. From the very words of their mother, we learn how God is known to them personally. There is no doubt that such knowledge of truth is revealed to them because even if they were subjected to suffering and pain, they never wavered to confess their faith. Their mother comforted and strengthened each of them with the hope that by their faithfulness to the laws of God they will receive his mercy and will gain life everlasting. Her testimony was immediately acted upon by the first son who readily offered his life by appealing to the laws of God handed to his forefathers through Moses. (2 Mac 7:30)

The First Reading shows us a remarkable impression of God’s merciful nature which was revealed to the people after Moses made intercessions on their behalf. (Ex 34:6-8) This confidence continued to inspire subsequent generations to defy foreign authorities hostile to their faith. At the same time, the revelation continues to unfold all along. This is how the mystery of the Holy Trinity transcended throughout history. From the beginning, after the fall, God promised redemption and never ceased to show his solicitude to his people. “For he wishes to give eternal life to all those who seek salvation by patience in well-doing." (CCC 55) “Even when he disobeyed you and lost your friendship you did not abandon him to the power of death. … Again and again you offered a covenant to man.” (Roman Missal, Eucharistic Prayer IV, 118.) And so the promise lived on “until the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Gal 4:5)

Let us now examine ourselves with the following questions in order to deepen our understanding of the message of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. 1. God transcends our time in order to fulfill his plan of salvation. How patient I am in trying to understand this mystery? Do I use my time wisely so as to advance my spiritual growth? Do I reflect?

2. 2. Moses inspired many individuals to approach God with humility and supplications through his intercession on behalf of the people. Do I ask the help of the saints through their intercessions? Do I practice devotional prayers?

3. 3. Paul’s shepherding is characterized by his untiring and unending commitment to the communities he founded. Do I look after the spiritual growth of others? Do I care to share my faith?

4. 4. We received our baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Mt 28:19) Do I appreciate the honor God has given me through my baptism? Do I live my life with utmost care and confidence worthy of God’s promise revealed in the Holy Trinity?

Fraternally yours in Our Lord Jesus Christ,

Fr. Roy
Pastor

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