First Reading: Exodus 34:4B-6, 8-9
Reflection:
This Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Our belief in a Triune God is the central teaching of our Christian faith and a profound mystery summarized as this: there is one God in three persons. Although the Trinitarian nature of God was not yet fully revealed in the Old Testament, and Jesus had not yet taken on a human nature, God has eternally existed as three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Therefore, in the first reading this Sunday, Moses encountered and worshipped the same God we worship today, who is “a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” The word “LORD” in this reading translates the divine name YHWH (“Yahweh”). As Christians, we believe the coming of Jesus Christ revealed something profound about YHWH, something previously veiled. Jesus, Himself being God incarnate, revealed to humanity that there is an interplay of persons in the one Godhead. In Jesus, the very essence of God is made known to humankind. This is best summarized in the Apostle John’s statement: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). In His very essence, God is a loving relationship of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As the Catechism explains, “God is one but not solitary” (CCC 254). Each person of the Trinity is fully and substantially God, while still remaining distinct from one another. The Catechism also explains, “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life,” because “It is the mystery of God Himself” (CCC 234). Although this may be difficult to comprehend (as it should be since we’re talking about God who is transcendent!), we can put our faith in the Triune God and celebrate this Sunday that reality at the center of our faith.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Reflection:
These words of St. Paul conclude his second letter to the Corinthian believers. Likely penned in A.D. 56, they serve as one of the earliest recorded and clearest New Testament expressions of the doctrine of the Trinity. After offering final exhortations to the Corinthians regarding Christian living, including an emphasis on unity, Paul offered a final blessing that probably sounds familiar, since these words are sometimes said by the priest at the beginning of Mass (“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”). He invoked the three persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—evidencing early Christian belief in this central mystery of our faith. Although the doctrine of the Trinity took the Church centuries to define and explain, there is no reason to doubt that Christians have always believed it. Since we are speaking about God, though, it would be presumptuous to say we completely understand the Trinity. This is why we call the teaching a mystery. God is infinitely beyond our comprehension, for He transcends space and time.
Gospel Reading: John 3:16-18
Reflection:
We see in this Sunday’s gospel reading an expression of the relationship between the first and second persons of the Holy Trinity. God, the Father, sent His “only Son,” Jesus, to the world to bring salvation. Jesus, being fully God, took on our humanity in order to right the relationship that was broken between God and human beings due to sin. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for all of us was done out of perfect love. It is because of God’s infinite love for His creation that He sent His Son to correct the problem of sin, of which we are all guilty. Jesus came to pull us out of the dirty mud (of sin) we are stuck in, wash us, and give us new life in Him. In doing this, God invites us to share in the infinite love within the Trinity. God, in His very being, is a relationship of love. Jesus came to invite us to participate in and experience that relationship of love. Sin broke our relationship with the Trinity, but Jesus has restored it. Our part is to respond in faith. Those who believe are offered eternal life. Faith is more than just a one-time event—it is an ongoing journey of faithfulness to God. Faith is active—it involves loving God through faithfully following Him as disciples. Ultimately, faith and love are intertwined, as the fruit of faith is love of God and neighbor.
Application:
- Ponder the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Is your head beginning to hurt? Good! When we reflect on the Trinity, we should quickly recognize how far beyond us God is. God is above our comprehension (transcendent), yet He has become one of us in Jesus Christ (immanent)! The infinite God wants to have a relationship with us finite creatures. Jesus came to restore our broken relationship. Our responsibility is to believe and obey. God loves you infinitely. Will you love Him in return? In what ways do you express your love to Him? In what ways could you better love Him with your life?
