Audio Reflections of Sunday, June 11, 2017, Trinity Sunday

To hear the Audio Reflections of Sunday, June 11, 2017, Trinity Sunday, click HERE

Sunday, June 11, 2017 - Trinity Sunday - Three in One and One in Three

To read the texts click on the texts:Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Cor 13:11-13; Jn 3:16-18

After asking his disciples about who people said he was, Jesus asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Logos, existing in the Father as His rationality and by an act of His will, being generated, in consideration of the various functions by which God is related to his creation, but only on the fact that Scripture speaks of a Father, and a Son, and a Holy Spirit, each member of the Trinity being co-equal with every other member, and each acting inseparably with and interpenetrating every other member, with only an economic subordination within God, but causing no division which would make the substance no longer simple.”

And Jesus said, “What?”

If Peter were a theologian this is what he would have said and Jesus, like most of us, would not have understood what he said. It is never easy speaking about the Trinity. A friend of mine, who is a parish priest, said to me that Trinity Sunday is a good Sunday to invite the Bishop to preach.

The story is told of St Augustine of Hippo, a great philosopher and theologian, who wanted to understand the doctrine of the Trinity and to be able to explain it logically. One day as he was walking along the sea shore and reflecting on this, he suddenly saw a little child all alone on the shore. The child made a hole in the sand, ran to the sea with a little cup, filled her cup with water, came and poured it into the hole she had made in the sand. Back and forth she went, repeating what she did. Augustine went up to her and said, “Little child, what are you doing?” and she replied, “I am trying to empty the sea into this hole.” ‘How do you think,” Augustine asked her, “that you can empty this immense sea into this tiny hole and with this tiny cup?” To which she replied, “In the same manner in which you think that with your small mind you can comprehend the immensity of God?” With that the child disappeared.

Trinity Sunday is a special Sunday in the liturgical year; it has been celebrated since 1334 when Pope John XXII fixed it as the Sunday after Pentecost. It is a Sunday which is not tied to any special event. We do not have to remember any special events or rituals. Instead it is about a day when we remember just God – the mystery and the reality that God is. It is a bit like a birthday when all we do is celebrate a particular person and their presence with us.

A good way to understand the Trinity, even if inadequately  would be to understand the Father, Son and Spirit as Lover, Beloved and the Flow of Love between them that has constantly flowed from time began. Through the Incarnation, the Beloved came to dwell among us. When we accept the offer to become the adopted children of God, we also become the Beloved of God, and share in this same Flow of Love. 
However, even this way of understanding falls short. The Church teaches us that God is three persons in one nature; that Father, Son and Holy Spirit together are God. Beyond that is nothing more than the speculation of our tiny minds.

Though not explicitly Trinitarian, the first and third readings convey the fundamental mystery that the Triune God reaches out to people in love, seeking the deepest communion. The reading from Exodus follows the apostasy of the people in worshiping the golden calf. Moses again ascends the mountain to intercede, offering his own life for the people This evokes yet another revelation of God as a merciful and gracious God, “slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,” truly a God who knows the suffering and weaknesses of humanity and is constantly summoning them back to his love and mercy.

The same theme is taken up by the text from the Gospel of John, which contains one of the most quoted New Testament texts: “God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” The God who heard the cries of his people in Egypt, witnessed their affliction and came down to save them through Moses, now sends his Son, so that everyone who believes in him may be saved. For John judgment is not something that happens at the end of history; it takes place within history, as people consciously choose evil over good and turn away from the covenant God of love, mercy, grace and truth. The ultimate mystery is that the Trinitarian God who reaches out in love is the same God who gives freedom to reject that love.

Thus the feast of the Trinity celebrates freedom, love, community, diversity and inclusiveness, God does not exist in isolated individualism but in a community of relationships. In other words, God is not a loner or a recluse. The Trinity embraces diversity. This means that a Christian in search of Godliness must shun every tendency to isolationism and individualism. The Trinity is Community.

Audio Reflections of Saturday, June 10, 2017

To hear the Audio Reflections of Saturday, June 10, 2017 click HERE

Saturday, June 10, 2017 - How often in a day do you let the opinion of others affect your behaviour? What will you do about it today?

To read the texts click on the texts:Tobit 12:1,5-15,20; Mk 12:38-44

There are two parts to the text of today. The first deals with the condemnation of the scribes (12:38-40) and the second the commendation of a widow (12:41-44).

The charge against the scribes is that they have no concern for anyone except themselves. This lack of concern is shown in the behaviour they exhibited. Their words do not correspond to their actions and they do what they do only for external show.

Since one of the charges against the scribes was that they devour widows’ houses, the second part of the text speaks about a poor widow. The widow unlike the scribes has no concern for self and this is shown in her willingness to give everything to God. She is what she does.

So many of us live our lives based on the opinion of others. We want others to think well of us and will often act in such a way that meets their approval. There are also times when we may not be convinced of something and yet would do it only because we want to show externally that we are “part of the crowd”. When we behave in this manner we are imitating the scribes.

Audio Reflections of Friday, June 9, 2017

To hear the Audio Reflections of Friday, June 9, 2017 click HERE

Friday, June 9, 2017 - How do you usually address Jesus? Why do you use this title?

To read the texts click on the texts: Tob 11:5-17; Mk 12:35-37

Since Mark ended the previous episode by stating that after the scribes question and Jesus’ response no one dared to ask Jesus any question, he has Jesus himself ask the question about the Messiah as Son of David. 

In his interpretation of Ps 110:1 attributed to David, the Messiah is called Lord. If this is what David says, then the Messiah cannot be also his son. Mark’s point is that the title son of David is an inadequate title to describe who the Messiah really is.  

Jesus cannot be captured by titles or names. He is much bigger than any name that we might use for him. And while we may know many things about him, his life and mission, we need to make every attempt to KNOW him.

MORNING OFFERING

Audio Reflections of Thursday, June 8, 2017

To hear the Audio Reflections of Thursday, June 8, 2017 click HERE

Thursday, June 8, 2017 - Will your love for God show in your love for at least one person today?

To read the texts click on the texts:Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1,9-14; 8:4-9; Mk 12:28-34

While in Matthew 22:35, the lawyer asks Jesus the question about the great commandment in order to test Jesus; in Mark he is not hostile. As a matter of fact Mark mentions at the beginning of the incident that he thought that Jesus had answered the Sadducees well and at the end he commends Jesus for his answer. Jesus responds in the words of the “Shema”, which speaks of love of God (Deut 6:5-6), but adds also the love of neighbour (Lev 19:18). 

The scribe’s response to this is to acknowledge Jesus’ answer as correct and to add that following these commandments is greater than sacrifices and burnt offerings. Jesus concludes the dialogue by stating that because the scribe has recognised what his priorities are, he is not far from the kingdom of God.

Love of God cannot really be separated from love of neighbour. The two go together. Our love for God is made manifest and tangible only when we reach out in love to someone else. While Paul gives a beautiful description of what love is and what it is not in 1 Corinthians 13, my own definition of love is that in love there is no “I”.

MORNING OFFERING