TRINITY SUNDAY
Our Relationship with God
Theologians try to deepen our understanding of God. That is their task, and God blesses them for it. Our concern is probably much more what God means for our Christian living. What, or better, who is God for me? What is my relationship to God? We are constantly told that God loves us and that he forgives us. How do I recognize this love? How do I respond to it? How does it affect my relations with people? Let God enlighten us on this feast of the Trinity and bring us closer to him.
First Reading: Proverbs 8:22-31
“God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—
before he did anything else.
I was brought into being a long time ago,
well before Earth got its start.
I arrived on the scene before Ocean,
yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.
Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,
I was already there, newborn;
Long before God stretched out Earth’s Horizons,
and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,
And set Sky firmly in place,
I was there.
When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,
built the vast vault of Heaven,
and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,
When he drew a boundary for Sea,
posted a sign that said no trespassing,
And then staked out Earth’s Foundations,
I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.
Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,
always enjoying his company,
Delighted with the world of things and creatures,
happily celebrating the human family.
Second Reading: Romans 5:1-5
By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Gospel: John 16:12-15
“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, ‘He takes from me and delivers to you.’
Prayer
Our One God,
you wanted to be a communion of three persons
so that you could share your one love;
you made yourself one of us in Jesus, your Son,
so that you could draw us into that love.
Give us the grace to respond to your goodness
through the Spirit poured out into our hearts.
Fill us with joy and wonder for you
and inspire us to love our brothers and sisters,
to share with them and to be one with them,
because you have loved us first
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.