Feast of the Holy Trinity
Intro: We begin every celebration of Mass in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ... in the name of the Trinity. God loves us so much that He wants to reveal and tell us more about Himself. In Baptism, we begin to share His life; in the Eucharist, we partake of His Son Who leaves us with the Spirit of His love forever.
Readings: Moses encounters God in the darkness of a cloud on Mount Sinai where he reveals Himself as a God of tenderness and compassion, as He renews the Covenant between Himself and His Chosen People.
At the end of his difficult Letter to the Corinthians, Paul, in an early Trinitarian formula, urges them to live in the love, grace and fellowship of God Who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Exodus 34: 4-6, 8-9;
2 Corinthians 13:11-13;
John 3: 16-18;
Today we celebrate (rather than understand) the most astonishing and most mind-bending truth of our faith: there is, and can be, only one God, yet in this one God there are three Persons. How do we come to know about God Who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit? We know about God, because God has told us about God! In fact, only God can reveal God to us.
When we meet someone for the first time, we're always a bit wary about revealing or sharing too much personal information - a bit like facebook or snapchat (whatever they are!). But as you realise that you quite like that person, that you can trust him or her, then you begin to reveal more about yourself - your likes and dislikes, your personality, your work, your aspirations, your dreams and fears. And, of course, you'll want and expect the other person to be similarly open with you.
That, precisely, is the mystery of the blessed Trinity. It's the greatest love story ever written, because God is telling us, "I love you, and I want to reveal and share Myself with you in this wonderful world I've created." When that failed to impress us, the Father sent His Son to be with us in His human body, to bring us back to the place He had always intended us to be - Heaven. Then the Son, in His turn, revealed and spoke about His Father, and gave Himself completely to us in the Eucharist, promising at the same time that while He would have to leave us in order to return to His Father, He would send His Spirit to take care of us, strengthen us for life's journey and help us spread this good news of God's love.
So it's chiefly in the person of Jesus that we come to a fuller understanding of who God is; it's Jesus who shows Himself as the Son of the Father (cue for a song?) and ourselves as His brothers and sisters; it's Jesus who promises the Spirit as a gift from the Father and Himself, so that they might make their home in us. Which is just what St. Paul is trying to explain when he writes that no one has seen the Father, yet the Father's love is made visible in Christ Jesus, born for us and living among us.
So the mystery of the Trinity isn't so much a problem to be solved as an experience of faith which we're called to encounter; we're here to celebrate the Trinity, not to understand it, and we do this by allowing ourselves to be loved by the God Who is love. By opening our hearts to the love of the Holy Spirit, we are drawn by that same spirit of love into the relationship which exists between the Father and the Son. We exist to love, and to bear witness to the loving kindness of our God who loved us so much that He was prepared to send His own Son in a human body; and that Son loved us so much that He was prepared to give up His life for us. Then, by opening our hearts to the living and lifegiving love of the Holy Spirit, we're drawn into the relationship which exists between the Father and the Son; we become partakers of the very life of the Trinity!
Intercessions
God the Father's love for us is made visible in Jesus, and it through Him that we now make known all our needs:-
1. For the Church. May it reflect the love and unity of the Trinity through strong and holy leaders who will guide, teach and lead Your pilgrim people - Lord, hear us.
2. For our bishops, and those in civil authority. Help them to act with honesty, integrity and compassion towards those whom they have been chosen to serve - Lord, hear us.
3. For peace in our world. May each country and nation respect its neighbours, and may those who suffer from hunger, poverty or dis-
ease in the Third World benefit from the aid they need so badly -
Lord, hear us.
4. For ourselves. Draw us ever more deeply into your love revealed in the mystery of the Trinity, making us more aware that we are living temples of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so that we may love and respect those around us - Lord, hear us.
5. May our prayers comfort those who mourn, and may John McCartney and Thomas Wylie who have died recently. together with Margaret O'Hagan, Mary Jane McGill, William Hastie, Edward Power and John McClelland, whose anniversaries occur about now, inherit Your promise of eternal life - Lord, hear us.
God our Father, You so loved us that You sent Your only Son to redeem us and bring us back into the circle of Your love. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may we grow in the love and knowledge of You, so that we may share that love with all whom we meet.