Study and Meditations on this Sunday's Scripture Readings: June 19, 2011

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To help us prepare for this coming Sunday, here are the readings, studies and reflections for this coming Sunday’s Scripture readings. This Sunday is Trinity Sunday.

Here are the Scripture readings from the U.S. Catholic bishops website.

My own weekly study can be found here under “Current Study.”

Here are three audio reflections on the readings by Sister Ann Shields, Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Robert Barron.

Here are a pair of Catholic Bible study podcasts (each about an hour long):

• St. Martha’s Adult Faith Formation.
• Franciscan Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother

The Navarre Bible Commentary* for each reading can be viewed here.

Further study resources for the Readings: St. Charles Borromeo Bible Study can be found here, and *Catholic Matters *can be found here.

Please consider supporting those who provide these free resources.

Discussion, questions and charitable comments are always welcome. Have a blessed week!

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1st Reading - Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9

Our first reading for today describes our Three-in-One God as “a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,” who pardons our wickedness and sins and receives us as their own. This is what the Trinity does for us.

The events leading up to today’s first reading are as follows:

Moses has led the people out of Egypt and through the desert to Mount Sinai. This journey took about three months during which time they have encountered bad water which Moses, at God’s command, sweetened by casting a tree into it; they have run out of food and God has provided manna and quail; they have no water and Moses, at God’s command, strikes a rock with his staff and water flows forth.

Upon arriving at Mount Sinai they set up camp and Moses receives from God the words to speak to the Israelites: “Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. That is what you must tell the Israelites.” (Exodus 19:5-6). Moses told the people, through their elders, all that God had told him and the people replied “Everything the LORD has said, we will do.” (Exodus 19:8). Moses told this to God who further instructed Moses who then consecrated the people and they washed their clothes (purified them) and they were instructed to abstain from sexual relations for three days at which time God would come down upon the mountain and they will hear Him speaking to Moses.

Three days later, God comes down upon the mountain in thunder, lightning, and a thick cloud and the people are afraid to approach (the inference is that they have not abstained from sexual relations). God then gives Moses the ten commandments orally along with other instructions and then summons Moses alone to ascend the mountain. Moses ascends and remains on the mountain for forty days during which time he receives the ten commandments in stone.

Toward the end of his stay on the mountain, the people prevailed upon Aaron (Moses’ elder brother) to fashion the golden calf. God became angry and was set to destroy the people and raise from Moses a great nation but Moses reminded God of His covenant with Abraham and God relented. Moses then descended the mountain, caught the people in their revelry, and smashed the stone tablets. The Levites then ordained themselves by slaying three thousand of their kinsmen and neighbors (those who had been partaking in the revelry before the statue). God then commands Moses to make two new tablets and bring them up the mountain.

Here is the 1t Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

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.”

 

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From the *Navarre Bible *commentary on the 1st Reading:

**34:1-28. **This chapter narrating the renewal of the Covenant follows the same pattern as the account of its original establishment (cf. Ex 19-24); but it is shorter, concentrating on the two main protagonists, God and Moses. Thus, it begins with the preparations for the theophany and for the encounter with the Lord (vv. 1-5); then follows the revelation of God, and Moses’ prayer (vv. 6-9); and it ends with the renewal of the Covenant and the so-called Rite of the Covenant (vv. 10-28). The account hinges on the remaking of the tables of stone after the sin of the golden calf; the tables symbolize God’s offer to keep to the pact and never to go back on it.

The Covenant is Renewed
-----------------------
[4b] He (Moses) rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tables of stone. [5] And the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
**
34:1-5. **The theophany is described very soberly here, but it has exactly the same elements as given in chapter 19: very careful preparation by Moses (v. 2; cf 19:10-11); the people forbidden to approach the mountain (v. 3; of. 19:12-13); God appearing wrapped in the cloud (v. 5; of. 19:16-20).

Comparing the two accounts, this one says less about the transcendence of God and puts more stress on his closeness to Moses: “he stood with him there” (v. 5). God’s initiative in drawing close to man is clear to see; it lies at the very basis of the Covenant.

“He proclaimed the name of the Lord” (v. 6); the context would suggest that it is Moses who proclaims the name of the Lord, but the Hebrew could indeed be as the RSV has it, "and he proclaimed his name, ‘Lord’ ". The same wording appears in v. 6 implying that it is the Lord who is “proclaiming”, defining himself as he promised he would (cf. 33:19). The sacred writer may have intentionally left these words open to either interpretation; whether spoken by Moses or said directly by God, they are equal from the revelation point of view.

God Appears
-----------
*[6] The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” *

**34:6-7. **In response to Moses’ pleading, the Lord makes himself manifest. The solemn repetition of the name of Yahweh (Lord) emphasizes that the Lord is introducing himself liturgically to the assembled Israelites. In the description of himself which follows (and which is repeated elsewhere, cf. 20:5-6; Num 14:18; Deut 5:9-18; etc.), two key attributes of God are underlined–justice and mercy. God cannot let sin go unpunished, nor does he; the prophets, too, will teach that sin is, first and foremost, something personal (cf. Jer 31:29; Ezek 18:2ff). But this ancient text refers only in a general way to the fact that God is just, and puts more stress on his mercy. A person who is conscious of his own sin has access to God only if he is sure that God can and will forgive him. “The concept of ‘mercy’ in the Old Testament,” John Paul II comments, “has a long and rich history. We have to refer back to it in order that the mercy revealed by Christ may shine forth more clearly. …] Sin too constitutes man’s misery. The people of the Old Covenant experienced this misery from the time of the Exodus, when they set up the golden calf. The Lord himself triumphed over this act of breaking the covenant when he solemnly declared to Moses that he was a ‘God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’ (Ex 34:6). It is in this central revelation that the chosen people, and each of its members, will find, every time that they have sinned, the strength and the motive for turning to the Lord to remind him of what he had exactly revealed about himself and to beseech his forgiveness” (“Dives In Misericordia”, 4). On “God’s jealousy”, see the note on 20:5-6.

[8] And Moses made haste to bow his his head toward the earth, and worshiped. [9] And he said, “If now I have found favor in thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray thee, go in the midst of us, although it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thy inheritance.”

34:8-9. Moses once more implores the Lord on behalf of his people; he makes three requests, which sum up many earlier petitions: he begs God to stay with the people and protect them in their hazardous journeying in the desert (cf. 33:15-17), to forgive the very grave sin they have committed (cf. 32:11-14), and finally to make them his own property, thereby distinguishing them from all other peoples (cf. 33:16) and restoring them to their status as “his own possession” (cf. 19:5). These three requests are ones that were constantly on the lips of the people of Israel and in the hearts of everyone who acknowledges God (cf. Ps 86:1-15; 103:8-10; etc.).

 

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From the 1859 Haydock Commentary:

*4 Then he cut out two tables of stone, such as had been before; and rising very early he went up into the Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, carrying with him the tables.

5 And when the Lord was come down in a cloud, Moses stood with him, calling upon the name of the Lord.

6 And when he passed before him, he said: O the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, patient and of much compassion, and true,*

**Ver. 6. **He said. Some refer this to Moses; others, more probably, to God, who had promised, by this signal of the name of the Lord, to testify his presence. (Calmet) — The angel addresses God in this manner, while Moses lies concealed in the rock, covered with the hand or cloud of God’s representative. (Haydock) — Of the eleven attributes here claimed by God, three regard his essence, six his mercy, and the last two his justice. (Calmet)

*8 And Moses making haste, bowed down prostrate unto the earth, and adoring,

9 Said: If I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, I beseech thee that thou wilt go with us, (for it is a stiff-necked people) and take away our iniquities and sin, and possess us.*

Ver. 9. (For it, &c.) If thou do not support me, I shall not be able to govern. (Haydock) — Possess us. Take us for thy peculiar inheritance. (Menochius)

 

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Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs where the 1st Reading is cited include:

210 After Israel’s sin, when the people had turned away from God to worship the golden calf, God hears Moses’ prayer of intercession and agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating his love. When Moses asks to see his glory, God responds “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name ‘the LORD’ [YHWH].” Then the LORD passes before Moses and proclaims, “YHWH, YHWH, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”; Moses then confesses that the LORD is a forgiving God.

**214 **God, “HE WHO IS”, revealed himself to Israel as the one “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”. These two terms express summarily the riches of the divine name. In all his works God displays, not only his kindness, goodness, grace and steadfast love, but also his trustworthiness, constancy, faithfulness and truth. “I give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness.” He is the Truth, for “God is light and in him there is no darkness”; “God is love”, as the apostle John teaches.

231 The God of our faith has revealed himself as HE WHO IS; and he has made himself known as “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6). God’s very being is Truth and Love.

 

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A meditation on the 1st Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

**APPLICATION: **The mystery of the Blessed Trinity—three Persons in one God—was not revealed to the Jews of the Old Testament. They were not yet fit to accept this truth. Surrounded as they were by nations that practiced polytheism (many gods) there would be danger that the Jews would see three Gods in the Trinity—it would look like polytheism to them. Hence it was not revealed to them and therefore we have no Trinitarian text in the Old Testament which could be read on this feast of the Blessed Trinity.

The text chosen gives the basis for its eventual revelation., Yahweh made a covenant with the Israelites. He made them his Chosen People, though whom he would eventually send his divine Son and the Holy Spirit to give man—the whole chosen human race—the possibility and the means of reaching the destination that he had planned for them from all eternity. The covenant made by Yahweh with Moses on Mount Sinai was the preparation for the revelation of the dogma of the Blessed Trinity and its relationship with our salvation.

The Israelites were stubborn, unfaithful and ungrateful to God in spite of all he did for them. Yet God was long suffering. He put up with them for centuries and in spite of their infidelities he proved himself faithful to his promises. He sent to them (and to us through them) the Messiah—the promised King, Priest and Prophet (teacher) who brought to a happy conclusion the divine plan for mankind.

If the Israelites were stubborn and so often unfaithful. what can we say of ourselves? They were so ungrateful and so forgetful of favors received, but are we not ungrateful and forgetful too of even greater favors? We have a better knowledge of God’s love and mercy than the Israelites had. Are we not worse than they? They saw the power of God so often used in their favor; we have seen the weakness of God, as it were, the Son of God who took our human nature and suffered and died for our sakes, and we can and do forget this infinite love of God for us.

Yahweh (the particular name for himself which he gave as a special favor to the Israelites) was with the Chosen People all through their journeying in the desert and eventually he led them by his almighty power into the promised land of Canaan. His divine Son whose name Jesus, means savior of all men, became one with us in his human nature and, as he promised, is with us daily leading us into the real promised land which he won for us through the humiliation and sufferings which his Incarnation brought on him. Yahweh fed the Israelites in the desert with manna to give them strength to reach Canaan. Christ, his Son, has given us his own body and blood under the mysterious form of the Blessed Eucharist to be our spiritual sustenance on our journey to heaven.

Is there really any comparison between what God did for the Chosen People of the Old Testament and what he has done and is daily doing for us—the Chosen People of the New Covenant? Yet How unworthy we prove ourselves of this his infinite love, how ungrateful we so frequently are for this divine interest in our eternal welfare! True, we are dealing with a God of mercy, a God who is long-suffering, a God abounding in steadfast love. But let us not put all these loving qualities of our good God too much to the test. He will never let us down but we could let ourselves down by presuming too much on God’s loving kindness and forgetting that he does ask of us certain proofs of our love in return.

One simple resolution on this great feastday would be to promise to make the sign of the cross as an act of dedication and thanksgiving to the loving Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who have already done and are daily continuing to do so much in order to bring us to heaven.

 

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2nd Reading - 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Our reading today comes from the final three verses of Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. The letter was written during his third missionary journey, 53-58 A.D., and probably from Ephesus where he was from 54-57 A.D. Paul had much advice and correction to give them and he praises them. These final words form a greeting and an exhortation to the hearers. In these last verses he repeats his appeal for unity and fraternal charity and wishes the blessing of the Holy Trinity upon them.

Here is the 2nd Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

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.

 

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From the Navarre Bible commentary on the 2nd Reading:

**
Epilogue
--------**
*[11] Finally, brethren, farewell. Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. *

**11. **In his words of farewell, the Apostle once more shows his great affection for the faithful of Corinth, exhorting them to practise the fraternity proper to Christians and thus live in concord and peace (cf. I Cor 1:10-17). And, St John Chrysostom comments, he tells them what this will lead to: “Live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you, for God is a God of love and a God of peace, and in these he takes his delight. It is love that will give you peace and remove every evil from your church” (“Hom. on 2 Cor”, 30).

St Paul’s call to the faithful to be cheerful is particularly significant–“gaudete”(rejoice) in the New Vulgate–contains a rnessage he repeats on other occasions: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil 4:4; cf. 3:1). Joy is something very characteristic of Christians because their awareness of being children of God tells them that they are in the hands of God, who knows everything and can do everything (cf. note on 5:10). Therefore, we should never be sad; on the contrary: we should go out into the world, Monsignor Escriva says, “to be sowers of peace and joy through everything we say and do” (“Christ Is Passing By”, 168).

[12] Greet one another with a holy kiss.[13] All the saints greet you.[14] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

“The saints” who send greetings to the Corinthians are the Christians of Macedonia, from where St Paul is writing. St Paul’s description of the Christians as “saints” shows that the Christian vocation involves a calling to strive hard for holiness (cf. “Lumen Gentium”, 10).

 

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From the 1859 Haydock Commentary:

11 For the rest, brethren, rejoice, be perfect, take exhortation, be of one mind, have peace: and the God of peace and of love will be with you.

Ver. 11. Rejoice. Chairete, bene valete. In this sense the Greeks used this term at the conclusion of their writings; and Loipon, to denote that the writer or speaker was hastening to a conclusion. (Pastorini) — Be perfect* Literally, in the Latin be exhorted. (Witham)*

12 Salute one another with a holy kiss. All the saints salute you.

**Ver. 12. **This was customary with both Jews and Persians, as we learn from Xenophon and Herodotus, and with other oriental nations. And in process of time, from the custom of common life, it was introduced into ecclesiastial assemblies. The ancients were in the habit before they began their meal to embrace each other, to manifest by that sign their mutual cordiality and friendship; then they contributed their alms, that they might give a substantial proof of what was represented by their kiss of charity. (Pastorini)

13 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God, and the communication of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

**Ver. 13. **For my part, I wish you, with all my heart, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the charity of God, and the communication of his holy Spirit, may dwell with you all. Amen is wanted in the Greek, but was added by the Church of Corinth, which was accustomed to make this reply as often as this epistle was read. When we recall to our mind the excess of corruption that had reigned in the city of Corinth under paganism, excess attested by profane authors, and which St. Paul brings to their recollection, (1 Corinthians vi. 9.) we are all astonishment that in the short space of four years the gospel had operated amongst the faithful of this church, such a prodigious change in their manners, and that they were become capable of receiving lessons of morality so very pure as is this of the apostle. (Bergier.)

 

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Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs where the 2nd Reading is cited include:

249 From the beginning, the revealed truth of the Holy Trinity has been at the very root of the Church’s living faith, principally by means of Baptism. It finds its expression in the rule of baptismal faith, formulated in the preaching, catechesis and prayer of the Church. Such formulations are already found in the apostolic writings, such as this salutation taken up in the Eucharistic liturgy: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

734 Because we are dead or at least wounded through sin, the first effect of the gift of love is the forgiveness of our sins. The communion of the Holy Spirit in the Church restores to the baptized the divine likeness lost through sin.

1109 The epiclesis [of the Eucharistic prayer of consecration] is also a prayer for the full effect of the assembly’s communion with the mystery of Christ. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” have to remain with us always and bear fruit beyond the Eucharistic celebration. The Church therefore asks the Father to send the Holy Spirit to make the lives of the faithful a living sacrifice to God by their spiritual transformation into the image of Christ, by concern for the Church’s unity, and by taking part in her mission through the witness and service of charity.

 

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A meditation on the 2nd Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

**APPLICATION: **By celebrating the feast of the three divine Persons today, we too are invoking on ourselves the blessings St. Paul invoked on the Corinthian Christians. We need the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ if we are to reach heaven. He has already put us on the right road by baptism, and has made us receptacles of grace, but that is only the first step although a supernatural one. Every human act we perform in the state of grace-even our eating and drinking, and our daily tasks—is moving us along the road to heaven. But if we lose the divine grace through mortal sin, all our actions, even holy actions, are useless as regards our heavenward journey.

The love of God, the true paternal interest of the Father, as well as the fellowship of the Holy Spirit who is within us, inspiring us to good works, will also be always with us unless we deliberately cut ourselves off from their influence by serious sin.

The Blessed Trinity through Jesus Christ has foreseen this possibility. God knows our weaknesses and our inclination to do what is evil, better than we know them ourselves, and he has provided us with an easy and an accessible remedy. He has left to his Church the Sacrament of Penance in which our sins can be wiped out provided we are sincere in repenting of them. If it should happen that this sacrament is not available, the Church teaches us, following Christ’s instruction, that a sincere act of contrition which implies and contains an act of love for God will likewise blot out our sins and bring us back once more into, the family of the Blessed Trinity. In this case however, if and when we get the opportunity of confessing these sins in the Sacrament of Penance, we must do so.

While we see the absolute necessity then of being in God’s grace and friendship, in close union with the Holy Trinity, if we are to proceed toward heaven, we see how easy the good and loving God has made this for us. Should anybody be so foolish as to think that sins can keep us from heaven, one glimpse of the past history of the Church will suffice to change his mind. Among the canonized martyrs and saints (to say nothing of the millions of saints who are not officially canonized) for every one adult saint who has preserved his baptismal innocence through life 9,999 had some sins but repented of them and had them forgiven.

It is not sins that will keep us from heaven, but the refusal to repent of them. Let us all take courage then on this great feast of the Blessed Trinity. The three divine Persons want us in heaven. They have proved this already in the past; they are proving it daily in the Church. If we appreciate what the Blessed Trinity has done and is doing for us, and if we show our sincere gratitude by frequent acts of thanksgiving—a simple “thank you, God,” a reverent making of the sign of the cross, a symbol which reminds us of the lengths God went to in order to give us a place in heaven—if we develop this sense of gratitude we need never fear. Should we fall through human weakness, the three Persons are there to help us and put us on the right road to heaven once more.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” now and forever.

 

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Gospel Reading: John 3:16-18

* Today’s gospel comes right after a conversation Jesus had with a certain Jew named Nicodemus (John 3:1-15). Nicodemus is described as a teacher, or rabbi (verse 10), and a Pharisee (verse 1), a member of a strict religious party of the time. He was probably also a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews (verse 1).

* Jesus has just finished explaining to Nicodemus the necessity of being born again (or from above) by water and the Holy Spirit, i.e., by baptism (verse 5). Nicodemus has a hard time grasping the concept since he continues to think in earthly terms (verses 4 and 9). Jesus invites him to see God’s plan through heavenly eyes.

* In a veiled manner, Jesus further reveals to him that as part of that plan, Christ will be “lifted up” (on the Cross and into heaven) so that Nicodemus and all who believe in Jesus can have eternal life.

Here is the Gospel Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

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.

 

[Fidelis]

From the Navarre Bible commentary on the Gospel Reading:

The Visit of Nicodemus (Continuation)
-------------------------------------
(Jesus said to Nicodemus,) [16] “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. [18] He who believes in Him is not condemned; He who does not believe is condemned already, because He had not believed in the name of the only Son of God. [19] And this is the judgment, that the light has come into world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. [21] But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.”

16-21. These words, so charged with meaning, summarize how Christ’s death is the supreme sign of God’s love for men (cf. the section on charity in the “Introduction to the Gospel according to John”: pp. 31ff above). “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son' for its salvation. All our religion is a revelation of God's kindness, mercy and love for us. God is love’ (1 John 4:16), that is, love poured forth unsparingly. All is summed up in this supreme truth, which explains and illuminates everything. The story of Jesus must be seen in this light. (He) loved me', St. Paul writes. Each of us can and must repeat it for himself--He loved me, and gave Himself for me’ (Galatians 2:20)” ([Pope] Paul VI, “Homily on Corpus Christi”, 13 June 1976).

Christ’s self-surrender is a pressing call to respond to His great love for us: “If it is true that God has created us, that He has redeemed us, that He loves us so much that He has given up His only-begotten Son for us (John 3:16), that He waits for us–every day!–as eagerly as the father of the prodigal son did (cf. Luke 15:11-32), how can we doubt that He wants us to respond to Him with all our love? The strange thing would be not to talk to God, to draw away and forget Him, and busy ourselves in activities which are closed to the constant promptings of His grace” ([St] J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 251).

"Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This …] is why Christ the Redeemer fully reveals man to himself'. If we may use the expression, this is the human dimension of the mystery of the Redemption. In this dimension man finds again the greatness, dignity and value that belong to his humanity. ...] The one who wishes to understand himself thoroughly ...] must, with his unrest and uncertainty and even his weakness and sinfulness, with his life and death, draw near to Christ. He must, so to speak, enter into Him with all his own self, he must appropriate’ and assimilate the whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself. If this profound process takes place within him, he then bears fruit not only of adoration of God but also of deep wonder at himself.

How precious must man be in the eyes of the Creator, if he gained so great a Redeemer', ("Roman Missal, Exultet" at Easter Vigil), and if God gave His only Son’ in order that man `should not perish but have eternal life’. …]

`Increasingly contemplating the whole of Christ’s mystery, the Church knows with all the certainty of faith that the Redemption that took place through the Cross has definitively restored his dignity to man and given back meaning to his life in the world, a meaning that was lost to a considerable extent because of sin. And for that reason, the Redemption was accomplished in the paschal mystery, leading through the Cross and death to Resurrection" ([Pope] John Paul II, “Redemptor Hominis”, 10).

Jesus demands that we have faith in Him as a first prerequisite to sharing in His love. Faith brings us out of darkness into the light, and sets us on the road to salvation. “He who does not believe is condemned already” (verse 18).

“The words of Christ are at once words of judgment and grace, of life and death. For it is only by putting to death that which is old that we can come to newness of life. Now, although this refers primarily to people, it is also true of various worldly goods which bear the mark both of man’s sin and the blessing of God. …] No one is freed from sin by himself or by his own efforts, no one is raised above himself or completely delivered from his own weakness, solitude or slavery; all have need of Christ, who is the model, master, liberator, savior, and giver of life. Even in the secular history of mankind the Gospel has acted as a leaven in the interests of liberty and progress, and it always offers itself as a leaven with regard to brotherhood, unity and peace” (Vatican II, “Ad Gentes”, 8).

 

[Fidelis]

From the 1859 Haydock Commentary:

16 For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son: that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him.

**Ver. 16-17. **Give his only begotten Son-–God sent not his Son into the world. He was then his Son, his only begotten Son, before he sent him into the world. He was not, therefore, his Son, only by the incarnation, but was his Son from the beginning, as he was also his word from all eternity. This was the constant doctrine of the Church, and of the Fathers, against the heresy of the Arians, that God was always Father, and the Son always the eternal Son of the eternal Father. See note on chap. i. ver. 14. (Witham) — The world may be saved. Why, says St. Augustine, is Christ called the Saviour of the world, unless from the obligation he took upon himself at his birth? He has come like a good physician, effectually to save mankind. The man, therefore, destroys himself, who refuses to follow the prescriptions of his physician. (St. Augustine)

18 He that believeth in him is not judged: but he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
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Ver. 18.** Is not judged. He that believeth, viz. by a faith working through charity, is not judged; that is, is not condemned; but the obstinate unbeliever is judged; that is, condemned already, by retrenching himself from the society of Christ and his Church. (Challoner)

 

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*Catechism of the Catholic Church *paragraphs where the Gospel Reading is cited include:

Sections 232 through 267 on the Holy Trinity.

**219 **God’s love for Israel is compared to a father’s love for his son. His love for his people is stronger than a mother’s for her children. God loves his people more than a bridegroom his beloved; his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.”

**444 **The Gospels report that at two solemn moments, the Baptism and the Transfiguration of Christ, the voice of the Father designates Jesus his “beloved Son”. Jesus calls himself the “only Son of God”, and by this title affirms his eternal pre-existence. He asks for faith in “the name of the only Son of God”. In the centurion’s exclamation before the crucified Christ, “Truly this man was the Son of God”, that Christian confession is already heard. Only in the Paschal mystery can the believer give the title “Son of God” its full meaning.

458 The Word became flesh so that thus we might know God’s love: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

**679 **Christ is Lord of eternal life. Full right to pass definitive judgment on the works and hearts of men belongs to him as redeemer of the world. He “acquired” this right by his cross. The Father has given “all judgment to the Son”. Yet the Son did not come to judge, but to save and to give the life he has in himself. By rejecting grace in this life, one already judges oneself, receives according to one’s works, and can even condemn oneself for all eternity by rejecting the Spirit of love.

 

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A meditation on the Gospel Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

**APPLICATION: **Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in this text from St. John’s gospel, the text is included in the readings for the feast of, the Blessed Trinity because two of the Persons are mentioned. They are clearly distinguished one from the other, yet both are the one God. God the Father sent God the Son into the world (in human nature) in order to bring eternal life within the reach of all men.

While we must admit from the evidence so clearly given in the story of our redemption and elevation to adopted divine sonship, that the three Persons of the Trinity cooperated in that work, we cannot claim we understand the mystery of three Persons in one God. We can and must admit the fact on the evidence presented to us, but we must also admit that our human intellects are too finite to grasp the essence, the nature of that fact.

How could it be otherwise? If our limited minds could grasp the divine nature and all its qualities it would no longer be divine—it would be limited like ourselves. There are many finite created things in our world which we cannot fully understand. How then could we claim that we should be able to understand the infinite? Of infinity itself we have only a negative description—something that has no beginning or no end. When we get to heaven our minds will be illuminated with greater graces but even then there will always be something new in God for us to see and admire. In the meantime our attitude toward the Trinity should be one of sincere gratitude for having placed us on the road to heaven.

Through the divine graces given us, we believe that Jesus Christ was the divine Son whom the Father sent on earth to give us eternal life. We have accepted Christ as our master and Savior. We are striving to follow him by living our Christian lives. We are assured of his assistance and of the assistance also of the Holy Spirit, so that if we play the part Christ asks of us in the drama of our salvation, we can wait with serenity for the final curtain.

The Son and Holy Spirit will sustain us on our heavenward journey. If we make use of the aids so thoughtfully left by Christ in his Church—the true teaching and the sacraments—we shall remain on the right road. We shall be lifted up if we fall, spurred on when we grow weary, and nourished with the divine food of the Blessed Eucharist—the manna of the new covenant. Then we can feel very sure that at the end of our life’s journey we shall be ushered into the presence of the Trinity—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in whose happy and holy company we shall remain forever.

 

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Some questions on the Readings for personal study and reflection:

* Where do you see the Persons (or the actions of the Persons) of the Most Holy Trinity in this Sunday’s readings? What is the effect of each Person of the Trinity?

* Did God send his Son to judge or to save (John 3:17; Rom 5:8; CCC 734)? What kind of love is this (Ephesians 4:2-5; John 15:13; CCC 218-21, 604-5)? What is God (1 John 4:8)? How was this manifested to us (1 John 4:9-10; CCC 457-58)? What should be our response?

* From this reading, what stands out to you about God? About what he wants you to do? About how a person is saved? About how a person is condemned? What does it mean to “believe” (verses 15-21, 36)?

* What does Jesus mean when he talks about eternal life? What does it call to mind for you? What does eternal life mean to you in regards to duration? Quality? Activity?

* What does it mean to be “saved? From what? For what? What is the alternative? When did you begin to see God as saving you, rather than condemning you?

 

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From the Daily Scripture Reading & Meditation website:

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son”

Scripture: John 3:16-18

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Meditation: What is the true nature of love? O’Henry wrote a short story, called The Gift of the Magi, about two young lovers who scrapped by with the little they possessed. One Christmas eve the husband sold a gold pocket watch inherited from his father so he could buy his wife a golden comb. She had long beautiful hair. The wife that same day had her hair cut and sold so she could buy a gold chain for her husband’s watch. What wonder and surprise crossed their faces when they exchanged their gifts! True love costs dearly! God is the perfect lover because he treats us as his beloved and he gives us the most perfect gift of all. “To ransom a slave God gave his Son” (ancient prayer from the Easter vigil liturgy). God sent his Son into the world to free us from slavery to sin and the power of death. Jesus willing layed down his life for our sake and salvation. His death on the cross of Calvary was both an offering to God and the atoning sacrifice for our sin and the sin of the world. Perfect love holds nothing back but gives all. Jesus gave himself completely out of love for his Father and for us sinners.

John tells us that God’s love knows no bounds (John 3:16). His love is not limited to a few or to a single nation. His love both embraces the whole world and is personally directed to every person created in “his image and likeness”. God is a loving Father who cannot rest until his wandering children have returned home to him. Saint Augustine says, God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love. God gives us the freedom to choose whom and what we will love. Jesus shows us the paradox of love and judgment. We can love the darkness of sin and unbelief or we can love the light of God’s truth, beauty, and goodness. If our love is guided by what is true, and good and beautiful then we will choose for God and love him above all else. What we love shows what we prefer. Do you love God above all else? Does he take first place in your life, in your thoughts, and actions?

Jesus revealed to his disciples the great mystery of our faith – the triune nature of God and the inseparable union of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus’ mission is to reveal the glory of God to us – a Trinity of persons – God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and to unite us with God in a community of love. The ultimate end, the purpose for which God created us, is the entry of God’s creatures into the perfect unity of the blessed Trinity. The Jews understood God as Creator and Father of all that he made (Deuteronomy 32:6) and they understood the nation of Israel as God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). Jesus reveals the Father in an unheard of sense. He is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son, who, reciprocally, is Son only in relation to his Father (see Matthew 11:27). The Spirit, likewise, is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. The mission of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit are the same. That is why Jesus tells his disciples that the Spirit will reveal the glory of the Father and the Son and will speak what is true. Before his Passover, Jesus revealed the Holy Spirit as the “Paraclete” and Helper who will be with Jesus’ disciples to teach and guide them “into all the truth” (John 14:17,26; 16:13). In baptism we are called to share in the life of the Holy Trinity here on earth in faith and after death in eternal light.

Clement of Alexandria, a third century church father, wrote: “What an astonishing mystery! There is one Father of the universe, one Logos (Word) of the universe, and also one Holy Spirit, everywhere one and the same; there is also one virgin become mother, and I should like to call her ‘Church’." How can we personally know the Father and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ? It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the Father and the Son to us and who gives us the gift of faith to know and understand the truth of God’s word. Through the Holy Spirit, we proclaim our ancient faith in the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ until he comes again. The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit as our divine Teacher and Helper that we may grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God. Do you seek the wisdom that comes from above and do you willingly obey God’s word?
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“May the Lord Jesus put his hands on our eyes also, for then we too shall begin to look not at what is seen but at what is not seen. May he open the eyes that are concerned not with the present but with what is yet to come, may he unseal the heart’s vision, that we may gaze on God in the Spirit, through the same Lord, Jesus Christ, whose glory and power will endure throughout the unending succession of ages.”* (prayer of Origin, c. 185-254)

 

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A reflection on the Sunday Readings from Dr. Scott Hahn at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology:

How God Loves

We often begin Mass with the prayer from today’s Epistle: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” We praise the God who has revealed himself as a Trinity, a communion of persons.

Communion with the Trinity is the goal of our worship - and the purpose of the salvation history that begins in the Bible and continues in the Eucharist and sacraments of the Church.

We see the beginnings of God’s self-revelation in today’s First Reading, as He passes before Moses and cries out His holy name.

Israel had sinned in worshipping the golden calf (see Exodus 32). But God does not condemn them to perish. Instead He proclaims His mercy and faithfulness to His covenant.

God loved Israel as His firstborn son among the nations (see Exodus 4:22). Through Israel - heirs of His covenant with Abraham - God planned to reveal himself as the Father of all nations (see Genesis 22:18).

The memory of God’s covenant testing of Abraham - and Abraham’s faithful obedience - lies behind today’s Gospel.

In commanding Abraham to offer his only beloved son (see Genesis 22:2,12,16), God was preparing us for the fullest possible revelation of His love for the world.

As Abraham was willing to offer Isaac, God did not spare His own Son but handed Him over for us all (see Romans 8:32).

In this, He revealed what was only disclosed partially to Moses - that His kindness continues for a thousand generations, that He forgives our sin, and takes us back as His very own people (see Deuteronomy 4:20; 9:29).

Jesus humbled himself to die in obedience to God’s will. And for this, the Spirit of God raised Him from the dead (see Romans 8:11), and gave Him a name above every name (see Philippians 2:8-10).

This is the name we glorify in today’s Responsorial - the name of our Lord, the God who is Love (see 1 John 4;8,16).

 

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From One Bread, On Body, by Presentation Ministries:

3 IN 1 IN ME

*“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!” *—2 Corinthians 13:13

If you are a committed Catholic, you have probably said several times today: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” You said this before and after Mass, the rosary, meal prayers, other prayers, etc. You also blessed yourself in the name of the Trinity when you entered and left the church. Why do you keep doing this? Is it just a habit you picked up in your childhood, or do you believe in the Holy Trinity?

Are you preoccupied with the fact that you have been and are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? (see Mt 28:19) Are you immersed in the three relationships in one, overwhelmingly aware that the Holy Trinity literally lives within you? Do you greet Christians with a holy kiss because you believe they have the Trinity in them? (see 2 Cor 13:12) Do you reverence all people because they may or will have the Trinity in them? (see 1 Pt 2:17) Are you sexually pure because of your awareness of the Trinity in you? (see 1 Cor 6:19) Did you ever turn off the TV because you knew the Father, Son, and Spirit in you would not approve of the programs?

May the Holy Spirit of Pentecost sensitize you to the Trinity in you.

Prayer: Triune God, may everything in my life be in Your name, not my name.
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Promise:** “Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life.” —Jn 3:16
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Praise**: “O Most Holy Trinity, undivided unity! Holy God, Mighty God, God immortal, be adored!”