(Edited) Sunday Reflections (from) Liturgical Years 2011 (A), 2012 (B), and 2013 (C)
Trinity Sunday (C), May 26, 2013
Liturgical readings
Proverbs 8:22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
"The Spirit of truth will guide you to all truth."
The gospel passage for the feast of the Holy Trinity is comprised of only four verses in chapter 16 of St. John. In the Jerusalem bible, this gospel passage is part of a paragraph with the subtitle, "The coming of the Advocate". The Advocate referred to in this gospel passage is the Holy Spirit. Though the focus of the gospel passage seems to be on the Person of the Holy Spirit, if we read the gospel passage more closely, we can notice how Jesus relates His Person with the Person of the Holy Spirit (verse 14), and with Person of the Father (verse 15).
The Catholic doctrine of the Holy Trinity is an ancient doctrine. If by chance you are able to find the Athanasian Creed in a Catholic prayer book, you will see how intricately detailed the doctrine is, and how it is excellently interwoven into a prayer. Here is an excerpt of that prayer:
"For the Father is a distinct person; the Son is a distinct
person; and the Holy Spirit is a distinct person. Still the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit have one divinity, equal glory,
and coeternal majesty. What the Father is, the Son is, and the
Holy Spirit is.....Glory be to you, equal Trinity, one God-head,
both before all time, and now and for ever, Alleluia."
The truth about God as a Person can breathe new life to spirits broken by the difficulties of family life and work (especially those who endure stresses from a series of disruptive events). God as a Person is always ready to hear our prayer. With the Lord before us in prayer, "there are no impossible expectations; no loss of self-esteem; no humiliations; no rejections; only unconditional love..." (from Sister Joan Chittister, OSB's, meditation tapes). God accepts and loves us as we are: broken or healed. When we bring our broken or healed selves in prayer, and are renewed in strength in the Sacraments, the life of the Trinity becomes more real in us - in ourselves and in relation to others in the Church. When the life of the Trinity leads us, we become a healing instrument for others.
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