June 7, 2020
The Solemnity of the Most High Trinity
Click here to download the readings
First Reading- Exodus 34:4b-6,8-9 – Moses pleads for God’s mercy on Mt. Sinai.
Responsorial Psalm- Daniel 3:52-56 – We praise God who is exalted above all forever.
Second Reading- 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 – Paul urges the Corinthians to live in peace with one another and with God.
Gospel Reading- John 3:16-18 – God sent his Son into the world to save the world.
— This week we return to the liturgical season of Ordinary Time.
— This Sunday (and next) are designated as solemnities—special days that call our attention to central mysteries of our faith.
— In the liturgical calendar, a solemnity is a feast day of the highest rank celebrating a mystery of faith such as the Trinity, an event in the life of Jesus, his mother Mary, or another important saint.
— Today on Trinity Sunday we celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity, one God in three persons.
— Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar.
— The Church teaches that the Trinity is one of the divine mysteries that can never be known unless they are revealed by God.
— The teaching on the Divine Family presents God as a family, Father to Son, and Son to Father, and the Holy Spirit as the Love between them.
— As three family members are equal in dignity, so the Persons of the Holy Trinity are equal in divinity and majesty.
Reflections to consider….from the Sunday Website of St. Louis University
First Reading
1. God has shown himself to us through the ages. Besides his name, what did God reveal about himself to Moses on Mount Sinai? Read the reading here if you wish. What was Moses’ response to this revelation? What is your response to knowledge of God’s love?
2. Moses said to God, “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.” Are we at times a stiff-necked people? Can we be pardoned? In these troubled times, can the wickedness of the world be softened?
Second Reading
1. What do you know about the Trinity from the last lines of this reading: ”The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” God’s nature is love, and he has invited us to come along in his company. What are the implications for our community?
2. We can all agree with and/or encourage each other in order to live in peace. How important is this to you? Do you encourage people? Is Paul talking about agreeing on everything or only on matters of faith?
Gospel
1. Did the Father do something showing that he “so loved the world”? What did the Son do? What is your response to God’s immense love for the world and for you personally?
2. Ponder Pope Francis’ words on the Trinity:
The light of Easter and Pentecost have renewed in us each year the joy and wonder of faith that recognizes that God is not something vague, abstract, but has a name: ‘God is love.’ And this love is … the love of the Father who is the source of all life, the love of the Son who died on the cross and rose, the love of the Spirit who renews man and the world. The Trinity is not the product of human reasoning, it is the face which God himself revealed, … by walking with humanity in the history of the people of Israel, and above all in Jesus of Nazareth.” (May 26, 2013, before reciting the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square)
Journaling Questions for youth….
What is your image of God?
Is there one nature of God that is easier for you to understand and talk to in prayer?
Why do you think this?
What might your favorite images of God say about who you are and what you need as a person?
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
We pray to the Trinity in this traditional “Glory Be” Prayer.
How often do you say the “Glory Be” or consider what you are praying when you say it?
Pray this prayer everyday this week. This is such a short prayer but it says everything about today’s solemnity.
It is good to think and search for answers, but this week learn to just trust without questioning. You might learn something new because God can speak when you are quiet. Here is a song you can use to pray this prayer: