DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 19, 2011
SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY TRINITY
12TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – A

Ex 34:4-6, 8-9 / Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 / 2 Cor 13:11-13 / Jn 3:16-18

EXODUS 34:4B–6, 8–9
Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai as Yahweh had
commanded, taking in his hands the two slabs of stone. And Yahweh came
down in a cloud and stood there with him, and Moses called on the name
of Yahweh. Then Yahweh passed in front of him and cried out, "Yahweh,
Yahweh is a God full of pity and mercy, slow to anger and abounding in
truth and loving-kindness." Moses hastened to bow down to the ground
and worshiped. He then said, "If you really look kindly on me, my
Lord, please come and walk in our midst and even though we are a stiff-
necked people, pardon our wickedness and our sin and make us yours."

2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-13
Brothers and sisters, be happy, strive to be perfect, have courage, be
of one mind and live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be
with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet
you. The grace of Christ Jesus the Lord, the love of God and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

JOHN 3:16-18
Jesus said to Nicodemus, "God so loved the world that he gave his only
Son that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but may have eternal
life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world;
instead, through him the world is to be saved. Whoever believes in him
will not be condemned. He who does not believe is already condemned,
because he has not believed in the Name of the only Son of God."

REFLECTION
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity. We often begin and
end our prayers with the sign of the cross, which is the expression of
our belief in the Blessed Trinity – "In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." To put it simply, the mystery of the
Holy Trinity symbolizes that: in the oneness of God there are three
distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is God, the
Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Yet, there are not three gods,
but only one God.

The mystery of the Holy Trinity was God's revelation to us. The best-
known Bible reference to the Trinity is from the final paragraph of
Matthew's Gospel; Jesus instructed his disciples: "Go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

There are other references to the Trinity in the Bible. The image of
the Trinity is also indicated at the baptism of Jesus. Luke writes,
"[While] Jesus … was praying, heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit
descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from
heaven, `You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'" But the
most frequent mention of the Trinity is in John's Gospel, one of which
is: "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to
be with you always, the Spirit of truth." (John 14:16-17)

The most fascinating theology of the Trinity is found in Luke. For
Luke, the Old Testament period is the "era of the Father," the Gospel
period is the "era of the Son," and the post-Gospel period that begins
with Pentecost is the "era of the Holy Spirit." And finally, we find
numerous allusions of the Trinity in St. Paul's letters. The second
reading is a typical blessing from Paul: "The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
with all of you."

Which person of the Trinity do we best relate to? Do we relate to the
Father, who created us and loves more than we love ourselves? Or do we
best relate to the Son, who lived among us and showed his love by
dying on the cross for us? Or is it the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
and the Son sent to guide us in the way of truth and holiness? Or
perhaps we best relate to all three Persons in a general way under the
single title of "God?"

When we pray the "Our Father" which Jesus taught us, we also relate to
the Father as the creator and provider when we say, "Give us this day
our daily bread." We relate to Jesus the Son, who died for us to
reconcile us to God, when we say, "And forgive us our sins…" And we
relate to the Holy Spirit as our guide and inspiration when we say,
"Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from evil."

Some people find helpful in making the Trinity come alive in their own
lives by taking three minutes every night to replay the day, before
retiring for the evening. During the first minute, they reflect on the
high point of their day, perhaps something good that happened to them,
like keeping calm in light of problems. They speak to the Father about
it and thank Him for it. During the second minute, they pick out the
low point of their day, like encountering a crisis or maybe regret for
something said or something left undone. They speak to Jesus about it
and ask him to forgive them. During the third minute, they look ahead
to tomorrow, to some critical point, like having to settle some issues
with another person or perhaps a decision to be made. They speak to
the Holy Spirit about it and ask for the wisdom and courage to deal
with it properly. This exercise combines prayer with an examination of
conscience. But more importantly, it brings the Holy Trinity into the
ordinary things of our everyday lives.

Let's conclude with the recitation of the Trinitarian prayer and
action that has become the trademark of our faith: "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."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the personal intentions of Josheil Dapo
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Aung San Suu Kyi
- Birthday: Rev. Fr. Joselin C. Gonda
- Wedding Anniversary: Jun & Shirley Lim
- Prayer Intention: Emelinda Teck Yu
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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