Reading I
Thus says the wisdom of God:
"The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
from of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of water;
before the mountains were settled into place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world.
"When the Lord established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
when he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
when he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race."
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."
Reflection
Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday, a feast which honors and proclaims who God is. While it can be intimidating to discuss the Holy Trinity, since there are so many ways to misunderstand it, today is a day where our Church calls us to delve into this mystery. A mystery is not a truth we can never know, but rather a truth so large it is infinitely knowable.While we can never grasp it fully, it summons us to further and further contemplation of its depths.
The very fact that it is so hard for us to fully understand how God could be three persons in one is fodder for our meditation. Our God’s very being is beyond our human understanding—is this not a beautiful testimony to the fact that God precedes and exceeds all human logic and invention? This teaching reminds us that God is not a powerful creature of myths, but rather a being who is being—a Lord who is beyond our universe.
That said, there is more to ponder than God’s incomprehensibility. As stated, this mystery offers infinite truths for us to know and cherish. Our readings today reveal aspects of the Trinity, and they remind us that while God is outside of time, space, and our limited reason, God has simultaneously descended infinitely close to us, and is constantly living and moving in our Church and our hearts.
Jesus demonstrates in the Gospel how each person of the Trinity is distinct, and yet They are perfectly united in a sharing of Themselves: “He [the Spirit] will glorify Me [the Son], because He will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine...” There is a sharing of truth and love between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and God shares this truth and love with us, His adopted children, with and through His begotten Son, Jesus. By means of the Spirit, God brings us into the dynamism of Himself, allowing us to participate in the exchange of truth and love that makes up the Trinity.
How beautiful that Jesus calls it His glory when the Spirit shares His truth with us! On this Trinity Sunday, I invite you to ponder how a loving, truthful gift of Himself is who God is, and that we get to be a part of it—a part of Him.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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