"Hear the Word! by Bill Ayres: Solemnity of the Holy Trinity
A reading from the Book of Exodus
(Chapter 34:4b-6, 8, 9)
“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.”
This is one of the critical moments in the history of Israel, Moses receiving the Ten Commandments from God and pleading with God, “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.”
The false gods that Moses knew of at that time did not have the wonderful qualities that Moses attributes to the one true God: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, full of kindness and fidelity. That is the God that we believe in today.
Responsorial Psalm
(Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
“Glory and praise forever.” Yes, especially today, amid the horrors that we face in our society and in our world: warfare, millions of refugees, intractable poverty, climate change, and senseless deaths by gunfire. In these times, it may be harder for some to believe in this one true God, but it is ever more important.
A reading from St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians
(Chapter 13:11-13)
Here is a beautiful blessing from Paul to a people in crisis and great danger. “Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the love of God 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.”
Here we have a trinitarian blessing has been used from the beginning of Christianity.
I remember being taught as a child in Catholic school that we are all created “in the image and likeness of God” and that God was not an isolated being but a community of persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That being true, then we are all communal beings, starting with our families and moving out from there to friendships, various community groups, and the community of our Church. Of course, each of us is an individual, and we can and should pray to God in solitude, but praying in community is also something in our very nature. We don’t attend Mass only because it is an “obligation,” but because we want to worship in the assembly, the Body of Christ.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John
(Chapter 3:16-18)
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but 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.”
Many people think of God as “up there” or “out there somewhere,” but God, the Father, shared his life with us in his Son, Jesus, whose body and blood we receive in the Eucharist. The Holy Spirit of God lives within every one of us. God is not “there” or “there.” God is here, now, and we can experience his presence as the Holy Trinity in the privacy of our prayer and in the celebration of the Paschal Mystery with the assembled church.
✝️
Photograph by Sharon Sentima on Unsplash.
Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
Bill Ayres was a founder, with the late singer Harry Chapin, of WhyHunger. He has been a radio and TV broadcaster for 40 years and has two weekly Sunday-night shows on WPLJ, 95.5 FM in New York. He is a member of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, New York.
Subscribe
Recent Posts
Topics
- Sharon Krause (136)
- RENEW International (124)
- Reflections on the coming Sunday's Gospel (111)
- Hear the Word! by Bill Ayres (41)
- Bill Ayres (38)
- Indwelling of the Holy Spirit (21)
- Jesus Christ (16)
- Lent (14)
- Advent (11)
- everyday prayer (11)
- Lenten season (10)
- The Everyday Gospel: Deacon Charles Paolino (10)
- John the Baptist (8)
- Jesus Christ the King (7)
- take time to pray (7)
- trust in God (7)
- Catholic social teaching (6)
- God in daily life (6)
- Gratitude to God (6)
- The Good Shepherd (6)
- forgiveness (6)
- justice (6)
- praying (6)
- resurrection (6)
- Advent prayer (5)
- Dignity and the Death Penalty (5)
- Fifth Sunday of Lent (5)
- Palm Sunday (5)
- Scripture (5)
- Third Sunday of Lent (5)
- gratitude (5)
- patience (5)
- renewing our faith (5)
- Christmas (4)
- Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (4)
- Fourth Sunday in Lent (4)
- Gifts of the Holy Spirit (4)
- Lenten journey (4)
- Second Sunday of Advent (4)
- Second Sunday of Lent (4)
- Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (4)
- Sign of the Cross (4)
- Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (4)
- The Holy Spirit accompanies us (4)
- The Resurrection of the Lord (4)
- care for those in poverty (4)
- daily prayer (4)
- death penalty (4)
- epiphany (4)
- faith in Jesus (4)
- first sunday of Lent (4)
- mercy (4)
- prayer (4)
- spontaneous prayer (4)
- suffering servant (4)
- third sunday in ordinary time (4)
- 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (3)
- 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (3)
- Awaken to the Spirit (3)
- Easter (3)
- Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (3)
- Fifth Sunday of Easter (3)
- God's forgiveness (3)
- God's gifts (3)
- God's love (3)
- Holy Spirit (3)
- Holy Trinity (3)
- Jesus walks on water (3)
- Marian devotion (3)
- Pentecost (3)
- Seventh Sunday of Easter (3)
- Sixth Sunday of Easter (3)
- Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (3)
- The Ascension (3)
- body and blood of Christ (3)
- celebration of the Eucharist (3)
- dignity of each person (3)
- doubting Thomas (3)
- feast of pentecost (3)
- gifts from God (3)
- good deeds (3)
- humility (3)
- open to the Holy Spirit (3)
- pray for peace (3)
- solemnity of the most holy body and blood of chris (3)
- spreading good news (3)
- woman at the well (3)
- 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (2)
- 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (2)
- 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (2)
- 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (2)
- Annunciation (2)
- Baptism of the Lord (2)
- Christ the King (2)
- Christian discipleship (2)
- Christmas Day (2)
- Christmas shopping (2)
- Easter joy (2)
- Easter season of rebirth (2)
- Eucharist (2)
- Feeding the hungry (2)
- First Sunday of Advent (2)
- Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2)
- Fourth Sunday of Easter (2)
- God is love (2)
- God who loves you (2)
- God's unconditional love for all (2)
- Good News (2)
- Holy Eucharist (2)
- Jesus as teacher (2)
- Jesus healing (2)
- Jesus loves us (2)
- Jesus’ Resurrection (2)
- Lent prayer (2)
- Mary (2)
- Mary's House (2)
- Nativity of the Lord (2)
- Spirit of love (2)
- St John the Baptist (2)
- St. Joseph (2)
- Temptation of Christ (2)
- The Rosary (2)
- The golden rule (2)
- Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (2)
- attitude of gratitude (2)
- baptism (2)
- bread of life (2)
- distractions from prayer (2)
- divinity of Jesus (2)
- encounter with Christ (2)
- eternal life (2)
- evangelization (2)
- fourth sunday in ordinary time (2)
- fourth sunday of advent (2)
- generosity (2)
- give thanks to God (2)
- good works (2)
- gratefulness (2)
- having faith (2)
- holding grudges (2)
- holy spirit at work (2)
- hope in the Lord (2)
- kindness (2)
- love one another as I love you (2)
- man born blind (2)
- mental incompetence (2)
- need prayer and reflection (2)
- persist in prayer (2)
- prayer life (2)
- prayer of gratitude (2)
- prayers of gratitude (2)
- raising of Lazarus (2)
- reconciliation (2)
- recreate yourself this New Year (2)
- road to Emmaus (2)
- saint (2)
- scripture readings (2)
- second coming of Christ (2)
- second sunday in ordinary time (2)
- servant leadership (2)
- sharing our gifts (2)
- solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (2)
- spiritual grouth (2)
- spiritual renewal (2)
- spread the Gospel (2)
- teaching children about God (2)
- the miraculous catch of fish (2)
- thinking (2)
- third sunday of advent (2)
- transfiguration of the Lord (2)
- use your gifts (2)
- wedding feast at Cana (2)
- woman found in adultery (2)
- words (2)
- 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- 4th Sunday of Lent (1)
- Abba (1)
- Acts of love (1)
- Advent journey (1)
- Advent season (1)
- Ascension (1)
- Assumption of Mary (1)
- Be awake (1)
- Birth of John the Baptist (1)
- Book of Wisdom (1)
- Book of the Prophet Amos (1)
- Catholic education (1)
- Charity (1)
- Charles Paolino (1)
- Christ's love (1)
- Christian unity (1)
- Creator God (1)
- Crucifxion (1)
- Dying to new life (1)
- Easter Sunday (1)
- Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- Father Son and Holy Spirit (1)
- Feast of the Holy Family (1)
- Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- Gentiles (1)
- God always with you (1)
- God full of love (1)
- God is our help (1)
- God is with us (1)
- God's blessings (1)
- God's generosity (1)
- God's guidance (1)
- God's healing (1)
- God's mercy (1)
- God's presence (1)
- God's presence in life (1)
- God's voice (1)
- Good Shepherd (1)
- Hail Holy Queen (1)
- Holy Week (1)
- Inspired by the Holy Spirit (1)
- Jesus Christ is born (1)
- Jesus as high priest (1)
- Jesus feeds the multitude (1)
- Jesus' love (1)
- Jesus' miracles (1)
- Joseph (1)
- Joseph of Arimathea (1)
- Laura DePalma (1)
- Lenten (1)
- Lenten Prayer (1)
- Let the little children come to me (1)
- Love your neighbor as yourself (1)
- Mary Magdalene (1)
- Mary mother of God (1)
- Messiah (1)
- Nativity (1)
- New Covenant (1)
- New Year (1)
- Prediction of the Passion (1)
- Prophet Ezekiel (1)
- Prophet Jeremiah (1)
- Rely on Jesus (1)
- Sadducees (1)
- Saint Peter (1)
- Santa Claus (1)
- Savior of the world (1)
- Second Sunday of Easter (1)
- Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- Small-Group Ministry (1)
- Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul (1)
- Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (1)
- Sr. Helen Prejean (1)
- St. Nicholas (1)
- St. Nicholas of Bari (1)
- St. Thomas (1)
- St. patrick (1)
- Suffering Messiah (1)
- Sunday (1)
- Sunday Mass (1)
- Sunday Matters (1)
- Sunday readings (1)
- Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- The Lord's Prayer (1)
- The holy name (1)
- The rich young man (1)
- Third Sunday of Easter (1)
- Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- War in Ukraine (1)
- You shall love the Lord your God (1)
- Zacchaeus (1)
- almsgiving (1)
- applying Scripture to your life (1)
- authentic discipleship (1)
- authority of Jesus (1)
- awareness (1)
- be less judgmental (1)
- being a disciple (1)
- being positive (1)
- bible study (1)
- birth of our Savior (1)
- bread from heaven (1)
- call to discipleship (1)
- catholic renew progam (1)
- centering prayer (1)
- choices (1)
- connecting faith and life (1)
- counting our blessings (1)
- courage (1)
- crèche (1)
- discipleship (1)
- divine mercy (1)
- divorce (1)
- do not be afraid (1)
- driving responsibly (1)
- evangelize by witness (1)
- evangelizer (1)
- fasting (1)
- fear not (1)
- follow Jesus (1)
- follow the gospel (1)
- following the way of the cross (1)
- gift of faith (1)
- giving things up for Lent (1)
- go in peace (1)
- good Samaritan (1)
- good christian lives (1)
- good will (1)
- greatest commandment (1)
- growing in faith (1)
- healing of the blind man (1)
- hope in God (1)
- human dignity (1)
- humanity and divinity of Christ (1)
- humble life (1)
- imitating Jesus (1)
- inclusion (1)
- inner peace (1)
- intimacy with Christ (1)
- joy and wonder of the resurrection (1)
- joy from the Lord (1)
- listening to God (1)
- little prayers (1)
- lives of joy and gladness (1)
- lives of saints (1)
- love of neighbor (1)
- love one another (1)
- love your neighbor (1)
- magnificence of God's love (1)
- marriage (1)
- meek and humble of heart (1)
- mental health (1)
- minister with humility (1)
- ministry of evangelization (1)
- mission (1)
- new beginnings (1)
- online community (1)
- online small groups (1)
- optimism (1)
- parable of the hidden treasure (1)
- parable of the pearl (1)
- parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee (1)
- parables (1)
- patron of the universal catholic church (1)
- peace (1)
- peace of mind (1)
- penance (1)
- persecution (1)
- praying with children (1)
- problem solving (1)
- promise of new life (1)
- reach out to others in mercy and love (1)
- rebrand (1)
- remembering (1)
- renew our faith (1)
- renewed outlook on faith (1)
- respect for the will of God (1)
- restraint (1)
- resurrection in our lives (1)
- sabbath (1)
- saint joseph (1)
- saint nicholas (1)
- saints (1)
- salvation is through Jesus (1)
- say yes to God's will (1)
- saying grace (1)
- season of Lent (1)
- self-awareness (1)
- self-sacrifice (1)
- serenity (1)
- sharing your faith (1)
- silent prayer (1)
- small faith sharing groups (1)
- social justice (1)
- something new (1)
- spend time with Jesus (1)
- starting fresh (1)
- status of women (1)
- suffering (1)
- summer (1)
- summer as time to reflect on God's presence (1)
- thanking God (1)
- the common good (1)
- the examined life (1)
- the just one (1)
- thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (1)
- three meditations (1)
- transfiguration (1)
- treatment of women (1)
- true wisdom (1)
- trust in God's mercy (1)
- universal Church (1)
- use time well (1)
- voice crying out in the desert (1)
- we remember (1)
- wedding garment (1)
- wisdom (1)
- women in the Church (1)
- wonder of creation (1)
Share a Comment