1. Sunday Readings Commentary and Reflections
June 11, 2017
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity A
In preparation for this Sunday’s Liturgy
As aid in focusing our homilies and sharing
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

2. The focus is on God the Father.
1st reading: Exodus 34,4b-6.8-9
4 Early the next morning, Moses went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets. 5 Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with him there and proclaimed his name, "LORD." 6 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.” 8 Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. 9 Then he said, "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."
The focus is on God the Father.

3. 1st reading: Exodus 34,4b-6.8-9 Moses
A simple outline!
Moses
4 Early the next morning, Moses went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets.
The Lord
5 Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with him there and proclaimed his name, "LORD." 6 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.”
8 Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. 9 Then he said, "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."

4. 1st reading: Exodus 34,4b-6.8-9
Moses
4 Early the next morning, Moses went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets.
The Lord
5 Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with him there and proclaimed his name, "LORD." 6 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.”
8 Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. 9 Then he said, "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."
Commentary
In v.4, Moses obeys God and he goes up to the mountain to meet him.
In v.5, God comes down, stands with Moses and proclaims his name, “Lord.”
In v.6, the Lord declares himself to be a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.
In v.8, Moses acknowledges God by showing a sign of reverence.
In v.9, Moses asks a favor from God. He invites him to go to his people (though stiff-necked) and to pardon their sins and to receive them as his own.
Here, Moses intercedes for his people.

5. Reflections on the 1st reading
God is forgiving to his wayward people.
Though he can be turned off, like a human being, by the unbecoming behavior of his chosen people, God can still be patient and understanding.
The text is an invitation to all of us, sinners, to go back to him.
No one should be afraid to turn back to him.
God is merciful.
Let us not play games with God. It is not our business to test his limits. Our mischievous deeds backfire.

6. Resp. Ps. Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
52 Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; 53 And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
54 Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
55 Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
56 Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

7. Resp. Ps. Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
Commentary
The responsorial psalm comes not from the book of Psalms, but from the book of Daniel.
It is a prayer blessing and praising God.
Each verse repeats, “praiseworthy and exalted above all forever / for all ages.”
Vv see God as the God of their history (fathers), with his holy and glorious name.
Vv state where God is praised:
In the temple
On the throne of his kingdom
On the throne upon the cherubim
R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
52 Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; 53 And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
54 Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
55 Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
56 Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

8. Reflection on the Psalm
The purpose of our life is not just to eat and drink, but to give praise to the Lord.
It is unbecoming of us if we don’t recognize God’s power and glory.
We should spend our prime time acknowledging his majesty.
Practice the spirituality of stewardship. Recognize that everything comes from God. Be grateful.

9. 2nd reading: 2 Corinthians 13,11-13
11 Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. 13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you.
The focus is on the Trinity.

10. 2nd reading: 2 Corinthians 13,11-13
A simple outline!
Exhortations
11 Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you.
Greetings
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you.

11. 2nd reading: 2 Corinthians 13,11-13
Exhortations
11 Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you.
Greetings
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you.
Commentary
Vv give exhortations.
Rejoice (smile, don’t be sad)
Mend your ways (refine your behavior, don’t be silly)
Encourage one another (be kind with words)
Live in peace (don’t be a troublemaker)
Greet one another… (acknowledge the presence of others)
Only two sentences in vv are not in the imperative mood.
The God of love and peace will be with you.
All the holy ones greet you.
In v.13, Paul greets the Corinthians. The liturgy has adopted this formula in the greetings at the beginning of the mass.

12. Reflections on the 2nd reading
St. Paul, the author, expresses his fatherly concern to the Christians in Corinth, writing from Ephesus.
As a missionary, preacher and teacher, he reminds them of the good Christian behaviors.
The recommended Christian behaviors are useful for the building up of the Christian community in Corinth.
We, Christians, living at the present age, need also to exhibit good behavior towards others.
We remind ourselves to be: joyful and peaceable.
We acknowledge the presence of each one, by wishing them well, in the name of the Holy Trinity.

13. The focus is on the Father and the Son.
Gospel reading: John 3,16-18
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
The focus is on the Father and the Son.

14. Gospel reading: John 3,16-18 God’s salvific love
A simple outline!
God’s salvific love
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Man’s faith-response
18 Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

15. Gospel reading: John 3,16-18 God’s salvific love
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Commentary
V.16 affirms God’s love to the world.
It is not just an ordinary love.
It is a passionate love, as indicated in the phrase “God so loved…”
It is also indicated by the fact that he gives his only Son.
His Son is not an ordinary gift.
It is a total gift of Himself.
Faith in him brings about life eternal, not perdition.
V.17 reinforces God’s purpose for sending his Son: that the world might be saved through him, not to condemn it.
Notice here that the world represents humans, not the world that is opposed to God.

16. Gospel reading: John 3,16-18 Man’s faith-response
18 Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
V.18 makes an encouraging statement to those, who want eternal life and salvation.
All they have to do is to believe in the Son.
V.18 also mentions about those who don’t believe and what happens to them: condemnation.
Those who don’t believe are predestined to be condemned, because they have not believed in the first place.
It is a big mistake not to believe in the only Son of God.

17. Reflections on the gospel reading
The gospel reading states God’s loving purpose to the world (humanity): eternal life.
What the world (humanity) needs to do is to believe (accept) in the only Son of God, who comes precisely to save us.
Those who miss the point (purpose) of God has devastating effect: perdition, condemnation, no hope.
Listeners of this gospel message should take seriously God’s Son.

18. Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm
The first reading encourages the people (sinners) to have hope in God because he is a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.
The responsorial psalm exhorts us to praise God in his house.
The second reading encourages good Christian behavior. The Christian must be positive in his dealings with other people. Christians must be saints (holy).
The gospel reading encourages the readers and listeners (sinners) to believe in Jesus in order to have life eternal.

19. How to develop your homily / sharing
What is the meaning of the Holy Trinity to us?
The Father is a merciful God, who gives consideration to sinners (stiff-necked people). (1st reading)
The Son is a gift of God, and when received (believed), he brings us to salvation. (gospel)
Real believers of Jesus will necessarily exhibit inspiring behavior to other people. (2nd reading)
Where is the Holy Spirit? We know him together with the Father and the Son in the second reading.

20. We can develop the meaning of the greeting, v
We can develop the meaning of the greeting, v.13, in the second reading:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the holy Spirit be with all of you.”
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: charis, favor
The love of God: agape, love, the highest Christian virtue
The fellowship / communion of the Holy Spirit: koinonia, participation, sharing
What more can we ask if we have them all as desired in this greeting?
This is the Christian greeting par excellence, rightly considered by the liturgists, who put it at the start of the Mass.

21. If the triune God is with us and if we are filled with the gifts, which each person of the Trinity gives us, there is nothing more to ask.
This is what we call the fullness of life.
Our hearts cannot but rejoice and be thankful.
Our minds cannot but put God and his gifts into our memory. We live and grow in pleasant memories.
Our souls cannot but soar up into heaven, our true home, which can be anticipated now through our proper Christian behavior.

22. We, Catholics, believe in the Holy Trinity.
We must be the luckiest and the happiest believers in the world.
We are Trinitarians, who believe in a super gracious and merciful God.
As Trinitarians, we live our faith by making the sign of the cross at the beginning and end of our prayers and liturgies.
We are baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity.
We pattern our communities (BECs) after the Trinity.

23. In the eucharist, we affirm our faith in the Trinity.
In the eucharist, we give glory to the Holy Trinity.
The eucharist strengthens our belief in the Holy Trinity, the holy Community, that makes us holy as a community.
In the eucharist, we participate in the life of the Trinity, as communion of communities.

24. Our Context of Sin and Grace
Denying the Triune God
No faith in the merciful God
Does not celebrate
Does not acknowledge God’s greatness
Does not relate
Does not communicate
Trinitarian faith
Faith that leads to community life
Faith that leads to thankfulness and celebration
Living in the mystery of the Trinity
The End

25. Suggested Songs The Living God by Sebastian Temple
God Father Praise and Glory