Commentary

Sunday, 6/16/2019, The Most Holy Trinity

Three Persons – One God

First Reading Commentary: Proverbs 8:22-31

Today’s first reading from the book of Proverbs is written in the first person. It is about wisdom and it is wisdom itself speaking and telling us that it was possessed by the LORD before the earth or anything else was created. Proverbs 8:30-31 says, “Then I was 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.” 

The Holy Spirit is wisdom. So, it is the Holy Spirit who speaks to us as being possessed by the LORD and being with the LORD during the creation of all things. Everything there is: is a result of God’s wisdom to create it.

But this reading is also about the Son—Jesus Christ who is the Alpha and Omega and was also with the Father before and during creation. Think about it: it was the Son who was playing on the surface of the Father’s earth. There are several places in Scripture that we can refer to that tell us that Jesus was there at the beginning. John’s Gospel, John 1:1, 14a, begins by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

There are occasions where the LORD—the Father, speaks of the Spirit in the Old Testament. Here are two occasions. First, in the book of Numbers, the LORD told Moses to commission Joshua as the new leader of the Israelites as they enter the Promised Land. The LORD said, “Take Joshua…a man of spirit, and lay your hand upon him.” Numbers 27:18

Second, In Ezekiel 36:25-27, the LORD promised to cleanse the people of all of their impurities and said, “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you…I will put my spirit within you…”

But it was Christ who identified the Trinity. Christ spoke of His Father, prayed to His Father with humility many times and taught us how to pray to the Father. Christ proclaimed His own divinity and declared that He is the Alpha and Omega. Christ also identified the Spirit as the Advocate, promised to send the Spirit to us and told us what the Spirit would do.

Each person of the Trinity gave of themselves to us. The Father gave the Son. The Son gave His life and the Spirit gave His seven gifts, each of which is a part of Him, the third person of three Persons—One God.

By Faith and Hope, God Is with Us

Second Reading Commentary: Romans 5:1-5

St. Paul speaks of the Trinity in this part of his letter to the Romans. He says that we have been justified by faith and that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access to faith.

Faith is a virtue which is also given to us by the Holy Spirit so you could paraphrase St. Paul’s writing to say, “By the Holy Spirit’s faith within us, we have peace with the Father through the Son, Jesus Christ through whom we gain access to the Spirit’s gift of faith.

This allows us to see the Trinity like a triangle which in fact is a symbol often used for the Trinity. But if you think about this description, St. Paul is telling us that we cannot have one without the other. Therefore, we are with the Trinity when we are with the Son it is because the Spirit is within us and we are also with the Father because the Son is with the Father.

St. Paul says that because of this, we can stand and boast in hope of the glory of God. He says, “We can boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Hope is another virtue given to us by the Holy Spirit.

What does all of this mean? It means that through the Holy Spirit, God, has given us everything that we need to carry our individual crosses in life. God has given us everything we need to believe in Him and obey His commandments. God has given us everything we need to prepare ourselves for His kingdom. It means that God is with us and will not forsake us. All of this: because God loves us.

It’s all about the Trinity

Gospel Commentary: John 16:12-15

Jesus told the disciples that He had much to tell them that they would not understand but that the Spirit of truth would guide them.

The disciples would not understand what Jesus had to tell them because they could not understand the Trinity. None of us can. Jesus was talking to the disciples at the Last Supper and at the time, they were not fully aware of the Trinity because they had not yet experienced the Spirit.

Everything in this gospel points at the Trinity. Jesus said that the Spirit would not speak on His own. This is because God is three persons in one God. When one speaks, they all speak.

Jesus said that the Spirit would glorify Him. Each person of the Trinity glorifies the other two persons. Remember that the Father glorified the Son with the Spirit present when Jesus was baptized and again at the Transfiguration. Both times the Father spoke out, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Jesus always glorified the Father with His humility and obedience to the Father.

Jesus said that everything of the Father’s belongs to the Son and that the Spirit would give it all to the disciples. Again, because God is a Trinity, what one person has, they all have. Therefore, what the Spirit gave the disciples came from God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So, what does this gospel mean to us? First, God speaks to us through the person of the Spirit giving us the Truth.

Second, God took glory in the Son because the Son was humble and obedient. The Son showed His glory to the Father through His humility and obedience. The Spirit glorifies the Son by showing us the truth and bestowing on us His many gifts.

God wants to glorify us too but in order for this to happen we must do as the Son did which means that we have to be humble and give God His glory. We do this by obeying the commandments of the Father and the Son and by listening to the Spirit.

Finally, everything that we have comes from God but He wants to give us more. God wants us to enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven with Him. The Spirit comes to help us by leading us to the light of the Son so that we can reach the Father and the Son in the Kingdom where we will be with all Three for eternity.

Reading 1          Proverbs 8:22-31

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."

Responsorial Psalm          Psalm 8:4-9

R. (2a) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in place — What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet:
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Reading 2          Romans 5:1-5

Brothers and sisters: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Alleluia          Cf. Revelation 1:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel          John 16:12-15

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."