Jesus said to Nicodemus,
‘God loved the world so much
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him
may not be lost
but may have eternal life.
For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.
No one who believes in him will be condemned;
but whoever refuses to believe
is condemned already,
because he has refused to believe
in the name of God’s only Son.’’

(John 3:16-18)

Reflection

A quick look at the readings for today shows very clearly that the Feast of the Trinity is a celebration of God’s love for humankind. It is a day for reflecting on who God is, not for trying to figure out how there can be three persons in one God.

The Church’s focus today is on experience, not theology.

In intellectual terms, God remains a mystery. For people of faith, God is known not by the mind, but by the heart. That is what spirituality and mysticism are about - exploring our experience of God.

In the first reading God is proclaimed as a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger and rich in mercy; a God who walks with his people.

Paul’s words in the second reading are born out of his belief that, having been made in the image and likeness of God, Christians must always act in the image and likeness of God.

Through our public liturgy, private prayer and contemplation we come to experience - to ‘know’ and feel in our hearts - that God loves us, accepts us, forgives us and constantly invites us into an ever deeper experience of love.

When we allow God’s heart to speak to ours in love we begin to absorb more of God’s life into our own. We are being transformed. Our values and attitudes, our ways of looking at and being in the world start to change. We begin to see with God’s eyes and feel with God’s heart.

We become passionate about the things God is passionate about: speaking truthfully, acting with justice and integrity, looking out for each other and especially for the vulnerable, promoting peace and understanding, ending competition and discrimination, respecting life.

That makes us better people and our lives become a blessing for each other and for the world.

That is what it means to live out of God’s great gift to us, the Spirit of Jesus Christ which God has placed in our hearts. God becomes enfleshed in us and we become stewards of God’s grace and life.

You can download and print our prayers and reflection for this Sunday.

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The Merciful Trinity - Sr Caritas Müller OP, 2007

The Father, in the circle on the right, bends over the human person, holding him tenderly, supporting his body and kissing his forehead. This is God the Father who welcomes and embraces us, who hears our pleas and supports us, who loves us into life and sustains us in our suffering. This is the mercy of the Father, loving us, holding us and treasuring us at every minute of our lives.

The Son, in the left circle, gently touches the man’s feet, tending his wounds. The image reminds us of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan when the Samaritan stops to attend to the needs of a man who had fallen into the hands of robbers who had beaten him and left him near dead (Lk: 10:30-35). It also reminds us of the Last Supper when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples (Jn 13:3-16). This is the Son, who assumed our fragile and vulnerable condition and became human, one like us in all things but sin. This is the Son who showed his great love, hospitality and compassion for each and everyone. Everyone is welcome in his presence.

The Holy Spirit, in the middle, looks down lovingly on the human person as if beckoning him to awaken and arise. The image reminds us of the Spirit’s epiphany in the form of tongues of fire at Pentecost and in the form of a dove at Jesus’ baptism. The tongues of fire warm us and enliven us. The dove hovers over us and protects us, inspiring us to respond to the new life that is offered to us. It is the Spirit who leads us to the Son and, through the Son, to the Father. It is the Spirit who teaches us how to pray, who guides us, who shows us our mission here on earth and who grants us the gifts that we need to accomplish it. This is the Trinity of three divine persons who together are one God, who supports us in our suffering, responds to our needs with unfailing love and compassion, and urges us to new life and good works for the building up of community.