Trinity SundayProverbs 8:22-31 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 The Gospel this weekend is this: John 16:12-15 "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. 13 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. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15 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. The first reading is this: Proverbs 8:22-31 "The LORD begot me, the first-born of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago; 23 From of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains or springs of water; 25 Before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth; 26 While as yet the earth and the fields were not made, nor the first clods of the world. 27 "When he established the heavens I was there, when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep; 28 When he made firm the skies above, when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth; 29 When he set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command; 30 Then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, Playing before him all the while, 31 playing on the surface of his earth; and I found delight in the sons of men. The second reading is this: Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 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. 3 Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, 4 and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, 5 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. MEDITATION: This first Sunday after Pentecost we celebrate the Solemnity of the Trinity. It's great that the very creators of Heaven and earth aren't a he or a she, but a 'them' - a family! And Mary's in there now too. The Gospel is of Jesus saying that the Spirit will continue his work and that the one that guides them both is the Father. And they've revealed to us that He's the Father of all of us. God is our Father, our brother and He's the Spirit that moves us from inside. The first reading this Sunday doesn't say that our Creation was planned like the 'work' of a boring technician, but like the 'play' of a friend who 'finds delight in the sons of men' (Prov 8:31). The book of Proverbs is a proclamation of a person called 'Wisdom', and that's a way of saying that it's of God. Heaven won't be just like a lodging-place, but it's a home - where at last, we'll all feel at home together. From the beginnings of the Bible, God calls individuals in order to gather a 'people'. The Spirit of God unites us as a family of so many different languages and cultures. That was a theme of last Sunday (Pentecost): "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place' (Acts 2:1-6). That 'all together with one accord' is also like a prologue for Trinity Sunday! In 250ad Tertullian clarified the doctrine of the Trinity and at that time Christians were actually more powerful than the Roman Empire itself. But they avoided conflicts and were thereby actually more active in converting Rome! But do we let God move us much? They want to keep creating. Will you help? One thing is to praise the Trinity for creating us, and another is to offer ourselves to them to play whatever part that they want us to play.At mass we take 'communion', and that can develop 'communion' among us. The best way to praise the Trinity is to imitate them. So we won't pray the 'my father' but the 'Our Father'. Maybe you don't feel very much 'at home' with every 'Tom, Dick and Harry' in the church on Sunday (and outside the church having a smoke!), and our world has plenty of dodgy characters, but we should believe that the potential to follow Christ is there in everyone. I like the story of a monastery where the 'prior' told the group of monks one day, that he had received some amazing news: that Jesus Christ himself was actually among them as a fellow monk in disguise. From then on a new thing started happening: the monks started being friendly to each other! Ugly behaviour wasn't something to criticise and run away from, but something to help cure.Well that's the 'Good News' (Gospel) of our unity with the Trinity. Think of Sport. Individuals may be admirable, but even more-so if they play as a good 'team'. According to this selfish world, 'It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.' (That's a famous quote from Gore Vidal). But according to our God, true success is when the whole human family succeeds together. God's got it right. Go for goal as an individual so that many can go with you! Also, think of music. When a group sings in harmony, the music is lovely. But when they're not in harmony or at least singing the same notes, it's not music, it's noise! Christ doesn't form a Church just to increase the volume, but to join in the harmonious music of the Trinity! Of course St Paul isn't referring to singing as such, but he wrote this: 'May God grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify God.' (Rom 15:5-6). Thinking of how the Trinity unite people, remember that as Jesus was calling Peter, who fished to earn a living and overcome the difficulty of paying taxes, he also called Mathew the 'tax collector'! They became companions following Christ. That teaches us that the call to be community excludes no-one and engenders a surprising companionship. If we're Christians but not doing what we can to form community then we're not really following Christ. In the initial centuries of Christianity, some chose to live as hermits, but since the third century, that's been rejected. God wants us to live as a community. We are created in his image and likeness and the Trinity is family! We're not called to be one the same as the other. Variety is a richness. On Trinity Sunday 1999, as an Irishman in Spain, I was seated next to an English guy, a Jamaican and an ex-soldier from Singapore. The homily of the community mass was given by a Pole with a translator! We can all go together! The modern world teaches everyone to be themselves, but what a pity we don't realize what we ourselves are - we're all part of each other! When a man ignores the call to form community, he's denying his own self. "I have the right to be myself" - but do we realize who our 'self' is? This may sound strange, but if I were to imagine the Trinity sitting down at table for a meal together, I'd see them discussing problems but with hope, and also with humor! I like to quote Sam Hall: 'As children we learn to laugh. As we grow up, we learn to laugh at. As adults we learn to laugh with.'. I like what Jane Austin wrote: 'A healthy part of life is to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn'. God is family - with a maternal presence in Mary, and they call us all to be the human family! So this Sunday, the best way to praise the Trinity is by deciding to follow their example. And living as a unified 'family' isn't a task to 'put up with', but a task to enjoy! I remind you that my new E-mail is [email protected] …just in case you want to 'give-out' to me! ...........Dara. En ESPAÑOL: Domingo de la Trinidad: Prov 8:22-31. Rom 5:1-5. Jn 16:12-15 Este primer Domingo después de Pentecostés celebramos la Solemnidad de la Trinidad. ¡Es bueno que los mismos creadores de Cielo y tierra no son un él o una ella, sino un 'ellos' - una familia! Y María está ahora también en ella. El Evangelio es de Jesús diciendo que el Espíritu continuará su trabajo y que el que les guía a todos es el Padre. Y ellos han revelado a nosotros que Él es el Padre de todos. Dios es nuestro Padre, nuestro hermano y Él es el Espíritu que nos mueve por dentro. La primera lectura este domingo no dice que nuestra Creación se planeó como ‘el trabajo aburrido de un técnico’, sino como el 'juego' de un amigo que 'se regocija en los hijos de los hombres’ (Prov 8:31). El libro de Proverbios es una proclamación de una persona llamada 'Sabiduría’, y ésa es una manera de decir que es de Dios. El cielo no estará simplemente como un alojamiento sino como un hogar - donde por fin llegaremos todos a disfrutar juntos en casa. Desde los principios de la Biblia, Dios llama a individuos a recogerles a la gente. El Espíritu de Dios nos une como una familia de muchas culturas y idiomas diferentes. Ése era un tema del domingo pasado (Pentecostés): "Cuando el Día de Pentecostés había venido, ellos eran todos con un acuerdo en un lugar' (Actos 2:1-6). ¡Estar 'todos juntos con un acuerdo' también es como un prólogo del domingo de la Trinidad! En 250ad Tertullian clarificó la doctrina de Trinidad y en ese momento los Cristianos estaban realmente más poderosos que el propio Imperio Romano. ¡Pero ellos evitaron los conflictos y eran por eso realmente dieron más fruto convirtiendo Roma! ¿Pero nosotros permitimos a Dios movernos mucho? Ellos quieren seguir creando. ¿Les ayudamos? Una cosa es alabarla a la Trinidad por crearnos, y otro es ofrecerse a ellos para tomar el parte que quieren que tomemos. En la misa recibimos todos 'la comunión', y eso puede desarrollar 'la comunión' entre nosotros. La manera mejor de alabarles a la Trinidad es en imitarles. Entonces no oraremos el 'padre mío' sino el ‘Padre Nuestro’. Quizás no te sientes muy 'en casa' con cada 'Fulano' en la iglesia el domingo (¡y fuera de la iglesia fumando un cigarrillo!), y nuestro mundo tiene bastantes caracteres extraños, pero deberíamos creer que el potencial para seguirle a Cristo está en todos. Me gusta la historia de un monasterio dónde el 'prior' dijo un día al grupo de monjes, que él había recibido una noticias asombrosa: que Jesucristo mismo realmente estaba entre ellos fingiendo como un monje compañero. Desde aquel momento una nueva cosa empezó: ¡los monjes empezaron a ser amistosos uno con el otro! Los habitos feos no eran cosas para creiticar y castigar sino para intentar curar amistosaqmente. Pues eso es la Buena Nueva (‘el Evangelio’) de nuestra unión con la Trinidad. Piense en el deporte. Los individuos pueden ser admirables, pero incluso más-así si juegan como 'equipo' bueno. Según este mundo egoísta, 'No basta tener éxito tú. Hace falta que otros fallan.' (Ésa es una cita famosa de Gore Vidal). Pero según nuestro Dios, el verdadero éxito es cuando la familia humana entera tiene éxito juntos. Dios lo pide claramente. ¡Vaya tú mismo por la meta para que muchos podrán seguirte! También, piense en música. Cuando un grupo canta en armonía, la música es encantadora. Pero cuando no están en armonía o al menos cantando las mismas notas, no es ninguna música, ¡es ruido! ¡Cristo no forma una Iglesia solamente para aumentar el volumen, sino para unirnos en la música armoniosa de la Trinidad! San Pablo no está refiriéndose al cantar en tal, pero escribió esto: 'Espero que Dios os hará pensar entre si con armonía, siguiendole a Cristo Jesus para que podréis glorificarle a Dios con una voz.' (Rom 15:5-6). Pensando en cómo la Trinidad une a las personas, recuerda que cuando Jesús estaba llamando a Pedro que pescaba para ganarse la vida y superar la dificultad de pagar impuestos, Jesús también llamó a Mateo ¡'el cobrador de impuestos! Acabaron como compañeros siguiendo a Jesús. Eso nos enseña que la llamada a ser comunidad no excluye a nadie y engendra un compañerismo sorprendente. Si somos ‘Cristianos’ pero no haciendo lo que podemos para formar la comunidad, entonces realmente no somos seguidores de Cristo. En los siglos iniciales de la cristiandad, algunos escogieron vivir como ermitaños, pero desde el tercer siglo, la Iglesia estaba en contra de eso. Dios quiere que vivamos como una comunidad. ¡Estamos creados en su imagen y semejanza y la Trinidad es familia! No estamos llamados a ser uno igual que el otro. La variedad es una riqueza. En el domingo de la Trinidad 1999 - como un irlandés en España, yo me senté al lado de un tipo inglés, un jamaicano y un ex-soldado de Singapur. ¡La homilía de la misa de la comunidad fue dada por una polaca con un traductor! ¡Es posible que todos vayan juntos! ¡El mundo moderno enseña a todos a ser sí mismo, pero ¡qué lástima si no comprendemos lo que somos. ¡Somos todos una parte uno del otro! Cuando uno ignora la llamada a formar comunidad, está negando a su propio ego. "Yo tengo el derecho de ser yo" - pero ¿comprendemos que es nuestro 'mismo' ser? ¡Esto puede parecer extraño, pero si yo imaginaba a la Trinidad sentándose juntos a la mesa para una comida, yo les vería hablar de los problemas de la familia humana pero con esperanza, y también con humor! Me gusta citarle a Sam Hall: 'Como niños aprendemos a reírnos. Cuando nos crecemos,aprendemos a reírnos de otras personas. Como adultos aprendemos a reírnos juntos con otras personas.'. Me gusta lo que escribió Jane Austin: 'Una parte saludable de la vida es hacerse gracioso para nuestros vecinos, y también reírse a veces de ellos.' ¡Dios es familia - con una presencia maternal en María, y ellos nos llaman a todos a ser la familia humana! Entonces la manera mejor de alabar a la Trinidad este Domingo es decidiendo seguir su ejemplo. ¡Y vivir como familia unida no es una tarea al cual nos toca aguantar sino una tarea del cual vamos a disfrutar! Os recuerdo que mi nuevo E-mail es [email protected]… ¡por si acaso quieres darme bronca!
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