Bible Diary

Daily Reading

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

LECTIONARY
164

FIRST READING

EX 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.
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."

PSALM

DN 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

Response: Glory and praise for ever!

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.

Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

SECOND READING

2 COR 13:11-13

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.
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.

GOSPEL

JN 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 might 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.
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.

Daily Reflection

The concept of the Holy Trinity has always been a mystery, with scholars trying to explain: how three persons can be one God; how each of them is distinct and yet not separate; how even though the Son proceeds from the Father, and the Spirit from the Father and the Son, yet the three always existed from the very beginning; how even though they are each attributed different functions – creator, redeemer, sanctifier – the three function as one!

But rather than analyse the ‘how’ of this doctrine, it’s more important to understand the ‘why’. Why does our God exist as a Trinity?

The very term 'Trinity' tells us that God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love - the Father, Son and Spirit. Therefore, the life of a Christian is not meant to be one of withdrawal from the world to attain salvation for ‘self’. We are made in the image and likeness of God and just as God exists only in a Trinitarian relationship, so we too can be fully God’s children only in a loving relationship with all of God’s creation.

The way we understand our God will determine the kind of people we will be.