The Most Holy Trinity, May 18, 2008

Exodus 34: 4B-6, 8-9

2 Corinthians 13: 11-13

John 3: 16-18

Theological Note:
The drama that the Gospel of John narrates is of cosmic dimensions. Jesus coming opens a way to the Father for his own who are in the world. The Father sent his Son not to judge the world but to save it. A division occurs between those who believe in Jesus word and those who reject it. The Gospel says that the former are not of this world; The Father has taken them from the world. But the latter belong to the world.

Jesus prays for those who do not belong to this world, but live in it, so that they may be protected from evil and sanctified in the truth.

Meditation:
Jesus raises his eyes to Heaven and prays: "Father... Glorify your Son..." Thus is expressed the Fathers love for the Son, and the Son expressed the plan of God in human history. He made the Father known, the only true God, source of every good gift. The Father gave him the greatest possible gift in giving him all of humanity. Humans kept the word of the Father faithfully. In other words, they were rooted deeply in Christ, the Word of God. They have received the word that is the faith dimension -- they recognized the dimension of love. The human being is a capacity for faith and love.

We dont act, however, according to love, truth, kindness all the time. So that God may be manifest in a human life, we have to work. We have to pass from the world to the Father, and this is a work of purification, of rooting out jealousy, revenge, laziness, egoism... Man does not produce love: God gives love so we can go to God. We have to liberate our capacity to love. The call for us, if we want truly to experience God in our life, is to become aware that our life is really a history of salvation. We have to get rid of all that militates against love, otherwise, our life will be too opaque for God to shine through. The mystery of the Trinity is expressed in us when we experience the paternity of God, are identified with the Son and are moved by the Spirit. It is a challenge: liberate the divine life in ourselves, live out our story and always return to God in order to continue living in this world. The least little act of love introduces us into the Trinitarian life, into eternity. We need both humility and hope to be able to recognize that the first actor is the Spirit; we only cooperate. Let us ask for the grace to let ourselves be led by the Spirit, to enter into that divine exchange and communion of Love who is God.

Lord, you are within us, always with us, always already there. But we are not completely in you; for there is in us a tendency to be closed in on ourselves.. Purify us by the action of your Holy Spirit... Make us participants in your burning life of Father, Son in the Spirit. Yes, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Spirit be with us all.

-- Sr. Sophie Ramond, R.A.