Thursday, June 12, 2014

Sunday Gospel Reflection, June 15, 2014: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit...


God wants a relationship with you!

Trinity Sunday celebrates the fact that God, in all three Persons, desires to enter into an intimate and loving relationship with you.  Yes, you.  And me.  And all.  Ever since the time of the Exodus, when God spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai, God has proclaimed the attributes of divinity that give rise to covenant:  God is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and rich in kindness and fidelity.  God, in other words, is good, and in spite of anything we might do to alienate God, God loves us, every one – there is nothing God’s love can’t embrace.  Do come along in our company, Moses tells God – in other words, receive us as your own, and transform us with your love.  And we will (one hopes) respond as Daniel did:  Blessed are you, O Lord…

Because God so loved us, John’s Gospel tells us, God gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish.  Jesus is the ultimate gift, the result of God’s infinite kindness and mercy and graciousness.  Why would God do such a thing?  Out of love:  so that we can be in perfect union with God for all eternity, so that the world might be saved.  And the Father and Son, in turn, sent the Holy Spirit as a gift to the world, so that Christ’s work can continue after his Ascension.  So long as we, as the Body of Christ, are at peace, living in the love of God, God can be present in us, and we can live for one another. 

So, may the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you, as Paul tells the Corinthians.  There is no more beautiful invitation to ultimate union with God than that – and it’s up to us to respond.  Will you?

This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
Image source

No comments:

Post a Comment