The Holy Trinity Sunday, cycle Aâ 4 June 2023
Lectionary Readings: Exodus 34:4-6,8-9; Daniel 3:52-56; 2 Cor 13:11-13; Jn 3:16-18.
Theme:Â God so loved the world.
The reading from Exodus today follows the story of the apostasy of the people in worshipping the golden calf. Moses, fearing Godâs punishment of the people, had tried to gain Godâs personal presence among the people. In response, God had told him, âMy presence will goâ (Exodus 33:14) â but without the vital word âwithâ.  Eventually, God concedes:  âI will do what you have asked, because you have won my favour and because I know you by nameâ (Ex 33:17).  God then tells Moses to cut fresh tablets of stone, thus showing his intention of restoring the covenant shattered with the broken tablets.  So Moses again ascends the mountain to intercede with God on the peopleâs behalf.  This evokes yet another revelation of God as âa merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelityâ â a God who knows the suffering and weakness of humanity and is constantly calling them back to Godâs love and mercy.  The stress is on Godâs forgiveness:  the covenantal relationship is restored and will be kept in perpetuity, however much the peopleâs sinfulness may test it.Â
Fittingly, in the context of the Israelites making and worshipping of a golden calf in the wilderness, the song of praise is from one of the stories of deliverance in Daniel. The singers are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three young Jews who have refused to worship a golden statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar. As punishment, the King had thrown them into a fiercely âburning fiery furnaceâ but, untouched by the flames, they âwalked in the heart of the flames, praising God and blessing the Lordâ. Echoing Mosesâ own prayer on behalf of the Israelites and Godâs revelation about himself on Sinai, Azariah prays, âDo not abandon us for ever, for the sake of your name; do not repudiate your covenant, do not withdraw your favour from us⊠Treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle and very merciful.â As the fire is stoked even more by the kingâs servants, âthe angel of the Lordâ came and created âa coolness such as wind and dew will bring, so that the fire did not even touch them or cause them any pain or distress.â At this, âall three ⊠began to sing, glorifying and blessing God, there in the furnace.â God, as he had promised Moses, is present among Godâs people, especially when they are in deep distress.
In Johnâs Gospel, we hear Jesusâ words to Nicodemus who, impressed by what he has seen him do, has come to him âby nightâ. He still must learn in what sense Jesus âhas come from Godâ. The Greek form of the verb âlovedâ in the words âGod so loved the worldâ implies a supreme act of love. (Cf 1 John 4:9: âIn this way was Godâs love revealed in our midst: God has sent Godâs only Son into the world that we may have life through him.â) The absolute use of âthe Sonâ, as contrasted to âthe Fatherâ is frequent in John, paralleling the use of âSon of Manâ in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The verb âsentâ is parallel to âgaveâ and, significantly, the same pair of verbs is used of the Paraclete in John 14:16 & 26. For John, âjudgmentâ takes place within history as people consciously choose evil over good and turn away from the covenant God of love, mercy, grace, and truth.
The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity reminds us that we are loved not by a distant God, but one who remains, as God promised, during Godâs people. We live in the gift of the Spirit from Father and Son, which forms us into daughters and sons of God. So today we celebrate the essence of our Christian belief: Godâs fatherly love, the power of Jesusâ death and resurrection, new life in the Spirit. Although Paulâs formula at the end of his second letter to the Corinthians, written in 55-6 CE, is more due to his style of writing than a reference to the Trinity, it does prepare us for the later expression of this development of our faith: âThe grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.â And to this we can add a fervent âAMENâ!
Bibliography: McKenzie, J.L. Dictionary of the Bible (New York: 1965).
This weekâs Sunday Liturgy Commentary was prepared by
Sr. Margaret Shepherd, NDS. England, Bat Kol Contributor.
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