A PRACTICAL MYSTERY
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. We celebrate the loving communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We pray that we may build communion in our families, in our communities, in our parish, and in our society.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have not built communion, and have been forces of division, let us ask the Lord for pardon.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you revealed to us a Father who cares deeply for us:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you loved us to the extent of giving your life for us:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you pour out on us the Spirit of unity and love:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: O God,
your name is veiled in mystery,
yet we dare to call you Father;
your Son was begotten before all ages,
yet is born among us in time;
your Holy Spirit fills the whole creation,
yet is poured forth now into our hearts.
Draw us more deeply into your divine life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Proverbs 8:22-31
Psalm Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Response O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
Reading 2 Romans 5:1-5
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
Gospel John 16:12-15
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Be with the disciples in the Upper Room when Jesus talks to them about the relationship between him, his Father, and the Spirit. What are your thoughts and feelings?
Sunday Snippets
The philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote: “The doctrine of the Trinity provides absolutely nothing of practical value, even if one claims to understand it.”
Many agree with Kant! The math (1+1+1=3) is wrong; philosophers/theologians use a term like “consubstantial” to explain it; the doctrine is beyond our understanding; it is a mystery. but, Kant got it wrong! The doctrine is a “practical mystery” with radical consequences for our life.
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are unique and distinct. To help us understand that uniqueness, God revealed three separate functions of the three persons—the Father creates; the Son reconciles and redeems; and the Spirit guides and teaches.
These three unique and distinct persons live in communion; they form a community; God is a family! Today’s gospel text indicates the close relationship they share: “the Spirit will guide you to all truth… he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine.” An intimate and magnificent collaboration! The Greek Fathers use the word perichoresis to describe this loving communion of the Trinity; the word may be defined as a “dancing together”. God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love and sharing.
What are the implications of the doctrine of the Trinity for us?
Created in the image and likeness of a Trinitarian God, we have qualities like God!
First, we are unique individuals; and we want to be accepted thus.
Second, we yearn to live in community/communion. We achieve this communion not by negating/denying differences, but by respecting and nurturing our diversity, and blending our differences.
Third, like the Father, we are called to be productive/creative, and to contribute to the building of our family, church, society, nation; like the Son, we are called to reconcile and to mend what is broken; like the Spirit, it is our task to dispel ignorance and to guide.
God is God only in a Trinitarian relationship; so too we can be fully human only in relationship: a vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship with people and creation.
How am I going to live the doctrine of the Trinity?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Why did God create humans with wisdom? What responsibility do humans/I have to use wisdom to keep the earth “from transgressing God’s commands” in the crises we face?
Reading 2: “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” How do I manifest that love?
Gospel: Consider the loving relationship that exists between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. How do I imitate the example of the Trinity in my relationships?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Through the Son, we come to the Father with prayers inspired by the Spirit, and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may experience the length, breadth, and depth of God’s love that has been poured out into our hearts so that we may be transformed and fully live as children of God, we pray…
R: For the world: that God may bring an end to violence, give leaders a new understanding of the dignity of all life, and deepen the desire for peace in their hearts, we pray…
R: For those isolated from God and the human family: that they may experience welcome and acceptance, we pray…
R: For families and communities: that the life and love of the Trinity may inspire us to grow in our relationships, to share our lives, and to enrich the lives of those to whom we are committed, we pray…
R: For a deeper appreciation of the gift of nature: that we may see in the heavens, on the earth, and in the sea the handiwork of God and delight in God’s gifts to us, we pray…
R: For all of us: that we may imitate our Trinitarian God in cherishing our uniqueness and building communion, we pray…
L: Ever-loving and One God, we know and love you as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Make us and our communities grow in this knowledge and love. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
The hymn This World You Have Made celebrates God’s love for us made manifest in his creation, which includes each one of us! We rejoice in the beauty of God’s and our world and thank him for creating it and us.
Watch This World You Have Made
or pray
Lord,
we believe you are one God: Father, Son, and Spirit;
you are three unique persons
with absolute equality and absolute unity.
Thus, you are, for us,
the model towards which we strive as a community:
free individuals with total equality in complete unity.
Help us to recognize and realize
that each of us is a unique individual
equal in dignity
and called to live in communion with other persons
in mutual love.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Our One God,
you are a communion of three persons
and have shared your one love with us.
Help us to respond to your goodness
through Jesus who loved us totally,
and the Spirit poured into our hearts.
Inspire us to love our brothers and sisters,
to share with them
and to be one with them.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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