TRINITY SUNDAY, YEAR A

Exodus 34:4-6.8-9
2 Co. 13:11-13
John 3:16-18

HOLY TRINITY: THE MYSTERY OF GOD'S LOVE

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” We are undoubtedly familiar with these words of St Paul, which express unequivocally the mystery that we are celebrating today: the Holy Trinity. It is one of the foundational mysteries of our Christian faith, for we believe in One God who exists in Three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Thus, without pretending to make us understand fully this mystery, today’s readings reveal that the Triune God is a God of Love.

In the first reading, God reveals himself to Moses as “the LORD, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness.” This story may be surprising, given that it occurred right after the story of the golden calf. In effect, few days after the covenant on Mount Sinai, the people of Israel turned from the Lord making a golden calf and worshipping it. And yet, instead of abandoning or destroying this stiff-necked people, God forgave them and decided to continue the journey with them, thanks to the intercession of Moses.

This revelation of God shows that God is Love. As the gospel reading tells us, the fullness of this merciful love of God is revealed to us in Jesus Christ. For out of love God gave his only Begotten Son to the world, so that anyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. “For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.” Thus, God’s love and mercy are greater than our sins and unfaithfulness. He did not only send us his Son but also poured out into our hearts his love through the Holy Spirit that has been given us.

Therefore, by celebrating the Holy Trinity, we are invited to enter into the story of this love of God and radiate it around us. In this perspective, St Paul exhorts us saying: “Brethren, 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…”

 May the Lord help us transform our parish communities, our families and our workplaces into communities of love so as to experience his unfailing presence in our lives. Amen

PENTECOST SUNDAY, YEAR A

Acts 1:1-11
Ps 103
1 Co. 12:3-7,12-13
John 20:19-23

PENTECOST: THE LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE 

We commemorate today the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. The event took place on Pentecost, the Jewish Harvest Festival or Feast of the Weeks, an occasion when the Jews recalled their covenant with God on Mount Sinai, fifty days after their liberation from Egypt.

In the gospel, the Risen Jesus appeared to his disciples on the evening of the day of the Resurrection. They had locked themselves in the room out of fear of the Jews. The Risen stood in their midst, gave them peace and said: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” To empower them for this mission of continuing his work on earth, Jesus breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit…” The disciples were filled with joy not only because they saw the Risen Lord, but also because they were renewed, recreated in the Holy Spirit.

As such, the transforming Pentecost experience was to confirm the Spirit they received on the Sunday of the Resurrection and to “outdoor” the Church. The symbolisms of wind and tongue of fire were significant. With the descending of the Holy Spirit, the Jesus’ group was henceforth open to everyone, freely involving anyone it comes across as the wind, having a burning and transforming power like fire. Thus, the Holy Spirit freed the disciples from cowardice and fear, empowering them to proclaim boldly the wonders of God to people of every language (Acts 1:1-11).

At our baptism, we too received the same Holy Spirit who gave each of us special gifts or charisms for the service and building up of the Body of Christ, the Church. Thus, our talents and special gifts are not for our self-aggrandizement. They are meant to help us work as a harmonious unit in which each contributes to the building of the community. It is the same Spirit that is working in us all, making us brothers and sisters in the Risen Lord. It is high time therefore to do away with our superiority complex, egoistic attitudes, divisions, unnecessary discriminations etc. and focus on accomplishing the mission entrusted to us.

May the Holy Spirit fall afresh on us, mold us, fill us and enable us to use our gifts and talents for true witnessing to Christ. Amen

7TH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A

Acts 1:12-14

Ps. 27

1 Peter 4:13-16

John 17:1-11

COMMUNING WITH GOD THROUGH PRAYER

Like the disciples in the Upper Room, the whole Church is waiting in prayer for the renewal of the Pentecost experience. Thus, the pervading theme of today’s readings is prayer. In the first reading, we see the disciples together in a continuous prayer. They were praying and waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to bear witness to Christ in spite of the persecutions that awaited them. The second reading invites all Christians to accept suffering and persecution as an opportunity to be more fully united with Christ’s sufferings and to glorify God. 

The gospel is an excerpt of Jesus' farewell prayer commonly known as Jesus’ high priestly prayer (John 17). Before facing the “hour” of his Passion and death, Jesus prayed to his Father not only for himself but also for his disciples. He prayed for their protection and unity. And he prayed for us too. He did so because even though we are in the world, we belong to God. And the essence of the eternal life to which we are called is to know and accept God as the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent into the world for our redemption. 

This knowledge is not simply reading and hearing about God and Jesus Christ. To know God is to have a deep personal experience of God and to accept his Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and personal Saviour. It is a life of a close and intimate relationship with God, a life of total surrender in faith and hope. It is however undeniable that we cannot achieve this without a life of prayer. In prayer, we dialogue with Him. Through prayer, we get connected to the amazing network of the Triune God. And this is made possible, thanks to the Holy Spirit. 

Therefore, as we wait in prayer for a renewed experience of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, let us ask the Lord to increase in us the awareness that we belong to Him. Let us always seek to be in his presence, and acknowledge his wonderful things in our lives. Amen

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17

Psalm 66

1 Peter 3:15-18

John 14:15-21 

YOU ARE NOT AN ORPHAN! 

This Sunday precedes the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, which will be celebrated next Thursday (21st May 2020), and will usher us into the immediate preparation for the celebration of Pentecost. As such, today’s readings make reference to the Holy Spirit, so as to prepare us gradually to the celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 

In the first reading, the apostles Peter and John went to Samaria to pray for the new believers. Then, they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. In the second reading, Peter speaks about the Pascal mystery of Christ saying: “Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit.” The Gospel picks up where last Sunday left off. In today’s passage, Jesus promises his disciples the coming of the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth. 

In this perspective, two lessons may be drawn from today’s readings. First, the Lord promises us not to leave us as orphans. He will send us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit to remain with us and be in us. The term “Advocate” or “Paraclete” refers to a person who stands by another, protects and supports him. It is a person who gives courage to face great difficulties, a person who comforts in difficult situations. Hence, we are never alone in our life even in the midst of great sufferings, challenges, trials and various kinds of persecutions. And this should be for us a source of great joy, assurance and hope.

Second, as St Peter encourages us, we are called to give testimony of this living hope that we have: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear.” A Christian is a person of hope; and he is called to give encouragement and hope to others. May the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete and Giver of life, come and remain in us. Amen. 

Remain blessed and stay safe !!!