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Homily
for the Feast of the Holy Trinity Ex 34:4-6 & 8-9 - 2 Cor 13:11-14 - Jn 3:16-18 by Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen
The Mystery of God
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Ex 34:4-6 & 8-9
Ex 34:4, Moses rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tables of stone. 5, And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6, The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, «The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness...» 8, And Moses made haste to bow his head toward the earth, and worshiped. 9, And he said, «If now I have found favor in thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray thee, go in the midst of us, although it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thy possession.»
In Rome, on April 12 1947, during an apparition to Bruno Cornacchiola, a Protestant Christian, the Virgin Mary proclaimed clearly that she is the Mediatrix of the Mystery of the one and triune God in Christ, saying: "I am She who is in the divine Trinity. I am the VIRGIN OF REVELATION." (cf. Msgr Fausto Rossi, The Virgin of Revelation, p. 18) The Christian religion is the religion of Revelation par excellence. Two thousand years ago, God revealed himself to the Virgin Mary as God Trinity, that is to say as the Father who begets his Son, in the Holy Spirit. Having received within herself, through her faith, this revelation from God, the Virgin Mary became the Mother of Christ and the Mother of God, but at the same time she became the beloved Daughter of the Father and the dear Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Ever since God Trinity came into Mary, the Virgin Mother - a humble handmaid through her faith, hope and charity - was admitted into the bosom of the divine Trinity, being but one with the Holy Spirit, who unites the Father and the Son.
Later, all those who are of God, that is to say all those who, after the Virgin Mary, proclaim Jesus Christ incarnate (cf. 1 Jn 4:2), also received within themselves the visit of God, the God Trinity who reveals himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Reciprocally, all those in whom God dwells have received this unique, incomparable grace, reserved to the elect alone, of similarly dwelling in God, thus becoming his possession. Moses, who was in God's favor and spoke to him face to face, had foreseen this coming of God among men in the fullness of time (cf. Gal 4:4) and, reciprocally, he wanted become the possession of God, by dwelling in him. Today's first reading confirms this: "If now I have found favor in thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord go in the midst of us, ... and take us for thy possession."
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2 Cor 13:11-14
2 Cor 13:11, Finally, brethren, farewell. Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12, Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13, All the saints greet you. 14, The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
This Sunday's second reading is constituted by the last words of Saint Paul when he wrote his second letter to the Corinthians. The very last sentence is a proclamation and Trinitarian praise: Saint Paul wishes for the dwellers of Corinth to receive the grace of the Son of God, the love of God the Father, and above all communion with the Holy Spirit! Saint Paul leaves the Corinthians, completing his letter and entrusting all his readers and listeners to the omnipotence of the Trinitarian Love. If they tend to be faithful to God and to his commandments, just as we ourselves are called to be faithful to God, the Corinthians will be protected by thrice-holy God! The grace of the Son of God will accompany them each moment of their life; the love of God the Father will watch over all of them by his divine Providence; and above all the power of the Holy Spirit will reinforce the unity of everyone with each other and with God himself!
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Jn 3:16-18
Jn 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17, For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18, He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
"God is Love", says Saint John (1 Jn 4:8), which he explains with these words: "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him." (1 Jn 4:9)
God sent his Son into the world! Because God is Love, the Most Holy Trinity lives not only in itself, but also in us, the men and women of the earth! The Revelation of God Trinity, realized in Christ, and begun in Mary Mediatrix and Spouse of the Holy Spirit, perpetuates itself on earth, in the Church of God. In a sense, by revealing itself to men ever more, the Most Holy Trinity appears to us ceaselessly more loving, if that were possible; for the Love of God is infinite and incommensurable, for all eternity...
The Lord Jesus, the unique Prophet, greater than Moses and all the Prophets, announced wonders that are absolutely without equal: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me." (Jn 6:56-57) That is to say, through the Revelation of God Trinity, man lives in God, and God lives in him.
Let us note that the passage from Saint John I have just cited (Jn 6:57) speaks to us of the Most Holy Trinity as well as of the Holy Eucharist. Next Sunday, God willing, we will see what this means, when we will celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi...
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