A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 9, n. 30)
Most Holy Trinity, Year A – June 19, 2011 *
“A Trinitarian Blessing”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9 // I Cor 13:11-13 // Jn 3:16-18
(N.B. Series 9 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the Second Reading. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year C based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 3. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 6.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (II Cor 13:13). Saint Paul’s conclusion to his second letter to the Corinthians is a masterpiece. It would be difficult to find a better expression of what the Trinity is than Paul’s concluding blessing that summarizes the characteristics of the one and triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “In his valedictory blessing, Paul gathers together the characteristics of the God who revealed himself in history. The characteristics are really those of the one God, and so of all three Persons. But in a way they are seen in our world view as appropriated by the three in a distinctive manner. To God the Father belongs love, the principle of all he wills and does. The result of this love for us is the gift - the grace - that is the Father’s Son, Jesus Christ. That love and grace, through the power of the Spirit, brings us together in fellowship and union. This is the feast of God we celebrate, the feast of love and grace and fellowship. They are Holy Trinity.”
This Sunday’s Old Testament reading (Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9) enables us to glean the exquisite quality of God the Father, who is full of forgiving love and benevolence. The Lord God is merciful and gracious; slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity. He reveals his inmost self by his actions in the world and by his deeds in favor of mankind. He is the all powerful Savior of those who trust in him and walk in his ways. The unimaginable depths of his love and mercy were fully manifested in the fullness of time through his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who carried out the work of redemption on our behalf by his passion, death and resurrection. The evangelist John affirms this saving reality by declaring in today’s Gospel: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). The glorified Son sent from the Father the Holy Spirit who is font of gifts and of the unity and fellowship of believers.
Through baptism we were consecrated and immersed into the life of the one and triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Created in God’s image, we too are icons of the Blessed Trinity. Likewise, we must be a “Trinitarian benediction” for others. It is our duty therefore to image vividly and to radiate powerfully the presence and action of the triune God in today’s world.
Harold Buetow explicates: “The Trinity touches our human life at every point … The life of the Trinity must in some way be reflected in the pattern of our life … To the Father is attributed all that we understand by generation, creation and maintenance. Everything we do to awaken and cherish new life, to fashion, mould, and develop our physical environment, share in that work of the heavenly Father: fathering and mothering, designing and building, growing crops, shaping and tending the landscape, fashioning all kinds of things for our use and pleasure, all arts and crafts – in short, every kind of making – fall under this head. Likewise, all human works of compassion, reconciling, service and forgiveness, and making amends reflect the work of redemption and reconciliation and are identified most closely with the Son: all, that is, that falls under the head of caring. Lastly, the special role of the Holy Spirit is reflected in every positive idea and inspiration, however slight and humble, in every advance in knowledge and wisdom, in every flash of imagination, in every movement of the heart.”
This year’s Father’s Day celebration propitiously coincides with Trinity Sunday. This happy coincidence could help us to see the intimate connection between the Trinity’s life and our own. The following daughter’s personal account of her dad is very charming and insightful. It could also give us a glimpse of the fathering, generating and nurturing quality of God the Father and of the one-triune God (cf. Lisa Krieger, “Thanks for Shaping Me” in San Jose Mercury News, June 20, 2010, p. B1, B5).
Dear Dad: It was 35 years ago on a sleet-gray December when I was making my first big solo road trip, on a long and rural drive home from college. My VW was aged and packed full with suitcases and a dog. I was tired. It was dusk. Snow started to fall. And then the car died. I don’t remember how I found a pay phone to call you, or where I spent the next long hours waiting. All I remember is that you drove 150 miles to get me, arriving with a hug, a credit card and this lesson: It’s OK, you said. We’ll fix it. You can try again. I’m proud of you.
Much is said of the legacies left by mothers’ wedding dresses, recipes, photo albums and heirloom furniture. But you, like fathers everywhere, gave me something less tangible but just as important: resiliency. It’s OK – you can do it, you said. Try harder. You’re just as good as they are. Get up, get going. Try again. When I suffered a broken heart, Mom was ready with Kleenex; you were ready with a tennis game. When I almost flunked chemistry, you didn’t doubt my intelligence – just my study habits. When I headed overseas, with only a backpack, Mom pleaded with me to be safe. You said, “Send me a postcard!”
Through you, I learned how to navigate the real world. You showed me how to file a tax return. Pay bills on time. Fix a flat. Pour a drink. Invest intelligently. Buy a house. Travel the world. You led by example. A quiet man, you didn’t talk much about the importance of research – but I recall how you undressed in the basement because your clothes smelled so strongly of the lab. Then you went to night school to earn an MBA; I still remember the hasty Swanson dinners. You endured a long commute so I had a green yard and a strong school system.
Accountability was important; you lent me money to buy the VW, then created a ledger where we recorded each monthly repayment. So was planning; my friends always seemed to have lots of fancy clothes and spare cash, but we saved up for adventurous family trips. I remember skiing together in Switzerland, in dense fog, when we both stopped at the edge of a precipice to catch our breath and laugh. Then we discovered we were standing atop a snow-covered chalet roof, mere inches from an 8-foot fall.
Patiently, you showed me how you built a Heathkit radio. You saved me souvenirs from astronaut John Glenn’s historic ticker tape parade. You parked your car in the driveway, so I could raise an opossum in the garage. One night, we set up a tripod to photograph the stars; then we developed the film in mom’s laundry sink. Like magic, they emerged as white streaks across an inky sky.
Give things a try, you said. Take your time, but take a chance. It’s OK to make a mistake. If something doesn’t work out, try it a different way. And always: I’m proud of you. You sent me out into the world, not with fragile self-esteem, but real skills. Most male animals contribute nothing to their progeny’s welfare, beyond a big dose of DNA. Some father-free species, such as fish, must spawn millions of offspring to ensure the survival of just one or two. “Breeding like bunnies” is essential for rabbits, because males flee, post-coitally, with not even a thanks. But through parental investment, our species flourishes.
Nor is it a surprise that fatherless neighborhoods turn feral, careless and violent. Maybe mothers are hesitant to confront a sullen 6-foot-tall 16 year old son about a truancy report. A good dad steps up to fill the gap between potential and performance – by taking away the PlayStation and sending him back to school.
Dad, at 87, your days of rescue and advice are long gone. You can’t drive anymore. You don’t remember that cold December night, or even our conversation this morning. But you were right: Things are OK. I took my chances, learned the lessons and passed them on to my daughter. Now it’s my turn to be proud, and so grateful.
Happy Father’s Day. Yours always, Lisa
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we trust in the Lord, a merciful and gracious God?
2. Do we treasure the revelation that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life?
3. How do we mirror in our life the Trinitarian benediction of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Leader: O divine Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
we adore you, we thank you and we love you.
We celebrate your presence, action and revelation
in salvation history.
We open our hearts anew
to your Trinitarian benediction of love, grace and fellowship.
Make us living icons of your creating love,
your healing forgiveness,
and your sanctifying action.
O heavenly Father, bless us and keep us.
O Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer,
let your face shine upon us.
O Holy Spirit, font of holiness and the Easter gift,
grant us your peace.
O blessed Trinity,
consecrate us to yourself so that our life
may truly be a “Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”,
now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” (cf. I Cor 13:13)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
A. ACTION PLAN: Pray that the faithful may open their hearts to the presence and saving mystery of the one and triune God. By your acts of creating and nurturing, by your care for the poor and needy, and by your inspiring service to others, enable the Church to celebrate more meaningfully the Trinitarian feast of love, grace and fellowship.
B. ACTION PLAN: That we may experience fully the wondrous presence and saving mystery of the one and triune God, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year A, vol. 7, # 30).
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US