| Bread From Heaven Meditations on the Sunday Gospel for the Year of the Eucharist |
| Most Holy Trinity Sunday May 22nd, 2005 |
| The Word of the Lord |
| 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. - John 3:16-18 |
| This verse is preceded by a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus about being “born again”. Jesus goes on to explain to him that He has come from heaven to reveal the love of God and the gift of eternal life. Jesus then refers to the story of the bronze serpent (Numbers 21:8-9). In this story those who are bitten by deadly serpents are healed by looking upon a bronze serpent. He shows Nicodemus and us that we too have been bitten, by sin, and that the cure comes when He is lifted up, like the serpent. In the Old Testament account an image of the very thing that killed the Israelites is what heals them. With Jesus Christ it is the same. He takes on the appearance of sinful man so that we may look upon Him and believe and be healed. The Gospel for today teaches us many things. First, it teaches us that this plan of redemption to eternal life has been God’s plan from the beginning. Second, it teaches us that God’s plan is one of love and not of condemnation. His plan is to save. However, His plan will never override our free will so therefore condemnation is a radical possibility and always our choice (v 18). Finally, it teaches us about the love of God and that this love is so extreme that He does not even spare His own Son in order to redeem us. |
| Jesus the Apostles and You |
Although this is one of the most repeated Gospel verses in recent history, imagine that
you are hearing it for the first time. Imagine giving someone you love very much up to
death for the salvation of a people who may turn against you. Are you willing to pay this
price? Why or why not?
you are hearing it for the first time. Imagine giving someone you love very much up to
death for the salvation of a people who may turn against you. Are you willing to pay this
price? Why or why not?
| TALKING WITH GOD - Lord God, Holy Trinity, Your love is amazing. I am not worthy of such a great gift but I accept it willingly. I cannot fathom Your infinite love. You came so that I might have eternal life. You paid the price for me and You paid it for all. I know I could never repay You for this gift and I know that You don’t want me to repay You. You love me and I cannot earn your love. But Lord Jesus, I want everyday for the rest of my life to live a life of thanksgiving for this wonderful gift. Help me to always remember the price You paid and live a life that responds to that gift in a proper way. Also, give me the grace, Lord to tell others about this gift you have given them. |
| Conversation Starters with God: Jesus too often in my life I think of You as my friend. I know You are that but this Gospel reminds me that You are so much more. It reminds me that You truly are the Son of God and in fact God. [reread the first sentence of the Gospel and then spend time looking upon God present before you in the Eucharist] Lord, when I read this Gospel I am inclined to ask how I should believe in You. So many voices today claim to speak on your behalf that I become confused. Help me to hear your voice in the Scriptures and through Your Holy Church. [sit quietly for ten minutes and listen] Blessed are You O Lord Our God, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. I want to sing Your praises here and now. I praise You for the great gift of faith. I praise You for the gift of Yourself in the Eucharist. I praise You for…[spend time praising God for all He has done for you] |
| QUOTES ON THE EUCHARIST |
To speak of the Eucharist and the Trinity is to delve into the very depths of the
mystery of God. On the one hand, the Eucharist is holy not because it is ordered
to holiness, but because the Eucharist is holiness itself: it is the real, substantial
presence of Christ. Participation in the Eucharist is participation in the divine life
itself. On the other hand, the Trinity is the divine life itself. It is the relationship of
the three Persons of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Participation in the
Trinity is the divine life itself. Neither the Eucharist nor the Trinity is known to us
by natural human reason. Both of these mysteries are revealed to us in Jesus
Christ, God and man, the Incarnation, whose presence in the Eucharist—body,
blood, soul, and divinity—does not alter His relationship to the Father and Spirit
in the Trinity and whose kenosis does not in any way diminish His Trinitarian
existence. - Father Michael F. Hull
mystery of God. On the one hand, the Eucharist is holy not because it is ordered
to holiness, but because the Eucharist is holiness itself: it is the real, substantial
presence of Christ. Participation in the Eucharist is participation in the divine life
itself. On the other hand, the Trinity is the divine life itself. It is the relationship of
the three Persons of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Participation in the
Trinity is the divine life itself. Neither the Eucharist nor the Trinity is known to us
by natural human reason. Both of these mysteries are revealed to us in Jesus
Christ, God and man, the Incarnation, whose presence in the Eucharist—body,
blood, soul, and divinity—does not alter His relationship to the Father and Spirit
in the Trinity and whose kenosis does not in any way diminish His Trinitarian
existence. - Father Michael F. Hull
LET US PRAY
O Eternal God! O Eternal Trinity! Through the union of
Thy divine nature Thou hast made so precious the
Blood of Thine only-begotten Son! O eternal Trinity,
Thou art as deep a mystery as the sea, in whom the
more I seek, the more I find; and the more I find, the
more I seek. For even immersed in the depths of Thee,
my soul is never satisfied, always famished and
hungering for Thee, eternal Trinity, wishing and desiring
to see Thee, the True Light. - from the beginning
of the Prayer of Thanksgiving to the Trinity by St.
Catherine of Siena
O Eternal God! O Eternal Trinity! Through the union of
Thy divine nature Thou hast made so precious the
Blood of Thine only-begotten Son! O eternal Trinity,
Thou art as deep a mystery as the sea, in whom the
more I seek, the more I find; and the more I find, the
more I seek. For even immersed in the depths of Thee,
my soul is never satisfied, always famished and
hungering for Thee, eternal Trinity, wishing and desiring
to see Thee, the True Light. - from the beginning
of the Prayer of Thanksgiving to the Trinity by St.
Catherine of Siena
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