This weekend’s Gospel, John 3: 16-18, is short and powerful. Take a look: 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. The Gospel of the Lord.

It is powerful because it highlights the Love of God for each and every one of us.

As we celebrate the Holy Trinity we can understand this theological ideal in various ways. I
mentioned in last weekend’s bulletin my Catholic school experience of being taught about the Holy Trinity by Sister Joseph Marie (the one car describing it as God is the Chassis, Jesus Christ is the engine, the Holy Spirit is the gasoline that fuels the “vehicle.” One car, three components; or we might have heard of the shamrock with it three leaves and one stem). Many Catholics over the not too distant past learned Catholic theology from the Baltimore Catechism’s question-and-answer style of teaching: What do we mean by the Blessed Trinity? We mean Father, Son and Holy Spirit…or about the words “Consubstantial with the Father” or Epiclesis (the calling
down of the Holy Spirit at the Consecration)…but there is another way to learn about the Trinity, and that is from our heart’s understanding.

In today’s readings we hear in Exodus the meaning of God’s Name: that He is “a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity." In St. Paul’s second reading to the Church of Corinth, we hear in his simple greeting the relationship God desires with us:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” And the weekend’s gospel tells us: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” for our salvation. In a nutshell, we hear this weekend that God loves us—beyond all human understanding of love...so much so that we might have eternal life with Him. In Saint Paul’s greeting we hear that the Father wants to have with us the same relationship He
has with the Son and Holy Spirit. This is Love, because quiet simply God is LOVE. And that is
what God desires from us and with us. LOVE. No wonder our God is called the Blessed Trinity.


Blessed indeed!