Reading 1 PRV 8:22-31
Thus says the wisdom of God:
“The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
from of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of water;
before the mountains were settled into place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world.
“When the Lord established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
when he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
when he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race.”
Responsorial Psalm PS 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
- (2a) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you set in place —
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:
R.O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
Reading 2 ROM 5:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions,
knowing that affliction produces endurance,
and endurance, proven character,
and proven character, hope,
and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Alleluia CF. RV 1:8
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel JN 16:12-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”
Today is the first Sunday after Pentecost. Having experienced the power of the Holy Spirit anew and the understanding He gives, the Church wants us to reflect on the most fundamental mystery of our faith- the mystery of the Trinity, the mystery of God’s inner life.
THE TRINITY
Our God is a community of three persons who are co-eternal in existence, co-equal in power, glory and divinity and co-substantial in essence. They are undivided in unity; they exist in a Communion of love, in function, though they are distinct but do not operate in isolation.
In them, there is no conflict, suspicion, disunity or disharmony.
THE IMMEDIATE MESSAGE
God revealed his inner life to us to be a model for all human relationships. This model is very important even now that conflict and mutual suspicion have ruined many families, Churches and communities of friends. Our project is to seek ways to build our relationships around this model and seek to repair disintegrated relationships to reflect that of the Trinity.
A DEEPER REFLECTION ON THE TRINITY
One day, Thales (an Ancient Greek Philosopher) was pondering on the wonder of the skies that he fell into a pit. A young girl seeing him made jest of him that next time he should pay closer attention to what is around him before what is above him.
As we seek to ponder on God’s inner life in Himself, God is also inviting us to ponder on our own lives as well – A journey of self-awareness.
SELF-AWARENESS
This hinges on two points:
- Understanding the power, glory and grace God has deposited in each of us.
Many people today feel so worthless, angry with themselves and others, envious of others and live in self-pity because they lack knowledge of what God has planted in them.
The Psalmist of today says, “Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and honour you crowned him.”
Read 1 Sam 17, everyone did not believe in David, he knew himself, believed in the grace He has received, and he conquered Goliath to the amazement of everyone. It is called self-awareness.
- Understanding our weaknesses and the harm/pains we cause to others.
Many times we are blind to our faults, we see what is wrong with every other person, we become proud, we blame, judge, complain and condemn others for weaknesses that overflow in us. We listen to reflections but we do not see ourselves in the picture. We cause others so much harm and pains and yet we feel normal.
We feel complete whereas we are full of negatives like the Church in Laodicea (Rev 3:17). Many times we are unaware of our blind spots and it becomes difficult for us to grow to become better. Many are those living in the illusion of righteousness and holiness whereas they are miles away from these.
HOW DO I DISCOVER MYSELF?
In today’s gospel, Jesus said when the Spirit of truth comes; he will lead you to the complete truth. The greatest truth is the truth about myself and it is a journey, in fact, the farthest journey in which only the Holy Spirit can lead us (1Cor 2:11), the journey to the self where he will reveal the truth about the self to the self. Often times, the revelation is very shocking.
May we ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to the truth about ourselves. The truth that will enable us to understand God better, grow in Christian maturity and peace and which will help us to relate more peacefully with others.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on Trinity Sunday June 16, 2019.