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Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity Sunday, Year B – 2024

24 mai 2024
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: "Abba - Father", adoption, child of God, God's faitfhfulness, God's mercy, God's presence, God's Spirit, God's tenderness, Holy Trinity, Romans 8:14-17

It is interesting to observe children doing different things on their own.
It is even more fascinating to see them interacting with one another.

Recently, I passed by a boy and a girl chatting with much excitement.
The boy said loudly: “My father is stronger than yours”!
But my father is more clever than yours!”, replied the girl.

I kept walking thinking of… the readings of the celebration of this Sunday: Trinity Sunday.
The thought suddenly came to me: Do I have the same enthusiasm at the fact that I the child of… God!
How many Christians experience joy, comfort, security, when they become aware that God is truly their Father?

The Apostle Paul knew he had to remind the Christians of Rome of this extraordinary reality (Romans 8:14-17):

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;
rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

Is it that we do not realize that having been baptized we are indeed children of God?…
Could it be that we are so used to hearing sermons that speak about this that the words no longer touch us?…
Do we doubt that this is true, really true, for us personally – feeling unworthy, having been unfaithful to God, unaware of his presence and care?…

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can deprive us of our special condition of being God’s child.
Our dignity is not self-acquired, it is his gift to us – we are “adopted” by him and without condition!

God our Father showers over us his blessings of all kinds –
         – his tenderness shelters us,
         – his compassion comforts us,
         – his mercy forgives us,
         – his faithfulness accompanies us,
         – his unfailing presence gives us security.

The only thing we need to contribute is… our faith that it is so.
And… even that, he is ready to give us… if only we cry, “Abba, Father”.

 

Note: Another text is available on a different theme, in French, at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-de-la-sainte-trinite-annee-b-2024/

 

Source: Image: https://www.scripture-images.com/bible-verse/web/romans-8-16

Feast of the Holy Trinity, Year C – 2022

10 juin 2022
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: faith, God Father-Son-Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, imagine, perceive, Romans 5:1-5, understand

One day, I heard someone say with much conviction: “We must let God be God!”
Perhaps this is what today’s celebration is meant to remind us of: Let God be God…

Accept that God is…
so much greater than we can picture,
so much wiser than we can understand,
so much more powerful than we can realize,
so much more surprising, than we can imagine,
so much beyond all that our human mind can perceive…

Today’s feast of the Holy Trinity is the celebration that:

God is a Father relating in a unique way to his Son, a relationship lived within their common Spirit.
 
We cannot imagine, understand or realize this – no human being can.
But this statement must be corrected –
one human being has understood: Jesus, he who was truly one of us,
God-made-man, God-become-human.

While we do not understand God,
because of Jesus, through him, we share in God’s life.

As we are told in the 2nd reading, in the letter that Paul wrote to the Christians of Rome (Romans 5:1-5):

“God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, 
who has been given to us.”
 
This reveals the real meaning of what we believe,
of who God is,
and of what he has made us to be!

 

Note: Another reflection, on a different theme, is available in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/fete-de-la-sainte-trinite-annee-c-2022/

 

Source: Image: YouTube 

 

16th Sunday of Year C – 2019

22 juillet 2019
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Gn.18:1-10, Holy Trinity, hospitality, recognise God, visitors, welcome God

The texts offered to us in the Bible sometimes present us with… the world upside down!
This seems to be the case in today’s 1st reading (Gn.18:1-10).

Abraham sees three people nearing his home – three passers-by unknown to him.
In such a case, we would expect the strangers to present themselves and ask for hospitality if they need it.
This is not at all what we see happening.

First, in those three personages, Abraham recognizes the Almighty –
the ONE God he worships.

Then, far from being asked for assistance, he is the one who begs the visitors
to accept the hospitality which he offers them in a truly warm manner.
He describes for them what his welcome entails –
a festive meal that would surely delight hungry pilgrims!

The icon often used to evoke the Holy Trinity is, in fact, an illustration of this scene: 
the three visitors at table having been served the promised meal.
Reflecting on the text and the scene it describes, two questions arise:

  • Do we recognize God when he comes to us… and in whatever form he choose to reach us?
  • Do we welcome him as generously as Abraham did?

The answer to these two questions could well bring about some amazing change in our life…
Of course, this supposes that we accept to be sometimes surprised by God –
a God we may think we know and yet…

Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/16e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2019/

Source: Image: etsy.com

Feast of the Holy Trinity, C

19 mai 2016
Nicole Gregoire
Aucun commentaire
Catégories: Anglophones et anglophiles
Mots-clés: Father-Son-Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Scripture scholars, sun, theologians

There are things we try to describe and we just can’t express what we have in mind, or what we have seen. There are situations we do our best to explain to others and it seems we simply don’t have the words that would make people understand what we want to say.

Of course, this applies especially to… God! Scripture scholars and theologians do their best to tell us who God is, what his nature and his attributes are but even their most profound language falls short of what would need to be said.Huts, www.ceed-trust.orgimagesL0SUB5UL sun, www.stockphotos.ro

A true story from an African country conveys much wisdom in this respect. A group of Christians had gathered to share the gospel on the eve of Trinity Sunday. The person responsible to prepare the meeting soon confessed: « The Holy Trinity, who can explain that? I tried to prepare something to say but I just don’t know what I could say. So, instead, let us practice our hymns for tomorrow. » At this point, the catechist inspired, no doubt, by the Holy Spirit, said to those present:

“I can explain something about the Holy Trinity. » And he went on: « If at mid-day I am in my hut with the door closed (there are no windows in a hut) what do I see? I can see the rays of the sun passing under the door and going everywhere. Then, I know the sun exists and I feel the heat which warms me. This is the Trinity:

– the sun is the Father;
– the rays are the Son whom the Father sends;
– the heat which warms me is the Spirit.”

A prayerful silence followed…

Source: Images: www.stockphotos.ro; www.ceed-trust.org