Trinity Sunday

Our readings for Trinity Sunday are:

1. Deuteronomy 4: 32-34, 39-40
2. Psalms 33: 4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22
3. Romans 8: 14-17
4. Matthew 28: 16-20

• Everything is changing
• When the children of Israel first set foot in the Holy Land, it must have been scary.  Everything that an entire generation of their people had so painfully learned was about to become obsolete as they moved from a nomadic existence to farming and ranching.  Moses needed to remind them that in spite of all of the changes, some things were staying the same.
• What about God will never change?
• What about God is ever new?
• How is that shaping you?

• Made to serve
• I've observed before that Ignatius' principle and first foundation sets all of creation in the context of serving God in this world, and calls us as His children to use His gifts accordingly.
• What gifts do you have that you would like to use better, more effectively?
• What do you think of when you say that you want to be more effective in life?
• What does it mean to be a success in this world?
• How do the things of this world contribute to that success?

• Chosen
• Our experience of God is often filtered through our experience of others in our lives.  Those coming from abusive homes or parents who were largely absent have a hard (understandably so) time relating to God as their Father.  And yet, God continues to come to us in and through experience.
• Imagine yourself coming home from a long day.  The frustrations and calamities of the day weigh heavily on you, but you know your spouse doubtless has stresses and frustrations of their own.
• Imagine that you walk in the front door, and God Himself is waiting, with a suitable beverage in hand, to greet you and make you comfortable.  You begin to tell Him about your day, and you catch yourself up short, and tell Him that you're sure that He has other things to do.
• He leans over, pats your hand, and tells you that He has nothing more urgent at the moment than to hear from you, maybe provide you a different perspective, give you peace.
• Finally, you finish up, and God quietly asks "can I take a few moments of your time, and talk to you about the day I've had, particularly as it pertains to your neighborhood?
• How does that make you feel about your relationship with God?
• How long would you be willing to spend like that a day?
• What's stopping you?

• The divine dance
• Richard Rohr publishes daily meditations that I have found helpful.  The one for Pentecost Sunday can be found here.  There Fr. Rohr draws a distinction between uniformity and unity.  I suspect that the members of the Trinity enjoy a unity between them, and amazingly enough, they extend an invitation to each of us to the same unity.
• What do you think unity buys us as followers of Jesus?
• How much, and what kind, of diversity does that unity allow for?
• How can we achieve better unity without losing important and precious things along the way?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How can I improve my attitude toward God's blessings in my life?
2. How can I be more generous with myself to others?
3. Is my prayer life working?
4. Where am I supporting greater unity among God's people?

Shalom!