“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” – John 3:17
NO CONDEMNATION
Live-in partners, homosexuals, someone who sleeps around, drug addicts, party animals, alcoholics, single moms, transgenders, etc.
Do you know of anyone who may fit in one or more of the descriptions
above? Maybe a colleague or an acquaintance? Sadly, many Christians
have turned their backs on them, writing them off as outcasts, sinners
and deviants. We’re quick to judge and condemn them. But ironically,
Christ didn’t. He chose to be among them, to understand, help and love
them. And because Jesus reached out to them, it changed their lives.
Friend, we are called to do the same – not to judge but to love. Here’s how:
Don’t condemn. Don’t reject the person, because all the more do they need our help.
Don’t condone. Be part of their world, but don’t condone their actions. Help them overcome it.
Conspire. Pray for them. Strategize on how you can lead them to transformation. Befriend them, just as Jesus did.
When we do these, not only will their lives change. Ours, too, will be more like Christ’s. Mike Viñas
1ST READING
The
Scriptures struggle to give voice to the true nature of God in His
Trinitarian form. Theologians have continued that struggle for the last
2,000 years. It truly is a
mystery. However, God is not that much of a mystery such that we cannot
say anything about Him. What is important is that we build on our
personal experience of God with the doctrines and teachings of the
Church so that we can grow in our relationship with Him.
Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9
4 Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets. 5 Having come down in a cloud, the Lord stood with him there and proclaimed his name, “Lord.” 6 Thus
the Lord passed before him and cried out, “The Lord, the Lord, a
merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and
fidelity.” 8 Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. 9 Then
he said, “If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our
company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness
and sins, and receive us as your own.”
P S A LM
Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55
R: Glory and praise for ever!
29 [Dan 3:52] “Blessed
are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above
all forever; and blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy
and exalted above all for all ages. (R) 30 [Dan 3:53] Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. (R) 31 [Dan 3:54] Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. (R) 32 [Dan 3:55]Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. (R)
2ND READING
Paul reminds the people of the Father’s love, the grace that comes through Jesus Christ and the fellowship or the unifying power of the Holy Spirit. The intimate relationship between the Father, Son and the Spirit is described in various places in the Gospel of John. Even though we remember the Trinity several times a day, it is difficult to comprehend the full meaning because the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we invoke constitute a great Mystery.
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
11 Brothers
and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with
one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with
you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. 13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you.
GOSPEL
One
of the most important witnesses of the Trinity is in the communal
nature of our God. The three persons are indivisible, that is, they
cannot be fully separated from each other. Yes, they are individual
persons, but united in relationship such that the bonds of love between
them cannot be broken. This is how it should be in our relationships
with God and one another. Unfortunately, sin has damaged our capacity to
love and so we have to struggle to maintain the unity that would be
possible if sin was not around.
16 God so loved
the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who
believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
18 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.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
18 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.
REFLECTION
THE MYSTERY OF LOVE
One
of the most celebrated images of the Trinity is the icon painted by
Andrei Rublev in the 15th century. It depicts three angels looking into a
bowl-like chalice. The two angels look towards the third angel.
Interpretively, they are looking at Jesus, the only Son of God, the
Anointed One sent by the Father. You will notice a hole in the altar, an
open space that represents the openness of heaven to its children who
have gone astray and are wandering the face of the earth. In the
distance, one may notice the oak tree of Mamre, where Abraham hosted the
three visitors. The temple overshadows the figures in the background.
Rich in symbolism, it draws the worshipper into the mystery of the
Trinity, the mystery of Love.
Today’s Gospel is a well-known verse, short and straight to the point,
but full of meaning and mystery. God the Creator — the Father — loves
this world which He has created. God is interested in the life of His
children. When the Triune God saw the chaos of the Earth (icon of the
Trinity), God planned an awesome event that would take place in the
fullness of time. His only begotten Son, Jesus, and the Second person of
the Blessed Trinity, would be born like us in all things except sin. He
lived, worked and ministered the love of God to many people. The love
between Father and Son is manifested in the working of the Holy Spirit,
the Third person of the Trinity, which is our feast today in the life of
the Church.
For John the evangelist, to see is to believe. Believing in Jesus is
eternal life here and now. God desires that we place our faith and trust
in His only Son, who has opened the gates of heaven by His obedience to
the Father. God wants all to be saved. He desires all to have eternal
life in His Kingdom. Jesus, by His death and resurrection, has saved us
and set us free from the darkness of Satan’s rule. Whoever believes in
Jesus will not be condemned.
Let us profess our faith in this Triune God, opening ourselves to the mystery of Love that is God. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL
"Father, mold me to always have a Christ-like heart for the lost, broken and in need."
