Catholic Daily Reading + Reflection (Homily Message): 30 May 2021 – What Kind Of God Do We Believe In?

Readings, Reflection – Homily at Mass for Sunday May 30, 2021

Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time
Vestment: White
Today’s Rosary: Glorious Mystery

MOST HOLY TRINITY SOLEMNITY

Theme of the Feast: What Kind of God Do We Believe In”? The first reading tells us that the God of the Bible is different from the gods of the pagans and from those worshipped by other religions: he is never far away. He takes an interest in our welcome and intervenes in our lives. The gospel speaks of the family of God, a family open to receive all. They will be introduced into it by the “power” deriving from the Resurrection of Christ. The second reading teaches us to call our God “Father!”

FIRST READING
“The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath, there is no other.”
A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 4:32-34.39-40)



Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? Or has God ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? “Know therefore this day, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you this day, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God gives you for ever.”

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 33:4-5.5 and 9.18-19.20 and 22 (R. cf. 12b)
R/. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen as his heritage.

The word of the Lord is faithful,
and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right,
and his merciful love fills the earth. R.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
by the breath of his mouth all their host.
He spoke, and it came to be.
He commanded; it stood in place. R.

Yes, the Lord’s eyes are on those who fear him,
who hope in his merciful love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine. R.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
May your merciful love be upon us,
as we hope in you, O Lord. R.

SECOND READING
You have received the Spirit of sonship, in which we cry, “Abba! Father! ”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (Romans 8:14-17)

Brethren: All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA Cf. Revelation 1 :8
Alleluia. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: to God who is, who was, and who is to come. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“Baptise them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 28 :16-20)

At that time: The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
You received the spirit of sons.

PRIEST: Let us pray with faith and confidence to God our Father, since, through his Son and Holy Spirit, we are his adopted children and he will answer our petitions.

READER: For the Church and her leaders, Pause, may they be filled with the Holy Spirit, and share with Jesus in his sufferings, so as to share in his glory. Pause, Father, hear our prayer in the power of your Spirit we pray Oh Lord.

For the leaders of governments, Pause, may they know that all authority in heaven and earth is given to Christ, God’s only Son, and may their laws reflect his mission of love and salvation. Pause, Father, hear our prayer in the power of your Spirit we pray Oh Lord.

For a renewal of Christian mission in the world, Pause, may Christians everywhere heed Christ’s call to make disciples of all the nations, and may they support missionaries in far-off lands, through their prayers and sacrifices. Pause, Father, hear our prayer in the power of your Spirit we pray Oh Lord.

For baptized people everywhere, Pause, may they be moved by the Spirit to call God ‘Father’ and so be released from their fears, which hold them back from total commitment to Christ, pause, Father, hear our prayer in the power of your Spirit we pray Oh Lord.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, we make our petitions in silence to God our Father

PRIEST: Father, we come before you in prayer, not trusting in our own good deeds but in the power of your Spirit, which makes us your children. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today’s Reflection

Today, the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Most Holy and Ineffable Trinity; that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each, equally and eternally, the one true God. It is the central mystery of the Christian faith and life. The baptismal formula given to us in the Gospel by Christ is Trinitarian. Thus we are all baptized into the Trinitarian life of love, communion, and unit. The Church receives this mandate and acts according to the Spirit’s direction. The unity of the Trinity is the most perfect paradigm for every human family and community. This unity invites us to give up dehumanizing racial difference and inhuman cultural affiliations. The Spirit of love calls us to appreciate and promote our oneness in God, despite our various religious and societal inclinations. May the undivided unity of the Trinity be our guide as we foster communion as true children of the One God!