Mass
Schedules

FAITH SHARING

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Faith: We Live within Mystery

INVITATION TO PRAY

Pause for a few moments of silence and enter more deeply into the presence of God.

Song: "We Walk by Faith," Marty Haugen, GIA   

Proclaim the Gospel of John 3: 16-18

Believing in Jesus Brings Eternal Life

As you listen to the gospel be attentive to a word, a phrase, a question, an image, or a feeling that emerges.  Reflect on this quietly or share it aloud. [The other readings for this Sunday are Exodus 34: 4-9; Response to the Psalm is taken from Daniel 3: 53-56; 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13.]

INVITATION TO REFLECT

Many Christians can recite the first verse of today's gospel.  In fact, it is quoted often as a foundational belief and appears in many highly visible places these days.  Still, the notion of God loving-not condemning- our world is a mystery we can hardly fathom.  Maybe that is because WE don't have the eyes and hearts for it, so we continue selecting facets of our culture and people that please us.  Ours is a much more discriminate relationship to the world than God's full love for it.

Our creed names God as Trinity, a community of three persons who live in loving communion.  It is a community where mutuality, give-and-take, and equality are enjoyed with no limits on time.  This notion is so far from our experience, we call it a mystery.  Our loves, after all, struggle to be mutual; our relationships are seldom equal; and we never seem to have enough time.

Today we are reminded that God the Father who loves the world and all its peoples gave his only Son so that we could come to believe.  And this belief leads to the God-life that knows no limits.  Who would not want a life like that?

Like a good parent who offers options and prays a child will choose the good, our heavenly Father offers us eternal life through faith in Jesus.  Eternal life can begin now.  We have a lifetime to ponder the mystery.

INVITATION TO GROUP SHARING

1. Have I ever been amazed, even baffled, by the deep love someone has for me?  How did I respond? 

2. What are some choices I have made that led to a fuller life?  What were the consequences when I refused?

3. Does our parish community worship and minister in a way that reflects our love for the world God so loves?

4. Are there persons or groups in our parish who have experienced more judgment than acceptance?  Is there a way we can begin to let them know they are full and worthy members of the world God loves?

INVITATION TO ACT

Determine a specific action (individual or group) that flows from your sharing. These should be your primary consideration .When choosing an individual action determine what you will do and share it with the group.  When choosing a group action, determine who will take responsibility for different aspects of the action. The following are secondary suggestions:

1.  Tell someone you love how you feel about him or her.  When someone tells you he or she loves you, be open to receive and believe the message.

2.  In family, work, or parish settings, catch yourself when you start to talk in condemning or judging ways.  Do not join in when others do, either.  

3.  Place an index card with the words of John 3:16 on the mirror in your bathroom. See what this reminder does.

4.  If you know someone who is troubled or depressed because she had an abortion, suggest she talk to a parish staff person about making a Rachel's Vineyard retreat.  For more information, check the following Web site: www.rachelsvineyard.org.

CLOSING INVITATION TO PRAY

Give thanks to God (aloud or silently) for new insights, for desires awakened, for directions clarified, for the gift of one another's openness and sensitivity. Conclude with the following litany of thanks:

All: Loving God and Father, your loving care for our world and all its peoples is beyond our understanding.  Lead us to believe in it and share it so we and others will have the eternal life you promise.  We pray in Jesus' name and through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.      

(Adapted from PRAYERTIME, Cycle A: Faith-Sharing   Reflections on the Sunday Gospels, Robert Heyer, editor. Copyright © 2001 by RENEW International.)