Trinity Sunday, Year B

"Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit"

The mystery of the Holy Trinity is a mystery we will
have a glimmer only of understanding, but which we will
have a full understanding when we enjoy the gift of a
beatific vision after our entry into eternal life.
Saints and doctors of the Church have written about
this mystery and have succeeded to explain it, but
since it is a mystery beyond all human knowledge,
the language they use is symbols and analogies.
It is through their that we can understand to some
extent this holy mystery. And most often, we come to
understand that the mystery of three persons in
one God is really a mystery of love personified
as Father, Son and Spirit.

When we are baptized, we are baptized in the name
of the Trinity. This is a Christian tradition rooted
in Christ's commandment to his apostles. Many Christian
Churches have this Trinitarian formula in their
baptismal liturgy. In Roman Catholic liturgical
norm, when someone wishes to be Roman Catholic, if
he or she is already baptized in a Christina
Church that uses the Trinitarian formula in their
baptismal rite, he or she need not be baptized in
the Roman Catholic baptismal rite anymore. His
baptism already suffices [since he received already
the same Trinitarian blessing].

By our baptism in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, like the apostles
of Jesus, we share in the vocation and mission
to make the gospel known to others. And we can
do this in many ways. Those who are connected
with the parish can help the parish in its mission
to build families and communities of service
and love patterned after the Trinity. While
those who are busy with their working,
professional, and family lives, can introduce
the values of the gospel through their work
and service in the family. Whatever our state
of life, all of us are called to live in the
spirit of love represented by the
Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit.

Pentecost Sunday, Year B

7th Sunday of Easter, Year B

"...Not one of them was lost, none but him who was
destined to be lost"

In the Philippines, this Sunday is designated as Ascension
Sunday instead of the 7th Sunday of Easter. Most Catholic
countries follow the universal calendar of the Church,
which designates the Thursday of the 6th Week of Easter
as, Ascension Sunday. However, in the Philippines, for
pastoral reasons, the 7th Sunday of Easter is designated
as Ascension Sunday.

For the purpose of the universal calendar, we will reflect
on the gospel for the 7th Sunday of Easter, Year B.

In the 4th Sunday of Easter, we commemorated Good Shepherd
Sunday. We saw how much the Lord is a Good Sheperd for
all of us - laying down his very life that we may not
be lost in sin but rather gain life through him. Today's
gospel can be connected to that same theme of Christ our
Good Shepherd. We see in this Sunday's gospel how Jesus
prays much that all his followers may be one in him,
and may not be lost. And he tells us that we will not
be lost, as long as we follow Christ, who calls us to
himself and his kingdom - a kingdom where truth, justice,
love, freedom, and all the gospel values are to be
found. We know that we are of Christ, if we see this
world as one in which we live in temporarily, and that
our home is really in God. Let us be reminded of what
St. Augustine states when he realized the truth of
"how our hearts are restless until they rest in the
Lord".

So, the lesson we gain from reflecting on the gospel
this Sunday is, that Christ must be the truth for us to
know. And when we learn how Christ is the truth for us,
we will not be tempted by the illusions proferred to us
by the many things we see all around us. Sometimes,
these illusions may even be within ourselves too. By
Christ's giving of his life to us, he consecrated us
to the truth, that we may not be lost in error. Let us
therefore always thank the Father, for the gift of His
Son, who showed us the path we must take, and the truth
we must pursue.