Come Along: Missionary Commentary for June 4, 2023 - Trinity Sunday

Moses is summoned by God to Mount Sinai where, in a cloud, God comes down and stands before Moses. God proclaims his mercy and graciousness and the unimaginable abundance of his kindness and fidelity. Moses immediately bows down to the ground and asks God “to come along in our company.”

The Council Fathers of Vatican II talked about a “pilgrim church.” The church is a people on the move through time. Pope Francis encourages the church to go out, beyond itself, to be a field hospital attending to the bruised and broken people on the periphery, especially among the poor and disenfranchised.

Jesus himself talks frequently in the Gospel of John about how he was sent by the Father into the world not to condemn it but “that the world might be saved through him.” There is no aspect of human life – education, health care, government, business, media – that does not need salvation and Jesus wants to be there with all of humanity in and through us.

God is on a mission to save humanity. Jesus is the face of God’s mercy, the proof of God’s inexhaustible fidelity, the bottomless cup of God’s kindness. Now, in and through Jesus, we his companions, are called to “come along” and join in God’s mission.

Notes on the Sunday Readings

First Reading

Moses travels with the two tablets to the top of Mount Sinai. The Lord God proclaims his grace, mercy, and fidelity. Moses prays that God accompany Israel, “a stiff neck people,” since they need him, they need his forgiveness, and they want to be “his own.”

Responsorial Psalm

The response is from the prophet Daniel. The God of our fathers is worthy of praise. God is with and among his people in the temple, the throne of his kingdom, giving his people access to both the depths and heights (cherubim) of creation.

Second Reading

Paul reminds the Corinthians to rejoice, mend their ways, encourage one another, agree, live in peace, and to greet each other with a holy kiss. Paul offers his famous Trinitarian blessing, “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

This may be the most famous passage from the Gospel of John: “God so loved the world…”  Jesus is the way of salvation, the path and pattern to the Father.

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