by Father James Rodriguez
At its heart, today’s feast is primarily about communion. Moses desired it, and so he prays, reflecting every person’s inherent desire for God. Nothing can take His place, and so Moses humbly implores Him, “do come along in our company” (Ex. 34:9).
Over and over in the Old Testament, and definitively in Jesus, our loving Father answers that prayer resoundingly. Even though we lose our way at times, disobeying God and following the false gods that entice our senses, the Lord is always close, awaiting our call. Nowhere is His response more clear than at your parish church every day, as bread and wine are transformed by His Spirit into His Son – the living food for our journey, the medicine of our salvation.
Fed by this bread of life, we can cry out with the psalmist today: “Glory and praise forever!” Even though another Eastertide has come and gone, there remains in us the joy and light of Easter Sunday, which finds its expression in our praise. When we think of the empty tomb, even our best words fall short. We are faced with the reality of God’s undeniable activity in our world – His sacrifice and resurrection. Yet still we try to find the right words. He pours His Spirit upon us, and it is this very Spirit that gives us the words with which we sing of His goodness.
Living Words
St. John Paul II knew this inspiration well. In his philosophical works, he wrote about human beings as words, that is, living expressions of meaning. Just as the words you are reading express something of their writer, so do we reflect our Author. The difference, of course, is that these typed words have no choice but to do what I tell them. We, as living words, can choose, as the pope saint said, to be either a word of blessing, or a bad word – a curse. Which will you choose?
If you, imitating the Word of God, hope to bring light into the world, then today’s section of St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is for you. He challenges them and us first of all to rejoice, to happily live out our praise of God’s goodness. A person who does this follows the call: “Encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace” and, in a further response to Moses’ request in Exodus, “the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11).
This God dwells among us, and the first line in today’s Gospel, often called “the Gospel in a nutshell,” says as much. Sports fans surely remember the once-popular practice of holding up signs at games, emblazoned with the iconic John 3:16 citation. These signs were and continue to be an attempt at evangelizing, reaching millions of people and offering the simple, yet profound truth that God has sent us His Son as a gift of love. Yet, as effective as this may be, we cannot stop there, for when we read on we find less popular words that are still gravely important, like the word “condemnation.”
Almost a full year ago, on his flight home from Brazil, Pope Francis was asked a question about people with same-sex attraction. His response, “Who am I to judge?,” has often been misquoted and woefully misinterpreted. Some began to question whether he would change Church teaching, and he was held up as a sort of anti-hero, at odds with the very Church he leads. Nonsense. Pope Francis was simply affirming the Catholic stance: We do not judge people.
Obliged by Love
However, out of love, we have an obligation to judge immoral actions and attitudes. What he actually said was, “A gay person who is seeking God, who is of good will – well, who am I to judge him?” He was speaking for the Church, not against her, with words of love for those willing to open their hearts to the God who loved them first. This openness means utter reliance on God and His Church, which does not stand in the way of human freedom but supports its truest and holiest expressions, since her sole aim is the salvation of souls.
Condemnation is something each of us can choose for ourselves by not seeking God, by not being people of good will. Then, much like a student who fails a test, we cannot blame the teacher but only ourselves. Even then, we may come to respect and love the teacher for trying to spare us this unnecessary suffering. The Church is that teacher, established by God. In her, Our Father shows a better way and writes on our hearts the law that will take us there. Jesus is that Way, and His Holy Spirit is our guide and constant companion.[hr]
Readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Exodus 34: 4b-6, 8-9
Daniel 3: 52, 53, 54, 55, 56
2 Corinthians 13: 11-13
John 3: 16-18[hr]
Father James Rodriguez is the diocesan vocation director and teaches theology at Cathedral Prep and Seminary, Elmhurst.