Co-heirs of Christ

Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity
07 June 2009

Come, let us worship God, one in Trinity and a Trinity in One.

First reading Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40
Moses said to the people: ‘Put this question to the ages that are past, that went before you, from the time God created man on earth: Was there ever a word so majestic, from one end of heaven to the other? Was anything ever heard? Did ever a people hear the voice of the living God speaking from the heart of the fire, as you heard it, and remain alive? Has any god ventured to take to himself one nation from the midst of another by ordeals, signs, wonders, war with mighty hand and outstretched arm, by fearsome terrors – all this that the Lord your God did for you before your eyes in Egypt?

‘Understand this today, therefore, and take it to heart: the Lord is God indeed, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other. Keep his laws and commandments as I give them to you today, so that you and your children may prosper and live long in the land that the Lord your God gives you for ever.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 32:4-6,9,18-20,22

Second reading Romans 8:14-17
Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.


Gospel Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’


Reflection
by Grace Madrinan

I almost wanted to turn off my television because of the unending news coverage on the obscene scandal that flourished in all forms of media these days. Details that should have been kept private are exposed. If there’s something good that has come out of it, it may be that of an example of how ugly sin can be -- how a moment of earthly sinful pleasure can cost a lifetime of shame to you and your family.

My initial reaction to the scandal was not apart from the others – I feel ashamed for them and judged them harshly. But later on as the numerous stories unfold, I pity them. I realized that they are no different from us who are sick, who also commit such grave sins. The only difference is that they are media personalities who can’t be overlooked, which makes it much more difficult for them to rectify their mistakes. For us, we just have to confess and resurrect ourselves from our sins. But for them, they will continue to be subjected to scrutiny by many watchful eyes, just like a laboratory specimen.

This then should trigger us to look into ourselves more closely. Have we done our roles to nurture our Spirit enough not to fall into the same pit? Have we done our parts in keeping His commandments? Haven’t we in any way, caused any of His flock to sin? The verse from the second reading struck me the most, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” If we are co-heirs of Christ in heaven, we would give more compassion to the sinners, like Jesus did. If we are Christ’s disciples, we should not have watched or forwarded the scandal videos to our friends and caused them to sin. As Christians who were baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, we should spread love not sin.





Father, we ask for Your forgiveness if we, instead of bringing them to You, may have caused our brothers and sisters to sin. May we abide by Your commandments as Jesus taught us and be driven by the Holy Spirit all the days of our lives. Amen.