Resources for Trinity Sunday (Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms) Sunday, June 3 2012

This post contains links to resources (mostly biblical and homiletic) for both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Roman Rite. On most Sundays the readings in the two forms are completely different; this Sunday, however, the Gospel reading is the same. I hope to add some updates but can promise nothing.

ORDINARY FORM

READINGS AND OFFICE:

• Readings From the NAB. Official translation used in USA.

• Readings From the NJB. Scroll down slightly. Official translation in most English speaking countries.

• Today’s Divine Office.

UPDATE: GENERAL RESOURCES:Notes, blog posts, podcasts, etc., on all the readings. Resources for individual readings further below.

• The Sacred Page Blog. Catholic biblical scholar Dr. John Bergsma give his reflection on the readings.

• Word Sunday. Time sensitive link. Notes on the readings, children’s reading, podcast.

• St Martha’s Parish Bible Study Podcast.

• St Charles Borromeo Parish Bible Study. Pdf document.

• UPDATE: Scripture and Trinity: The Biblical Roots of the Dogma. A podcast by Dr. Michael Barber of the Sacred Page Blog.

COMMENTARIES ON THE FIRST READING:Deut 4:32-34, 39-40

• Navarre Bible Commentary on Deut 4:32-34, 39-40.

• Unofficial Lectionary. Text of readings from the Douay Rheims translation followed by commentary from the Haydock Bible Comm.

• Pending: My Notes on Deut 4:32-34, 39-40.

COMMENTARIES ON THE RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Ps 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22.

• Pope John Paul II’s Commentary/Meditation on Ps 33.

• St Augustine’s Notes on Psalm 33.

COMMENTARIES ON THE SECOND READING: Rom 8:14-17

• Fr. Bernardin de Piconio’s Commentary on Romans 8:14-17.

• Father Callan’s Commentary on Romans 8:14-17.

• Navarre Bible Commentary on Romans 8:14-17.

COMMENTARIES ON THE GOSPEL: Matt 28:16-20.

• Maldonado’s Commentary on Matthew 28:16-20.

• Cornelius a Lapide’s Commentary on Matthew 28:16-20.

• Aquinas’ Catena Aurea on Matthew 28:16-20.

• Navarre Bible Commentary on Matthew 28:16-20.

• Sunday Gospel Scripture Study on Matthew 28:16-20. Video.

HOMILIES AND HOMILY NOTES: See the Gospel homilies listed under the Extraordinary Form.

EXTRAORDINARY FORM

READINGS AND OFFICE:

• Today’s Roman Missal. Latin & English. Be sure correct date is set.

• Today’s Roman Breviary. Latin & English. Be sure correct date is set.

COMMENTARIES ON THE LESSON: Rom 11:33-36.

• Bernardin de Piconio’s Commentary on Romans 11:33-36. This post provides commentary on verses 25-36.

• St John Chrysostom’s Homiletic Commentary on Romans 11:33-36.

COMMENTARIES ON THE GOSPEL: Matt 28:16-20.

• Juan de Maldonado’s Commentary on Matt 28:16-20.

• Cornelius a Lapide’s Commentary on Matt 28:16-20.

• St Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea on Matt 28:16-20. Previously posted. This post contains commentary on verses 16-20.

• Navarre Bible Commentary on Matt 28:16-20.

• Sunday Gospel Scripture Study on Matthew 28:16-20. Video.

HOMILIES AND HOMILY NOTES:

• The Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. A homily on Rom 11:33-36.

• A Homily on the Epistle. Deals with the three theological virtues in relation to the Trinity.

• God’s Knowledge. Homily notes On Rom 11:33.  Can be used for sermon ideas, points for meditation/reflection, or for further Study.

• St Gregory Nanzianzus’ Homily for Trinity Sunday. On Matt 28:18-20.

• St Alphonsus de Ligouri’s Homily: The Love of the Three Divine Persons for Man. On Matt 28:19.

• Commission and Promise Which Christ Gave to His Apostles. On Matt 28:18-20.

• Dogmatic Homily on the Gospel: The Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.

• The Blessing of the Most Holy Trinity. A liturgical homily on Matt 28:18-20.

• The Holy Sign of the Cross. A symbolic homily on Matt 28:18-20.

• The Worship of the Most Holy Trinity. A dogmatic/liturgical homily on Matt 28:18-20.

• The Ceremonies of Baptism. A liturgical/moral homily on Matt 28:18-20.

• Belief in the Mystery of the Trinity. Homily on Matt 28:18-20.

• The Blessed Trinity. Sermon notes on Matt 28:19. Can be used for sermon ideas, points for meditation/reflection, or for further study.

Father Callan’s Commentary on Romans 8:14-17 for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

This post contains Fr. Callan’s brief summary of Romans 8:14-30, followed by his notes on today’s reading. Words in red are my additions.

THE CHILDREN OF GOD ARE HEIRS OF FUTURE GLORY

A Summary of Romans 8:14-30~In this section the Apostle considers the qualities of Christians, who are the adopted sons of God. If we are sons of God, we are heirs with Christ, and therefore heirs of future glory (verses 14-18). The certainty of this future glory is proved: (a) from the desire of irrational creatures (verses 19-22); (b) from the desire of the faithful (verses 23-25); (c) from the desire of the Holy Ghost dwelling in us (verses 26, 27); (d) from the designs of God Himself (verses 28-30).

14. For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Whosoever are led, etc., i.e., those who are governed by the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, and who, consequently, repress and control the desires of the flesh, are the sons of God, because sanctifying grace, communicated to them by the Holy Ghost, unites them to Christ, and makes them members of His mystical body and His brothers. To be a son of God, therefore, it is necessary not only to have received the Holy Ghost, but to be also governed by Him.

15. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry: Abba (Father).

This and the following verse constitute a kind of parenthesis in which the Apostle shows why Christians are truly the adopted sons of God. He does not say that formerly they received the spirit of servitude, but only that the spirit they now have is unlike that which used to move them. Hence παλιν (“again”) is
to be joined to εις φοβον (“in fear”), and not to ελαβετε (“received”).

You have not received, etc., in Baptism the spirit of bondage or slavery which in Judaism you possessed, and which made you serve God without affection and from fear, as an unwilling slave would serve his master. Such a spirit could not come from God, or be pleasing to God.

The pagans served their divinities in this servile manner, being always moved by the fear of chastisement. The Jewish Law also was called the law of fear, because it did not exclude all servility. To secure its observance it had no power to confer grace (Rom 9:3; Gal 3:12, Gal 3:21), but was forced to hold out threats of chastisement or promises of temporal reward (Heb 8:66; Heb 9:15). A spirit like this, says the Apostle, the Christians have not received. On the contrary, they have received the spirit of adoption of sons, i.e., a disposition of mind and soul which enables them to serve God out of love, as a good son would serve his father.

The spirit, therefore, which the Christians have received, and which is here in question, is not the Holy Ghost (verse 16), nor a supernatural principle of their actions, but a disposition of mind given by God, and as such, supernatural, similar to the spirit of wisdom spoken of in the Old Testament (Isa 11:2-3; Isa 28:6). Cf. Lagrange, h. 1. This spirit is a characteristic mark of a Christian, whereby he is known to be of the adopted sons of God; and of a filial disposition of soul which makes him freely choose to serve God not out of fear, but out of love. To this spirit of piety which the Christian possesses the Holy Ghost also bears witness (verse 16) that the faithful are the sons of God.

Abba is an Aramaic word which the Apostle here tells us means Father (cf. Mark 14:36; Gal 4:6). Some think the term pertained to an official prayer, but more probably it was only an expression of tenderness toward God, the Father.

The in timore of the Vulgate ought to be in timorem.

16. For the Spirit himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God.

This verse completes the previous one and shows still more clearly that we are the sons of God. For the Spirit himself giveth testimony, etc., i.e., the Holy Ghost joins our spirit (verse 15) in bearing witness that we are truly the adopted children of God, because it is by the impulse of this Holy Spirit, together with our own, that we,  with filial love, invoke God by the name of Father (Gal 4:6). Here, however, we must observe that short of a special divine revelation we can never be absolutely certain that we are in a state of grace and are the sons of God; and that, consequently, the testimony which seems to come from the Holy Spirit may not be a deception of our own minds or of the evil one (cf. Conc. Trid., Sess. VI. de Justif., cap. 9. can. 14, 15). Moral certitude
in such matters is all we can hope for.

Lagrange holds that our spirit of the present verse is not the same as the spirit spoken of in the second part of the preceding verse, but is rather a more complete gift of God, coming from an outpouring of love from the Holy Ghost, who dwells in our souls and is the principle of our good actions.

That we are (οτι εσμεν) refers to the Christians who are the sons of God. The term τεκνα (“sons”) here is used in the same sense as υιοι. υιοι was used in verse 14: For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons (υιοι) of God.  There are some who would dispute this, claiming that τεκνα denotes a natural relationship while υιοι denotes a legal or ethical one. But the two words are often used in the same sense.  τεκνα can mean natural relations, children, sons, etc., but it can also be used in reference to underlings in one employment, servants, pupils etc. υιοι can refer to one’s agent, a king’s ambassador, etc., but it can also denote children in the proper sense.

17. And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him.

St. Paul now alludes to the Roman law which recognized the same rights to inheritance in adopted sons as in natural ones (Gal 4:1 ff.); and he concludes that since we are the adopted children of God, we shall be heirs together with Christ of God’s life and glory (verses 13, 18). It is by reason of our union with Christ that we have a right to share in the eternal goods which are His by nature. But we shall be glorified with Christ only on condition that here below we suffer in union with Him. As He only through humiliation, sufferings and death entered into His glory; so we also must bear our sufferings and crosses in union with Him, in a disposition akin to His, if we wish to have part in His life and glory hereafter.

Yet so. The conjunction ειπερ may be translated, as in the Vulgate, by si tamen; or by si quidem, as many moderns prefer. The sense is nearly the same, except for the meaning which ινα (“that”) receives in these two interpretations. According to the first, suffering with Christ in order to be glorified with Him is a matter of free choice; but if we choose so to suffer, it is with the intention (eo fine ut) that we shall be glorified with Him. According to the second interpretation, suffering with Christ is looked upon more as a fact of our present existence, the natural outcome of which is that we shall be glorified with Christ hereafter. This latter interpretation establishes a natural connection between suffering with Christ and reigning with Him, without this expressed intention on our part, which the former interpretation does not seem to recognize.

Bernardin de Piconio on Romans 8:14-17 for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

14. For whoever are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear: but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons, in which we cry, Abba (Father).

14. Those who have the Spirit of God dwelling within then are acted on, guided, led, and directed, by that Spirit. Christ was led by the Spirit into the desert, and the devil asked him if he was the Son of God (Matt 4:1, 3). The Ethiopic version reads: Whoever do those things which belong to the Spirit of God: that is, as in the last verse, mortify the deeds of the flesh . These are truly and really sons of God, having a heavenly nature. On a certain day the sons of God came to stand before the Lord, Job 1:6. We cannot, says Saint Chrysostom, dispose of our own lives, but should give ourselves up, soul and body, to the guidance of the Spirit of God, our helmsman, and our charioteer. But this control and guidance of the Spirit of God is not coercive or forcible. It implies the motion and, in a passive sense, inclination of our will, such as does not exclude freedom of action. To be led by the Spirit of God is to consent to his leading, and give it our voluntary obedience, confident that it must lead us to increase of grace and justice, and to life eternal.

15. You have not received the spirit of bondage again. Again, because the spirit of the law of Moses was a spirit of servitude and fear. Holy men under the old law were sons of God only in an imperfect manner, and in a lesser degree, like slaves, differing in nothing from servants, Gal 4:1. What you have received is the spirit of sonship or adoption, entitling you to say with Christ, and with all confidence, Our Father. As the divine Word gave himself to Christ, the Man, so that the Man named Christ, is the Son of God: so in proportion the Holy Spirit is given us in Baptism in such way as to make us Sons of God. Cornel, a Lap. in loc.

The Apostle contrasts the spirit of bondage not with the spirit of freedom, but the spirit of adoption; not merely free, but free as sons.

He does not say, we say Abba, but we cry; boldly, loudly, confidently, publicly. Instructed by holy precepts, and formed by divine institution, we venture to say, OurFather. Abba is the Hebrew or Syriac word for father, and to it he joins the Greek word with the same meaning, to signify that Jews and Gentiles are together called to the adoption of the sons of God. Saint Augustine, lib. de Spiritu et litcra, 32 de Cons. Evan. 4.

It is also possible that Saint Paul refers to the prayer of our Lord in the garden, Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; as an encouragement to address him by the same title, with the same confidence in his affection, under similar circumstances of trouble or despondency.

Before the coming of Christ the people of God were undoubtedly entitled in a certain sense to speak of God as their father, but only in a metaphorical sense, and on the ground of creation. “Now, Lord, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our Maker” (Isa 64:8. In some translations, 64:7). This is clearly applicable to all the race of men. And on the ground of providence: “Thy Providence, Father, governs the world” (Wis 14:3). But not on the ground and by right of adoption, an honour reserved for those who are sons of God in Christ, and which is expressed in the formula of the Apostle, Abba, Father.

16. For the Spirit itself gives testimony to our spirit, that we are sons of God.
17. And if sons, also heirs: heirs indeed of God, and co-heirs with Christ: if we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

16. The Spirit himself gives testimony. The cry of our hearts, inasmuch as it proceeds from the Spirit of God, is a testimony of our divine adoption. The giving to us the Spirit, is itself a testimony of this; for he is the Spirit of the Son, and God gives the Spirit of his Son to those only whom he would have for sons. The Apostle may possibly also include a reference in his mind to exterior testimonies, as in miracle or prophecy, more frequent in his days than in ours. Horror of sin, love of God, readiness to obey his commands, and to follow the motions of the Holy Spirit, peace and tranquility of conscience, troubled by no grave and conscious sin, are interior testimonies of the Spirit of God, with our spirit, that we are sons of God. We should not, however, with the heretics, come to regard this interior testimony as certain with the certitude of faith. Such testimony, in so far as it proceeds from the Holy Spirit, is certain and infallible in itself, but as presented to our consciousness it is certain only conjecturally and morally, because we are not sure whether it proceeds from the Holy Spirit, or from an evil spirit, transfiguring himself into an angel of light.

17. If sons, also heirs. God does not die, and his inheritance is not a succession. He is himself the inheritance. Heirs of God. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, Ps 15:5. To the enjoyment of this inheritance, his adopted sons are admitted, in the Beatific Vision. An inheritance not diminished by the number of the sons, or reduced by division among many claimants, says St. Anselm.

Co-heirs with Christ, if we suffer with him. We are heirs of a living God, co-heirs with a man who died. Sharing his death, on our own cross, we shall be glorified with him in his inheritance. Without participation of the cross, there is no participation of glory; but the expectation of the promised beatitude is sure and certain, where there is participation in the Passion of the Lord. St. Leo, Serm., 9 de Quad.