Reflections for Sunday, June 15, 2014
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion
(Acts Exodus 34:4-6,8-9; (Psalm) Daniel 3:52-56; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18)
Worshipping and Adoring God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. (Exodus 34:6, 8)
The Holy Trinity. Three persons in one God. Really, it’s too much for our minds to handle. The greatest theologians and philosophers in history have had to acknowledge their inadequacy in the face of such an awesome mystery. And maybe that’s the point. God isn’t some thing to be dissected and understood; he is some One to be worshipped and adored.
Look at Moses in today’s first reading. God gave him a glimpse of his glory, and it moved Moses to bow to the ground and worship. God proclaimed his name and revealed his nature: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, rich in kindness and fidelity. It was just one little glimpse of divine mercy and kindness—Moses saw only God’s back—but it was enough to bring Moses to his knees in humble adoration (Exodus 33:22-23).
Today at Mass, all of God’s attributes will be on display—if we have the eyes to see. At the Penitential Rite, his mercy will flow freely. In the Liturgy of the Word, God will speak to us and reveal his love and faithfulness. In the Eucharist, his glory will shine as he comes to us in the form of bread and wine—and we are brought into that glory as we receive him.
Try to sense God’s presence in these ways. Contemplate his love, his mercy, and his glory. And as you’re contemplating them, look for the Spirit to give you more insight, deeper healing, and more love. Then, like Moses, bow down before him in worship. Thank him for his faithfulness; praise him for being slow to anger; honor him for his kindness. Truly, we serve an awesome, merciful God!
“Lord, you are so far beyond my understanding! Expand my capacity to know you as I worship you today. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I love you!”
(Many thanks to The Word Among Us (www.wau.org) for allowing us to use meditations from their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission. The Word Among Us Mass Edition contains all the Mass readings and prayers, and a meditation for each of the daily and Sunday Masses.)
Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion
- In the first reading, God describes himself as “merciful and gracious,” and “slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” We have been created in God’s image and likeness. If this is the way that God treats you, then out of gratitude to him, whom specifically do you think that God wants you to treat in a similar manner?
- In the Responsorial Psalm from the book of Daniel, we hear words of blessing and praise to God from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — after they were thrown into the fiery furnace on orders from King Nebuchadnezzar. What are the things that God has done in your life that make him worthy of your blessing and praise?
- Paul encourages us in the letter to the Corinthians to “encourage one another.” How would you rate yourself as an “encourager”? How can you better reach out to other others in your parish or in your fellowship groups in order to provide deeper support and friendship? What about you – what are some of the things that keep you from asking for help from a brother or sister in Christ?
- Paul also tells us to “live in peace.” What are the stress areas in your life that cause you to lose your peace? How do you think God wants you to deal with these areas so that you would experience greater peace?
- We are all familiar with John 3:16 from the Gospel reading. Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save it. He reached out in love to each one of us in order to reconcile us to his Father. St. Paul says it this way: “All this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). Who are the people in your life with whom you must still be reconciled? If reconciliation requires you to forgive those who have hurt you or wronged you, are you willing to do this out of gratitude for the forgiveness and love you have received from God? Why or why not? What would be the next step for you in this reconciliation after forgiveness?
- In the meditation, we hear these words: “God isn’t some thing to be dissected and understood; he is some One to be worshipped and adored.” What do these words mean to you? What part does worship and adoration of God play in your daily life? What about your own personal prayer time? What steps can you take make worship and adoration of God a greater part of it?
- Take some time now to pray and ask for a deeper revelation and knowledge of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and a deeper experience of his great love for you – so you can love him more deeply in return. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.
