Tag: Trinity

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Trinity Sunday

trinity symbol

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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Mass Readings

Reading 1: Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Responsorial: Psalm 33:4-6, 9, 18-20, 22
Reading 2: Romans 8:14-17
Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/053021.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

What exactly is the Trinity and what does it have to do with me?

Welcome back for another edition of deacon rudy’s notes! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together we’re going to break open the Word!

The Trinity is the whole of Christian doctrine. In the creed we recite during the Mass, we say everything in terms of the Trinity. “In fact, the whole creed is a statement of belief in the Trinity.” <1> We say, “We believe in one God, the Father who…” and then follows the doctrines of creation and providence; and “in the Son who…” then comes the doctrines of the incarnation, redemption and resurrection; and “in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who…” and finally come the doctrines of Scripture, tradition, the church and the end times. <2>

The Trinity is the ultimate example of agape love. That means total self-gift, total, unselfish reception, and a reciprocating total, self-gift. That’s why we often hold up the Trinity as an image for married couples. There’s so much we could unpack as we try to understand the Trinity. But holy Mother Church gave us the closing lines of the Matthew’s Gospel account to consider. So, let’s discuss Trinity through that lens.

In our Gospel this weekend from Matthew, Jesus affirms our belief in the Trinity. In the Great Commission, Jesus tells them to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). This is the very heart of evangelization. Evangelization is sharing the Good News of Salvation in Jesus Christ. Evangelization is rooted in our belief in Trinity. The willingness to share the Good News – to evangelize – is an expression of our love as we try to imitate the selfless love of the Trinity.

That’s partly why we have the first two readings this weekend. The first reading from Deuteronomy refers to the Exodus. In our second reading from Romans, Paul sees salvation in Jesus Christ as the new Exodus. So, Jesus calls on the church to preach this new Exodus – the Good News.

Jesus gave this message to the eleven (Matthew 28:16). Now, “the eleven” of course refers to the apostles. We are an apostolic church which means that we believe our bishops today are the living apostles – that leadership has been handed down through a succession process from the first apostles to the present day. But can the apostles evangelize the world all by themselves?

Of course not! As the early church developed, we see the rise of priests and deacons. We see the formation of consecrated religious communities of men and women. And throughout history, we also see examples lay faithful evangelists.

Our church teaches us that by virtue of our baptism we all are obligated to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone we encounter, beginning with those closest to us. In my personal experience, this is easier said than done.

For example, growing up, I wasn’t taught how to share my faith – what words to use to share my faith or how to defend the faith. I was raised in a time when we delegated the role of evangelist to the clergy and the consecrated religious. The rest of us were expected to absorb what we needed from the Mass perhaps through some holy osmosis because rarely in the Mass was my role as a disciple addressed.

This passive approach to evangelization is not what Jesus proclaimed in the Gospel. Jesus didn’t say, “if you’d like, you could go and baptize…” or “if it’s not too much trouble, would you go and baptize…” or “I hate to ask, but could you go and baptize.” No! Jesus said “Go” (Matthew 28:19).

How do we correct this problem today?

Our Protestant brothers and sisters spend a lot of time, especially during their youth, learning how to share their faith. Through various activities, they learn the words to use and how to use them. Now, we can’t take a trip on the way back machine and correct the past. But we can learn from the experiences of our Protestant brothers and sisters – from their successes and their setbacks.

We can and should help our clergy and our parishes explore new and innovative programs and strategies designed to help Catholic communities share their faith. It doesn’t matter whether you are eight or eighty. At every stage in life, we can share our faith. How we do that will change of course based on the stage of life we’re in and our experiences.

The Good News of Jesus is liberating and life-giving. This world which seems increasingly focused on the self above all else needs to hear the liberating message of the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Homework! Nourished by the Trinity through Word and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, how can I support my clergy and my parish to learn more about evangelization training programs?
Second, how do I share the Good News with my family and friends?

I think doing our homework will help us as disciples honor Jesus’s instruction to go out into world! Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image: Trinity symbol. Artist unknown. JPG.

Notes:
<1> Michael Himes, Chapter One Trinity. Kindle.
<2> Ibid.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Hahn, Scott W. and Curtis Mitch. Romans. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2017. Kindle.
2. Himes, Michael. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004. Kindle.
3. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. The mystery of the Trinity: 202, 232-60, 684, 732
2. The Trinity in the Church and her liturgy: 249, 813, 950, 1077-1109, 2845
3. Grace of divine sonship: 257, 1996-97
4. Divine sonship in the Old Testament: 441
5. The Church as missionary: 767-68, 849-56
6. Gifts and fruits of the Spirit: 1830-32
7. The family as an image of the Trinity: 2205
8. The Trinity and prayer: 2655, 2664
9. Prayer to God as Father: 2777-82

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/053021.cfm
Lectionary: 165

Reading 1
Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever.”

Responsorial
Psalm 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22
R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host. For he spoke, and it was made; he commanded, and it stood forth.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, To deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Reading 2
Romans 8:14-17
Brothers and sisters: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!” 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 only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Alleluia
Revelation 1:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Image of people praying while standing with their hands on each other's shoulders. Picture taken from behind

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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Readings

First Reading: Ezekiel 33:7-9
Responsorial: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
Second Reading: Romans 13:8-10
Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090620.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org

Today’s readings help us understand what it means to live a Christian life. With many of our nations so polarized, it is crucial to understand what it means to be a Christian now more than ever.

Paul tells us today that the entire law can be summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Romans 13:9). This is a super important point to understand about our faith. You see, the Ten Commandments and indeed the 613 Jewish commandments are not a list of things of what to do or what not to do. At their core, the commandments teach us about loving God (Hahn, 235). Some commandments pertain to our relationship with God, and the others inform our relationships with our fellow humans, but grounding all of these rules is love.

Scripture teaches us that God is love. Now, there are several words for love in Greek. Eros describes a love which finds satisfaction in the person or thing loved. Philia means companionship or friendship. But Agape is a very different kind of love. It’s a love completely centered on the one loved (Himes, 128). The closest English translation is “self-gift.” When we think about the Trinity, we think of perfect self-gift, perfect reception, and perfect self-gift. So, we can say that God is least wrongly thought of as a relationship (Himes, 136).

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the middle of them” (Matthew 18:20). Jesus is not telling us that whenever we get together with anyone, he is with us. What this means is that whenever people come together in true mutual love, in genuine concern and care for one another, in other words, agape, Jesus is there among them” (Himes). That’s why Paul tells us, “Love does not do any evil to the neighbour – therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).

As Christians, we should look to others – especially other Christians who are created in the image and likeness of God with mutual love and genuine concern. That’s why Jesus tells us about how we should handle disagreements with our brothers and sisters (Matthew 18:15-19). Saying hurtful things, especially in the anonymity of social media, horrible things, or saying they aren’t Christian is precisely the opposite of what the Gospel is challenging us to do.

Take the US elections, for example. Now please hear me out. Some people are laser-focused on abortion, so much so that if you say you’re voting for a pro-choice candidate, you are accused of not being Catholic. May I ask a question? If the person voting this way doesn’t believe this is a problem, do you honestly think berating them about their vote is going to win hearts and minds for Jesus? I assure you it won’t any more than locking a woman up if she has an abortion.

I want to be clear. I most emphatically affirm life, from the womb to the tomb. I think the election is a symptom of a much larger problem. We need to get to of the root problem, and one election is just not going to cut it. Like the examples Jesus gives us in Scripture, we meet people where they are. As missionary disciples, we need to help spread the Church’s understanding of God’s relationship with us – about love. But if social media gives us any indication, sometimes that means acknowledging that we might not be the best mediators of that message. Maybe we need to share a good book on this topic with them. Maybe we suggest a particularly good video on the subject. Maybe we offer to host a watch party for one of these videos or movies? There are many ways to evangelize but at the heart of it has to be love – not anger or prejudice or vitriol – love.

The point is, we cannot find God in conflict and anger or hate or the anonymity of social media. That’s why our responsorial today is, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Psalm 95). The exercise that Jesus outlines in today’s Gospel is really about trying to reconcile people – about trying to avoid the extreme, although that does happen. But before it gets to that point, we should try to understand and pass on the Church’s teachings out of love – out of a real desire for conversion. To prepare ourselves for this task, we need a little homework!

Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions this week:

  1. When have you experienced God as love?
  2. How does love of neighbor obligate me to evangelize my friends and family?

Doing our homework today will help us treat and work with other people I encounter through love. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Prayer. Artist unknown. JPEG file.

References:
1. Hahn, Scott W. and Curtis Mitch. Romans. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2017. Kindle.
2. Himes, Michael. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004. Kindle.
3. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.
4. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Christ’s presence, 1373
2. Reconciliation with the Church, 1443-45
3. Charity and the commandments, 1824
4. Love infused by the Spirit, 1972
5. Greatest commandments, 2055, 2196
6. “As we forgive those who trespass against us,” 2842-45

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090620.cfm
Lectionary: 127

Reading 1
Ezekiel 33:7-9
Thus says the LORD:
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die,”
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
But if you warn the wicked,
trying to turn him from his way,
and he refuses to turn from his way,
he shall die for his guilt,
but you shall save yourself.

Responsorial
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Reading 2
Romans 13:8-10
Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,”
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Alleluia
2 Corinthians 5:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that ‘every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”

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Living the Trinity

hands of people of different races holding a globe

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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Mass Readings
First Reading: Exodus 34:4B-6, 8-9
Responsorial: Daniel 3:52-56
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Gospel: John 3:16-18

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/060720.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. These Trinitarian words of Paul that we find in our second reading today are so important that they are part of the beginning of every mass and they set the tone for the love and peace for which all Christians strive.

To summarize G.K. Chesterton, Trinity is a technically correct way of saying, God is love. As we look around the world this year at all the natural disasters like the earthquakes in Puerto Rico, the wildfires that ravaged the Amazon and Australia, a number of humanitarian crises around the world like in Yemen, Venezuela and the US southern border, to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Ebola outbreak in the Congo, and now to the brutal murder of George Floyd that has sparked widespread civil unrest across the United States, it is difficult to see love.

The Trinity is the key to understanding our Christian faith, but if we don’t consider how the Trinity is applicable in our every day lives, then we reduce it to nothing more than a philosophical concept.

Before we try to wade into these rather deep, and perhaps viscous waters, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. Feel free to answer along with me. Do you accept that God is love? Yes. Do you accept that we are all created in the image and likeness of God? Yes. Do you accept conversion is a lifelong process of trying to do good and avoid evil? Yes.

Good! Now that that’s out of the way, what is unconscious bias? An unconscious bias is a learned stereotype that is automatic, unintentional, deeply ingrained, universal, and able to influence behavior. It could cause us to look at someone in a way that is not image and likeness of God. So, unconscious bias is something the discerning Christian struggles against. To put it another way, when we perform an examination of conscience, we need to move beyond a sin, like I bit my sister and kicked the dog, or I kicked my sister and bit the dog, and try to get at the root causes of sin. St. Ignatius and St. Teresa of Avila and perhaps other saints challenge us to examine root causes of sin in our lives. If we do this, we are better able to seek authentic reconciliation and experience the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

That’s important to understand because unconscious bias can stand in the way of us experiencing the God who is love. Take a homeless person for example. I can’t speak for others, but in the United States, the idea that we are each responsible for our own lives and that we should pick ourselves up by our bootstraps is a common sentiment. This idea can help shape my unconscious bias against the homeless, for example. Were I not aware of it and if during my formation before ordination I hadn’t spent time living on the streets with the homeless, then I might look at a homeless person and immediately judge them as a loser, an alcoholic, a druggie. I might even think to myself, “It’s their own fault that they’re living on the streets.”

Please don’t get me wrong I’m not suggesting that there aren’t things in our control that could increase or reduce the likelihood of ending up homeless. But at the core of writing off a homeless person can be a dehumanizing feeling – that somehow they are less than me.

I’ve heard similar language – even from people in my own extended family – about illegal immigrants. That because they break the law by entering the country illegally, they are somehow less than me – less than human – not worthy of our concern.

Now, there’s no clearer example of unconscious bias than racism. Think about Mr. George Floyd. The civil unrest across the United States is not because he was accused of a crime and arrested. No! The country is exploding because something caused a police officer to kneel on Mr. Floyd and kill him. Maybe it was a conscious bias, an unconscious bias, or some hybrid of the two, but people believe that Mr. Floyd was killed because of the color of his skin. All too often, racism can be an automatic, unintentional, deeply ingrained reaction to someone who is different from us. It dehumanizes the other person. Enough is enough!

Where do we go from here? I suggest to you that our faith in the Trinity gives us a way forward. If the Trinity is a community of love, then I am called as a Christian to love those around me – not just my family and friends, but everyone. I’m not talking about some wishy-washy campfire where we all sing kumbaya. Real love modeled on our Gospel John 3:16 means I’m willing to sacrifice for your benefit, not mine. Real love means I’m not afraid to hold you accountable when you do something wrong. Real loves means I will not treat you like you’re beneath me because you break the rules, or you look or sound different from me.

How do I get there? One path that the Catholic tradition gives us is called an examination of conscience. Trying to understand the root causes of sin in our lives – especially if we catch ourselves judging someone on first appearances – is a good step toward healing the wounds of division among us and a great way to experience real consolation of the Spirit. Exchanging the sign of peace that we find in our second reading, another influence on the mass, becomes an act of love when we work to identify and weed out unconscious bias from our lives. I suggest to you that experiencing and sharing the love of the Trinity is the best way forward.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following questions.

  1. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. How can I share God’s love with the world? How am I willing to give myself to love?
  2. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whom have I judged too harshly? How can I engage the broader culture in faith?
  3. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned. Do I know anyone who is searching for God? How can I accompany them on their journey?

I think doing our homework will help us experience authentic discipleship. Do you get it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPEG file.

Learning Opportunities:
1. Francis. Amoris Laetitia. Vatican.va. 2016. https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf.
2. Walk by Faith Wednesday Webinars with Deacon Harold, #06 Catholic Response to Racism.” 03 June 2020. Video, 1:04:06. https://youtu.be/V861OUAIlls.

References:
1. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.
2. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015.
3. Stegman, Thomas D., SJ. Second Corinthians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009.
4. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Faith as a grace, 153
2. The mystery of the Trinity, 202, 232-60, 684, 732
3. The Trinity in the Church and her liturgy, 249, 813, 950, 1077-1109, 2845
4. Name of the Holy Spirit, 691
5. Symbols of the Holy Spirit, 694
6. Baptism, 1214-16
7. Baptism mask us a new creature, 1265-66
8. The Trinity and prayer, 2655, 2664-72
9. The family as an image of the Trinity, 2205

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/060720.cfm
Lectionary: 164

Reading 1
Exodus 34:4B-6, 8-9
Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai
as the LORD had commanded him,
taking along the two stone tablets.

Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there
and proclaimed his name, “LORD.”
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.”
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O Lord,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own.”

Responsorial
Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!

Reading 2
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Brothers and sisters, rejoice.
Mend your ways, encourage one another,
agree with one another, live in peace,
and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the holy ones greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Alleluia
cf Revelation 1:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
John 3:16-18
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.