Trinity Sunday,
Cycle A
General Intercessions
Celebrant:
As we worship the Holy Trinity, let us present our needs before the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit.
Deacon/Lector:
That the one God in
three persons may bring about unity and harmony among the many nations of
the world, we pray to the Lord...
That the Church may ever
more effectively proclaim Christ, who leads all to the Father in the Holy
Spirit, we pray to the Lord...
That as the Life of the
Trinity fills God's People, they may, as the People of Life, bring about a
new respect and protection of every human being's right to life, we pray to
the Lord...
That the poor, the sick,
and all who suffer may be filled with the life of the Trinity and experience
the loving presence of God's people, we pray to the Lord...
That all who have died
may share the life of the Trinity forever, we pray to the Lord...
Celebrant:
Father,
we praise you for revealing to us
the mystery of your inner life.
As you hear our prayers,
may we grow in faithfulness to you at all times.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bulletin Insert
Praise
the Holy Trinity
Some truths, like the
very existence of God, can be known by human reason alone. Other truths,
like the fact that God is One in Three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit – can only be known if God reveals them to us. We could never
conclude on our own that God is a Trinity. Today’s Feast is not only an
opportunity for thanking God for telling us more about himself. It is an
occasion to take courage as we strive for deeper unity within the human
family. God reveals himself to us in order to make us more like himself –
not just as individuals, but as families, nations, and an international
community. We grow in unity as we give ourselves away to one another, just
as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give themselves to each other
completely.
Homily Suggestions
Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9
2 Cor 13:11-13
Jn 3:16-18
The readings today, of
course, present again the truth that God is One in Three Persons. Preaching
pro-life on the Feast of the Holy Trinity leads us to comment on the reality of
“communio". Seen in a unique way in the Trinity, this is a reality lived on a
human level as well. It is first of all a gift, and secondly a task, consisting
of a total self-giving to one another. The unity of families, nations, and the
world depend on it. As the bulletin insert above indicates, this is a key reason
for today’s Feast.
A particular application
is in the matter of abortion. There are no two human beings closer than a mother
and her unborn child. Abortion disrupts, denies, and distorts the union of these
two persons, and in doing so, further destroys family and societal unity. Most
marriages break up after an abortion, and the woman often experiences an
inability to bond with future children or even enter into future relationships
with men. Her ability to trust and to make life decisions is impaired by
abortion.
Standing for life and
protecting the unborn means fostering the “communio" we see, in its ultimate
form, in the Trinity. Life is preserved precisely when it is given away in
self-sacrificing love.
Liturgical
Resources
