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. 

Reflection: 

Of all the festivals on the liturgical calendar, this is the one that speaks most to us of pure, unfathomable mystery.  We can only know something of God through what God has done for us and how God relates to us-these are the concrete traces of God among us. This solemnity reminds us that God does not exist in isolation but as a community of Persons in relationship to each other.  The Trinity is a relational God who gives and loves. Do we choose to live an independent existence or a Trinitarian, communitarian, and self-giving way of living?  The only way to living the kind of community the Trinity models for us is through love, the self-giving love that creates and sustains life. (Living Liturgy, p. 156) 

Vincentian Meditation: 

St. Vincent prayed: “O my God, may it please you to be the bond which ties the hearts of evangelizers together in a common attitude of humility, of unity, and of respect for one another…Let the good effects of their mutual affection, which you allow to develop among them, steadily grow and flourish, and make the fruits of their labors for the salvation of souls constantly increase. Strengthen them in their efforts, and be yourself their ultimate reward.”  (McKenna, Praying with Vincent, p. 107)

Discussion:    (Share your thoughts on the readings after a moment of silence) 

Within our conference, does the bond which ties our hearts together produce a common attitude of humility, of unity and of respect for one another? 

Closing Prayer: 

O Holy Trinity, three Persons in one, we pray,

-keep us in the circle of your love.

For all peoples of the earth, created in God’s image,

–may we work toward reconciliation and peace.

For married couples, parents, and children,

-may their mutual love be a reflection of your love.

            For all of us gathered together,

-may our love and service bear witness to God’s care.

            For all who share in the faith of the Catholic Church,

-may we grow in unity, peace and truth.  Amen