The Most Holy Trinity Year C - June 22, 2025
Proverbs
8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15
Theme: Recognizing the Work of Each Person of the Holy Trinity in Our Mission and Suffering
A. A Brief Exegetical Analysis of John 16:12-15
This
passage is part of Jesus’s last discourses before his Passion and Death,
specifically the section where he discusses his departure and the coming of the
Paraclete, the Holy Spirit (16:5-33). This section is preceded by the discourse
about the Vine and the branches (15:1-17) and the world's hostile reaction
(15:18–16:4), and it is followed by Jesus’s solemn prayer to his Father
(17:1-26), which marks the climax of all his last discourses.
In
this narrative account, Jesus describes the role of the Holy Spirit by first
connecting himself to the Holy Spirit (vv. 12-14) and then to the Father (v.
15).
- Detailed
Analysis
Vv.
12-15. There is a contrast between Jesus’ desire to explain more about his
Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension (v. 12a) and the disciples'
inability to grasp the full meaning due to their distress and trouble over
Jesus’s departure (v. 12b). As a solution, after Jesus’ Death and Ascension,
the Holy Spirit of truth will guide them “to all truth,” that is, the full
implications of Jesus’ revelation (v. 13a).[1]
There
are connections among the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. (1) The Holy
Spirit and the Father: everything that the Holy Spirit will speak will come
from the Father (v. 13b; cf. v. 15). (2) Jesus and the Father: everything the
Father has belongs to Jesus (v. 15a). (3) Jesus and the Holy Spirit: therefore,
the things the Holy Spirit will speak will come from Jesus (vv. 14b, 15b).
These verses encapsulate a core tenet of Christian theology regarding the
Trinity, which teaches that God is one (unity without confusion) in three
distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit
(separation without division).
The
“things that are coming,” which the Holy Spirit will declare, do not allude to
new predictions about the future; rather, they refer to interpretations of what
has already occurred and been said by Jesus.
- Synthesis
Jesus contrasts his desire to explain the mystery of his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension with his disciples' inability to grasp its full meaning due to their distress and anxiety about his departure. He then promises them that the Holy Spirit will guide them to the complete implications of his revelation. The Holy Spirit will speak not on his own but on behalf of God the Father and, therefore, on behalf of Jesus, since everything the Father has belongs to Jesus. These connections between the Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit express the Christian theology of the Trinity, which teaches that God is one (unity without confusion) in three distinct persons (separation without division).
The
Easter season is over, and we resume Ordinary Time, which was interrupted by
the Lenten and Easter seasons. It's important to remind ourselves that the term
“Ordinary” does not imply that this season is insignificant. Derived from the
Latin word ordinalis, “Ordinary” means “numbered.” Thus, “Ordinary Time”
refers to the thirty-four weeks that stand outside the crucial seasons of
Christmas and Easter, along with their preparatory seasons known as Advent and
Lent, respectively. The green color of this Ordinary Time signifies a period of
spiritual growth. It is also a time to begin the mission Jesus assigned us
before he ascended to heaven to his Father two Sundays ago during the Solemnity
of the Ascension. Last Sunday, at the Solemnity of Pentecost, we renewed the
graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are now ready to work.
How
beautiful it is to begin our mission in this Ordinary Season with the Solemnity
of the Most Holy Trinity, the central mystery of the Christian faith. We
believe in the Holy Trinity not as three gods, but as one God in three distinct
Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Today’s
Scripture readings invite us to recognize, through our own suffering that we
may encounter while on the mission, the work of each Person of the Holy
Trinity.
Our
Gospel is set within the context of Jesus’ farewell discourse to his disciples
at the Last Supper, just before his crucifixion. Jesus prepares them for their
mission in his Church, which they will oversee after his death. In this
passage, Jesus begins by stating that the disciples' feelings of distress and
anxiety obstruct their understanding of the mystery of the Cross that he wishes
to clarify for them. As a solution, he tells them that the Holy Spirit will
guide them to “all truth,” meaning to the full implications of his revelation;
that is, they should not view Jesus’ Cross as a failure but as a victory, a
sign of true power (Jn 16:13).
As
he did for his disciples, Jesus has prepared us during the Easter season, which
ended last Sunday. Before his solemn Ascension to heaven, he sent us on a
mission (Sunday of the Ascension of the Lord). Last Sunday, on the Solemnity of
Pentecost, we received the Holy Spirit he speaks of in today’s Gospel. Our Holy
Mother Church urges us to open up to the Holy Spirit, who guides us in our
mission to “all truth” of the mystery of the Cross, which is the way to our
salvation.
The
Holy Spirit inspires us to see the Cross of Jesus and our own sufferings not as
failures, but as victories, a sign of true power. This is what Saint Paul
teaches us in our second reading. He urges us not to abandon our mission amid
suffering. Instead, we should “boast” because we believe that our “affliction
produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character,
hope, and hope does not disappoint” (Rm 5:3-5).
All
of today’s Bible readings encapsulate the theology of the Holy Trinity, that
is, the unity of the three Persons without confusion and their separation
without division. Our first reading personifies Wisdom, which the Church's
Tradition identifies with Jesus. We heard that Wisdom (Jesus) was privileged to
be present at the creation of the world. In the Gospel, Jesus informs his
disciples and us that the “things that are coming,” which the Holy Spirit will
declare to his disciples and us, come from the Father; since everything the
Father has belongs to him, therefore these “things that are coming” come from
Jesus. In our second reading, Saint Paul explains the work of each of the
Persons of the Holy Trinity without confusing or dividing them. According to
him, God calls us to have peace with him in his glory; Jesus justifies (saves)
us by faith and grants us access to this peace and glory of God; and the Holy
Spirit pours out the love of God into our hearts so that we can enjoy God’s
peace and glory here and now, even amid our daily sufferings.
In
the celebration of this Eucharist, let us pray to the Triune God for guidance
in recognizing the work of each Person of the Holy Trinity in our lives,
especially during times of affliction while on his mission. Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church, Jackson, MS
&
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
[1]
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John: Sacra Pagina Series volume 4 (Collegeville,
Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), 441.
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