{"id":5769,"date":"2025-06-15T02:11:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T01:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/?p=5769"},"modified":"2025-06-20T19:59:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T18:59:47","slug":"commentary-on-trinity-sunday-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/commentary-on-trinity-sunday-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary on Trinity Sunday C 15.06.2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEXT \u2014 John 16: 12\u201315 \u2014 The Spirit of Revelation<\/em><\/h3>\n

Jesus has much more to say<\/strong><\/p>\n

12 \u201cI have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. <\/em><\/p>\n

Spirit of truth<\/strong><\/p>\n

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. <\/em><\/p>\n

He will glorify Father and Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\n

14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. <\/em>15 All that the <\/em><\/p>\n

Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

EXPLANATION<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

12 \u201cI have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI have yet many things to say to you<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Jesus is at the end of his life. He has not completed all he wished to say to his apostles. Their need for further teaching is a necessity.<\/p>\n

\u201cbut you cannot bear them now<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Under the present circumstances it is not opportune now. They cannot understand what he would like to tell them because at this stage they are perplexed by his speaking about his impending passion and death. They also are slow to learn because they have wrong pre\u2013conceived ideas about the aims and objectives of the Messiah. They do not regard him as a spiritual but a political leader. There are certain matters they cannot understand until these have taken place, for example his resurrection. At that time no one had ever heard of or experienced a person rising from the dead. They could not believe before it took place that Jesus could rise from the dead.<\/p>\n

They are also fragile because of their weak faith and he knows that when persecution arises fear will dominate their lives for a while. Jesus is about to provide his solution.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When the Spirit of truth comes<\/em>\u201d \u2014 \u201cTruth<\/em>\u201d in John\u2019s Gospel is a word that is synonymous with \u2018revelation\u2019. Jesus said, \u201cI am the truth<\/em>\u201d (Jn. 14: 6), meaning that he is the revelation of his Father, \u201cMy word is not my own; it is the word of the one who sent me<\/em>\u201d (Jn 14: 24). \u201cIf you had known me you would have known my Father also; henceforth you have known him and you have seen him<\/em>\u201d (Jn. 14: 7). \u201cHe who has seen me has seen the Father<\/em>\u201d (Jn. 14: 9).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Spirit of truth<\/em>\u201d is the Holy Spirit teaching the full divine revelation as proclaimed by Jesus.<\/p>\n

When will the Spirit of truth come? Only when Jesus prays to his Father (Jn. 14: 16\u201317) and sends him from the Father after his ascension (Jn. 15: 26).<\/p>\n

\u201che will guide you into all the truth<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The Spirit will be an authentic interpreter so that the apostles will recall to memory and understand all the revelation proclaimed by Jesus (Jn. 2: 22; 12: 16; 14: 26).<\/p>\n

\u201cfor he will not speak on his own authority<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The Holy Spirit will speak on the authority of the Father and of Jesus who will send him from the Father. Jesus also said, \u201cThe words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works<\/em>\u201d (Jn 14: 10; 7: 16; 12: 49\u201350).<\/p>\n

\u201cbut whatever he hears he will speak<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The Spirit of truth is the Spirit of Jesus. Whatever Jesus speaks the Spirit recalls, interprets and offers a deeper understanding for the disciples. What Jesus speaks is what he has received from his Father. It follows that what the Spirit recalls and interprets is what the Father spoke to Jesus. This means that what the Spirit hears and speaks is on the authority of the Father as well as Jesus.<\/p>\n

Vatican II teaches that our Lord \u201ccompleted and perfected Revelation and confirmed it\u2026 finally by sending the Spirit of truth\u201d (Vatican II, \u201cDei Verbum<\/em>\u201d, 4).<\/p>\n

The Paraclete will \u201cspeak<\/em>\u201d to and through the Church, the Body of Christ, the sacrament of salvation, the divinely appointed means by which God\u2019s will is made known to the world. The Church does this through divine tradition, the written scriptures and the Church\u2019s teaching authority, the magisterium.<\/p>\n

\u201cand he will declare to you<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The verb \u201cwill declare<\/em>\u201d occurs in the following two verses. It has a technical sense. In Isaiah it is used 57 times with the meaning that God alone can announce future events. Applying this to the present context it means that the Holy Spirit is (i) sent by the Father (ii) to perform a function reserved to God. He shares in the divinity.<\/p>\n

This is endorsed in the following words: \u201cBefore his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of \u2018another Paraclete\u2019 (Advocate), the Holy Spirit. At work since creation, having previously \u2018spoken through the prophets\u2019, the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to teach them and guide them \u2018into all the truth\u2019. The Holy Spirit is thus revealed as another divine person with Jesus and the Father\u201d (Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em>, 243).<\/p>\n

\u201cthe things that are to come<\/em>\u201d \u2014 These future events are the death and resurrection of Jesus and the effects produced in salvation history. These the disciples will understand when the Holy Spirit will explain their full significance.<\/p>\n

Jesus is speaking not only to the Eleven but to the Church as a whole and to its succeeding generations. He is speaking to our contemporary Church. There cannot be new revelations since the death of the last of the apostles but there have been new problems. There have been new heresies that needed an authoritative answer. There has been the need of new applications in succeeding generations to what has already been given to Jesus. This has meant new expressions of the significance of revealed truths to changing and perhaps more developed cultures down through the ages. For example, the Nicene Creed has given fuller expression to the contents of the Apostles\u2019 Creed. The Spirit of Truth has been the \u201cguide into all the truth<\/em>\u201d over the centuries.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. <\/em>15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe will glorify me<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The Spirit will make manifest that Jesus, the Son of God incarnate, is divine as can be seen through his words and works and especially by his death and resurrection (Jn. 12: 23\u201324, 28; 14: 31).<\/p>\n

\u201cfor he will take what is mine and declare it to you<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This is explained in the words that follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you<\/em>\u201d \u2014 What does Jesus have that is his? Whatever the Father has is his. \u201cI and the Father are one<\/em>\u201d (Jn. 10: 30). The Father has \u201cglory<\/em>\u201d (he is divine) so Jesus has this \u201cglory<\/em>\u201d (he also is divine). The Holy Spirit will \u201cdeclare<\/em>\u201d this to the apostles.<\/p>\n

The Father has knowledge which he reveals. Jesus has this knowledge also. He is the one who reveals this knowledge on behalf of the Father. The Holy Spirit has this knowledge from Jesus. He reveals and explains this to the apostles on behalf of Jesus who is not the one who reveals any more. It is not the role of the Paraclete to give any new revelation.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

APPLICATION<\/em><\/h3>\n

Importance<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. No less an authority than The Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em> stands behind the following points listing the importance of the official Church teaching on the mystery of the Blessed Trinity:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cThe mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is [i] the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is [ii] the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore [iii] the source of all the other mysteries of faith, [iv] the light that enlightens them. It is [v] the most fundamental and essential teaching in the \u2018hierarchy of the truths of faith\u2019. [vi] The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men \u2018and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin\u2019\u201d (CCC<\/em>, 234)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    I am sure that there are many more unique things that have been said about this mystery. I will add only one: this mystery is (vii) the most distinguishing mark of Christianity because no other religion believes in it.<\/p>\n

    Incomprehensible<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Knowing the importance of this fundamental teaching, we have to add that it is the most incomprehensible belief of Christianity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em> is relevant here: \u201cThe Trinity is a mystery of faith in the strict sense, one of the \u2018mysteries that are hidden in God, which can never be known unless they are revealed by God\u2019. To be sure, God has left traces of his Trinitarian being in his work of creation and in his Revelation throughout the Old Testament. But his inmost Being as Holy Trinity is a mystery that is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel\u2019s faith before the Incarnation of God\u2019s Son and the sending of the Holy Spirit\u201d (CCC<\/em>, 237)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      This quotation is not something negative; it is very positive. It tells us that unless God reveals it the mystery of the Blessed Trinity cannot be known. Then the Catechism adds that God has revealed the mystery in two ways. The first is by \u201ctraces\u201d in creation and in the Old Testament revelation. That could be difficult because \u201ctraces\u201d are not always clear and can lead to many misunderstandings and false judgements. The second way God has revealed himself is in the New Testament, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and this is much clearer.<\/p>\n

      The Catechism does not say that the mystery, as mystery, is taken away entirely but it is no longer inaccessible. The fulness of understanding can only be experienced when we see God face\u2013to\u2013face. That is our experience in knowing people. No matter how much we read and hear about them, we never really know them until we meet them, indeed only when we live with them do we really know them.<\/p>\n

      A major problem with perhaps the vast majority of humans is that what they do not understand they tend to either ignore or simplify into some thoughts more of their imagining than the reality. To ignore or simplify the mystery of the Blessed Trinity is to ignore or simplify what Jesus and the Holy Spirit have revealed. That could mean ignoring or simplifying Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A practical example might be that other than by the Lord\u2019s Prayer, many people never pray directly, spontaneously and personally to the Father, Fewer may not ever pray to the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

      Relevance<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Belief in the Blessed Trinity, that there are Three Persons in one divine Nature, is fundamental to the life of every Christian. Obviously, because this teaches us about God, Three in One, who wants us to know him and to know truths about him. A second, and very important reason, is that this teaching informs us about ourselves! He is the One who created us in his own image and likeness and who wants us to be with him for all eternity. To assist us between those two moments of our lives he endowed us with the Way to follow his Son in the flesh. Such love, his love! That is one great lesson he has taught us \u2014 what love is and how to love. This is in addition to knowledge about himself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Current Passage<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. The current passage from John 16: 12\u201315 tells us about the three Persons in the Blessed Trinity. While it does not spell out the actual words, it is quite clear that<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          (i)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The three Persons are distinct: the Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit; the Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son; yet all three are divine; all three are one;<\/p>\n

          (ii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Father will send the Holy Spirit on the identical mission of salvation which Jesus was sent on;<\/p>\n

          (iii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All that the Father has and knows the Son incarnate has and can reveal;<\/p>\n

          (iv)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Father authorised Jesus on what to speak;<\/p>\n

          (v)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus will authorize the Holy Spirit on what to speak;<\/p>\n

          (vi)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, that is of Jesus who is the Truth and that also includes that he is the Spirit of revelation;<\/p>\n

          (vii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Holy Spirit reveals not a new revelation but what he is authorised to reveal;<\/p>\n

          (viii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Holy Spirit will guide by teaching and recalling to memory what the disciples need to know;<\/p>\n

          (ix)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus, that is reveal his divinity.<\/p>\n

          There are only four verses in this current reading and here are nine fundamental truths about the Blessed Trinity. No wonder this concise instruction is not easy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          TEXT \u2014 John 16: 12\u201315 \u2014 The Spirit of Revelation Jesus has much more to say 12 \u201cI have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. Spirit of truth 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5769"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8394,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5769\/revisions\/8394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}