Today’s Readings and the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
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Proverbs 8:22-31
In this passage, we hear from the figure of Wisdom. She makes it clear that she is feminine. She is at creation but is she divine? The language is not clear. She is a complex and intriguing figure. Christian interpretation has traditionally seen this figure as the Holy Spirit.
The whole of chapter 8 deals with the Wisdom figure, including
- her universal call vv1-5
- her truth, integrity, and value vv6-11
- her intellectual gifts vv12-16
- her favors vv17-21
- her priority in all things vv22-26
- her presence at creation which makes her superior over all things vv27-31
- her appeal to be heeded vv32-36
Right at the start, in v22, we are presented with a translation challenge. The NAB says that Wisdom was begot or created while other versions use different language. The Hebrew term qanah can mean “to create,” “to acquire,” “to possess,” or “to beget.” The Jewish Study Bible translates this word as created, perhaps emphasizing the theology of monotheism – that there is only one God. The Catholic Vulgate (the Latin translation of the entire Bible) chose the Latin word possedit which means “to possess,” perhaps emphasizing the teaching that this is the Holy Spirit, an uncreated divine person. V23 may help support the Jewish translation with the use of the word formed which is usually translated “poured forth,” an image of birth.
Vv27-30 show Wisdom present at creation and, therefore, knowing the secrets of creation. It alludes to the creation events portrayed in Genesis 1 and 2.
V30 references the idea of an artisan or master craftsman. Like v22, this word presents translation challenges and the choice of translation often reflects underlying theology. Choices of meaning include “artisan/craftsman,” “nursling/child,” “faithful one,” or “constant companion.” The Jewish Study Bible renders it as “a source of delight every day,” making Wisdom a companion to God. The Latin Vulgate chose a word that conveys the idea of someone who creates, emphasizing the theology of Wisdom as the Holy Spirit.
Vv30-31 show us the playful nature of Wisdom.
Think about the language and metaphors used in this passage. What kind of God do they portray? What image appeals most to you? How might you bring this image to your prayer?
Romans 5:1-5
Romans 5-8 tell us that the love of god assures salvation to those justified by faith. There is an overlap of the ages: it is here but not yet.
1 Corinthians was an earlier letter of Paul that contains some nascent theology. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 he says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Romans was likely Paul’s last writing, and he is still playing with these three core theological concepts. You might read today’s passage and highlight these three words: faith, hope, love. Look at the progression Paul makes here.
He begins by talking about faith and how it justifies us (vv1-2). Then he moves to hope: we hope in the glory of God (v2), it is developed as a character trait within us (v4), and it will not disappoint us (v5). He ends by saying that the love of God has been poured into us: we are united with God through the action of the Holy Spirit (v5). This verse, in particular, provides a connection to the Proverbs reading through the imagery of pouring out.
Up until this point in the letter, Paul has been making the point that we are justified by faith in God. Having argued this, he will now switch to exploring the implications of it. The first and most immediate effect is peace – not an absence of conflict and suffering, but harmony with God in the midst of it all.
Some manuscripts read “let us have peace,” but the best sources read “we have peace,” which fits theologically. Jesus said, “Peace I give you, not as the world gives.” This is not a peace we can conjure up within ourselves; this is a peace given by God.
V1 is usually called upon to explore the faith vs works debate. The verb justified primarily means to declare or pronounce someone as righteous. In a legal sense, it refers to the act of acquitting or vindicating someone, declaring them free from guilt or blame.
In v2, the Greek word for access was often used for introduction into the presence of a king, suggesting privileged access to God. In some translations, the phrase “by faith” is bracketed or omitted. This phrase does not appear in the best manuscripts and is usually understood to be a later addition by a scribe wishing to clarify Paul’s thought.
The word boast is from the root word neck and it means to hold the head up high. In Paul’s world, boasting was an accepted practice, a ways to emphasize a person’s status or achievements. Paul uses this word to his own advantage, saying that we as Christians are called to something different: boasting in what Christ has done rather than what we have done. In other words: faith rather than works.
In v1 Paul said we have peace. Here in v2 he says we have hope, from the root word meaning to anticipate and welcome. It is expectation of what is sure. There is no uncertainty or doubt in the biblical use of the word hope. And it comes through grace. Like peace, this is not something we conjur up ourselves. It is a gift.
In v3 Paul talks about sufferings, a word meaning affliction or tribulations. For some people, suffering is valuable because they allow God to use it for growth. For others, suffering is resisted and produces something much different than Paul’s list, things like anger and bitterness. It is a choice of how to view suffering and respond to it. Paul gives us the “more excellent” way in vv3-4.
In v5 Paul assures us that we won’t ultimately stand before God and be disappointed by an unfavorable ruling – a judgment against us that would bar the way to full salvation. Suffering in this life reflects the old age or era, of which we are still somehow a part. But it does not indicate a hostile God who might capriciously deny us salvation.
He says that God’s love has been poured out, an image which evokes baptism. This is not transactional imagery. This is a radical conception of a God who pours gift after gift upon us, before we do anything.
Reflect on Paul’s trio of faith, hope, and love. What role does each play in your relationship with God? How do each relate to one another for you (i.e. how does faith inform hope? etc).
John 16:12-15
We could sum up this reading by saying: the Son has received everything from the Father and the Spirit communicates the fullness of the Father and the Son. This captures what the Cappadocian fathers said: the trinity is more an action than a definition. They used the Greek word perichoresis – a divine dance or a circle dance. (The Cappadocian fathers were Basil the Great, his younger brother Gregory of Nyssa, and their friend Gregory of Nazianzus.) Although this passage is used by the lectionary to illustrate the Trinity, it’s not the clearest of thought in the way we expect, for instance, from theology. Rather, the author is illustrating relationships and at the core of them all is the teaching of Jesus.
The larger context of the passage is the “farewell discourse,” where Jesus is preparing his disciples for his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension. He begins by acknowledging limits to what the disciples can comprehend at this point. The Greek word for “bear” can mean both “to carry a weight” and “to comprehend,” suggesting both intellectual and emotional limitations of the disciples at this point in their development.
V13 suggests to us a process of revelation, rather than an instantaneous understanding of things. The New American Bible translation seems to want to emphasize gender. I appreciate the RSV’s inclusive language which does not implicitly force the Spirit into a gender role. The underlying Greek is genderless (or, might we say, gender-full) in that it does have a pronoun but not a gendered one.
Jesus says the Spirit will guide us into all truth, or, as some translations render it, into all the truth. Truth functions as an important keyword in this gospel and means a personal belief in Jesus. In that sense, the Spirit is guiding us to and into Jesus, which makes the translation “into all Truth” (capitalization mine) apt. The Spirit also guides us to understand how Jesus is the fulfillment of everything promised in scripture, all the truth.
The Spirit’s role in v14 is further specified as taking (or receiving – the Greek can mean either) from Jesus and declaring it. This is the Greek word anaggelló, related to euangelion which we translate as “the good news.”
As suggested in the overview of this feast, how does this passage inform your understanding of one God, three persons? And how might it help you understand your own experience of that relationship?
Questions to ponder
What language for the Trinity most appeals to you?
What does each passage say about our understanding of one God, three persons? And what does the reading say about our experience of that relationship?
In the past, how has God concretely sought to be in relationship with you?
How have you experienced God? What kind of language do you use to describe that?
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
© 2023 Kelly Sollinger