June 12th - Holy Trinity
(Prv 8:22-31; Rom 5:1-5; Jn 16:12-15)
Today's first reading from Proverbs is about the Wisdom of God, which is presented as a person speaking for himself. Although the Holy Spirit was not known as a person of God in Old Testament times, through the eyes of the New Testament we can see this reading from Proverbs as being about the Holy Spirit from an Old Testament perspective. From the last line of today's reading we see that the Holy Spirit delights in the human race. He is on our side – a helpful guide to holiness. The Holy Spirit desires to be our inspiration - to give us the strength and the wisdom to overcome adversity so that we may delight in God. Today's second reading from Romans 5 affirms that the Holy Spirit delights in the human race by being the agent of God's love and the means by which we love Him in return. In today's Gospel Jesus foretells the coming of the Holy Spirit as a conduit of truth as well as inspiration. Jesus goes to great lengths to establish the authority of the coming “Spirit of Truth” as speaking for God the Father and for God the Son when Jesus is no longer living among them as a man and instructing them on a daily basis. At this point the disciples do not yet understanding the coming passion and death he will endure. He wants to make sure that his disciples will recognize the Trinity as speaking with one voice – the voice of the one God. It is this ongoing working of the Holy Spirit that we recognize today as still guiding God's people through the Church. Despite all the weaknesses and fallibility of humans, the Holy Spirit still delights in humankind and is working to keep us safe from evil. Let us pray for the grace to listen when He speaks.