Year B
Trinity Sunday
Images
Baptising in the
name of the Holy Trinity
Points to note
Easter season has just finished and we are not back
into the ordinary season of the liturgical year. The readings will remain with the Gospel
according to St Mark, with a few exceptions like in this week, until the end of
the liturgical year.
If you do wish to go into the intricacies of the
Trinity, this will be in the leaflet for Year A.
In this reading, the injunction from Jesus calls on
the Apostles, the first bishops to baptise in the name of the Trinity. Names are very important to the
ancients. That is why important people
in the Bible had their names changed by God at critical times of their
lives: Abraham; Jacob; Peter. The Bible also emphasises naming of persons
and often gives the meaning of the names.
In the ancient world, the authority to give or to
change someone’s name confers a certain power and ownership of the namer (is
this the right word?) over the named.
Therefore, to be baptised in the name of the Trinity would seal the
Trinity’s ownership over us.
This would also be an opportunity to share everyone’s
names in the group. You may want to have
a book of names to give meaning to names.
Liturgy
Acclamation
before the Gospel
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit the God who is, who was, and who
is to come.
Alleluia!
Gospel
Explain that this story took place after
Jesus rose from the dead and just before he ascended into heaven.
A
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew
(Mt 28: 16-20)
The eleven disciples set out for Galilee,
to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him,
though some hesitated. Jesus came up and
spoke to them. He said, “All authority
has in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the
nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to
the end of time.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Discussions
Does anyone remember their baptism? Some of the children may have been baptism
as children and not babies while some others may have witnessed a baptism. Get them to talk about the more salient
happenings during the baptism.
There is one
point in the celebration where the baby is brought up to the priest for the
baptism itself. Before the baptism, the
priest asks the parents for the name of the baby. This will be a good
opportunity to go through the room and ask every child what his or her parents
said. Do it slowly with respect and
holiness when they say their names as the ritual of naming can be a solemn
affair.
Point out that when their parents called
out their names, it was the first time that the Christian community heard their
name and the Christian community accepted that name by welcoming the baby into
the Church through baptism.
Explain that the choice of names and
their meanings are very important. That
is why in the ancient world, people chose the names of their children because
of the meaning and not just because they sounded nice. No one would have wanted their parents to
name them Porky for instance!! If you have a
book of names, you may wish to go search out the meaning of names of each
child.
Explain also that sometimes, people are
named after someone famous, someone the parents like or respect a lot. It could be a film star, a world leader, or a
family member. Ask if any of the children
know if they have been named after someone.
When parents named a child after
someone, they hope that the child will take on the qualities of that
person. Guess what the parents would
want their daughter to grow up to be if they have named her Britney? Catholics like to name their children after
saints in hope that they will grow up to be like the saint.
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