The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – First Reading – 05/31/2026

A couple Exodus chapters back, the Israelites kicked God to the curb in favor of a golden calf.  This reading is startling illustration of God’s fidelity as a response to human infidelity.  This podcast will help you proclaim this reading specifically to those most in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Howdy, and welcome to Bob the Lector. I'm Bob. The purpose of this podcast is to inspire Catholic lectures to bring their proclamation of God's Word to life. This episode is for the May 31st Sunday Mass's first reading. It's the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, year A. A reading from the book of Exodus. Early in the morning, Moses went up Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets. Having come down in a cloud, the Lord stood with Moses there, and proclaimed his name, Lord. Thus the Lord passed before him, and cried out, The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and rich in kindness and fidelity. Moses had once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he said, If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people. Yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own. The Word of the Lord. Welcome to the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, y'all. This is a deeply moving reading with lots of emotion. So let's get to it, shall we? I always start my own lecture practice with preparation, which is not the external proclamation, but the internal discernment of the message. What is God saying to us? What is his purpose? What is the meaning of this reading? Because if it doesn't mean anything to us, how can we as lectures make it mean anything to the congregation before us? One of the tenets of public speaking is to know your audience. Who is the target audience of this reading? It's anyone who is a sinner. So everyone. This reading takes place immediately after the notorious incident of the golden calf. See Exodus 32. Both God and Moses are enraged. Moses to the point of throwing down the first set of Ten Commandments and shattering the two stone tablets upon his return to camp. Initially, God wants to destroy his chosen people and start over, but Moses intercedes for him. This reading contains potent emotional expressions of God's love and merciful forgiveness, where his tender compassion exponentially exceeds his just wrath. This is a moment of restoration after betrayal. It reveals God's essence is not in power and vengeance, but in mercy and forgiveness, a premonition of Jesus Christ. A powerful takeaway for us in the here and now is to note for ourselves that God chooses to reveal Himself not after human success, but after failure. This is staggering. God speaks as deepest truth to us in the aftermath of grave sin. What do you learn from this reading? We begin early in the morning. Moses went up Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets. The second set of stone tablets shows God rewriting what human sin had shattered, emphasizing divine fidelity over human failure. Stress early and along. In sort of micro pause after morning. Read, Moses went up Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, straight through, without any pauses. Next we have, having come down in a cloud, the Lord stood with Moses there and proclaimed his name. Lord, imagine the enormity of this scene with the Lord standing with Moses, calling out his own name, as if introducing himself to the cosmos. Express wonder as you read this segment. Lord, as used here, is God's divine name, which is translated as I am. Emphasize down, stood, proclaimed, and Lord. Insert a full pause after name, with eye contact on the congregation, as you say with gravity, God's name, Lord. Follow with a full pause to draw further attention to it. Continue on with Thus the Lord passed before him and cried out The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and rich in kindness and fidelity. This is an implausible juxtaposition of roles. God's chosen people reject him for a golden calf, yet he, the creator of the universe, cries out as if he's chasing after them. Such is God's merciful love for us. This is one of the most important self-depictions of God in Scripture. Emphasize before the second Lord, the third Lord, merciful, gracious, slow, rich, kindness, plus fidelity. Insert micropauses after hymn and anger and a full pause after fidelity. When you declare the Lord, the Lord, say each with more resonance than what preceded. For the balance of the sentence, smile with warm joy, and make full eye contact with the congregation, so those sinners out there know the God that loves them. Next we have Moses had once bowed down to the ground in worship. Use a quick pace without pauses when you read this sentence. Stress at once, with your tempo mirroring these words. This is followed by, then he said, If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. I love Moses's invitation to God, as if reaching out his human hand for God to grasp and rejoin his chosen people after they scorned him. When you read, If I find favor with you, O Lord, use a humble tone of voice and facial expression, and one of yearning when Moses beseeches, Do come along in our company. Highlight favor and do come along. We finish grandly with, This is indeed a stiff-necked people. Yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own. Holiness does not begin with pretending to be good, but with honestly admitting we are not, as Moses does here. He copies God, who three times called the Israelites a stiff-necked people. See Exodus 32 9, 33 3, and 335. Use a sober tone and demeanor when you read, This is indeed a stiff-necked people. If you can do so authentically, look down and subtly shake your head, as if thinking, God, I don't know why you put up with us. When you say, indeed, add a throat tremble for added emotion, if you can do so genuinely. Use a tenor of urgent pleading when you say, yet pardon our wickedness and sins, then a vulnerable one as you close with, as your own. Emphasize indeed, pardon, plus receive. Use as much eye contact as you can manage or memorize when you announce, yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own. This is your prayer on behalf of all the sinners before you in the here and now. Make them feel this sentiment. Insert a small pause after us, and use an upward lilt when you say, as your own, reiterating our subservient status as sinners. Insert a full pause with eye contact, maintaining your vulnerable facial expression before you close with the word of the Lord. Well, that's all for now. Thanks for listening. My hope is these ideas will help you find your authentic voice so your proclamation of God's word will transform your listeners, whether they're in pain and broken or just going through the motions. Because the good news deserves great delivery. Visit us on the web at bobthelecture.org, and we'll see you at the Ambo. By the way, if you like what you hear and are so inclined, please give us five stars on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much.