 |
| Andrei Rublev, public domain |
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses connects the action of God to the survival of His chosen people in the midst of hostility.
In the Letter to the Romans, Paul declares us to be adopted sons and daughters of God.
* [8:14–17] Christians, by reason of the Spirit’s presence within them, enjoy not only new life but also a new relationship to God, that of adopted children and heirs through Christ, whose sufferings and glory they share.The Gospel of Matthew commissions us as disciples of Jesus to bring our understanding of this relationship with the Trinity to all people.
* [28:19] Therefore: since universal power belongs to the risen Jesus (Mt 28:18), he gives the eleven a mission that is universal. They are to make disciples of all nations. While all nations is understood by some scholars as referring only to all Gentiles, it is probable that it included the Jews as well. Baptizing them: baptism is the means of entrance into the community of the risen one, the Church. In the name of the Father…holy Spirit: this is perhaps the clearest expression in the New Testament of trinitarian belief. It may have been the baptismal formula of Matthew’s church, but primarily it designates the effect of baptism, the union of the one baptized with the Father, Son, and holy Spirit.The Catholic Faith and Reason Website cites the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the role of the Trinity.
"Everyone who glorifies the Father does so through the Son in the Holy Spirit; everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him and the Spirit moves him" (see John 6: 44; Rom 8: 14). St. John writes us "that God is love and that he who abides in love abides in God. God can be likened to an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who has destined the Body of Christ to share in that exchange.George Butterfield shares that we may not know or understand everything there is about the Triune God but we know that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in every age and at every time has shown interest in, love for, and a desire to know his people.
Don Schwager quotes “The pledge of the Holy Spirit”, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with His sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed His pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts" (excerpt from De Mysteriis 7, 42).The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 28:16-20 invites us to savour the Trinity as a spiritual mystery.
It is God revealing himself to us and convincing us of his love and care for us.
This is the true mystery of the Trinity: that our God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—loves us deeply and treats us with great tenderness and mercy.
Fr. Michael Denk comments on the movie “The Shack” and exercises to help us experience a personal relationship with God.
One of the things I hear many people say after they see “The Shack” is “It’s so amazing. It made me feel closer to God. I wish I could have that relationship with Him. That personal relationship with Him.” I often think, you can! That is the whole essence of liturgy and of prayer. That is what we did in “Pray40Days.” All those exercises were to help you experience a personal relationship with God. On the Feast of the Trinity, I invite you to reconnect and to have that deeper relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.Friar Jude Winkler explains the incredible love from God experienced by the people addressed by Moses as they came to learn what God expected of them. The Spirit described by Paul to the Romans gives us the ability to know God as “Abba”. The Great Mandate at the end of the Gospel of Matthew is part of a rabbinic teaching method that involves repetition of the truths being taught.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites Parker Palmer, a Quaker teacher and activist, to explain the old Quaker saying, “Let your life speak.”
In other words, your life is not about you. You are about a larger thing called Life. You are not your own. You are an instance of a universal and eternal pattern. Life is living itself in you. The myriad forms of life in the universe are merely parts of the One Life—that many of us call “God.”The role of Father, Son and Spirit in filling our life is our participation in the Love of the Trinity.
References
(n.d.). Deuteronomy 4 USCCB. Retrieved May 27, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/Deuteronomy/4:32
(n.d.). Romans 8 USCCB. Retrieved May 27, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/romans8.htm
(n.d.). 28:20. Retrieved May 27, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew28.htm
The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church - Catholic Faith and Reason. Retrieved May 27, 2018, from http://www.catholicfaithandreason.org/the-holy-spirit-in-the-life-of-the-church.html
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved May 27, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 27, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Saint Philip Neri, Priest (Memorial) - Mass Readings and Catholic .... Retrieved May 27, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). The Shack-Trinity - The Prodigal Father. Retrieved May 27, 2018, from https://www.theprodigalfather.org/blog/the-shack-trinity/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 27, 2018, from https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive/
No comments:
Post a Comment