The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, challenge us to contemplate the message of relationship with God and others that is a reflection of the nature of the Trinity.
The reading from the Book of Proverbs describes Wisdom’s part in Creation.
* [8:22–31] Wisdom is of divine origin. She is represented as existing before all things (vv. 22–26), when God planned and created the universe, adorning it with beauty and variety, and establishing its wonderful order (vv. 27–30). The purpose of the two cosmogonies (vv. 22–26 and 27–31) is to ground Wisdom’s claims. The first cosmogony emphasizes that she was born before all else (and so deserving of honor) and the second underscores that she was with the Lord during the creation of the universe. The pre-existence of Woman Wisdom with God is developed in Sir 24 and in New Testament hymns to Christ, especially in Jn 1 and Col 1:15–20. (Proverbs, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)
Psalm 8 praises Divine Majesty and human dignity.
* [Psalm 8] While marvelling at the limitless grandeur of God (Ps 8:2–3), the psalmist is struck first by the smallness of human beings in creation (Ps 8:4–5), and then by the royal dignity and power that God has graciously bestowed upon them (Ps 8:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 8, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans teaches results of Justification in Faith, Hope, and Love.
* [5:1–11] Popular piety frequently construed reverses and troubles as punishment for sin; cf. Jn 9:2. Paul therefore assures believers that God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ is a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ displays God’s initiative in certifying humanity for unimpeded access into the divine presence. Reconciliation is God’s gift of pardon to the entire human race. Through faith one benefits personally from this pardon or, in Paul’s term, is justified. The ultimate aim of God is to liberate believers from the pre-Christian self as described in Rom 1–3. Since this liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection, salvation is described as future in Rom 5:10. Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: “I wonder whether God really means it.” Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Rom 5:5). (Romans, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, prior Jesus’ Departure, we are promised the coming of the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth.
* [16:13] Declare to you the things that are coming: not a reference to new predictions about the future, but interpretation of what has already occurred or been said. (John, CHAPTER 16, n.d.)
Beth Samson comments that the message of our faith is wrapped up in this short reading – hope and love win, given to us by the Trinity – in the love of God, the life of Jesus, and the breath of the Holy Spirit.
Triune God, we come to you today with our afflictions. Naming the heaviness we hold and bear, asking in big and little ways for relief in the ways we need. May we always know your presence amid these afflictions, trusting you are with us even we cannot feel that you are. And may we always remember that hope, rooted in your love, is the foundation of our life in you. Amen. (Samson, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The Mystery of the Holy Spirit,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).
"John tells us that all things came into being through the Son who is God the Word abiding with you, Father, from the beginning. Paul in his turn enumerates the things created in the Son, both visible and invisible, in heaven and on earth. And while he is specific about all that was created in and through Christ, of the Holy Spirit he considers it enough simply to say that he is your Spirit.Therefore I concur with those chosen men in thinking that just as it is not expedient for me to venture beyond my mental limitation and predicate anything of your only-begotten Son except that, as those witnesses have assured us, he was born of you, so it is not fitting for me to go beyond the power of human thought and the teaching of those same witnesses by declaring anything regarding the Holy Spirit other than that he is your Spirit. Rather than waste time in a fruitless war of words, I would prefer to spend it in the firm profession of an unhesitating faith. "I beg you therefore, Father, to preserve in me that pure and reverent faith and to grant that to my last breath I may testify to my conviction. May I always hold fast to what I publicly professed in the creed when I was baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. May I worship you, the Father of us all, and your Son together with you, and may I be counted worthy to receive your Holy Spirit who through your only Son proceeds from you. For me there is sufficient evidence for this faith in the words 'Father, all that I have is yours, and all that is yours is mine,' spoken by Jesus Christ my Lord who remains, in and from and with you, the God who is blessed for endless ages. Amen." (excerpt from ON THE TRINITY 12.55-57) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 16:12-15 comments that like those disciples, we have much more to learn. We don’t quite comprehend a lot of what Jesus teaches, and we need the Spirit’s help to live out the things that we do understand. Take today’s feast of the Holy Trinity as a classic example. Every Sunday we proclaim that we believe in one God in three divine Persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the Trinity is a mystery we will never fully comprehend. Jesus certainly has a lot he can teach us—about the Trinity and so much more. He unfolds these mysteries for us over our lifetime, as we seek him and open ourselves to the Spirit.
How blessed we are! Jesus loves to reveal his truths to us, and he offers us everything we need to understand him. He has overcome the sin that clouds our minds and hinders us from seeking and knowing God. Not only that, but he has given us the Spirit, who lives in us and helps us understand the truths of our faith. And he has given us the Church, where we receive the Scriptures, the sacraments, and brothers and sisters who love us. All these things help to reveal more and more to us about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There’s always more to learn from the Lord. Jesus is ready. Are you? “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teach me your ways.” (Meditation on John 16:12-15, n.d.)
John Moffatt SJ, who teaches Scripture at the Jesuit Institute, South Africa, comments that it is so important for us to find some way of talking that does not reduce three persons to three aspects of a single entity and yet does not leave us with the confusion of three separate Gods either.
One set of reasons is abstract, but important for those to whom ideas matter in their life of faith. We find in Aristotle the philosophical insight that all things arise from a single origin. Yet Aristotle’s changeless, solitary prime mover and sustainer of being seems to have little directly to do with our human experience. However, if the single origin of all things is in essence relationship, we can begin to see why the deepest truth in the universe around us is not the laws of physics, but the law of love. Human beings are not atoms in the void, but beings made for love and community. If the God and origin of all things is in essence unity and self-gift, then this affects how we think about the meaning of our own struggle to survive together on this planet. The writers of the fourth century constantly draw on images from the New Testament to paint a picture of a God whose dynamic creativity is still at work. The Spirit transforms the hearts of believers, enabling them to follow the pathway of the Word and find their way home to the presence of the Father. The divine three, who share all they have in common, call, guide and raise up humankind to participate in the oneness of their glory and delight. (Moffatt, 2013)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Wisdom appears as an attribute of God in the later Hebrew Testament. Is this revelation of God’s will referring to Jesus? The Holy Spirit? Both? Paul shares that peace with God is through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Friar Jude reminds us of the challenge to St Augustine about understanding the Trinity and the Love between the Father and the Son.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, begins a week of focus on the Franciscan unified vision of contemplation and action. Father Richard recounts an early story about Francis of Assisi’s (1182–1226) vocational path. He describes how Francis desired the same combination of contemplative and active ministry for his friars.
The Franciscan worldview is that “the Christ” is everywhere. In fact, this was my Bachelor of Arts thesis in college. I wrote it on the quote from Francis where he says, “Don’t speak to me of Benedict; don’t speak to me of Augustine! The Lord called me to a different way.” [3] Francis didn’t need to create a monastery, as the Benedictines and Augustinians had done. He didn’t want us to be enclosed monks. He wanted us to be friars, living in the middle of the people. To this day, Franciscan friaries are in the heart of most major European cities. Over thirty-five years ago, when we named our organization the Center for Action and Contemplation, I was just being a good Franciscan. It was St. Bonaventure (1221–1274) at the University of Paris who had to debate the secular (diocesan) priests who said that the Franciscan way of putting action and contemplation together would not work. They wanted Franciscans to choose one or the other. The secular priests worked with the people in the parishes, while the “true” religious people went off to monasteries. Francis and his followers thought there had to be a way to do both. (Rohr, 2022)
The Mystery of the Trinity is reflected in our contemplation and action that makes loving relationships visible as signs of love, faith, hope, and truth.
References
John, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/16?12
Meditation on John 16:12-15. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/06/12/409482/
Moffatt, J. (2013, May 24). God is three and God is one. Thinking Faith. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130524_1.htm
Proverbs, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/proverbs/8?22
Psalms, PSALM 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/8?4
Rohr, R. (2022, June 12). A Ministry of Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-ministry-of-action-and-contemplation-2022-06-12/
Romans, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/5?1
Samson, B. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061222.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Spirit Will Guide You into All the Truth. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jun12
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