TRINITY SUNDAY
Today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. We, Christians, believe in one God. We also believe that this one God has three persons- God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is, however, a difficult notion to understand. As we do today, people in the past had difficulties in understanding the mystery of the Trinity. People always ask: “How is it possible to have three persons in one God? or How does one God become three persons?” Our traditional answer is that it is a mystery. Of course, it is a mystery but a reality as well.
The notion of Trinity was developed based on human experience and divine revelation. In the past people experienced God as a Creator, someone who is beyond human reach. In the New Testament period, people had a different experience of the same God, namely, God as Emmanuel, as someone with them. Today we experience God as Spirit, someone who is within us. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are different forms or expressions of the one God. They are different levels of God’s Existence and they are different expressions of God’s Love. At least one place in the Bible the whole trinity made an appearance. This was at the time of Jesus’ Baptism.
What helps us today is not the ontological discussion of the nature of the Trinity, but the message of the Trinity. The message of the Trinity is love and Relationship. The notion of relationship is important for two reasons.
RELATIONSHIP: THE BASIC SACRAMENT
God is a communion of three persons. God is a relationship. Therefore, relationship is the medium through which God operates. So He formed the community of Israel. Jesus himself made it amply clear when he said’ “When two or three are gathered together in my name I will be in their midst.” Consequently, to have a God experience we must be in community. Thomas missed seeing Jesus when he made his appearance after the resurrection because he was not in the community. The importance of community is evident from the working style of Jesus. The very first act Jesus did after his baptism was to form a group of disciples. The last thing Jesus did before the crucifixion was the institution of the Eucharist, the perfect symbol of fellowship. The first thing Jesus did after his resurrection was to gather the scattered disciples. Similarly, when Jesus sent them on a mission he sent them in twos.
To receive God’s grace, we must be in communion with one another. Therefore, question for our reflection is: Am I in conflict with anyone? What am I doing to improve the quality of my relationship?
.
Today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. We, Christians, believe in one God. We also believe that this one God has three persons- God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is, however, a difficult notion to understand. As we do today, people in the past had difficulties in understanding the mystery of the Trinity. People always ask: “How is it possible to have three persons in one God? or How does one God become three persons?” Our traditional answer is that it is a mystery. Of course, it is a mystery but a reality as well.
The notion of Trinity was developed based on human experience and divine revelation. In the past people experienced God as a Creator, someone who is beyond human reach. In the New Testament period, people had a different experience of the same God, namely, God as Emmanuel, as someone with them. Today we experience God as Spirit, someone who is within us. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are different forms or expressions of the one God. They are different levels of God’s Existence and they are different expressions of God’s Love. At least one place in the Bible the whole trinity made an appearance. This was at the time of Jesus’ Baptism.
What helps us today is not the ontological discussion of the nature of the Trinity, but the message of the Trinity. The message of the Trinity is love and Relationship. The notion of relationship is important for two reasons.
RELATIONSHIP: THE BASIC SACRAMENT
God is a communion of three persons. God is a relationship. Therefore, relationship is the medium through which God operates. So He formed the community of Israel. Jesus himself made it amply clear when he said’ “When two or three are gathered together in my name I will be in their midst.” Consequently, to have a God experience we must be in community. Thomas missed seeing Jesus when he made his appearance after the resurrection because he was not in the community. The importance of community is evident from the working style of Jesus. The very first act Jesus did after his baptism was to form a group of disciples. The last thing Jesus did before the crucifixion was the institution of the Eucharist, the perfect symbol of fellowship. The first thing Jesus did after his resurrection was to gather the scattered disciples. Similarly, when Jesus sent them on a mission he sent them in twos.
To receive God’s grace, we must be in communion with one another. Therefore, question for our reflection is: Am I in conflict with anyone? What am I doing to improve the quality of my relationship?
.
No comments:
Post a Comment