Love the Beauty Beyond the Beauty
Prov 8:22-31; Rom 5:1-5; Jn 16:12-15 (Ordinary
11/ C)
“Father makes all things through the Word
and in the Holy Spirit” St Athanasius
Today we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity, the
revelation of the mystery of God’s inner life. The Holy Scripture assures us
that not only is our God a personal God, but God exists as three Persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while remaining one God. Although we cannot provide
a logical explanation for this, our faith enables us, in some small measure, to
experience the presence of God. Benedict XVI says, “The liturgy invites us to
praise God not merely for the wonders that he has worked, but for who he is;
for the beauty and goodness of his being.” St. Augustine, in his book “Confessions,”
explains this mystery by questioning, “What do I love when I love my God? Not
material beauty or beauty of a temporal order; not the brilliance of earthly
light; not the sweet melody of harmony and song; not the fragrance of flowers,
perfumes, and spices; not manna or honey; not limbs such as the body delights
to embrace. It is not these that I love when I love my God. And yet, when I
love him, it is true that I love the light of beautiful love in my inner self”.
The Holy Trinity, whose feast we celebrate today, is
beyond the reach of time and the grasp of human reasoning. It is a mystery of
our faith. We can only fumble in the dark in search of glimmers of light. “Two
is company, three is a crowd” is a popular expression. Figurative language three
in the Gospels symbolizes completeness and perfect symmetry. The life of Christ
itself constantly reflected the nature of the Trinity. Three figures at the
nativity scene in Bethlehem — the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The
three wise men at the manger. The three temptations of Jesus by the devil. The
three Characters in the parable of the Prodigal Son. The parable speaks of the
behavior of three passers-by in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The three different
types of terrain yield three different levels of harvest in the parables of the
Sower. Peter’s denial of Jesus three
times. Jesus falls three times on the way to Calvary. The crucifixion scene
features three figures: Christ between two thieves. The number three often
connotes the Divine fullness, Covenantal confirmation, Spiritual transformation,
Resurrection, and redemption.
Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) wrote: “What an
astonishing mystery! There is one Father of the universe, one Logos of
the universe, and one Holy Spirit, everywhere the same. There is also one
virgin who becomes mother, and I should like to call her 'Church'. Together,
they represent the fullness of love”. The Holy Spirit sent by the Father
proceeds from the Son is their love for each other for their believers. So,
“God is love”. We are made in the image of the triune God. God the Father
created us, his only begotten Son saved us, and the Holy Spirit continues to
guide us. Our lives reflect the Trinity in our witness in this world. We should
always be creative like the Father, compassionate like his Son, and dispose of
our talents in the service of others like the Holy Spirit. Leo the Great wrote
that to keep God’s mystery within us and celebrate here on Earth our own
Heavenly “citizenship” (Phil 3:20), we need to abide in the Holy Trinity’s
bosom.
In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit
No comments:
Post a Comment