Where is the Blessed Trinity to be
found? The Bible has numerous manifestations of the Blessed Trinity. We will
give three!
1.
The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by
John the Baptist. (Mt. 3:13-17). In this passage we hear the voice of God the
Father; we see Jesus the Son descending into the waters of the Jordan River;
finally the Holy Spirit--- in the form of a dove—descends on Jesus.
2.
The Missionary mandate of Jesus
before His Ascension into heaven. Jesus commands the Apostles (and us) with
these words: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt 28:
19)
3.
Pauline greeting incorporated at the
start of Holy Mass. “The grace of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.”
WHERE IS THE BLESSED TRINITY TO BE
FOUND?
For all eternity the Blessed Trinity
is in heaven. The Father loves the Son
and the Son loves the Father and the mutual bond of love between the Father and
the Son is the Holy Spirit. There is no
lacking or incompleteness is our Triune God.
However as St Thomas Aquinas accurately
comments that love is expansive; love wants to share itself with others. So God in time created the world out of
nothing. The crown of creation was the creation of the human race, starting
with the creation of Adam and Eve.
Jesus came to bring us life and life
in abundance. Establishing the Church, the true “Sacrament of Salvation”, Jesus
willed to introduce us into the life of the Blessed Trinity through the
Sacraments, specifically, the Sacrament of Baptism.
Precisely in the moment of baptism,
when the minister pours water on the head and pronounces the Trinitarian
formula: “I baptize you in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, then that child or adult
becomes a living Temple of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
For that reason, the Church warmly
exhorts its faithful to baptize the child as soon as possible, not simply to
wash away the satin of Original Sin but even more important to initiate the
wonderful start of a new family--- the Blessed Trinity living within the soul
of the newly baptized! How simple but
how sublime!
This treasure of the soul living in
the state of sanctifying grace and even more of the Indwelling of the Blessed
Trinity starting from the Sacrament of Baptism, should be guarded, protected,
and cherished at all times.
For this reason the saints have been
unanimous in preaching and teaching and living out the doctrine of renouncing
sin--- especially that of mortal sin—as the greatest of all evils! The
first degree of humility in the Ignatian Exercises is to prefer death
over mortal sin. St Dominic Savio had as a motto on the day of his first Communion,
“Death rather than sin!” St Maria
Gorretti allowed herself to be stabbed 14 times to her death in martyrdom
saying to her assassin: “No it is a mortal sin and if we do it we can go to
hell!” This young martyr did not want
to lose the Indwelling of the Blessed Trinity in her soul that came in the
moment of Baptism.
Even though the Blessed Trinity is
expelled from the soul who willingly chooses to commit a mortal sin, God is
rich in forgiveness and is always willing to forgive anyone who repents, trusts
in His Infinite mercy and returns through sacramental confession. How consoling the words that the priest says
over the repentant sinner concluding the Sacrament of Reconciliation: “I absolve you of your sins in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
One of the highlights of the
Spirituality of the Carmelites--- Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Elizabeth
of the Trinity, Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), and Therese of Lisieux---
is that of the Indwelling of the Most Blessed Trinity in the soul of the person
who is living in the state of sanctifying grace.
Living an interior life immersed in
God and cultivating silence and recollection at any time and place, the
spiritual soul can enter within and find the Triune God within and entertain
these three Divine Guests at any time and in any place.
St. Catherine of Siena, one of the
three women doctors of the church, would often return to what she called her
interior cell. In this cell she could discover the bridegroom of her soul
–Jesus the Lord. But also she could entertain the other two Guests—God the
Father and the Holy Spirit!
For this reason Pope Benedict XVI
insists on the indispensable need in the modern world for silence. In silence the voice of the Triune God can be
heard and this intimate and profound dialogue can be achieved. “Speak O Lord for your servant is
listening.”
A TRINITARIAN PRACTICE! Close your
eyes and singly gently but with deep faith! “Father I adore you; lay my life
before you! How I love you……
Jesus, I adore you; lay my life
before you! How I love you…..
Spirit, I adore you; lay my life before
you! How I love you…”
By gently singing this simple
Trinitarian song, the love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will be
ignited in your own cell, your own Interior Castle, and peace and joy will be
yours!
