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The Mystery of the Trinity

June 6, 2018 / MSFriend / 1 Comment

Trinity

Have you ever struggled with understanding the mystery of the Holy Trinity? I know I have. The concept of one thing being three is difficult for a simple human mind to fathom.

Many questions come to mind when I think of the Trinity. How can one person be three? Can the same person be the Father and the Son? As difficult as the Trinity is to understand, this is exactly what faith is all about. Faith is not only believing in something we can’t see. It is also believing in something we may NEVER understand.

I once saw an interview given by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, where he attempted to explain the Holy Trinity. In that interview he compared the different persons of the Trinity to different forms of water in order to illustrate how one thing can take three different forms. His explanation was beautiful. What he said was just like water can become ice and steam, so the Trinity, the one thing, is three. That explanation made sense to me. It provided clarification.

As I continued on my spiritual journey, thirsting for the Lord and seeking true holiness, I began meditating more. I was able to quiet my mind for longer periods of time as I progressed in my practice. As a result, I began to see God in all things. My ability to see Him in the people I meet, in the books that I read, in the movies I watch and in nature itself grew.

I found myself contemplating God’s word, daily routines, relationships and the mysteries of my faith. As I journeyed on, I was no longer looking for others to give me answers. I was seeking to be still long enough to hear the answers directly from God. By the grace of God, one day as I was sitting in stillness, a profound explanation of the Trinity came to me. I hope you find it enlightening and as profound as I did when it came to me. So here it goes:

In the summer of 2014, my husband and I took our niece and nephew to the drive-in for a double feature. One of the movies we saw was Lucy starring Scarlett Johannsen. The movie itself was not one I desired to see but the kids wanted to see it so we obliged. The premise of the movie was scientific and revolved around the fact that human beings use only 10% of their brain capacity. In the movie, the protagonist ingests blue crystals which slowly leak into her bloodstream, increase her brain power and gradually poison her.

By the end of the movie Lucy is able to use 100% brain capacity. The instant this happens she explodes and disappears into thin air. Shortly after her disappearance, another one of the characters receives a text from Lucy which states “I AM EVERYWHERE.” The first thing that came to my mind when I saw that was GOD – but that was the extent of my thought that night.

For some reason I could not get the scene of the movie out of my head for weeks. I began to question the bigger meaning. The Holy Spirit was stirring within me and would not let it go. I couldn’t understand why that movie (that particular part) kept popping into my head when I didn’t even think it was so good.

Then several weeks later, as I sat in my recliner still and contemplative it hit me. God is everywhere. God is omniscient and omnipotent, all-knowing and all-powerful. He is, like Lucy, the only one in the universe that uses 100% brain capacity. God is everywhere because of that.

The more I sat with this idea of God using 100% brain capacity and being everywhere, the more I thought about the Trinity and one thing being three. I realized that we humans (one) are made up of three things – body (flesh), mind (brain) and soul (spirit). Bingo! So it is with God. If we are made in the image and likeness of God, then God must also be made of mind, body and soul. We believe God is everywhere. He is everywhere because He uses 100% brain capacity. So He is the “mind” of the Trinity. We believe Jesus is the Word made flesh so He is the body, the flesh of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Trinity. That is what came to me during contemplation.

Sometimes we ask the same questions that have been asked for centuries. We accept the answers that have been given for centuries without asking God to give us a new set of eyes and ears, to renew the Spirit within us to understand what is before us. We ask how one thing can be three when, in fact, we human beings are three things in one. Scripture says seek and you will find, ask and it will be given, knock and the door will be opened. Keep faith brothers and sisters. Depend on the Lord for guidance. You too have the answers to many of life’s questions. You just have to sit still long enough to hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I have to say, one of my favorite pieces of advice to give is ‘just go with the flow”. It’s my life’s motto. I see the “flow” as God’s hand guiding me and I know God will never steer me wrong. Looking back on the night I went to the drive-in, it was another one of those times I “went with the flow.” Both movies of the double feature were not movies I would have run to see. As a matter of fact, I remember being torn about staying to see Lucy. It wasn’t a must see for me.

The Lord works in mysterious ways and I love it when His plan comes together. The joy and awe I feel when I think of how God enlightened me on the Trinity brings tears to my eyes! All I can say is don’t resist the joy God has planned for you, don’t resist the answers God has at the ready. BE STILL and GO WITH THE FLOW!

Unconditional love, peace and unity

May 9, 2018 / MSFriend / 0 Comments

Ascension of Christ

Unconditional love, peace and unity – a trinity of sorts. I say that because I believe you can’t have one without the others. I thought about it when I read the Gospel of John 14:27-31A, which reads:

Jesus said to His disciples: “Peace I leave you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you. I am going away and I will come back to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I . And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

Peace – He talks about giving it, “not as the world does.” How does the world give peace? The world gives peace predicated on conditions: you do this and I’ll do that, you get rid of this and we’ll get rid of that, you promise this and we’ll do what you want. Isn’t that evident as we watch the news? Jesus tells us the peace He gives is different. The peace He gives is unconditional and powerful. It’s given because He loves us. He tells us “do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” because He’s giving us His peace. Think for a moment about how powerful that is:

Jesus Christ – human and divine. The man who, through His divinity, had the power to escape crucifixion and chose not to. Jesus Christ, the man who admonished His Apostle for responding to His arrest with violence instead of peace. The man who willfully and peacefully endured His crucifixion. Jesus Christ, the purest definition of peace – gives us HIS PEACE! He modeled His peace for us and He GIVES US his peace. How can our hearts be troubled and afraid?

“If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” When I read that line, I thought of two things. First, the quote: if you love something set it free, if it comes back to you…….Jesus DID come back to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. Second, “the Father is greater than I.” It seems like Jesus is telling the disciples : “you think I can do great things, just wait until you see what the Father can do. Even more so – just wait to see what comes to pass when we’re reunited and working as a team.” There’s no doubt that individually we can accomplish great things but isn’t their much more power and possibility in teamwork?

We can think about that another way: sometimes in our lives we can take on so much work and responsibilities that we “spread ourselves too thin.” We’re beaten down, figuratively. As a result, we don’t perform as well as we should. If we understand this dilemma, regroup and lighten our load, we allow ourselves to become whole again and our performance level increases.

Think of Jesus now. Seeing the needs of the world He left the comfort of heaven to save us. He endured ridicule and persecution as He worked to make the world a better place. He was beaten down, literally. Now He’s going back to the Father. He can become whole again and in a sense, be replenished. As a result, He’ll be able to accomplish so much more than before without risk or fear of persecution. In reality, His work on Earth didn’t end, it continues in a different more powerful way. He is uniting with the Father.

In this unity, through their love for humanity and one another, the Holy Spirit is born and able to descend. Through the Holy Spirit we, as disciples, are filled with courage, fire and hope to continue Christ’s legacy! Sooooooooo……….”if you loved me, you would rejoice.” You think? I say YES, we should rejoice! Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful, kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we will be created and you will renew the face of the Earth. What a promise!

For me, this Gospel symbolizes the power of unconditional love. A love without conditions encourages and results in an unshakeable peace which manifests itself as unity. First, we see it through the Trinity. The unconditional love God has for His Son, the peace His Son exhibits in His humanity which leads to His uniting with the Father. We can see the truth of this in human relationships. as well. Unconditional love expressed in a relationship brings a peace that leads to true unity. It’s what we mean when we say about a matrimony – the two shall become one! So, if there’s “trouble in paradise” one of these elements must be missing!

In truth, our personal life is a microcosm of community life. As family we are called to extend unconditional love. It is our vocation to share love with our spouses, parents and siblings even when we feel they don’t deserve it. Wow! Difficult, right? In a similar way as Christians we are called, or should I say we vow, to share unconditional love with all of God’s creation, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Wow! Even MORE difficult, right? Can you imagine the peace and unity this world would experience if everyone shared a genuine, unconditional love?

We all receive unconditional, unmerited love from our creator! Seriously, how blessed are we? Shouldn’t we renew our own Christian vow to love everyone we encounter unconditionally? First, let’s re-evaluate our current relationships. Are they strained? If so, what component of unconditional love, peace and unity are missing? While all three are necessary parts of the whole “trinity”, I believe love is truly the binding force – for God is love! Are you loving unconditionally?

When I evaluate the relationships in my life that are strained, I recognize the role I play in it even though I “perceive” it to be someone else’s fault. Maybe I haven’t loved unconditionally. Unfortunately, I have expectations, I calculate merit and I evaluate conditions before I surrender to love. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much stronger we could be as a couple, a family, a nation and a world if we were unified through unconditional love and the peace that comes with it. The Earth would be renewed!