Mystery of the Holy Trinity, undivided Unity

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, in the words of the invitatory antiphon from the Divine Office “Come, let us worship the true God: One in Trinity, Trinity in One” 

Often we Catholics get confused about understanding who God is, or what the Trinity is. Ultimately God is a Mystery that we will never comprehend, however he has revealed himself to us a Trinity of Persons - Father, Son & Holy Spirit. The Church teaches us this aspect of revelation in the Collect or Opening prayer for today’s Mass : 

“God our Father, who by sending into the world

the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification

made known to the human race your wondrous mystery,

grant us, we pray, that in professing the true faith,

we may acknowledge the Trinity of eternal glory

and adore your Unity, powerful in majesty.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever”

One of the best creeds or explanations the Trinity that I personally love is called the Athanasian Creed: 

Whoever wishes to be saved must, above all, keep the Catholic faith.

For unless a person keeps this faith whole and entire, he will undoubtedly be lost forever.

This is what the Catholic faith teaches: we worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity.

Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the substance.

For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit.

But the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have one divinity, equal glory, and coeternal majesty.

What the Father is, the Son is, and the Holy Spirit is.

The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated.

The Father is boundless, the Son is boundless, and the Holy Spirit is boundless.

The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy Spirit is eternal.

Nevertheless, there are not three eternal beings, but one eternal being.

So there are not three uncreated beings, nor three boundless beings, but one uncreated being and one boundless being.

Likewise, the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, the Holy Spirit is omnipotent.

Yet there are not three omnipotent beings, but one omnipotent being.

Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.

However, there are not three gods, but one God.

The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord.

However, there as not three lords, but one Lord.

For as we are obliged by Christian truth to acknowledge every Person singly to be God and Lord, so too are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.

The Father was not made, nor created, nor generated by anyone.

The Son is not made, nor created, but begotten by the Father alone.

The Holy Spirit is not made, nor created, nor generated, but proceeds from the Father and the Son.

There is, then, one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.

In this Trinity, there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less. The entire three Persons are coeternal and coequal with one another.

So that in all things, as is has been said above, the Unity is to be worshipped in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity.

He, therefore, who wishes to be saved, must believe thus about the Trinity.

It is also necessary for eternal salvation that he believes steadfastly in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thus the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and man.

As God, He was begotten of the substance of the Father before time; as man, He was born in time of the substance of His Mother.

He is perfect God; and He is perfect man, with a rational soul and human flesh.

He is equal to the Father in His divinity, but inferior to the Father in His humanity.

Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ.

And He is one, not because His divinity was changed into flesh, but because His humanity was assumed unto God.

He is one, not by a mingling of substances, but by unity of person.

As a rational soul and flesh are one man: so God and man are one Christ.

He died for our salvation, descended into hell, and rose from the dead on the third day.

He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

At His coming, all men are to arise with their own bodies; and they are to give an account of their own deeds.

Those who have done good deeds will go into eternal life; those who have done evil will go into the everlasting fire.

This is the Catholic faith. Everyone must believe it, firmly and steadfastly; otherwise He cannot be saved.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit - our Friend, Comforter & Consoler

As we prepare for Pentecost this Sunday, let us remember that the gift of the Holy Spirit from Jesus is the personal gift that empowers us as Christians and Catholics to be able bring Christ to others and offer the gift of ourselves to the Father. Remember to always welcome the Holy Spirit, call upon him and as Him to strengthen us through the day and our lives so that He may work in us. 

Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit as our Paraclete - our advocate, comforter, consoled, helper and friend (John 14:16-17) who will lead us into the truth. The Holy Spirit helps us daily by inspiring us, guiding us, acting through our conscience and being the gentle voice of God in our life. By virtue of our baptism we are temples of the Holy Spirit and he dwells in us - bringing Jesus and the Father. This is known as the Divine Indwelling of the Trinity. 

Many children will receive the sacrament of confirmation this weekend, but we know that unfortunately many children are poor catechised or leave the faith no long after confirmation. Let us pray for them to always be open and docile to the Holy Spirit. 

Come Holy Spirit! Come by the means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse

St Leopold Mandić - Victim soul for Church Unity

One of my favourite but little known Saints is a Croatian saint - St Leopold Mandić. 

Together with St Padre Pio he was named one of the patrons for the Year of Mercy due to his long ministry in the confessional. I highly recommend you reading more about him in the link 

https://www.capdox.capuchin.org.au/saints-blesseds/saint-leopoldo-mandic/

In his life he “offered up” his sufferings and struggles for a specific intention - Church Unity with the Orthodox. Do you have any special people or intentions that you can offer up your suffering for as a victim soul? 

For me and my vocation, I pray everyday for those with SSA and sexual addictions as part of my hermit “charism”. 

Garrigou-Lagrange on loving God through remembrance

Fr Garrigou-Lagrange was a famous Dominican professor of Thomism at the Angelicum in Rome. He oversaw Pope St John Paul II when he did his doctoral dissertation on St John of the Cross. 

He emphasised the importance of contemplative and mystical prayer as normative for all Christians and not just for spiritually elite cloistered monks and nuns which was often what people were taught. This quote from him emphasises the importance of mental prayer and the remembrance of God. The more we think about God the more we will know and love Him 🙏 this is why it is important to have little prayers or scripture passages to say during the day to remind ourselves of God’s Presence at all times.

St Teresa of Avila - Doctor of Prayer

This is why St Teresa is recognised as an expert on prayer by the Church and honoured as a Doctor of the Church. 

Often we Catholics can get caught up in focusing in the “big things” like commiting to daily Mass, rosary, reading the Bible, meditation etc .. all are wonderful things in and of themselves, but then we forget about the “little things” 

The goal is for us to be habitually in the Presence of God all day. The best way to do this is to make little acts of love throughout the day. Making the sign of the cross, kissing a statue or icon, or little prayers said under your breath throughout the day. The Desert Fathers called these “arrow prayers” - little prayers that we shoot up to God throughout the day.

In Eastern Christianity the most common form of this is praying the Jesus prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”. 

Other people like to pray a Hail Mary regularly throughout the day, or a Glory Be when struggling at work. Personally I like to often pray “Come Holy Spirit, come by the means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse”. Or it can be as simple as “God help me/Lord I love you” - whatever helps you be in God’s presence through the day. 

These little acts of love throughout the day help to enkindle your soul for God and improve your prayer life. I highly recommend it. You will find that it will help you grow spiritually to keep the fire of charity burning through the hard times. 

**please note - I am not downgrading the importance of structured prayer, the Rosary, Lectio Divina or daily Mass. These are all wonderful grace filled and highly recommended by the Church and Saints to us.