Dear People Whom God Loves,
Second, Holy Spirit. We have reflected on Holy Mystery entering into our history by entering into and being present in Jesus. The Love that is Holy Mystery wanted a closeness that walks our human walk. Again, our words are valuable, but the ways of Holy Mystery remain mystery.
Now we reflect on the spiritual experience of the early followers of Jesus that Holy Mystery is active in our lives. That presence is a healing presence for our wounds including moral wounds. That presence can encourage us and challenge us…can transform our egocentric selfishness into compassionate self-emptying love…can enable us to live in the reign of God that Jesus lived and preached…including hope in the midst of suffering, rejection and death itself. Living in the reign of God does not necessarily make life easy—though it does help with that—but it does bring a joy that only loving can bring.
This Holy Mystery has been active in creation since the beginning, embracing all humans and indeed all of creation. None can limit that presence to their own group.
Reflecting on Holy Mystery as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is what we might call Christian understanding of monotheism. It reminds us that Holy Mystery is transcendent (self-emptying compassion and love) that is beyond what we can think or imagine and is other than us and, at the same time, is immanent (deep inside us and our universe). In other words—the transcendent is immanent or the immanent is transcendent.
For much of my life I believe in the Trinity, but that belief didn’t affect my life. At least I was not conscious of it. My belief was about a doctrine and not a belief (trust) in the Holy Mystery to which the doctrine pointed. The finger was pointing to the moon, but all I saw was the finger.
As a church, we are called to bear witness to this Holy Mystery by living it more than by talking about it. Remember the words of St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times and every once in a while say something.”
Smile, God Loves You,
Father Clay
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