[Pearls Ep. 123: Friday Follow-up]
We’re looking at Trinity – drawing closer to the mystery of the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and how we fit in.
This weekend’s scripture readings (Provers 8:22-31, Psalm 8, Rom 5:1-5 and John 16:12-15) feature the Holy Spirit, and so we start there. The Holy Spirit reveals the Son. And the Son, in turn, reveals the Father.
It can be asked, why did the Father create us in the first place? Judaism and Islam generally teach that God created humanity to have something to love. But that implies God is not complete on His own. Christianity recognizes that God was perfectly complete in the relationship of the Trinity – needing of nothing.
So, why create humanity?
Even more so, why go through the pain and suffering of the Incarnation. Our faith teaches that the incarnation wasn’t Plan B, as if Adam and Eve went rogue, messed everything up and so Jesus had to come down from heaven like a divine Navy SEAL. We believe that Christ becoming human was the plan all along. In fact, it is why Satan rebelled – he couldn’t bear serving a God who was planning to become a lowly human.
Why did God go through all of that? Apparently to deepen our relationship beyond what Adam and Eve enjoyed in the garden.
But, again, why?
This is where we come up against the mystery. What we can say with certainty is that it is totally extravagant. It is true gift – giving without expectation of a return.
And what are the two classic names of the Holy Spirit? LOVE and GIFT.
It is God’s nature to love extravagantly and give without holding back.
The Spirit proceeds from the love between the Father and Son. The Spirit is given to us as a gift – to sanctify us and reveal Christ to us (“He will guide you in all truth”), so that Christ can lead us to the Father.
That’s the dynamic playing out in this Sunday’s scripture passages, and the dynamic that we enter into with every session of mediation.
Blessings on your journey with Christ –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life
Postscript: The interior “conversation” of the Trinity
Here’s a question – what does the Trinity “talk” about? They’re all God. They share the same Divine Nature and same Divine Will. What is left to talk about?
Well, what about us when we’re alone? Don’t we tend to have near-continous conversations with yourself in our head (especially all you introverts out there..)? But yet, what happens when we’re captivated by a great sight, like a beautiful sunset over the ocean? Often the internal conversations are lost, and we’re left contemplating the sunset – simply lost in that experience of beauty.
Or, what of the classic example of the long-married couple. They need few words because they have grown so close to one another. And when one is brought home, the other is often soon to follow.
Perhaps these sorts of simple human experiences give the slightest glimpse of the eternal relationship, self-knowing and self-giving of the Trinity.