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Trinity

Christians believe that God is a Trinity of Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In other words, Christians believe that there is a community life in the reality we call God. To find out what this means we can read the Scriptures. We can also explore our human experience. If God has created us and our world, and if God is Trinity, then the Trinitarian life of God must be reflected in our human lives in all sorts of ways.

An obvious way is our social nature. We are social beings. We create relationships and we sustain relationships. In fact, without relationships we wither and die emotionally, even physically. John Donne once said that no man is an island unto himself. We cannot survive in isolation. It is in living with others, it is in loving others, that we find meaning and that we become our true selves.

Another way is the power of cooperation. When it comes to a project, a task, an undertaking, the best results are usually achieved when there is cooperation, when people work together as a team. Ask any sports person, any project manager, any government and they will tell you that the team effort is the best effort, it is the most fruitful and successful effort. It is also the effort that gives most satisfaction and fulfilment to all those involved.

Then there is the unity of creation. One of the things we are becoming more aware of today is the way creation functions. The created world is interdependent. One part of it affects another. For example, the cutting down of the rain forests in South America has an impact on climate patterns in Europe and Africa. The laws of nature are finely balanced and when they are allowed to work together in unity and harmony they fulfil their purpose.

And finally, there is this attempt by a woman to describe what trinity means in her life:

“I am a daughter and a wife and mother – three things, yet I am one totality. To my parents, I would always be their child. To my husband, a companion and a mate. To my children, the one who gave them birth and nurtured them till they reached adulthood. I seem to each of them a different person. They each know a different kind of ‘me.’ But I am one, within myself a trinity and each of them finds unity in me.”

The Holy Spirit

Of the three Persons in the community life of God the one that tends to get least attention is the Holy Spirit. Perhaps this is because we find it easier to relate to Jesus who became human. We also have some experience of what it means to have a father. The idea of Spirit is more nebulous. And yet if it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit we would not be able to live the Christian life. In the Holy Spirit we have received a wonderful gift. The Holy Spirit does many necessary things for us. Here are four:

(1) The Holy Spirit is our helper. We cannot live the Christian life on our own power and strength. Jesus knew that what he was asking us to do was humanly impossible. He knew we would need divine help. This is why he and his Father gave us the gift of their Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our energiser, the tiger in our tanks! The Holy Spirit is the one who empowers us to live like Jesus in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit is also the one who helps us to pray.

(2) The Holy Spirit enlightens us. Many of the traditional prayers we say to the Holy Spirit focus on inspiration, understanding and enlightenment. This is because we associate the Holy Spirit with the gift of wisdom and discernment. The Holy Spirit is the one we naturally turn to when we need to be inspired and when we have important decisions to make. When it comes to guidance and to the ability to see the hand of God at work in our lives we are dependent on the Holy Spirit.

(3) The Holy Spirit transforms us. We are invited to become like Jesus. Our destiny is to share in the very life of God. The problem is that we all have hurts, bias and selfish tendencies within us that need to be healed and purified. This healing and purification is the work of the Holy Spirit. One of the symbols we use to describe the action of the Holy Spirit is fire. Fire refines and burns. The flame of the Holy Spirit within us is a refining fire. It burns away the evil in our hearts so that we can become like Jesus.

(4) The Holy Spirit unites us. The Holy Spirit is often referred to as the bond of love. This is a beautiful description of the Holy Spirit. In the same way that a child is the bond of love between a husband and wife so the Holy Spirit is the bond of love between the Father and the Son in the life of God. The Holy Spirit is also the bond of love between Jesus and us and indeed between the members of the Christian community. The Holy Spirit is the one who links us up, who makes us into a family. The Holy Spirit is the source of unity between us. This is why we say that the Church was born as a community on the first Pentecost. There is a divine energy flowing between us, holding us together, allowing us to affect one another, even when we are physically separated. This divine energy is the Holy Spirit.

To have a divine person in our lives to help us, to enlighten us, to transform us and to unite us is surely a gift to take hold of, depend on and cherish.

The Journey of Life

Nowadays it is not uncommon to hear life being described as a journey. A journey is a good image, a helpful image, to describe the pattern of our lives. Before we set out on a journey we need to do a number of things. Firstly, we need to choose our destination, our journey’s end. Secondly, we need to find the route that will take us to our destination, the best road to travel. Finally, we must decide what we need for our journey, what it is that will help us to get to where we want to go.

The journey of life is similar. It too needs a destination. It is important to name what it is we want out of life. If we do not know what we want from life we may end up drifting along aimlessly, without a focus. At the end of our lives we would surely like to be able to say that we achieved our goals and fulfilled our dreams.

Then we need to choose a good road to take us to our destination. Is the road we choose a sure road, a safe road? Is it well signposted? Does it provide opportunities for meeting people and experiencing companionship? Does it allow us to view the scenery on the way, to appreciate the good things we have and to notice the beauty around us? Or is it like a motorway, fast, efficient, competitive and monotonous?

Finally, we must decide what we need for our journey. Do we need other people? Do we need God? Do we need the love, support and strength of the three F’s – family, friends and faith? Or do we prefer to go it alone, to travel by ourselves, to depend on our own resources?

I have a small poster in my living room which says, “Happiness is not a destination; it is a way of life.” Those who walk the Camino across the north of Spain to San Tiago de Compostella say that what happens to them while they are walking the road is as important as what happens when they get to Compostella. The way we travel the road of life is just as significant as getting to the destination we have set for ourselves. So, let’s slow down, let’s enjoy the ride. Let’s savour the host of opportunities that come our way. God is present in the here and now waiting and wanting to be recognised and known. What we used to call ‘the sacrament of the present moment’ has indeed something to teach us about the journey of life.

Companions on the Journey

We all need companionship in our lives. Without some experience of companionship our lives can become lonely and sad. When John Donne said that no man is an island unto himself he was giving expression to the need human beings have to be in relationship. Of course companionship is much more than being social. It is the experience of mutual presence. It is a space where our capacity for life is nourished by others. It creates the possibility of becoming intimate with someone. This is why the type of relationship we call companionship is one of the most beautiful gifts we can give to each other.

There are different descriptions of what companionship actually is. One model is what two people experienced as they travelled from Jerusalem to Emmaus after the death of Jesus. On their journey they were joined by an apparent stranger who walked with them. Their relationship with the stranger began with the experience of mutual acceptance and ended with a shared meal. On the road there was attentive listening and soulful conversation.

This is a good example of what we might call Christian companionship. Christian companionship has four aspects. It begins with an attitude of acceptance that is inclusive and that transcends race, colour, religion, class and sexual orientation. It offers people a listening hear and an opportunity to tell their story. It allows soulful conversation to develop, the kind of conversation that gives expression to the things that truly matter. And it includes the experience of a shared meal, which is sometimes referred to as table fellowship. In fact the word companion comes from two Latin words ‘cum’ and ‘panis’ which literally mean ‘with bread.’

When we experience companionship in this way we find that the longing within us is satisfied. The experience of Christian companionship can be the key to unlock our hearts. It can also open up the teaching of Jesus allowing us to find meaning and life in the Gospel. It is no wonder that the two people who were accompanied by Jesus on their journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus found themselves saying, “did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us” (Luke 24:32).

Easter

As Christians, we believe that Jesus rose from the dead on that first Easter Sunday. He broke the chains of death and rose to a new way of living and loving beyond our wildest imagining. The resurrection was an earth shattering event, the most important event in human history and it has many implications for us and for the way we live our lives.

One implication of the resurrection is the fact that Jesus is still with us. The presence and power of the risen Jesus permeate our lives. As a consequence of the resurrection Jesus is no longer limited by time and space. He is present to us and with us at every moment of every day. He is the invisible companion of our life’s journey. We do not have to wait for heaven to experience the friendship, the healing, the peace and the joy of the risen Jesus. These things are already available to us. The risen Jesus is already working in our lives. He is involved with us here and now.

A second implication of the resurrection has to do with the mission of Jesus. The resurrection was a vindication of the way Jesus lived his life. It was a confirmation of the values Jesus practised, preached and died for. The way of Jesus works. When Jesus was nailed to the cross on Good Friday it seemed as if his mission was a failure, that he was a dreamer who offered the world an unrealistic vision of happiness. His resurrection changed this, it transformed it. Jesus was no dreamer. His values of justice and compassion and service and humility and forgiveness are in fact the only values that work. His values are the values that make the world a better place and that bring us personal fulfilment. The resurrection of Jesus was proof that love is stronger that hate, goodness is greater than evil and life is more powerful than death.

Of course another implication of the resurrection is that our death is not the end. What happened to Jesus on Easter Sunday will happen to us. We will share in the risen life of Jesus when we die. Because of the resurrection of Jesus we have a life to look forward to beyond the grave. Because of the resurrection of Jesus a new world will be opened up to us on the other side of death. Because Jesus rose from the dead the place we call heaven is our destiny, our destination, our future home. Indeed, in the words of St Paul, it is our true home. For those who believe in Jesus and in the power of his resurrection the future is bright because the best is yet to come.

Because of what happened on that first Easter Sunday we can say with confidence, ‘It belongs to the Christian to hope!’

Jerusalem

Following Jesus is a demanding business especially if we are to take it seriously. It involves taking the road to Jerusalem, along with Jesus himself. Jerusalem is the city where Jesus suffered, died and rose to new life. It is a place of sacrifice and reward, of pain and joy, of failure and triumph, of agony and ecstasy. It represents the Christian life. But what does taking the road to Jerusalem actually mean in practice?

It means that we refuse to build our lives around material possessions. Material possessions have their place but they must be kept in their place. It is our relationship with God that is the true source of our security not what we own. Our relationship with God cannot be destroyed. It is eternal.

It means that we stop living in the past. Dwelling on old memories and hurts keeps us tied to the past and trapped in a prison of regret and anger. It belongs to the Christian to hope. Jesus is leading us forward in hope to a better and brighter future. In Jerusalem the tomb is empty!

It means that we stop making excuses for ourselves and for our lack of ability and talent. Of course we are limited; yes we have weaknesses. The Christian community is full of misfits! The twelve people Jesus chose to bring his good news to the world were a pretty motley bunch! Jesus is not looking for perfection; neither does he expect us to be geniuses. All he seeks is our generosity and enthusiasm. What Jesus wants is what we call heart. Heart is the kind of thing that on the sports field often makes the difference between failure and success.

Finally, it means that when it comes to making choices we put the cause of Jesus, the mission of Jesus, the work of Jesus, first. In the way we choose to live our lives the values of Jesus, known as Kingdom values, must come before earthly values.

The Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden is a symbol of life the way God intended it to be. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve knew who they were in God. They were aware of their belovedness which was their original blessing. Their belovedness was enough in the Garden of Eden. They did not need anything else. This is why they were content in Eden, in harmony with God, themselves, one another and nature.

When Adam and Eve refused to accept their status as God’s beloved creation they expelled themselves from the Garden of Eden. This led to the development of the ego or false self. The false self came into existence after the fall. It was created when the original blessing of Adam and Eve was contaminated by original sin. The false self is Adam and Eve trying to survive outside the Garden. And very quickly they discover that they can’t! When Adam and Eve put themselves outside the garden they lost the experience of their belovedness, their original blessing. Their original blessing created their true selves; their original sin created their false selves.

Like Adam and Eve we too struggle to survive outside the Garden of Eden. Our false self has us look for happiness in the wrong places, the wrong things and the wrong relationships. Because of the false self we overly invest in accumulation, achievement and the need for approval. This investment is the main reason why many of us end up exhausted, dissatisfied and with battered self-esteem. If we have any hope of finding some of the harmony which existed in the Garden of Eden we need to claim our belovedness, our original blessing.

Claiming our belovedness involves the acceptance of unconditional love. We need to find a way of owning the truth that we are loved and lovable as we are. Accepting the truth that we are loved and lovable as we are, leads to deeper self-acceptance and a release from the pressure to accumulate, achieve and be attractive.

More and more people are turning to some form of contemplative practice to help them claim their belovedness. Contemplative practice is a form of prayer that allows us to be, to receive and to let ourselves be loved unconditionally. It requires us to make some time for silence. In silence we are able to hear the still small voice within us. This voice assures us that we belong to God and that God is pleased with us as we are. This is why silence can be a homecoming to our own deepest belonging. It certainly helps to bring us back to the Garden of Eden.

Be Humble

It is obvious from reading all four gospels that Jesus favours the humble over the proud. The humble accept life as a gift from God. They have no pretence. They know who they are and where they have come from. The humble have nothing to prove to themselves and to others. They are secure in their knowledge of God’s love.

The proud on the other hand are full of their own self-importance. They are preoccupied with their reputation and their status. They usually do things out of self-interest. They are insecure. While the proud are self-sufficient and self-reliant the humble know their need of God and other people.

In his teaching and his ministry Jesus always sought to get rid of the things that caused division between people. The Jewish authorities had created a society of distinctions. It was a hierarchical society and the yardstick for measuring status and prestige was observance of the law. Those like the Pharisees who kept the law considered themselves better and holier than everyone else. Indeed, they looked down on everyone else. This was ironic because the law they sought to keep was more about externals than about values; more about ritual purity than about relationships.

In the world of Jesus we are all God’s children; we belong to the family of God and each one of us is loved uniquely by the Father. This means that we are sisters and brothers to one another, sharing a common humanity and an equal dignity. To accept that we are equal in the family of God is to accept that we are no better or no worse than anyone else. It is to accept that we do not need to make ourselves feel important by isolating ourselves or by looking down on other people. Those who know who they are in the eyes of God also know who they are in the human family. This is the kind of knowing that helps to build inclusive community.

The word humility comes from the Latin ‘humus’ which means of the earth. When we are tempted by the many forms of pride it is good to remind ourselves that we were created by God from the dust of the earth. “Remember that we are dust and unto dust we call return” (Ash Wednesday blessing). No matter who we think we are, we are totally dependent on God. What’s more, we are dependent on other people. The humble man relies on God and on others. The proud man relies on himself. Humility leads to communion, pride leads to isolation. Communion is heaven, isolation is hell.

Lent’s Invitation

Whether we are aware of it or not there is a huge hole inside of each of us that we are constantly trying to fill, often without success. This hole has a major influence on the way we live our lives. Our problem is we try to fill this hole with the wrong things. We think that things like possessions and work and popularity will take away our inner ache and satisfy our longing for happiness. The truth is they don’t. Accumulation, achievement and our need for the approval of others cannot fill our empty hole. To believe otherwise is an illusion and a false philosophy. We human beings have a terrible habit of looking for happiness in the wrong places.

The hole inside of us can only be filled by love. It is love, in fact it is unconditional love, that takes away our inner restlessness. This is why God is the only one who can fill our empty hole. Only God is unconditional love. God loves without requirements and without restrictions. To let ourselves be loved as we are by God is the only way to satisfy the yearning in our hearts.

To let myself be loved unconditionally by God is to know that I am enough. When I am able to say, ‘I am enough’ I am able to say, ‘I have enough.’ If I am not able to say, ‘I am enough’ I will continue to want more. I will want more and more possessions, information, success, recognition, approval, power. To be able to say, ‘I have enough’ is a sign that I am filling my inner hole with the right kind of love.

Of course the culture we live in today does not make it easy for us to say, ‘I have enough.’ Our culture is driven by capitalist and consumerist philosophies; by making money and spending money. It is notable how often we are referred to in the media as consumers. Our culture is also driven by a work ethic that has us measure our worth by what we do, by our achievements and successes. Then there is the impact of social media sites like Facebook that feed our desire for attention and the approval of others. There are powerful forces at work in our lives that want us to fill the hole we have inside with the wrong things. It takes a lot of self-awareness to recognise these forces and much courage to say ‘no’ to them.

There are two ways to fill the hole we have inside. One works, the other doesn’t. Lent invites us to make the right choice.

Lent Matters

On Ash Wednesday the annual Christian fasting season, known as Lent, begins. Most world religions have an annual fasting season. The Christian one lasts for forty days and significantly coincides with spring. There are many reasons why it is good for Christians to have the fasting season of Lent. Here are a few.

Lent offers us an opportunity to start again, to make a new beginning. Failing and falling are part of the human condition. In the Christian view of life, failing and falling should never be a cause for despondency or despair. The God of Jesus is a God of abundant mercy and radical forgiveness, a God who wipes out past failures and invites us to make a fresh start. We should never be reluctant to begin again. Indeed, our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail. New beginnings are a necessary part of the Christian journey. They are always life-giving.

Lent is also an ideal time to restore the balance in our lives. Virtue is the happy medium, the golden mean. But the golden mean is hard to achieve. There is a tendency in human nature to over indulge, to develop addictions, to abuse our bodies, to become overly preoccupied with work, to neglect important relationships, to put too much emphasis on our material needs and not enough on our emotional and spiritual needs. Lent provides us with an opportunity to get back to a healthy diet – a healthy diet of food, of exercise, of relaxation, of prayer. Restoring the balance in our lives helps us to sort out our priorities, to decide what is good for us and what is not good for us.

Lent is the Christian fasting season which means that it should be focused on Jesus who is the Christ. There is really only one yardstick with which to measure the success of our Lenten fasting: Does it help us to become more like Jesus? The heart of Christianity is not a rule of law or a code of behaviour. It is a Person whose love we receive and whose life we seek to imitate. Ultimately, Lent is about Jesus. It is about Jesus’ vision of life, his values and the building of his Kingdom in the world. Therefore, the best type of fasting we can do in Lent is the fasting that helps us pay greater attention to Jesus and move closer to him. To use the language of St Paul, the goal of Lent is to get rid of the ‘old man’ who is the selfish me and to put on the ‘New Man’ who is the loving Christ.