This Sunday, June 19, 2011, we celebrate the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the Holy Trinity of God. St. Patrick used to teach unbelievers about the Holy Trinity, a concept very abstract to children and beyond even the understanding of adults, using a shamrock. The shamrock represents God and each of the leaves the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. One God, three beings: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The shamrock is both one leaf and three leaves.
The Trinity and the Shamrock
”Legend has it that St. Patrick was responsible for ridding the Emerald Isle of snakes; but more importantly, it is said that Patrick used the shamrock as a symbol to explain the Trinity to Unbelievers, i.e. how God is One God in Three Persons. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19). Patrick would hold up a shamrock and challenge his hearers, "Is it one leaf or three?" "It is both one leaf and three," was their reply. "And so it is with God," he would conclude.”
God is our heavenly and eternal Father and we, like Jesus, call him both Lord and Father. We experience God in three distinct ways: God the Father who loves us and cares for us, God the Son with whom we have humanity and our heavenly father in common, who is our brother and redeemer and the Holy Spirit who lives with and in us empowering us with understanding, strength, courage, power and the reality of life everlasting!
Because we are adopted brothers and sisters of Christ, we are children of God and we share in the inheritance of Christ Jesus, even eternal life. Paul’s letter to the Romans, our first reading for this Sunday, explains our familial relationship with Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit quite well, I think.
The Gospel (Matthew 28:16-20 in our CLOTW Leader Guide) reinforces what we are to do as children of God and disciples of Jesus: preach to all the nations and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teach the commandments that Jesus taught us.
We have seen this in action many times, haven’t we? How many baptisms have you witnessed? How many times have you been reminded, or reminded someone of the commandments, especially Jesus’ most important commandment to love one another as He has loved us? We are witness the the power of the Holy Trinity every day in our lives! We cannot deny God, from whom all good things come and by whose grace all things exist. We cannot deny Jesus, who lived and loved and hurt and died among us as the final, perfect sacrifice for all sin. We cannot ignore the Holy Spirit whose voice we hear, our conscience, reminding us of God’s love, the sacrifice of Christ Jesus and our true relationship to God the Father.
Remember how it was that God made us? God didn’t just say, “Let there be people.” and there were people and it was good. No. He took great, loving care to design us in His own image, meaning not like his face but like his Spirit. He made us with his hands. He made us very special. Isn’t it wonderful to know that you have a father who loves you so much? A father who wants to spend all of eternity loving you and providing for you? A good father sacrifices much for the sake of his children. How much more can you sacrifice than what God has sacrificed for us, His only son, that we may be saved from sin and be born into eternal life? Since we cannot go now to live with God and Jesus in eternal life God sent another advocate, another aspect of Himself, that is to stay with us and help us: the Holy Spirit. We are surrounded on three sides by the love of God.
This Sunday is also Fathers’ Day. As we pay homage to our spouses and fathers for their loving, caring teaching and guidance, let us not forget our heavenly Father who does all that for us first!
The Psalm for this week is Glory and Praise For Ever Daniel :52-56.
Have a blessed week!