It is often heard that today’s observance is an “idea feast,” and that it is somewhat difficult to grasp its meaning. Other great solemnities, such as Christmas and Easter, have an easily grasped core. Yet, even though the Trinity is at the heart of our faith, firmly declared in the Creed since the Council of Nicea in 325, we are used to having people shrug and say, “Well, it’s a mystery.”
Perhaps it is more helpful to think of this as a “relationship feast,” since it unveils our deepest identity. Dorothy Day was a great social reformer, pacifist, and ardent lover of the Trinity. When people told her that she would certainly be canonized one day (the process is indeed underway), she protested dismissively by remarking that people were raising a fuss just because she was not afraid to talk about God. She loved the Trinity, and treasured the traditional icon for the feast, also known as “The Hospitality of Abraham,” depicting the three angelic beings seated at a table tilted toward the viewer and laden with bread and wine. For her, the Trinity revealed the heart of the Catholic life, three C’s if you will: community, communication, and communion. That was not an “idea” for her, but what it means to be created in the image of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2008
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
Un ejemplo brillante
No es una casualidad el que los cristianos han estado intentando figurar cómo entender la Trinidad al haber estado pensando en Dios. A primera vista esta doctrina tiene más contradicciones aparentes que las instrucciones para el regreso de los impuestos de tus ingresos. ¿Cómo pueden tres ser uno y uno tres, diferentes y el mismo? ¿Un Dios, tres “personas”? No es de extrañar el que la gente ha recurrido a metáforas para intentar explicarlo.
El teólogo africano del primer y segundo siglo Tertuliano, quien aparentemente inventó el término Trinidad, dijo que era como los rayos del sol o las ramas de una raíz: el mismo material, diferentes flujos. Tal vez es más fácil decir que pensamos en Dios en más de una manera—como un creador, un ser humano, una presencia actual, entre otras. O que Dios es una comunidad de amor que nos acerca hacia esa vida divina de amor. De cualquier manera en que lo imagines, sumérgete en este misterio inagotable que nos dice tanto sobre quién es Dios.
TODAY’S READINGS: Éxoduo 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Corintios 13:11-13; Juan 3:16-18
"Que la gracia del Señor Jesucristo, el amor de Dios, y la comunión del Espíritu Sagrado estén con todos ustedes."
EN ESPAÑOL
DOMINGO, 18 DE MAYO DE 2008
SOLEMNIDAD DE LA MÁS SAGRADA TRINIDAD
Siente el poder
Cuando los discípulos se reunieron para el “primer” Pentecostés, el lugar estaba preparado para que algo dramático sucediera. La fiesta judía del Pentecostés era una celebración de la cosecha pero también la celebración del convenio de Dios con los israelitas, especialmente Moisés recibiendo la ley en el Monte Sinaí. Así que cuando el viento rugiente del Espíritu barrió, pareció venir del aliento de Dios que barrió sobre las aguas en la creación del mundo. Y el don de lenguas deshizo la confusión post-Torre de Babel: ahora, muchos lenguajes, pero todos entienden. En ese primer Pentecostés Dios regaló a la iglesia con la presencia de Dios, con señales de un nuevo convenio y una renovación de la creación que saldrían a todo el mundo. Toma hoy ese Espíritu.
LECTURAS DE HOY: Hechos 2:1-11; 1 Corintios 12:3b-7, 12-13; Juan 20:19-23
"Y de repente del cielo vino un sonido como la ráfaga de un viento fuerte."
MONDAY, MAY 19
Father knows best what to pray for
Many of us can relate to the worried father in the gospel story who wished his faith was a little—or maybe a lot—stronger. We’d all like to have the kind of faith extolled in the famous hymn “Faith of Our Fathers.” Perhaps more often sung in Protestant churches than Catholic ones today, this hymn ironically was written by an Anglican who converted to Catholicism. The “fathers” author Frederick W. Faber referred to were not the early “Fathers of the Church,” as many assume, but the leaders of the Catholic Church who died during King Henry VIII’s establishment of the Anglican Church in Great Britain. Pray for an extra dose of faith today as you face your own challenges.
TODAY’S READINGS: James 3:13-18; Mark 9:14-29
"Immediately the father of the child cried out, 'I believe; help my unbelief!' "
TUESDAY, MAY 20
FEAST OF BERNARDINE OF SIENA, PRIEST
Up the down staircase
One of things that makes Christianity unique is the fact that the road to glory is frequently a lowly one. Take Saint Bernardine, for example. Born in 1380, he started “down,” becoming a hermit at a young age. Then there was an up, when he joined the Franciscans and was assigned the task of preaching. But wait, he had a throat illness. No problem: He was cured of that. Up again when the Franciscans made him head of the order and down when he resigned this position to devote himself to preaching. He spent the rest of his life on an up note, traveling throughout Italy preaching the name of Jesus. Where can you take a step down in order to step up to your Christian calling?
TODAY’S READINGS: James 4:1-10; Mark 9:30-37
"Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all."
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21
Where did the bad guys go?
In the popular, low-budget westerns of the 1940s and 1950s, the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys dressed in black. In the gospel the disciples rush to Jesus to finger one of the “bad guys” for performing miracles in Jesus’ name without prior clearance. But Jesus had another script in mind, one that does not need to be the director in control of all the good action that comes about because of his inspiration. In the same way, we as individuals and as church communities do well to examine our own need to “be in control.”
TODAY’S READINGS: James 4:13-17; Mark 9:38-40
"For whoever is not against us is for us."
THURSDAY, MAY 22
FEAST OF RITA OF CASCIA, RELIGIOUS
In support of marriage and family
f you knew you would be canonized a saint and could choose your patronage now, for what cause would you cheerfully accept intercessions? Be careful in your selection: Saints become the patrons of causes they know all too well. Rita of Cascia is the patron saint of bad marriages, victims of spousal abuse, and loneliness, among other conditions she endured personally. Unhappily, there are still many who seek her help today. Statistics indicate that spousal abuse occurs as frequently in the best zip codes as in the roughest. Support local programs that assist families in trouble.
TODAY’S READINGS: James 5:1-6; Mark 9:41-50
"Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward."
FRIDAY, MAY 23
Pray for significant others
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “the relationship between man and woman . . . has always been threatened by discord, a spirit of domination, infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts that can escalate into hatred and separation” (1606).
What to do? If you have ever prayed for someone besides yourself, or if you’ve been told by someone that he or she prayed for you, you know that praying for another person is one of the most unselfish acts we can do for one another. Any day in a marriage is a good day for unselfish acts. Decide to pray open-heartedly for your spouse. If you are not married but would like to be, say a prayer for your spouse-to-be. Or simply say a prayer for someone you love. Then see what changes.
TODAY’S READINGS: James 5:9-12; Mark 10:1-12
"Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate."
SATURDAY, MAY 24
All things to all people
The picture of Jesus embracing children is irresistible and sentimental. This is a Jesus we like and want to be close to, but our affection and welcome of others may not be limited to the cuddly. The Letter to James insists on the relatedness of one Christian to another, brothers and sisters, both those who are “in good spirits” and those “suffering.” In all cases we are to be with one another, forgiving each other, bringing each other to the Lord, and most of all praying for each other. “The prayer of the righteous is very powerful,” especially prayer made concrete in loving kindness that imitates that of the love of Christ.
TODAY’S READINGS: James 5:13-20; Mark 10:13-16
"The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful."
Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O'Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy
©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
