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And a voice came from
heaven,
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”
Over the last year and a half, while I was not maintaining this homily blog, I undertook a study of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. This is an endless and beautiful mystery but it was sadly neglected through many recent centuries. To many theologians it seemed Saint Augustine had said the last word and there was nothing more to say. That neglect has cost us dearly. Finally the great German Jesuit Karl Rahner called for renewed research; the Second Vatican Council inspired new energy, and ecumenical dialogue with Eastern Churches opened new avenues of thought.
As we celebrate this Holy Year of Mercy, I want to reflect
on both mysteries – the Trinity and Mercy – as we study the daily readings.
Saint Athanasius and his colleagues developed the doctrine in the face of the Arians who maintained that Jesus is God, but a lesser god than the Father. The Catholic bishops would not accept that answer; there is only one God and there are no lesser gods. But who is Jesus? If he is God is he just the Father reappearing as his Son? A god who wears different masks for different occasions?
That doctrine was called modalism, the one Lord appearing under three different modes. You still hear that notion when some people say "God is like water, which may be a liquid, solid or gas." They suggest that God plays the role of two different persons and talks to himself like a ventriloquist, in the personas of the Father and the Son.
If the one God appears under different modes, who is speaking to whom in today's gospel, "You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased?" And who descends upon him "in bodily form like a dove?"
The Lord is Truth and cannot deceive. The one who speaks is not speaking to himself! The Father is not the Son! Nor is the Son the Spirit, which descended upon him; but he is the Inspired, the Spirited, the Christ (which name means Anointed by the Spirit.)
The Father shows great Mercy (!) to the Son when he speaks to him. And Jesus shows great Mercy as he accepts the Father's blessing. (How infinitely disappointed would the Father be if no one accepted his mercy!)
Mercy is the Holy Spirit which binds the the Father and the Son. Mercy is their relationship to one another. In Mercy God addresses us. If there is no Trinity there is no need for mercy between the Father and the Son and there is no Holy Spirit.
By God's mercy, which we have neither earned nor deserved, we experience grace, healing and reconciliation. We not only survive, we flourish as fully alive human beings in God's mercy.
A formerly prosperous nation that is now suffering the loss of power and prestige, and is eating itself alive with legal and illegal drugs, with divorce and suicide and abortion -- needs to hear a word of mercy. "You are my beloved."
Saint Athanasius and his colleagues developed the doctrine in the face of the Arians who maintained that Jesus is God, but a lesser god than the Father. The Catholic bishops would not accept that answer; there is only one God and there are no lesser gods. But who is Jesus? If he is God is he just the Father reappearing as his Son? A god who wears different masks for different occasions?
That doctrine was called modalism, the one Lord appearing under three different modes. You still hear that notion when some people say "God is like water, which may be a liquid, solid or gas." They suggest that God plays the role of two different persons and talks to himself like a ventriloquist, in the personas of the Father and the Son.
I once saw a Catholic comedian do a skit where he played both the priest and the penitent. First he confessed his sins with sobs and tears, and then he jumped to the other side of the screen to forgive his sins with mercy and compassion. Is this how God acts, putting on a mock show for the benefit of the gullible?
If the one God appears under different modes, who is speaking to whom in today's gospel, "You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased?" And who descends upon him "in bodily form like a dove?"
The Lord is Truth and cannot deceive. The one who speaks is not speaking to himself! The Father is not the Son! Nor is the Son the Spirit, which descended upon him; but he is the Inspired, the Spirited, the Christ (which name means Anointed by the Spirit.)
The Father shows great Mercy (!) to the Son when he speaks to him. And Jesus shows great Mercy as he accepts the Father's blessing. (How infinitely disappointed would the Father be if no one accepted his mercy!)
Mercy is the Holy Spirit which binds the the Father and the Son. Mercy is their relationship to one another. In Mercy God addresses us. If there is no Trinity there is no need for mercy between the Father and the Son and there is no Holy Spirit.
By God's mercy, which we have neither earned nor deserved, we experience grace, healing and reconciliation. We not only survive, we flourish as fully alive human beings in God's mercy.
A formerly prosperous nation that is now suffering the loss of power and prestige, and is eating itself alive with legal and illegal drugs, with divorce and suicide and abortion -- needs to hear a word of mercy. "You are my beloved."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.