June 3, 2007 The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

  2007년 6월 3일 삼위일체 대축일

 

 제1독서 잠언 8,22-31
하느님의 지혜가 이렇게 말하였다.
22 “주님께서는 그 옛날 모든 일을 하시기 전에 당신의 첫 작품으로 나를 지으셨다.
23 나는 한처음 세상이 시작되기 전에 영원에서부터 모습이 갖추어졌다.
24 심연이 생기기 전에, 물 많은 샘들이 생기기 전에 나는 태어났다. 25 산들이 자리 잡기 전에, 언덕들이 생기기 전에 나는 태어났다. 26 그분께서 땅과 들을, 누리의 첫 흙을 만드시기 전이다.
27 그분께서 하늘을 세우실 때, 심연 위에 테두리를 정하실 때 나 거기 있었다.
28 그분께서 위의 구름을 굳히시고 심연의 샘들을 솟구치게 하실 때, 29 물이 그분의 명령을 어기지 않도록 바다에 경계를 두실 때, 그분께서 땅의 기초를 놓으실 때 30 나는 그분 곁에서 사랑받는 아이였다.
나는 날마다 그분께 즐거움이었고, 언제나 그분 앞에서 뛰놀았다. 31 나는 그분께서 지으신 땅 위에서 뛰놀며 사람들을 내 기쁨으로 삼았다.”

 

  제2독서 로마서 5,1-5
형제 여러분, 1 믿음으로 의롭게 된 우리는 우리 주 예수 그리스도를 통하여 하느님과 더불어 평화를 누립니다. 2 믿음 덕분에, 우리는 그리스도를 통하여 우리가 서 있는 이 은총 속으로 들어올 수 있게 되었습니다. 그리고 하느님의 영광에 참여하리라는 희망을 자랑으로 여깁니다.
3 그뿐만 아니라 우리는 환난도 자랑으로 여깁니다. 우리가 알고 있듯이, 환난은 인내를 자아내고 4 인내는 수양을, 수양은 희망을 자아냅니다. 5 그리고 희망은 우리를 부끄럽게 하지 않습니다. 우리가 받은 성령을 통하여 하느님의 사랑이 우리 마음에 부어졌기 때문입니다.

 

  복음 요한 16,12-15
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
12 “내가 너희에게 할 말이 아직도 많지만 너희가 지금은 그것을 감당하지 못한다. 13 그러나 그분 곧 진리의 영께서 오시면 너희를 모든 진리 안으로 이끌어 주실 것이다. 그분께서는 스스로 이야기하지 않으시고 들으시는 것만 이야기하시며, 또 앞으로 올 일들을 너희에게 알려 주실 것이다.
14 그분께서 나를 영광스럽게 하실 것이다. 나에게서 받아 너희에게 알려 주실 것이기 때문이다. 15 아버지께서 가지고 계신 것은 모두 나의 것이다. 그렇기 때문에 성령께서 나에게서 받아 너희에게 알려 주실 것이라고 내가 말하였다.”

 

 

 

 

 June 3, 2007

 The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

 Reading 1
Prv 8:22-31

Thus says the wisdom of God:
"The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
from of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of water;
before the mountains were settled into place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world.

"When the Lord established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
when he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
when he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (2a) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place —
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Reading II
Rom 5:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions,
knowing that affliction produces endurance,
and endurance, proven character,
and proven character, hope,
and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Gospel
Jn 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."

 

 

 Commentary

 

 Wisdom has dwelled with God from the beginning even before creation; one with God as the earth and all that was made, playing before Him and being his delight, and delighting to be with human beings. Wisdom has been a name for Jesus and for the Spirit. Do we love wisdom and seek the wisdom of the Word and the Spirit-we are at peace with God in Jesus and the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Spirit, a gift given to us who believe.

Jesus seeks to tell us so much (knowledge from God's point of view) but we cannot bear it. But the Spirit has been given to be our teacher, our companion, advocate, paraclete and comfort. All that the Father has given to Jesus, the Spirit wishes to share with us and bring us to the fullness of truth. The wisdom that Jesus in the power of the Spirit wishes to share with us is the Father, and he brings us into the Trinity to be one with God-all that God has made to be in communion. We are invited to know this wisdom.

 

 

 PRE-PRAYERING

There is quite a difference between delight and indulge, or entertain. Delight has a sense of depth which is a stirring of the soul. Entertain and indulge have more to do with our senses and minds. A talkative Jesuit companion of mine and I visited the statue of The David in Florence, Italy years ago. Upon seeing it, for fifteen minutes, he was struck speechless as delight surpassed his senses and comprehension. Did he enjoy it; was it entertaining, did he indulge his senses? Words failed him then and a bit now in describing what was received.

We can prepare for this celebration of the Trinity this week by taking time to delight our souls into speechless praising or nodding of heads, or simple acceptance of who and what is around us. We can pray with how each of us is sent and meant to be a delight to others in our little ways. In scripture we read that God takes delight in us. Imagine that, we delight God and so we can pray about our mission to be a delight to others.

This kind of prayer is real and a wonderful preparation for allowing the Eucharist and all of God’s gifts to delight our souls beyond words to describe it all.

REFLECTION

The Book of Proverbs, from which we take the First Reading for this liturgy, is an Owners Manual for the Jewish mind, heart and hands. All the chapters tell the reader about a spirit of right living for those in the Jewish families and communities. Some proverbs seem cute and clever, but the sincerely religious follower of the Holy Law, would find comfort in the little hints these proverbs were offering.

There are sayings for almost every occasion, a sort of greeting-card store presentation. They are actually centered around discipline, restraint, just judgment, and relational sensitivity. They answer the big question, “WWMDN” (What would Moses do now?) They are meant for the young, the searching, the ignorant, and those who wish to understand the sayings of the sages and Jewish elders.

We hear just a few verses of the personification of Wisdom. This eighth chapter opens with a few lines questioning whether Wisdom speaks in the places of human living. So She announces Herself to the fools and ignorant who do not know how it is to live properly in relationships with others and so with God as well. She says that She has serious things to say. What we do hear today is Her strong statement about Her place with God which was from before time, before creation itself.

We listen to a poetic presentation of how Wisdom assisted the creation of all things as narrated in Genesis. When God saw that all was created as good and that the creation of humans was “very good”, Wisdom is saying that She too found delight in the “human race”.

What we are offered in these verses is an affirmation of the goodness of creation and of ourselves so that we reverence and use well the particulars of that creation. Discernment, discretion, reverence, and worship all have to do with our being made aware of the absolute giftedness of creation and especially our own, in which God takes “delight”. Wisdom is God wanting to be known. She, Wisdom, is God’s love for creation making sure we don’t miss the main events of that same divine embrace. We would be the “fools” and “ignorant” if left to our own limited perceptions, but She, Wisdom, plays on the surfaces of things so that we see more wisely, “the deep down things” around us.

“We believe in one God, the Father almighty.” “We believe in Jesus Christ His only-begotten Son, our Lord.” “We believe in the Holy Spirit.” Now that’s a mouthful! This is a tremendous mystery which is surpassed only by the mystery of why people try to explain it.

So here goes. In today’s Gospel John pictures Jesus as confiding that He reverences the inability of His closest followers to understand clearly all that He is and has been about. The “Spirit of truth” will continue to and continuously reverence the readiness-time for these truths to be digested. Readiness is all and Jesus is encouraging His followers to be ready. That to which the followers are called is beyond the physical validation provided by Jesus Himself. Possession of something physical reduces readiness, reduces appetite. There is to be no clinging to, or possessing Jesus so that faith is reduced as a relational ｅxpression.

Believe it or not; like it or not, the great gift of God to us is longing. The wonderful mystery of this God is not so much that there are three relational Persons who are distinct, yet co-equal and co-eternal, but rather, that this triune God knows us and delights in us and delights us, but just to a certain point, a threshold which allows us to reach, but not grasp, to long, but not have. So Jesus came to us according to us and leaves us “hanging” or desiring more. The gift of the Third Person, the Spirit is to aid us in our being humanly longing for God in the delights and disappointments of our lives. God reverences our hearts and its ways. We want God in the enjoyment of everything we wish would not end. All things end, as soon this Reflection will, and the end is the beginning of the beyond toward which the Spirit leads us in truth. Yes, there is also this human desire for it all and right now! The Spirit tells us also, deep in our hearts and not merely in our heads, that the “all” and the “now” would never be enough. So “longing” is the beginning to “belonging”. Good going God! You know us better than we know ourselves!

“O Lord our God, how wonderful Your name in all the earth!” Ps. 8, 4-5

 

 by
Larry Gillick, S.J.
Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality

 

 

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth"

 

Jesus makes a claim which only God can make — he knows all things — the present and the past, as well as the future. Jesus not only claims to speak the truth, he calls himself the very source of truth when he proclaims that he is the way, the truth and the life. Now Jesus promises to send his disciples the Spirit of truth who will guide them in understanding all that Jesus came to say and do! Jesus tells his disciples that it is the role of the Holy Spirit to reveal what is true. It is through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit, who enlightens our hearts and minds, that we come to understand that God is a trinity of persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Jews understood God as Creator and Father of all that he made (Deuteronomy 32:6) and they understood the nation of Israel as God's firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). Jesus reveals the Father in an unheard of sense. He is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son, who, reciprocally, is Son only in relation to his Father (see Matthew 11:27). The Spirit, likewise, is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. Jesus reveals the triune nature of God and the inseparable union of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The mission of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit are the same — to reveal the glory of God and to share that glory with us by uniting us in a community of love with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. That is why Jesus tells his disciples that the Spirit will reveal the glory of the Father and the Son and will speak what is true. Before his Passover, Jesus revealed the Holy Spirit as the “Paraclete” and Helper who will be with Jesus’ disciples to teach and guide them “into all the truth” (John 14:17,26; 16:13). The ultimate end, the purpose for which God created us, is the entry of God's creatures into the perfect unity of the blessed Trinity. In baptism we are called to share in the life of the Holy Trinity here on earth in faith and after death in eternal light.

Clement of Alexandria, a third century church father, wrote: “What an astonishing mystery! There is one Father of the universe, one Logos (Word) of the universe, and also one Holy Spirit, everywhere one and the same; there is also one virgin become mother, and I should like to call her 'Church'."

How can we personally know the Father and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ? It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the Father and the Son to us and who gives us the gift of faith to know and understand the truth of God’s word. Through the Holy Spirit, we proclaim our ancient faith in the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ until he comes again. The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit as our divine Teacher and Helper that we may grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God. Do you seek the wisdom that comes from above and do you eagerly listen to God's word and obey it?

"May the Lord Jesus put his hands on our eyes also, for then we too shall begin to look not at what is seen but at what is not seen. May he open the eyes that are concerned not with the present but with what is yet to come, may he unseal the heart's vision, that we may gaze on God in the Spirit, through the same Lord, Jesus Christ, whose glory and power will endure throughout the unending succession of ages." (prayer of Origin, c. 185-254)

Psalm 8:1-9

1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!  Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted
2 by the mouth of babes and infants, thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established;
4 what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?
5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor.
6 Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!

 

 

 Snow is water, and ice is water and steam is water, and these three are one.  What do you think?  Does that explain the Trinity?  Or try John Wesley’s image: “Tell me how it is that in this room there are three candles and only one light, and I will explain to you the mode of the divine existence.”  Does that explain it?  No.  He meant that it was impossible to explain. 

If it is impossible to explain the mystery of the Trinity why was it revealed to us?  Or why wasn’t it revealed better? asked the 19th-century satirist Samuel Butler.  “If God wants to do a thing he should make his wishes sufficiently clear.” 

This assumes that the perfect fulfilment of our life is to have explanations of things.  But what do we do when we have complete explanations of things?  We forget about them and go on to something else!  And what is the result?  Our minds may be satisfied, having made a conquest of something, but the rest of our being may be empty and dissatisfied.  I know several parents of exceptionally intelligent children.  They have formed themselves into a support group, because they feel a daily need for such support.  one of them told me about the great cost of such an imbalance of faculties in a child.  She told me about his restlessness, his boredom, his anger, his coldness, his emotional immaturity, and the consequent problems for the other children and themselves.  We estimate intelligence above all other gifts, but I shudder to think what kind of society would result if such children were to become the norm.  In religious tradition the world has been called “the place of soul-making.”  All the gifts should grow in proportion, like the fingers of your hand.  That is what an ideal human being would be: someone in whom all the gifts can grow and flourish. 

If there are mysteries that the mind cannot crack, that is indeed a good thing.  We have to experience them in a deeper way, with our whole being or not at all.  We can easily repeat the well-worn phrases about the Trinity: three Persons in one nature.  But that by itself only makes it a sort of impossible maths.  If it is the ultimate mystery there must be more than that to it.   

I will leave you with the famous Memorial of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).  It is his most intimate religious piece of writing.  It is only a scrap of paper, which records his religious experience on one unforgettable night in 1654.  It was found in the lining of his coat after his death.  It conveys some impression of an experience that took him far beyond mathematics (and he was one the world’s greatest mathematicians).

“From about half past ten at night until about half past midnight,

FIRE.

GOD of Abraham, GOD of Isaac, GOD of Jacob

not of the philosophers and of the learned.

Certitude. Certitude. Feeling.  Joy.  Peace.

GOD of Jesus Christ.

My God and your God.

Your GOD will be my God.

Forgetfulness of the world and of everything, except GOD.

He is only found by the ways taught in the Gospel.

Grandeur of the human soul.

Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you.

Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy.

I have departed from him:

They have forsaken me, the fount of living water.

My God, will you leave me?

Let me not be separated from him forever.

This is eternal life, that they know you, the one true God, and the one that you

sent, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ.

I left him; I fled him, renounced, crucified.

Let me never be separated from him.

He is only kept securely by the ways taught in the Gospel:

Renunciation, total and sweet.

Complete submission to Jesus Christ and to my director.

Eternally in joy for a day's exercise on the earth

May I not forget your words. Amen.

 

 

 From all eternity, there is only one God.   From all eternity, there are Three Persons in this one God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  As far as their attributes, whatever can be said of the Father, can also be said of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.   The Father is eternal, almighty, infinite in perfection; so also is the Son; so also is the Holy Spirit.   But there are not three "almighties" or three "eternals," but only one almighty, eternal God infinite in perfection.   The Father is not the Son is not the Holy Spirit.   They are distinct Persons who share and completely possess the one nature of God.  
From all eternity, the Father begets the Son; from all eternity, the Son is born of the  Father.   From all eternity, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.  (The Oriental Churches express this as "from the Father through the Son.")  
            In time, about 7 B.C., only the Son became incarnate:   The Word was made flesh.   The Second Person of the Trinity became fully man without ceasing to be God.   Jesus Christ is equal to the Father in his divinity, but less than the Father in his humanity: But he is one Person, ever to be adored in his majesty.    All of this is very heady theology!   In fact, absolutely nothing is known of the Trinity in the Old Testament.  only Jesus reveals to us this central mystery of our faith.   He revealed it as the practical basis of our spiritual life.
The Father loves us with an everlasting love; yet, in the Old Testament, he seems clouded in unapproachable light.   We can scarcely visualize him as a Person.   He seems  so far above us.   The Eternal Son of God became man to show us the Father.   When we see Jesus, we see the love of the Father.   He is one of us.   He is our access to the Father, our Mediator, our Savior.   He assures us of the Father's forgiveness.   He is the model of what God intended us to be.   He gave his life for us.   In him, we can have confidence in approaching the Father.    But we no longer see Jesus; he has returned to the glory of the Father.   He has not left us orphans, however.   He has sent the Holy Spirit, the "Paraclete."  "Paraclete" means one who stands by."   He stands by us as our advocate, as our defense attorney against all the trials of t his earth.   He stands by us to comfort us and strengthen us.   He stands by us to make us one in Christ Jesus.    He manifests the Son to us, just as the Son manifested the Father.     In the Holy Spirit, we are joined with Mary and all the saints in Christ.    Our spiritual life, then, must be rooted in the mystery of the Trinity.   We give glory TO the Father, THROUGH the Son, IN the Holy Spirit, WITH the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints!    Let us live and pray as we profess to believe.

 

 

«When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into the whole truth»

Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the mystery at the center of our faith, where everything originates from and where everything returns to. The mystery of the unity and of God, and at the same time, his subsistence in three equal and yet, different Persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: unity in communion and communion in unity. In this great day, we must realize that his great mystery is ever present in our lives: from the very Sacrament of our Baptism —which we have received in the name of the Holy Trinity— till our participation in the mystery of the Eucharist, which is made for the glory of the Father, by his Son Jesus Christ, thanks to the Holy Spirit. And it is also the signal by which we Christians recognize one another: the sign of the Cross, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The mission of the Son, Jesus Christ, consists in the revelation of his Father, whom He is the perfect image of, and in the gift of the Spirit, which has also been revealed by the Son. Today, the proclaimed evangelic reading shows it up to us: the Son receives everything from the Father in perfect unity: «All that the Father has is mine», and the Spirit receives all that the Spirit is from the Father and the Son. «Because of this —says Jesus— I have just told you, that the Spirit will take what is mine and make it known to you» (Jn 16:15). And in another part of this same chapter (Jn 15:26): «When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about me».

From all that, let us learn the great and comforting truth: the Holy Trinity, far from being distant and aloof, comes to us, dwells within us and transforms us in its interlocutors. And this, through the Spirit, which guide us into the whole truth (cf. Jn 16:13). The incomparable “Christian dignity”, which, St. Leo the Great, at times, speaks about, is this: to keep God's mystery within us and, thus, revel in our Earth of our own Heavenly “citizenship” (cf. Phil 3:20), that is, into the Holy Trinity's bosom.
 

 

 Homily from Father James Gilhooley
Holy Trinity    

A story has it that the fifth century Augustine of Hippo was taking his summer holiday along the North African seashore.
    
Walking along the water's edge on a delightful day, he was pondering the mystery of the Trinity. All this genius was getting for his efforts was a severe headache. Finally he thought he was coming close to breaking the code of the mystery.  He was about to shout, "Eureka!"
   
Suddenly at his feet was a boy of five The bishop asked him what he was doing. The youngster replied, "I am pouring the whole ocean into this small hole." Augustine said, "That's nonsense. No one can do that." Unintimidated by the towering giant above him, the child replied, "Well, neither can you, Bishop Augustine, unravel the mystery of the Trinity." Then he disappeared.
    
Whether this account is apocryphal or not, I leave to your good judgment. But I think we all get the point. The Trinity will remain a mystery forever and then some.
    
This morning over instant decaffinated coffee and a toasted raisin muffin, I read a highly favorable review of a book by Jack Miles in The New York Times. Miles calls his tome God: a Biography. The review opens with this paragraph, "You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart," reads a passage in the Apocrypha, "nor find out what a man is thinking. How do you expect to search out God, who made all these things, and find out His mind or comprehend His thoughts?" The youngster of the St Augustine story would shake his head in approval of these lines.
    
Now you better understand I think what we are up against on this feast in honor of three Persons in one God.
    
The early seventeenth century poet John Donne wrote breathlessly, "Batter my heart, three person'd God; for you as yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend." Having just as breathlessly repeated that prayer, should we attempt to turn our backs on the Trinity and get on with our lives?
     
Inasmuch as the Teacher spoke of God as Father an awesome forty-five times at the Last Supper, we would be most unwise to do so. Recall this famous line from John 17,11, "Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name..." Nor can you disregard or neglect the Holy Spirit. John 14,16 says, "I shall ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate...that Spirit of truth." Forget the Trinity and we do so at our own peril and also serious loss. There is much spiritual richness to be wrestled from a devotion to the Trinity.
   
Eg, we can know we are told a lot about Jesus but only through the Spirit can we know Jesus. Would you want to pass that opportunity up?
    
I like the spin the Benedictine Daniel Durken puts on the triune God. He quotes a poem by Sister Mary Ignatius that closes, "That God is not up, but in!" Durken then argues we must remember the Father, Son, and the Spirit are not up there somewhere in the heavens but rather in each of our honorable selves.
    
The much-quoted Matthew 28,20 has the Master instructing His people to baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." So Durken advises the Sacrament of Baptism drops us not only into water but also into the Trinity. The Trinity in turn is delighted to take up residence in us. So, just as the triune God is in us, so too are we in the triune God. Or, as Durken puts it, "We have an `in' with the Trinity."
    
People say of my hometown New York City, "It's sure a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." Happily the Trinity does not say the same of us. Rather, Pere Durken says the Trinity with all appropriate flourishes announces, "We're not just visiting. We're staying." The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have pitched a four season tent in each of us. They are in our spirits to be cultivated, called upon, prayed to, messaged, you name it. If one understands that, then the sky is literally the limit.
   
The fourteenth century German Dominican, Meister Eckhart, concluded our subject best with amusing langauge. "God laughed and the Son was born. Together they laughed and the Holy Spirit was born. From the laughter of all three the universe was born."

 

 

 Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino
http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html

Mystery Amid Mayhem

We live in the information age. When in doubt, go to your computer and get online. Well, you don’t even have to go to your computer. I just got a Blackberry Pearl. I can connect to the internet anywhere I want and get sports scores whenever I want them. That’s very convenient for the minutes between Masses–no, not during Mass. A number of years ago math teachers faced the challenge of teaching arithmetic to children armed with calculators. Now teachers have to learn how to distinguish great research on essays and projects from the student’s ability to cut and paste.

The Age of Information has provided us with whatever facts we need at our finger tips, but it has also assaulted the very concept of faith. Because explanations can be found for most of the questions we may have, we feel cheated when we come upon unanswerable questions, questions like: "Why do good people die? What happens after death? Does God exist? What is God like? Who, really, is Jesus Christ? How has the past become the present and the future? How is it that the Christ can be with the Father yet still with us?"

People of faith realize that mystery can be found throughout life. Instead of questioning the unknowable, people of faith see in the very presence of mystery the presence of God, the Holy one. Holy, by the way means completely separate from the material world. Sadly, many people refuse to recognize the existence of Mystery. Their lives revolve around the here and now, the physical. They have led our society into mayhem. "If it feels good do it," is the modern ｅxpression of ancient Hedonism. It has resulted in a total lack of responsibility for actions, a total rejection of the greater good of society, a total assault against the concept that we are accountable to God for our lives. It has produced the insanity that really reached a new lows in the arguments supporting partial birth abortion that refuse to consider the possibility that the child feels pain and suffers. The rejection of the spiritual, the rejection of Mystery, has led to chaos in our society.

In the middle of this, we come to Church this week and are confronted with the Doctrine of the Trinity. I suggest that for us in 2007, it is not the details of the dogma that are important. What is important is the fact that the unknowable exists. More than that, the Holy, that which is completely separate from physical life, has infused the life of the believer with the spiritual, with the Life of God.

The Eternal Creator of the universe shocked us by establishing an intimate relationship with us. At baptism we receive his life. Our bodies are sacred, holy, because we are the dwelling place of God. He has bestowed infinite dignity upon

us to such an extent that we have been given the right to call the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus the Christ, our brother.

As Christians we have been called to restore Mystery amid the mayhem of our society. We do this by focusing our lives on the one who is both transcendent and intimate, Jesus Christ. He is one of us, with us always. He is the eternal Son of the Father, present at the dawn of Creation, sitting at the Right Hand of the Father, sending his Spirit, the Holy Spirit to empower us to make sense out of the irrationality of life, to put the Order of God into the chaos of materialism.

Every action of our lives must be grounded in our union with Jesus Christ. You folks who come to church this weekend are serious Catholics. You come to church for more than the sentiments of Christmas and Easter. You do not attend Mass to keep other people happy. You attend Mass because you need the Lord in your lives and in the lives of your families. Perhaps you are attend to ask God to help you make Him real for your children. Perhaps you are here asking Him to help you experience His Presence in others and provide others with an experience of his presence. Perhaps you are here asking God to help you draw closer to Him every day of life that you have left. Probably you are here for all these reasons. You are here to bring the Holy Order of Mystery into a world of chaos.

You and I are Christian because the world desperately needs us to be Christian. The world needs us to establish a close relationship with others, while at the same time live for the Lord. The world needs us to provide others with an experience of the spiritual. This is the mission, the command, that Jesus gave before his Ascension: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations."

The mystery of the Trinity is more than an esoteric doctrine of faith. It is a model for the Christian lifestyle. We are called to be in the world, intimate, yet not of the world, transcendent.

We are called to bring Mystery amid the mayhem.
 

 

 Homily from Father Phil Bloom
http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/

Hope Does Not Disappoint
(June 3, 2007)

Bottom line: We deeply desire peace or rest; only by a relationship with the Trinity will that hope be fulfilled.

You may have heard about animal heaven. St. Martin de Porres takes care of it. I think God chose him for that job because, like St. Francis, he had such a great love for animals. once a cat died and when it got to animal heaven, St. Martin asked what he most wanted. The cat said, "All my life I slept on hard surfaces. I want a nice fluffy blanket."

After the cat came a group of mice. St. Martin asked them what they wanted. The head mouse replied immediately. "We had tough lives on earth," he said, "everyone was always chasing us. We want roller skates." So St. Martin outfitted them with tiny skates.

A few weeks passed and St. Martin checked up on the cat. The cat was the picture of happiness. "My blanket is so comfortable I never want to leave it," he said. Then he added, "By the way, thanks for the Meals on Wheels!"

Well, the point of this story is that we might have misconceptions about heaven. Like those poor mice we can have a false idea about what will make us happy. We may imagine all sorts of things: nice food, comfortable surroundings, good friends, beautiful music. Those things are great and in some way they might be part of heaven, but this Sunday we learn what will actually make us happy. When all is said and done, the only thing that can satisfy us is the Blessed Trinity.

In the Trinity we become sons and daughters of God. Just like an eagle is made for soaring, you and I are made us for sonship. A son feels joy when he can admire his father and learn from him. C.S. Lewis said it this way: "We are not made for equality, but for obedience and worship." Jesus was so united with his Father that he always obeyed him. To our great sadness, you and I have not obeyed God. Still, if we join ourselves with Jesus - by the power of the Holy Spirit - we can become adopted sons and daughters. That is pretty good. Most of us would like to be adopted children of Bill Gates. How much greater to be an adopted child of God!

What does it mean to become a son or daughter of God? This Sunday we get a glimpse. In the first reading the "Wisdom of God" speaks. Wisdom was with God when he fashioned the world. Creation was so wonderful that Wisdom played and danced on the surface of the earth. In the final verse we see what caused the greatest joy. Wisdom says, "I found delight in the human race."

The Psalm also speaks about the uniqueness of mankind: "You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor." We have an exalted status. Why? Not because we are so great in ourselves. Far from it. Our greatness comes from God's condescencion. He humbled himself to our level so he could raise us up. Jesus is God in human flesh. Today he tells us, "Everything that the Father has is mine." Jesus is God from God, Light from Light, Begotten not Made, one in Being with the Father. He wants to pour upon us the Spirit of Truth who will guide us to all truth. Truth means a lot more than correct opinions or beliefs. Beliefs matter, but something else matters much. "You will know the truth," says Jesus, "And the truth will make you free." A person can have correct beliefs and still be a slave. Truth, freedom means becoming a disciple, a child of the Father in Jesus - by the Holy Spirit.

Only in heaven will we realize what it means to be a son or daughter of God. That day we will have the peace which St. Paul describes in his Letter to the Romans.

We often speak about the afterlife as peace or rest. For our loved ones we pray: "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord." When I was young, eternal rest sounded boring. It looks better at this stage of life. How beautiful it would be to let go of all cares and fall back into those eternal arms! It is something all of us desire. Is this just a pipe dream? I don't think so. St. Paul tells us, "hope does not disappoint." That peace will come upon us when we open our hearts to the Spirit of Truth - the one who transforms us into sons and daughters of God - in his Son Jesus Christ.

 

 

 Homily from Father Andrew M. Greeley
http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html

Background:
Some Catholic theologians are now arguing that only because God is triune is it possible for Her to relate to us. A God who was one person, they say, would not be capable of relationships. But precisely because He has internal relationships is God able to have external relationships too. It’s kind of a neat idea, but I must leave it to others how it stands up to theological analysis. It does make the revelation of the Trinity seem reasonable. Why else would God stun us with this baffling, if dazzling, notion other then to show us that God could love all beings, even as He loves His Self. Our God is not an isolated entity. Rather She is a network of relationships and hence all human networks are actually or potentially grace-full.

Story:
A group of three young mothers who lived on the same street agreed to pool their time and resources so that they could help each other take care of their kids and at the same time provide one another with a little free time. It worked fine, the kids liked it, the fathers liked it (anything to escape from the demands of child-rearing), and, most important, the women like it. They discovered in practice  what they had heard so often in theory: it’s easier to do things as members of a community than as isolated individuals. They bragged to their friends in other streets about how well their little community worked and how everyone should try to imitate them. But then one of the women began *to tally up the hours she gave the community effort and concluded that she was giving more time than the other two. They added up their own times and concluded just the opposite. Indeed they accused the first woman of making up numbers so she could escape her fair share. Since they had all studied economics in college, they began to shout “free rider” at one another. Soon they were not speaking to one another. Their community collapsed under the pressures of success, resentment, and envy – in that order. See, we told you so, said the neighbors on other streets. Later none of the three could figure out what went wrong.

 

 

 Homily from Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe,Pa
http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/archabbey/Weeklywords/Weeklywords.html

Gospel Summary

This carefully crafted passage is the climactic summary of the essential themes of Matthew's gospel. Jesus, now Risen Lord, reveals that all power in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and thus he has authority to commission his disciples to continue and to extend his mission to all the nations of the earth.

Jesus' epiphany and commission to the eleven take place on a mountain, the symbolic place where humans encounter the divine presence. The mountains of encounter unite in a single narrative the biblical covenants, and make all history a sacred history. These awesome places of the divine presence evoke the memory of crucial turning points of human history: Ararat, Moriah, Sinai, Zion, Carmel. Matthew, fully in harmony with this tradition, brings the narrative of the divine plan to its climax. He tells of Jesus' trial of temptations, his sermon, and his transfiguration on a mountain. From the severe testing of faith on the Mount of Olives, Jesus descends to suffer and die in obedience to his Father's will.

Now on a mountain, Jesus with divine authority commissions the eleven to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. God's promise to Abraham after the testing of faith on Mount Moriah will at last be fulfilled. Through Jesus, son of Abraham, "all the nations of the earth shall find blessing" (Gn 22:1-18). All nations will hear the good news, and be taught to observe what the Lord has commanded. Matthew concludes his gospel and begins the era of the church with the promise of Jesus: "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

Life Implications

The good news we hear proclaimed on Trinity Sunday is that Jesus the Risen Lord wants us to share divine life with him in the oneness of intimate, familial love with his Father and Holy Spirit. Through the gift of baptism we belong to God, and God belongs to us. With Jesus we can say Our Father. We are at home in God.

To be certain that we do not imagine the era of the church to be an illusory Utopia above the ambiguities of the human condition, Matthew interjects a surprising note of realism. He tells us that though the eleven disciples recognize Jesus as Risen Lord and worship him, at the same time they doubt. He uses the same Greek verb for "doubt" as he did when Jesus stretched out his hand to Peter, frightened and sinking in the stormy water: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt" (Mt 14:22-33)?

A theme of Matthew's gospel is the contrast between the total, single-minded faith of Jesus and the double-minded, little faith of his disciples. Jesus tells the disciples that because of their little faith they do not understand him, and for the same reason they are unable to cast out a demon (Mt 16:8 and 17:20).

The disciples, except for one of the original twelve, are willing to follow Jesus and listen to his commands; but at the same time their "common sense" tells them that what Jesus expects is way beyond their capacity to accomplish. It is not difficult for us present-day disciples to identify with the feeling of inadequacy and doubt in the face of the powerful forces that oppose the fulfillment of the divine promise of blessedness in our own circumstances. Like the first disciples, we worship the Risen Lord; and we doubt. Yet we go on because we trust with our little faith that all power in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus.

The Risen Lord, who conquered even death, is with us as he promised. When we do not understand what is going on, when the demons in us and around us seem invincible, when we begin to sink in the stormy water, when the task at hand seems too much for us, Jesus stretches out his hand and says: "O you of little faith, why do you doubt?" With our little faith, we can only respond: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief."

 

 

 Homily from Father Cusick
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html  

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Our omnipotent eternal God reveals his inner life of everlasting love through the incarnation and sacrifice of the Son and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. on this Sunday after Pentecost we celebrate the mystery of the Trinity, a truth about God that we could not know except it had been revealed. To know the truth of the Triune nature of God is the gift of God who reaches out to befriend and to save us, drawing us into the everlasting embrace of the Trinity through the real presence of the Son in the Eucharist and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

May religions invoke God as "Father." The deity is often considered the "father of gods and men." In Israel, God is called "Father" inasmuch as he is Creator of the world. (Cf. Deut 32:6; Mal 2:10.) Even more, God is Father because of the covenant and the gift of the law to Israel, "his first-born son."(Ex 4:22) God is also called the Father of the king of Israel. Most especially he is "the Father of the poor," of the orphaned and the widowed, who are under his loving protection. (Cf. 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 68:6.) (CCC 238)

Jesus revealed that God is Father in an unheard of sense: he is Father not only in being Creator; he is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son who, reciprocally, is Son only in relation to his Father: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Mt 11:27.) (CCC 240)

For this reason the apostles confess Jesus to be the Word: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"; as "the image of the invisible God"; as the "radiance of the glory of God and the very stamp of his nature." (Jn 1:1; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3.) (CCC 241)

Following this apostolic tradition, the Church confessed at the first ecumenical council at Nicaea (325) that the Son is "consubstantial" with the Father, that is, one only God with him. (The English phrases "of one being" and one in being" translate the Greek word homoousios, which was rendered in Latin by consubstantialis.) (CCC 242)

The Father and the Son are revealed by the Holy Spirit, sent in His fullness at the first Pentecost to give life and holiness to the Church as "Lord and giver of life."

Before his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of "another Paraclete" (Advocate), the Holy Spirit. At work since creation, having previously "spoken through the prophets," the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to teach them and guide them "into all the truth." (Cf. Gen 1:2; Nicene Creed (DS 150); Jn 14:17, 26; 16:13.) The Holy Spirit is thus revealed as anotherdivine person with Jesus and the Father. (CCC 243)

The sweetest gift of the divine person of the Holy Spirit is "the love of God which has been poured into our hearts" by the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. By this gift we enjoy the fruit of grace in love and receive the power and energy to pursue the holiness of the Christian life as, in and by love, we keep the Commandments with joy. For we know that "the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God."

I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick

 

 

Homily from Father Alex McAllister SDS
http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/

As we progress through the liturgical year we take in turn the great sayings and miracles of Christ, we contemplate the great events of salvation, the birth of Christ, the Last Supper, his passion and death, his resurrection and ascension into heaven, the birth of the Church at Pentecost, the Eucharist on Corpus Christi.

But today we contemplate the greatest mystery of all, the Blessed Trinity, the source of all that was, is and is to come. Today we contemplate the inner mystery of God himself. And I use my words advisedly; we contemplate the mystery of God.

We contemplate—what else can we do in the face of God but contemplate. To contemplate is to turn our gaze on him, to empty our hearts and minds of all other thoughts. In contemplation we become aware of his majesty, his glory, and wonder at his greatness and the extraordinary depth of his love.

There is no higher form of prayer than this; just to spend time away from all our other preoccupations and in reverent silence become aware of his presence which is ever with us but which we constantly push to the background.

Yes, by all means recite your usual prayers; pray over the scriptures; ask God for all your needs; turn to him for forgiveness; offer him your heart and mind and indeed your whole life. But don’t finish your prayers at this point—no, go on. Go on and with you mind’s eye just gaze on his majesty and glory. Say nothing; just spend some time wondering at the greatness and gentleness of God.

Don’t worry about how long you should do this, or whether you are doing it well or not, or whether it is time for tea. Empty your mind of everything else and just ‘be’ with him.

He who is the source of your being surely deserves some moments of your time so don’t be mean and give him just a few seconds every now and then. This is the one who will in due course draw you into eternal communion with him so let yourself get used to his presence here and now.

I say that this is the highest form of prayer, but it is also the most essential form of prayer, indeed this is prayer with a capital P. This is what all the rest leads up to.

We contemplate the mystery of God. And indeed it is a very great mystery. Not a mystery in the sense of a puzzle, although a puzzle he certainly is; but a mystery in the sense that we are full of wonder and awe in his presence, a mystery in the sense that our human understanding can only begin to appreciate.

But God has, in fact, chosen to reveal quite a lot about himself to us. This gradual revelation can be traced through the pages of the Old Testament and then the culmination of revelation is set forth in the Gospels in the person and words of Jesus.

Today we celebrate the revelation that he is three persons in one God—Father, Son and Spirit. This wasn’t handed down from the mountain in tablets of stone like the Ten Commandments but it was revealed directly to us by God himself in the person of Jesus his Son.

Jesus himself is the personal revelation of God; he is God made manifest in the world and to the world.

Jesus taught us that he came from the Father, he told us to call him Abba, he taught that he is the creator and sustainer of all things and he taught us that he is love. When he returned to the Father Jesus bequeathed to us the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth who would guide and protect the Church keeping it holy and free from error in matters of faith.

Pontius Pilate famously said, “What is truth?” But Jesus tells us in the Gospel today that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and that he will guide us to the complete truth. What is this truth? It is all that we Christians have come to believe that God has revealed to us.

Perhaps we should rephrase Pilate’s question: not “What is truth?” but “Who is truth?” And the answer is: “The truth is God alone.”

God is love, God is true, God is one. There is no error in him; there is no evil; there is no disunity. God is above all, and is over all, and brings all things together in himself. In due time the whole created order will come to this realisation and will bow down and worship him in humble adoration.

All these things we believe as Christians, all these things we know to be true.

And the Blessed Trinity is the highest model for our Christian life—three distinct persons, yet one God; each living in harmony and perfect unity with each other. The three persons of the Trinity have their own roles and function but there is no disunity only perfect harmony.

The Church of God on earth aims to reflect this unity and this is indeed Christ’s wish and prayer for us, “May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you.” (Jn 17:21)

We are a living community of faith and as such we really do strive for the unity Christ prays for. There are plenty of problems along the way caused by sin and our human failings but we really do long for that unity that Christ desires for us.

In the risen life of heaven we will be taken up into God and become one with him. This is our true destiny but it is a destiny that through our Baptism has already begun for us. So let us strive to reach this goal with the help of the Holy Spirit and let us do nothing that causes division or damages this community of faith.

Let the people around us realise that something extraordinary is happening here. Let them see that the unity, that the truth, that the love of God is shining forth from this place and that he is really present among us. That this is not merely a community gathered in name alone but is a manifestation of the presence of God himself here in this place.

 

 

Homily from Father Clyde A. Bonar, Ph.D.
Contact Father at cbonar@cfl.rr.com

Be Yourself, Love Others
Introduction

Just a few weeks ago Bishop Wenski came to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation. For months, our youth had been preparing. Classes of sacramental preparation, a weekend retreat, service projects to complete.

At last, it's Confirmation Day. The bishop comes, a joy filled celebration. In turn, the confirmandi stand before the bishop. With the oil of chrism, the bishop signs each on the forehead, wishes him or her "Peace." Then the bishop tells the newly confirmed to go and be a good Christian. Sealed with the Holy Spirit, each is to act with all the love of Jesus. To imitate Christ, the Son of God.

Different From Each Other

That's a pretty tall order. How can any of us be like the Son of God? We're so different from Jesus. We're even different from each other.

Exactly. So too are the Three Persons who are God different from each Other. God is one, but we experience God as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three Persons, of equal power and dignity, a Tri-Une God, the alpha and the omega.

God the Father created the heavens and the earth, provides us with a beautiful world to live in. God the Son, Jesus the Christ, came to redeem us, to be our Good Shepherd. And when Christ went back to his Father in heaven he sent the Holy Spirit to guide us. God the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the Sanctifier. Each Person of God different from the other two Persons of God.

Clearly the lesson: to be like God, we people should expect to be different one from the other. God gave us each a set of talents. And God expects us to be the person he designed, using those gifts, to be the unique individual God created.

Just like we experience each person of God differently, we see these different talents in different people. Some of us are athletic. Perhaps like Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts). on the football field a second nature seems to guide that quarterback's arm as pass after pass goes to a waiting receiver. Others among us here cannot throw a ball straight across the street.

Or think of other talents. on the TV show M*A*S*H. In one episode the surgeon Dr. Winchester complains his skilled hands cannot make music on a piano. He's a surgeon, not a pianist. Differences in our gifts are obvious. And frustration meets us if we try to do what we have no talent for.

The lesson to be remembered: to be different is to be like God. Christ was God the Son. Never did he deem himself to be God the Father. Each Person of God differs from the other two Persons who are God. So too for us. Different from each other we are. To be like God, different we must be.

Bonded By Love

But we also know God is love (1 John 4:8). So close are the Three Persons of God bonded together in love, they become one. God the Son loves God the Father, God the Father loves God the Son, God the Holy Spirit loves God the Father. Divinity linked together as one by their love for each other.

Three Persons so in union with each other Jesus said: "The Father and I are one" (John 10:30). Words from the Bible describe this mystery. Christ goes up to Mt. Tabor (Matthew 17:1- 8). And is transfigured, "his face shone like the sun, his clothes became dazzling white." Jesus is God the Son. Words from on high are heard: "This is my beloved Son." Tender words. The proud parent looking upon his only Son. The Father in Heaven pouring out love for the Son of God.

And the Son returns the love. Jesus calls God his Father "Abba." An Aramaic word, "abba" is often translated as "father." "Abba" means so much more. It is actually the word a child would use. A better translation might be "daddy." Picture it this way. A child runs out from the house to greet his father after the father had been away for a week. All the affection the child has for his father are in his greeting: "Daddy, daddy, abba, abba." Pure love, the love God the Son has for God the Father.

And the same words of love are spoken by the Wisdom of God in today's readings. In the Old Testament Wisdom of God was the revelation of God's Holy Spirit. Wisdom says: "When the Lord established the heavens I was there, the playful companion of the Creator. His delight day by day." That's God the Father and God the Holy Spirit having fun with each other. Laughing. Calling jokes back and forth. Wisdom and the Creator enjoying each other's company, the one with the other. God the Holy Spirit and God the Father acting like people in love.

Love binds the Three Persons of the Trinity into one God. Love so intense the Three Divine persons we experience as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in fact one God.

Be Like God

Where does this leave us? It lets us answer our question: Can we be like Christ, God the Son? Can we be unique individuals and love people who are so different from us?

Of course we can. What I am is all the gift I have to give to you, and when I give myself to you, heart touches heart. Each of us being ourselves, deepest love grows.

Let's pin this down with an example. From family life. Little Johanny is up to bat. A pitch, a hit, and a home run. In the stands mom brags: "That's my son." Game ended and Johanny brings the coach over: "I want you to meet my mother." Little Johanny is just as proud of his mom as mom is of her son. Two unique people. Son being son. Mom being mother. Tied together by love. Mother and son echo the love God the Father and God the Son have for each other.

Or shift our thought to how we play. Like square dancing. Four couples around a circle. In the square, the call is heard: "Swing your partner." Our different personalities shine forth. one couple does a dainty turn around. Another couple swings high. The me that is me having fun with others. Through giving of self the dance partnership is formed. Even in play we are being like God. Remember, God the Holy Spirit, the playful companion of God the Father.

The same giving of ourselves shines forth during troubled times. on a church retreat one lady recalled how her marriage had been rocked with problems. She took her year old son and walked out. Luckily, her husband followed. Together they turned to God in prayer. Today telling of the deep pain in their own marriage helps other couples in trouble. Lives changed by sharing their story of personal hurt. This couple acts like God, sharing their love with others.

So do you and I when we share the I that I am with another person. Love is not love until it is given away. And the most I can give away is that unique person that I am. When I give myself to you, heart reaches out to heart.

Conclusion

Today is Trinity Sunday. Why does our Church have a feast to celebrate a doctrine? Because to imitate the Trinity is to know how to get into heaven!

God is Three Persons bonded in love with each other. Follow the pattern God gives. Be that unique person God made you to be. Reach out in love to those other unique people around you. Be yourself, love others. That's the formula for getting into heaven.