9 June 2012: The divine works and the Trinitarian mission

‘O blessed light, O Trinity and first Unity!’ God is eternal blessedness, undying life, unfading light. God is love: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God freely wills to communicate the glory of his blessed life. Such is the ‘plan of his loving kindness’, conceived by the Father before the foundation of the world, in his beloved Son: ‘He destined us in love to be his sons’ and ‘to be conformed to the image of his Son’, through ‘the spirit of sonship’. This plan is a ‘grace [which] was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began’, stemming immediately from Trinitarian love. It unfolds in the work of creation, the whole history of salvation after the fall, and the missions of the Son and the Spirit, which are continued in the mission of the Church. The whole divine economy is the common work of the three divine persons. For the Trinity has only one and the same nature; only one and the same operation: ‘The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are not three principles of creation but one principle.’ ... each divine person performs the common work according to his unique personal property. Thus the Church confesses, following the New Testament, one God and Father ‘from’ whom all things are, and one Lord Jesus Christ, ‘through’ whom all things are, and one Holy Spirit ‘in’ whom all things are. It is above all the divine missions of the Son’s Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit that show forth the properties of the divine persons. As a common and personal work, the whole divine economy reveals what is proper to the divine person, and their one divine nature. Hence, the whole Christian life is a communion with each of the divine persons, without in any way separating them. Everyone who glorifes the Father does so through the Son in the Holy Spirit; everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him and the Spirit moves him. The final end of the whole divine economy is entry of God’s creatures into the perfect unity of the Blessed Trinity. Even now we must be a dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity: “If a man loves me”, says the Lord, “he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.” (Jn 14:23) “By the grace of Baptism ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’, we are called to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity, here on earth in the obscurity of faith, and after death in eternal light. “Now this is the Catholic faith: We worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity, without either confusing the persons or dividing the substance, for the person of the Father is one, the Son’s is another, the Holy Spirit’s another; but the Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty co-eternal. (‘Athanasian Creed’) “Inseparable in what they are, the divine persons are also inseparable in what they do. But within the single divine operation each shows forth what is proper to him in the Trinity, especially in the divine missions of the Son’s Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Ref: “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, Nos. 257-260, 265-267 God’s Word is always meaningful “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey in my mouth!” (Ps 118:103) St Paul taught the early Christians that the word of God is living and active (cf Heb 4:12); always relevant, ever new for each person, each day. And personal because it is destined expressly for each of us. In varied ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days He has spoken to us by a Son. (cf Heb 1:1) These times are also our times. Jesus Christ continues speaking to us. His words are divine and eternal, always relevant and up-to-date. In a certain sense, what the Gospel narrates is happening now, in our lives. Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:456-7 Beauty and Power of Christ’s Words Today, Jesus’ words in the Gospel wield the same power and attraction. No one who reads the gospel with an open mind and a well-disposed heart will fail to be impressed by the depth and beauty of the eternal truths it conveys. But it is not enough to be simply impressed, like Jesus’ listeners at the syngagogue in Capernaum. Jesus wants us to commit ourselves to his teachings. We have to incarnate, so to speak, God’s word in our lives and help other people do likewise. The Lord had probably almost finished his discourse when an unearthly shriek rang through the synagogue. It came from a man possessed by a devil, “an unclean spirit” (Mk 1:23). He had crept through the crowded doors and had begun listening to Jesus’ words until the foul spirit that held him in its clutches, no longer able to stand the torture of Christ’s words and presence, broke loose within the man’s mind. “What do you want of us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.” (Mk 1:24) What was the devil’s true intention in proclaiming the holiness of Jesus? To distract the audience? Was it still trying to get Jesus to reveal his true identity, as he attempted in the desert? Whatever, Jesus disdained it. The Lord rejected the unclean spirit’s testimony which revealed Christ’s messianic character. It was not for Satan to proclaim his divinity. He stood over the possessed man and said sharply: “Be quiet! Come out of him!” (Mk 1:25) Satan obeyed. But as he left his victim, he “threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him” (Mk 1:26). Then the man rose before everyone, free once more, and completely calm. The power of devils operates within limits laid down by God’s providence. Nothing is outside God’s control. Every thing is at God’s service, even the malice of the devils to achieve something good: to help us practice virtue. Ref: Cf Fr M Guzman, “Encounters With Christ”, 1990, pp38-40 • Our Lady of Ligny, near Bar le Duc in Lorraine. This image is very famous for the frequent miracles wrought there. — Triple Couronne, n. 57. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of Ligny. Near “Bac-le-Duc”, Lorraine, France. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html);(www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html); (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html) • Our Lady of Ligny (Loraine, France) and Our Lady, Mother of Grace. (“Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia”, 1991, p630) • Our Lady of Mentorello, Italy. (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html); (“Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia”, 1991, p630) • “Madonna della Mentorello”. Italy. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Our Lady, Virgin Mother of Grace. (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html) • Mother of Grace. Celebrated May 8 by the Augustinians. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Mother of Grace. (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • Our Lady "Mother of Grace" (Mentorella, Italy). (http://mariedenazareth.com) • Mary, Virgin Mother of Grace. (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • St Ephrem, deacon and Doctor of the Church: An orator and holy monk, he had a great devotion to Our Lady. (Fr James Socias, ‘et al’ [Eds], “Daily Roman Missal”, 1989, p1544)