Most sublime of all mysteries: the HOLY TRINITY
O most holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He Himself is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners. (Third Angel apparition, Fatima, 1916)
I totally believe that this prayer from the angel was meant for our times. Think about all the abuses taking place at Mass each time there is a Mass. And I mean in the new Mass. Christ is still in the Sacrament and in the tabernacle, but He is being badly abused. Especially, by Communion in the hand. First of all, our hands are NOT consecrated as the priests' hands are. Second, think about the possible crumbs falling onto the floor because of this travesty, and which we will now walk on, or probably to get sucked up into a vacuum cleaner. I'm so sorry, Lord.
This Sunday we celebrate Trinity Sunday. We believe in the Trinity, without totally understanding it. It is impossible to, anyway. Anybody who thinks he understands it is a liar, or another 'legend in his own mind'. From Romans xi: O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God: how incomprehensible are His judgements, and how unsearchable His ways!
As it says in part of the Preface for today: '...not in the Oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one Substance...'
St. Paul says the same thing is his Epistle to the Romans, which we hear today.
EPISTLE (ROM XI. 33-36.) O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him? For of him, and by him, and in him, are all things: to him be glory forever. Amen.
(And, notice this. In the Gospel when Jesus tells the Apostles to baptize, He says: "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Not 'names', but NAME. Not many gods, but by ONE Name. Jehovah's Witnesses don't see this, among others. For example, in St. John's Gospel, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' The J.W. bible says 'a' god, which must mean they think that there are more than one God)
GOSPEL (Matt. XXVIII. 18-20.) At that time Jesus said to His disciples: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going, therefore; teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.
Why do we celebrate this festival?
That we may openly profess our faith in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is the first of Christian truths, the foundation of the Christian religion, and the most sublime of all mysteries; and that we may render thanks, to the Father for having created us, to the Son for having redeemed us, and to the Holy Ghost for having sanctified us.
From our beloved Abbot Gueranger, commenting on the Holy Trinity:
'Blessed union! whereby God is in man, and man is in God! Union that brings us to adoption by the Father, to brotherhood with the Son, to our eternal inheritance! But how has this indwelling of God in His creature been formed? Gratuitously, by God's eternal love. And how long will it last? Forever, unless man himself refuse to give love for love. Mortal sin admitted into the soul, the divine indwelling is at an end: the very moment that sanctifying grace is lost, the Three divine Persons who had taken us their abode in that soul, and were united with her, abandon her; God is no longer in her, save by His immensity; the soul does not possess Him as she did before. Satan then again sets up his wretched kingdom within her, the kingdom of his vile trinity: concupiscence of the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes, and pride of life. Woe to the man who would dare to defy his God by such rebellion, and put evil in the place of infinite good! Hell and eternal torments are the consequences of the creature's contempt of his Creator. God is a jealous God; if we drive Him from the dwelling of our souls, the deep abyss must be our everlasting abode.'
This doesn't mean that we give up; we can still ask forgiveness from God, and once again be on the right path. God indeed forgives, but we must first ask.
This picture is the last vision Sister Lucy from Fatima had in Tuy, Spain, in 1929. It represents everything we need to know concerning the Most Holy Trinity. It's my opinion on this awesome Subject at hand, and I am unanimous in that. Amen
And now, some words from Fr. Rutler, who is a convert from Anglicanism. I served for him in Flint, MI. in the 90's. He always has something worthy to say.
FROM THE PASTOR
May 22, 2016
by Fr. George W. Rutler
Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity was a French Carmelite who died in 1906, having lived only 26 years, but the greatest theologians would attest that she was their peer in apprehending the deepest mystery of the Faith. St. Thomas Aquinas said that his mystical encounter with the heart of heaven was so wonderful that everything he had ever written was “so much straw,” which is saying a lot since his works are among the greatest thoughts ever recorded. So it is more appropriate to say that the Trinity is apprehended rather than comprehended, for God is beyond all human intelligence. But Jesus explains it: “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). So it is no surprise that even young Elizabeth of the Trinity was able to approach this mystery.
Saint Athanasius wrote:
“Even the gifts that the Spirit dispenses to individuals are given by the Father through the Word. For all that belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son, and so the graces given by the Son in the Spirit are true gifts of the Father. Similarly, when the Spirit dwells in us, the Word who bestows the Spirit is in us too, and the Father is present in the Word. This is the meaning of the text: My Father and I will come to him and make our home with him. For where the light is, there also is the radiance; and where the radiance is, there too are its power and its resplendent grace.”
Having revealed the fact of the Holy Trinity, God left it to humans to find language capable of expressing it. So the Catechism explains: “In order to articulate the dogma of the Trinity, the Church had to develop her own terminology with the help of certain notions of philosophical origin: ‘substance,’ ‘person’ or ‘hypostasis,’ ‘relation,’ and so on. In doing this, she did not submit the faith to human wisdom, but gave a new and unprecedented meaning to these terms, which from then on would be used to signify an ineffable mystery, ‘infinitely beyond all that we can humanly understand.’”
If that seems complicated, there is the prayer of the young Elizabeth of the Trinity:
O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each minute bring me more deeply into your mystery! Grant my soul peace. Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place of your rest. May I never abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over to your creative action.
And, from this year's post concerning Trinity Sunday from Fr. Rutler, the following:
FROM THE PASTOR
June 11, 2017
by Fr. George W. Rutler
O most holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He Himself is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners. (Third Angel apparition, Fatima, 1916)
I totally believe that this prayer from the angel was meant for our times. Think about all the abuses taking place at Mass each time there is a Mass. And I mean in the new Mass. Christ is still in the Sacrament and in the tabernacle, but He is being badly abused. Especially, by Communion in the hand. First of all, our hands are NOT consecrated as the priests' hands are. Second, think about the possible crumbs falling onto the floor because of this travesty, and which we will now walk on, or probably to get sucked up into a vacuum cleaner. I'm so sorry, Lord.
This Sunday we celebrate Trinity Sunday. We believe in the Trinity, without totally understanding it. It is impossible to, anyway. Anybody who thinks he understands it is a liar, or another 'legend in his own mind'. From Romans xi: O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God: how incomprehensible are His judgements, and how unsearchable His ways!
As it says in part of the Preface for today: '...not in the Oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one Substance...'
St. Paul says the same thing is his Epistle to the Romans, which we hear today.
EPISTLE (ROM XI. 33-36.) O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him? For of him, and by him, and in him, are all things: to him be glory forever. Amen.
(And, notice this. In the Gospel when Jesus tells the Apostles to baptize, He says: "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Not 'names', but NAME. Not many gods, but by ONE Name. Jehovah's Witnesses don't see this, among others. For example, in St. John's Gospel, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' The J.W. bible says 'a' god, which must mean they think that there are more than one God)
GOSPEL (Matt. XXVIII. 18-20.) At that time Jesus said to His disciples: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going, therefore; teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.
Why do we celebrate this festival?
That we may openly profess our faith in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is the first of Christian truths, the foundation of the Christian religion, and the most sublime of all mysteries; and that we may render thanks, to the Father for having created us, to the Son for having redeemed us, and to the Holy Ghost for having sanctified us.
From our beloved Abbot Gueranger, commenting on the Holy Trinity:
'Blessed union! whereby God is in man, and man is in God! Union that brings us to adoption by the Father, to brotherhood with the Son, to our eternal inheritance! But how has this indwelling of God in His creature been formed? Gratuitously, by God's eternal love. And how long will it last? Forever, unless man himself refuse to give love for love. Mortal sin admitted into the soul, the divine indwelling is at an end: the very moment that sanctifying grace is lost, the Three divine Persons who had taken us their abode in that soul, and were united with her, abandon her; God is no longer in her, save by His immensity; the soul does not possess Him as she did before. Satan then again sets up his wretched kingdom within her, the kingdom of his vile trinity: concupiscence of the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes, and pride of life. Woe to the man who would dare to defy his God by such rebellion, and put evil in the place of infinite good! Hell and eternal torments are the consequences of the creature's contempt of his Creator. God is a jealous God; if we drive Him from the dwelling of our souls, the deep abyss must be our everlasting abode.'
This doesn't mean that we give up; we can still ask forgiveness from God, and once again be on the right path. God indeed forgives, but we must first ask.
And now, some words from Fr. Rutler, who is a convert from Anglicanism. I served for him in Flint, MI. in the 90's. He always has something worthy to say.
FROM THE PASTOR
May 22, 2016
by Fr. George W. Rutler
Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity was a French Carmelite who died in 1906, having lived only 26 years, but the greatest theologians would attest that she was their peer in apprehending the deepest mystery of the Faith. St. Thomas Aquinas said that his mystical encounter with the heart of heaven was so wonderful that everything he had ever written was “so much straw,” which is saying a lot since his works are among the greatest thoughts ever recorded. So it is more appropriate to say that the Trinity is apprehended rather than comprehended, for God is beyond all human intelligence. But Jesus explains it: “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). So it is no surprise that even young Elizabeth of the Trinity was able to approach this mystery.
Saint Athanasius wrote:
“Even the gifts that the Spirit dispenses to individuals are given by the Father through the Word. For all that belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son, and so the graces given by the Son in the Spirit are true gifts of the Father. Similarly, when the Spirit dwells in us, the Word who bestows the Spirit is in us too, and the Father is present in the Word. This is the meaning of the text: My Father and I will come to him and make our home with him. For where the light is, there also is the radiance; and where the radiance is, there too are its power and its resplendent grace.”
Having revealed the fact of the Holy Trinity, God left it to humans to find language capable of expressing it. So the Catechism explains: “In order to articulate the dogma of the Trinity, the Church had to develop her own terminology with the help of certain notions of philosophical origin: ‘substance,’ ‘person’ or ‘hypostasis,’ ‘relation,’ and so on. In doing this, she did not submit the faith to human wisdom, but gave a new and unprecedented meaning to these terms, which from then on would be used to signify an ineffable mystery, ‘infinitely beyond all that we can humanly understand.’”
If that seems complicated, there is the prayer of the young Elizabeth of the Trinity:
O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each minute bring me more deeply into your mystery! Grant my soul peace. Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place of your rest. May I never abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over to your creative action.
And, from this year's post concerning Trinity Sunday from Fr. Rutler, the following:
FROM THE PASTOR
June 11, 2017
by Fr. George W. Rutler
The Feast of the Holy Trinity follows Pentecost because it is only by the inspiration of the Third Person of the Trinity, who leads into all truth, that the mystery of the Trinity can be known. Human intelligence needs God’s help to apprehend the inner reality of God. Certainly, human reason can employ natural analysis to some extent to describe God in terms of causality and motion and goodness. Saint Anselm, who models the universality of Christendom by being both an Italian and an Archbishop of Canterbury, said that “God is that, than which nothing greater can be conceived.”
A house is a house because it houses. But what is in the house is known only by entering it. Since creatures cannot enter the Creator, he makes himself known by coming into his creation. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him” (John 1:18).
Had we invented the Trinitarian formula, it would be only a notion instead of a fact. There are just three choices: to acknowledge what God himself has declared, to deny it completely, or to change it to what makes sense without God’s help. That is why most heresies are rooted in mistakes about the Three in One and One in Three.
Unitarianism, for example, is based on a Socinian heresy. Mormonism is an exotic version of the Arian heresy. Islam has its roots in the Nestorian heresy. All three reject the Incarnation and the Trinity but selectively adopt other elements of Christianity. Like Hilaire Belloc in modern times, Dante portrayed Mohammed not as a founder of a religion but simply as a hugely persuasive heretic, albeit persuading most of the time with a sword rather than dialectic. These religions, however, are not categorically Christian heresies since “Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith . . .” (Catechism, 2089). Only someone who has been baptized can be an actual heretic.
Cultures are shaped by cult: that is, the way people live depends on what they worship or refuse to worship. A culture that is hostile to the Holy Trinity spins out of control. In 1919, William Butler Yeats looked on the mess of his world after the Great War:
A house is a house because it houses. But what is in the house is known only by entering it. Since creatures cannot enter the Creator, he makes himself known by coming into his creation. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him” (John 1:18).
Had we invented the Trinitarian formula, it would be only a notion instead of a fact. There are just three choices: to acknowledge what God himself has declared, to deny it completely, or to change it to what makes sense without God’s help. That is why most heresies are rooted in mistakes about the Three in One and One in Three.
Unitarianism, for example, is based on a Socinian heresy. Mormonism is an exotic version of the Arian heresy. Islam has its roots in the Nestorian heresy. All three reject the Incarnation and the Trinity but selectively adopt other elements of Christianity. Like Hilaire Belloc in modern times, Dante portrayed Mohammed not as a founder of a religion but simply as a hugely persuasive heretic, albeit persuading most of the time with a sword rather than dialectic. These religions, however, are not categorically Christian heresies since “Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith . . .” (Catechism, 2089). Only someone who has been baptized can be an actual heretic.
Cultures are shaped by cult: that is, the way people live depends on what they worship or refuse to worship. A culture that is hostile to the Holy Trinity spins out of control. In 1919, William Butler Yeats looked on the mess of his world after the Great War:
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world . . .
That is the chaotic decay of human creatures ignorant of their Triune God. “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.” But to worship the “Holy, Holy, Holy” God as the center and source of reality is to confound anarchy: “For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible . . . He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).
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