Tag: Trinity

Jeremiah 39:1-14: Remaining Among the People
Jeremiah 39:1-14: Remaining Among the People

Monday, November 10, 2025

Soord: Lost Sheep
We have read about Jeremiah in the dungeon (Chapter 37) and Jeremiah in the miry cistern (Chapter 38); now we read about his capture and that he remained among the people. Just yesterday I spoke with a friend about her reluctance to do something that would cause her great pain. I said that rather than focus on the suffering that an experience was bound to bring her, she might just want to focus on tending to God’s lost sheep. This was something she said she could do. I had heard the Jeremiah in her anticipate the lack of understanding she was about to meet. I heard her fear of her own unpredictable emotions rising. We spoke about patience, persistence and witnessing. And we spoke about how we cannot control people or events, of how we can barely sometimes control ourselves. Life brings us these difficult lessons to learn. Life also brings us unmeasurable reward, if we only learn to remain among the people.

Yesterday’s Gospel reminded us of something we may want to carry with us everywhere and it is this: When we are fearful of something we must do we are likely relying on ourselves too much. And we are likely forgetting to rely on God. Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 12:8-12 that we need not worry about our circumstances – even when they are dire – if we remain in him, in God. When we allow the Spirit to direct us, we cannot fail. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at the moment what you should say. Jesus may be remembering the words from Isaiah 30:21: From behind, a voice will sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or to the left. Both the Old and New Testament remind us that when we live in the Spirit, we cannot falter. When we remain with God’s people, we will not go wrong. When we follow Christ, we may suffer but we will never be lost.

We are often reminded to witness, watch and wait on the Lord and so we pray from Psalm 5 in today’s MAGNIFICAT Morning Prayer: It is you whom I invoke, O Lord. In the morning you hear me; in the morning I offer you my prayer, watching and waiting. You are no God who loves evil; no sinner is your guest. The boastful shall not stand their ground before your face. But I through the greatness of your love have access to your house. I bow down before your holy temple, filled with awe. All those you protect shall be glad and ring out their joy. You shelter them; in you they rejoice, those who knew your name. It is you who bless the just one, Lord: you surround the just one as with a shield.

I asked my friend to see herself as a shepherd who gathers lambs to bring them into the fold at night. I asked that she put all her worry into prayer. And I asked that she rely on God to bring goodness out of harm.

In the end, Jesus reminds us, God is all there is. In the end, we do not want to wait on anyone or anything else. In the end, all that is asked of us is that we witness, watch and wait. Rather than succumb to the familiar fears that govern us poorly and use us badly, we will want to remember to gather ourselves and to gather lost sheep even as we remain among God’s people. For it is in, and of and through Christ that we are saved and brought back to God. It is in, and of and through the Spirit that we are consoled. And it is in, and of and through God that we are made whole. And in the end – when we can manage to remain with God’s people – we remember well that . . . God is all there is.

Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Morning.” MAGNIFICAT. 16.10 (2011): 239. Print.

A re-post from October 16, 2011.

Image from: https://www.umcnic.org/news/bishops-column-shepherding-on-the-edge

39.533225 -76.430369
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November 10, 2025

God is all, Isaiah 30:21, lost sheep, Luke 12:8-12, patience, persistence, Psalm 5, Trinity, witness-watch-wait
Creed: We believe . . .
The Trinity

Creed: We believe . . .

Friday, January 3, 2025

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gives to me twelve drummers drumming.

These twelve drummers lords represent the twelve beliefs held in the Apostles Creed.

When the circumstances of life challenge us, we take our burdens to the LORD . . .

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

When life confuses us about how we are to behave and where we are to go, we take our worries to Christ . . .

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.

When life presents impossible obstacles that seem insurmountable, we remember that with God all things are possible . . .

We believe that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary.

When life’s pain seems to have no purpose, we remember that Christ offers salvific suffering for us each day . . .

We believe that Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

Women Apostles

When horrible events destroy innocent people, we remind one another that Christ overcomes all evil and brings goodness out of harm . . .

We believe that Jesus descended into hell and on the third day rose again from the dead.

When dictators and oligarchs wipe out cultures and truths, we remind ourselves that God’s kingdom is the only kingdom that lasts forever . . .

We believe that Jesus ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God.

When corruption thwarts justice and exploits the marginalized, we remember that there is only one judgment that lasts forever . . .

We believe that Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead.

When we are abandoned, alone, or rejected, we remember that we are all on in the Spirit . . .

We believe in the Holy Spirit.

When the structures we design to protect us become tools of subjugation, we recall that the Spirit lives in our ancestors who go before us, and in our children’s children who follow . . .

We believe in the holy catholic Church and the Communion of Saints.

When we are beleaguered, overwhelmed or undone, we recall that God’s goodness overpowers any errors we commit . . .

We believe in the forgiveness of sins.

When we are unloved, unwanted or numbed by tragedy, we remember that Christ brings us home to new life in The Way . . .

Giovanni Battista Gaulii: The Three Marys at the Sepulchre

We believe in the resurrection of the body.

When we are duped or deceived by life on earth, and when we lose all hope, we remember that God is with us always, loving us into eternal goodness . . .

We believe in life everlasting.

This is what we believe, this is what we share, this is what we know.

Amen.

For information about where the Creed is found in Scripture, visit: http://www.acatholic.org/about-the-catholic-faith/catholic-the-apostles-creed/

For information about the split between Western and Eastern creeds, visit: http://orthochristian.com/90157.html

For more in-depth interpretations of The Apostles’ Creed, visit these sites.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apostles-Creed

https://blog.faithlife.com/blog/2015/04/the-apostles-creed-its-history-and-origins/

http://www.dummies.com/religion/christianity/catholicism/the-twelve-articles-of-catholic-faith/

Images from: https://oca.org/saints/all-lives/2015/06/02 and https://www.pinterest.com/pin/6192518217108860/ and https://www.pinterest.com/pin/219972763021928017/
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January 3, 2025

schism, Trinity, women apostles
Song of Songs 6:1-3: Discovery
Song of Songs 6:1-3: Discovery

The Three Magi

Christmas Day December 25, 2024

In the old carol The Twelve Days of Christmas, our true love brings us three costly French hens on the third day. This extravagant gift might reflect the gifts of the three magi to the Christ child of frankincense, gold and myrrh; or they might remind us of the essential virtues for life: faith, hope and love. Today we consider another powerful Trinity present in our lives: Creator, Redeemer, and Healer, giver, receiver, and gift – a duo of two who hold between them the essence of their love, the Holy Trinity. Looking for clues to discover more about this mysterious relationship we experience with God, we explore Solomon’s Song of Songs.

“Determined to share her lover with no one, the girl refuses the aid offered by the daughters in seeking him. She implies that she had never really lost him, for he has come down to his garden”. (Senior 796)

We often spent time thinking about our need to trust and obey God when we feel trouble brewing. Can we imagine ourselves as ardent lovers of God? Can we see ourselves as determined as this young woman in today’s Noontime? Can we see ourselves as settling for nothing less than full discovery of God even within our most intimate selves? Can we believe it possible that God might have a unique, genuine and loving connection with each one of us without forgetting who we are and what we need?

With God all things are possible. We have only to ask. God loves us more ardently than any earthly lover might, and we might love God more than anything or anyone on earth.

How much time do we spend in quiet discovery of God’s goodness each day as balanced with the time we spend worrying about all we believe we need from God? How much effort do we give to tending our own garden to make it ready for the visit of the lover who is anxious to bring us what we need before we ask? Do we go out in search of this most excellent lover who awaits us with joy even when we are in the midst of our suffering, or do we sit at home and pine?

Do we seek sorrow or joy, separation or union? How much effort do we really give to seeking God?

Zurbarán: St. John of the Cross

I paraphrase here the third of St. John of the Cross’ Dichos, or Sayings: Although the road is wide and soft for those who have the will to walk it, you will still need strong feet, an eager spirit, and obstinate determination. The pathway to the lover’s garden is inviting, but not easy. There are always stones in the path, low-hanging branches and slippery stepping stones that cross the stream. Do we pursue this Lover God as ardently as we pursue our daily wants and desires? Are we willing to put aside our agendas to take up the one we are given by the one who loves us best? Do we secretly undermine our own efforts to find intimacy with God, or is this life of God’s one we choose to discover? Do we give up in our search of the beloved, or is this a lover we seek with passion?

Perhaps we have been searching and have discovered this intimate God already. Perhaps we know precisely where Christ sits among the lilies. Perhaps we browse along the paths with the Spirit when we are both troubled and happy. If not, then let us go. If so, then let us celebrate.

Where has your lover gone?

My lover has come down to his garden . . . to gather lilies . . . my lover belongs to me and I to him . . .

Adapted from a favorite written on August 13, 2010.

Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.796. Print.

To read the O’Henry (William Sydney Porter) story, The Gift of the Magi, visit: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/GifMag.shtml

To better understand the three gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh, visit: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/why-did-the-magi-bring-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh/

To read John of the Cross’ poem, Dark Night of the Soul, along with a brief commentary, visit: https://www.poetseers.org/spiritual-and-devotional-poets/christian/the-works-of-st-john-of-the-cross/dark-night-of-the-soul/index.html

Find John’s Dichos at: http://joshuakezer.blogspot.com/2012/01/sayings-of-light-and-love-dichos-de-luz.html

For more on the Trinity, visit: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Trinity-Christianity

Images from: https://summit-christian.org/blog/2019/09/23/the-magi-from-east-to-west and http://nativityscottsdale.org/cpt_news/this-weeks-news-and-announcements/holy-trinity-sunday/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_the_Cross
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December 25, 2024

Magi, St. John of the Cross, Trinity
Romans 6:1-11: Seek Freedom from Sin; Seek Life in God
Romans 6:1-11: Seek Freedom from Sin: Seek Life in God

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Today’s reading is Paul’s defense against the idea that to live as Jesus lived is to live without regard for the Law of Moses or without regard for Jesus’ own act of fulfilling that Law. This new covenant does not promote moral laxity; rather it brings the opportunity to live a full life of union with the law, with the spirit of the law more than the letter. Paul also goes on to remind us that we all receive the gift of resurrection through Christ. He delineates ably an argument to those who say that life in Christ and in the Spirit lacks morality because it forgives. He shows us that life in Christ is the exemplar of morality if being lived well.

So many times we forget that we ought to tend to our spiritual health as assiduously as we do our physical, emotional or mental health. We practice yoga, eat organic food, look for advice, and forget to make a stillness in our lives where we can best listen to the voice which speaks within.

Humans so often seek to separate and divide. God always seeks to unify. God brings us freedom from a life of division. He brings us life in Christ and union in the Spirit. Jesus came to live with us as God’s Word. Christ remains among us as God’s Spirit. Christ lives in us, in spite of us, always with us, ever keeping us in God’s love. Life in God is freedom, freedom to become our best potential, freedom to fulfill God’s best dream for us. Let us seek freedom to live in God.

Adapted from a Favorite written on November 6, 2017.

Images from: https://juicyecumenism.com/2015/07/02/of-courts-and-churches/ and https://www.pickpik.com/heart-shape-tree-red-outdoors-flowers-valentines-day-1631
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October 29, 2024

Mosaic Law, New Law, the letter versus the spirit of the law, Trinity
Proverbs 23:1-25: Words
Proverbs 23:1-25: Words

Monday, September 9, 2024

A Favorite from September 30, 2010.

Toil not to gain wealth; cease to be concerned about it; while your glance flits to it, it is gone! . . .

Remove not the ancient landmark, nor invade the fields of orphans; for their redeemer is strong; he will defend their cause against you . . .

Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge . . .

Get the truth and sell it not – wisdom, instruction and understanding . . .

Let your father and mother have joy; let her who bore you exult . . .

We are also told to beat our boys with a rod so that they do not die. Of course when we consider the context of this advice we can see the wisdom in it. Today we know that brutality only begets depression and initiates waves of violence.

The Book of Proverbs has much to say to us. It is best taken in parts and considered in light of its era. When allowed to rest in our hearts for a time, it nurtures the seeds of wisdom planted within by the Maker, redeemed and transformed by the Savior, and cherished and graced by the Spirit. We have only to open our hearts and ears; we have only to meditate on the Word . . . to know that goodness created us . . . and longs to live within us.

Image from: https://br.pinterest.com/pin/857232110314691644/
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September 9, 2024

goodness, Trinity, wise sayings
2 Corinthians 1:20-24: Everything is Holy Now
Salvador Dali: The Sacrament of the Last Supper

2 Corinthians 1:20-24: Everything is Holy Now

Sunday, June 16, 2024

“Once you learn to take your place inside the circle of praise and mutual deference, all meaningful distinctions between secular and sacred, natural and supernatural, fall away. In the Divine Economy, all is useable, even our mistakes and our sin. This message shouts from the cross, and we still did not hear it! Everything is holy now. And the only resistance to that divine flow of holiness and wholeness is human refusal to see, to enjoy, and to participate”. (Rohr and Morrell 189-190)

Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident.

In Salvador Dali’s depiction of the Last Supper, we see the Trinity. The outstretched arms of the Father take in the holy newness of the meal; the good and faithful Son offers himself in the bread and wine; and the Holy Spirit nestles between Jesus’ right hand and cheek. We may need to enlarge and move the image in order to better see this small white dove. In the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. where this painting hangs, visitors are free to step forward and backward in order to bring the Spirit into focus, an exercise that reminds us that although we may not always feel a part of this mystery, it is nevertheless there. We also find that all twelve apostles are present, meaning that Judas Iscariot – who later betrays his friend with a kiss – is also present. Which figure is he? We have no way of knowing. Another mystery that Dali presents to us.

God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By the Spirit God has stamped us with God’s eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.

“What it comes down to is that we are each a transmitter station, a relay station . . . Once I was able to move from pyramid thinking, by reason of the Trinity – ah! Then my mind let go of its own defenses and stopped refusing the universal dance”. (Rohr and Morrell 190)

We’re not in charge of how you live out the faith, looking over your shoulders, suspiciously critical. We’re partners, working alongside you, joyfully expectant. I know that you stand by your own faith, not by ours.

“The love in you – which is the Spirit in you – always show says yes. Love is not something you do; love is someone you are. It is your True Self. Love is where you came from and love is where you’re going. It’s not something you can buy. It’s not something you can attain. It is the presence of God with you, called the Holy Spirit”. (Rohr and Morrell 193)

Rohr, Morrell, and Dali tell us that everything belongs, and everything is holy, even our sins and failures. Rohr, Morrell, and Dali also remind us we are part of this sacred triad. We also kneel as Christ blesses us. We also are swept into the enormous arms of God. We have only to be open to this divine energy in the holy now.

When we compare varying translation of these verses from THE MESSAGE, we begin to sense the reality of God’s pledge that everything is holy. Tomorrow, Corpus Christi and uncreated grace.

Image from: https://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_243911/Salvador-Dali/The-Sacrament-of-the-Last-Supper

Rohr, Richard with Mike Morrell. THE DIVINE DANCE: THE TRINITY AND YOUR TRANSFORMATION. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2016. Print.
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June 16, 2024

Last Supper, mystery, Salvador Dali, Trinity
John 1:1-18: Divine Energy
John 1:1-18: Divine Energy

Saturday, June 15, 2024

The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
    God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
    in readiness for God from day one.

Here is a bit of advice from Richard Rohr and Mike Morrell. “You can . . . reread the prologue to John’s gospel, and every time you see the term ‘Word’ or Logos, substitute Relationship or Blueprint, instead, and it will really help you get the message . . . This exact model of relationship is then intended to be passed on to us in what Jesus calls the ‘baptism in the Holy Spirit’. The Holy Spirit is the relationship between Father and the Son. It is this relationship itself that is gratuitously given to us! Or better, we are included inside this love. Wow. This is salvation in one wonderful snapshot”. (Rohr and Morrell 186)

Everything was created through him;
    nothing—not one thing!—
    came into being without him.

If we might take this in, we realize that it is almost too wonderful to believe, and yet, it is the reality in and by that, we are called to live. We might have some fears about how we are to surrender to this divine energy. So Rohr and Morrell continue.

God was in the world,
    the world was there through him,
    and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
    but they didn’t want him.

“This same relationship shows itself in other myriad forms, such as endless animals and wildflowers, mountains and trees, every cultural attempt at art and science and medicine, all positive street theatre, and every movement of renewal. Every one of these manifestations expresses this endless desire to express new forms of life and externalized love. All things good, true, and beautiful are baptized in the one, same Spirit. The Holy Spirit shows herself as the central and healing power of absolute newness and healing in our relationship with everything else”. (Rohr and Morrell 186)

No one has ever seen God,
        not so much as a glimpse.
    This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,
        who exists at the very heart of the Father,
        has made him plain as day.

This divine energy wants all that is good for us. This divine energy brings all that is holy together in us so that goodness might overcome the darkness. This divine energy will never give up, and will never give in. This divine energy is God’s enormous and all-encompassing love as seen in the creator, the redeemer and the healer. This divine energy lives and loves in us.

When we compare varying translation of John’s prologue, we open ourselves to the divine energy of the Trinity. Tomorrow, everything is holy now.

For photos of Arizona sunsets in the southwest USA that echo divine energy, click on the image above and reflect on the divine energy of creation, or visit: http://www.arizona-leisure.com/arizona-pictures.html

Rohr, Richard with Mike Morrell. THE DIVINE DANCE: THE TRINITY AND YOUR TRANSFORMATION. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2016. Print.
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June 15, 2024

baptism, God’s goodness, God’s love, healing, newness, relationship, Trinity
1 Thessalonians: The Call
1 Thessalonians: The Call

Monday, November 13, 2023

The Roman Market in old Thessaloniki – with new Thessaloniki in the background

A Favorite from April 22, 2009.

This is likely the first letter of the New Testament canon to be written around the year 50. It is appropriate to spend time with this letter at this time of the year as it is flush with the exuberance of the early church and rather than address the profound theological concepts we find in later letters, Paul addresses the characteristics exhibited by the early Christians. He writes especially about the joy and gratitude which these early people experienced as they waited for Christ’s return – – – which they thought was imminent. What changes would we make in our lives if we lived as if we understood this concept of return and accounting? How would this change our stewardship of the gifts we have been given?

The Biblia de América points out that this is a pastoral letter more than anything else and it is modest in its length and tone. Paul’s’ themes are the mission, development and consolidation of the Church, the Trinitarian nature of the ordinary life, the mystery of evil, and the importance of salvation. In order to put this letter into some context, we might read about his stay in Thessalonica in Acts 17 as part of his second missionary journey. The city was a strategically situated port with trade to other parts of the Mediterranean.

Paul exhorts the faithful to refrain from sexual immorality if they are to live a Christian life. He encourages mutual charity if they are to exhibit Christian love. He inspires prayers for those who have already died and who are resurrected in Christ Jesus if they are to live in Christian hope. He urges that the faithful remain faithful, even in the face of so many pressures which call them away from the Trinity. We might heed his words today for we struggle with the same issues in the same way. We have not come too far from where the early Christians stood.

Paul calls us to consolidation with those who live in Christ.

Paul calls us to love our enemy.

Paul calls us to be good stewards.

Paul calls us to remain strong against the negative influences of the times.

Paul calls us to Christ.

Let us spend a bit of time today reflecting on the call we feel to be faithful, hopeful, and loving in Christ’s body and resurrection. What do our actions say about who we are . . . and what we believe?

LA BIBLIA DE LA AMÉRICA. 8th. Madrid: La Casa de la Biblia, 1994. Print.

Image from: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g189473-Activities-c47-t2-Thessaloniki_Thessaloniki_Region_Central_Macedonia.html
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November 13, 2023

Acts 17, gratitude, joy, Trinity
Luke 1: God’s Yardstick – John the Baptist
Luke 1: God’s Yardstick – John the Baptist

Fra Angelico: The Naming of John the Baptist

In All We Say and Do

Thursday, January 26, 2023

We continue to see God’s yardstick in the New Testament.

John the Baptist gives all that he has and all that he is to serve both the divine creator and Jesus, God among us. Today we consider how we might measure up to this yardstick.

He’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother’s womb.

Might we allow the Spirit to fill us with God’s consolation and serenity?

He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God.

Might we allow our lives to live out God’s call to all of creation?

He will herald God’s arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics.

Might we allow Christ to manifest himself through us in all we say and do?

He’ll get the people ready for God.

Might we believe that we, like John the Baptist, can bring a measure of love into the world?

Tomorrow, Peter.

To explore more of Luke 1, click on the Scripture link here or above.

Image from: https://www.artbible.info/art/large/15.html
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January 26, 2023

Trinity