Contemplative Haven

May 18 2008

Trinity Sunday 2

Published by gabrielle at 4:36 pm under Holy Trinity, Mysticism

I’ve been feeling rather sad about something since listening to our Trinity Sunday homily. In discussing it here I do not wish to do so in a judgemental way, or without bearing in mind that a ten or twenty minute homily is not adequate for an in-depth teaching on any subject. Still, I do not think it is a case of being either unduly harsh or simply overly-sensitive.

The homilist began by saying that the mysteries of God, the Holy Trinity for example, must be accepted on faith alone because we will never be able to understand them. Would we wish to adore a God Who could be fitted into our finite understanding? He said that today (Trinity Sunday) was not the time to try to delve into the mystery of the Trinity. Case closed. There was no mention of any possible experience of the Trinity beyond our understanding, beyond the rational, no reference to the possibility of direct, mystical experience of the Trinity.

On my previous post, Ann, of Poetry, Prayer and Praise left the following comment:

“If I may say….it is by the gift of faith alone – and a blessed one at that – we come to accept these teachings which our intellect cannot wholly grasp. A lot about God is mystery – including the three persons, and no-one will fully or can fully understand or know God until we are with Him and see Him as He really is.

Having said that, Julian of Norwich has thrown light on this mystery in a very beautiful way, as have other saints, all of which makes me even more excited at the thought of what wonders await us all.”

Perhaps our homilist was himself attempting to express what Ann has done so beautifully in her comment, but there is a significant difference. Ann leaves us on a note of wonder, with the desire to deepen our limited understanding by reading the experiences of the saints, by gaining knowledge of what is possible for us through knowledge of the lives of those who have deepened their mystical experience through openness and receptivity to the Holy Spirit. There is no “case closed” with Ann.

I could not help but feel that our homilist had put up a wall to the mystical and had perhaps constructed, or at least reinforced, that wall for many in the congregation.

Where was the encouragement to read the lives of the saints? Where were the references to St. Teresa of Avila, Elizabeth of the Trinity, Julian of Norwich… on the subject of the Trinity? Where was the advice to read such as Father Thomas Dubay or listen to his audio teachings? Where was the mention of strengthening and deepening our contemplative prayer life in order to strive to reach the altogether possible-on-this-earth Transforming Union? Any or all of these types of encouragement could have been given in less than five minutes.

And most importantly, where was Mary, our teacher and portal par excellence into the mysteries of the Holy Trinity?

4 responses so far

4 Responses to “Trinity Sunday 2”

# Carolon 19 May 2008 at 12:59 am

Was it a matter of “case closed,” or was it simply that old Catholic caution? The very same as I attribute to why, when no one could explain Mary’s nearness to me/us, no one ever even tried. (Not to blame anyone in particular; that is just the way it was. Cautious.) Actually, for about two decades, I was pretty sure God couldn’t stand me; I thought there was a someday-crashing satellite with my name (and location) on it. I didn’t know God loves us personally until I asked Him to at least save my innocent little children from becoming motherless. Back then, Mary didn’t even enter the picture, except for “Salve Regina” in the choir loft now and then. To their credit (for the most part, lol), the Jesuits saved us all, in His name. They gave me a reason to live, which was precisely what I begged God for; I didn’t find them coincidentally. I didn’t even know they existed, until I happened upon them. (Books, I mean –not a patch of Jesuits.)

As you know, I’m still plodding along in the other Bible, lol, Fr. Dubay’s “Fire Within.” I am completely astonished at his correlations between contemplative prayer and St. Paul’s writings. How little I know. How little I even guessed or hoped!

But this is the beauty of the laity, G — we must be for each other that teacher who tackles whatever hasn’t been ’til now. I can’t not think this, too, is of His plan. Whatever limps, is sturdied; whatever lacks, is filled.
# terryon 19 May 2008 at 5:40 pm

Our homilist began by stating that a joke in the seminary was that the best way to handle a homily on Trinity Sunday was to come down with the flu.

But he went on to describe the three persons: the Father as Creator, the Son as Redeemer and the Spirit as Sanctifier.

I love the mystery. I know that I will never “understand” the nature of God but it is in the trying that I come to know him…little by little. And a little goes a long way.
# C.O.on 20 May 2008 at 10:46 am

Ah, I love the mystery, too! Sometimes, tho’, I think God doesn’t wish to be mystery at all. I thinks we sometimes receive an insight from the Mind, Heart or Soul of God (so to speak) so quietly and unexpectedly — like when looking in the ‘fridge for a bottle of catsup or stopping by the television to check what the kids are watching — that we dismiss it as foolishness or a flight of the mind on our part, simply because it came so quietly and unexpectedly, and because we were doing something so mundane or unrelated. Yet we participate in His life at all times — time and place mean nothing to God — so He says something to us when He wishes to..and except when He’s not quiet, He’s very quiet. If we carry that seemingly misplaced insight (or write it down) and muse it later, we might just end up marveling at how much He wishes to be known.
# gabrielleon 21 May 2008 at 11:07 am

Sadly, in this particular instance, it was a matter of case-closed, and not from a young, inexperienced priest. As I said in the post, no one expects an in-depth teaching in less than half-an-hour, but it is certainly sufficient time to bring in some of the theology of the Trinity, mention some of the lives of the saints who point our attention in this direction, instil some wonder into the people in the pews…I just find it very sad when someone with no sense of wonder or mystery tries to impose a granite-like matter-of-factness on others. In effect he was saying, don’t bother your heads about it, but he never mentioned the heart, soul or spirit.