Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year C) - Loving the Trinity

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Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.” John 14:23–24

The Father and the Son are One. Their unity is perfect in every way. They share one divine nature. Yet they are distinct Persons. They are not only perfectly united as One God, they are also able to be in a loving communion of unity with each other. The mystery of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is a mystery so deep that we will never fully comprehend Them. They are the “unknowable God” Whom we seek to know. Thus, our relationship with God is an ongoing journey by which we plunge ourselves into this mystery more deeply every day and through eternity.

Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse into the glorious unity of God, but it goes further. It also reveals the desire in the Heart of God to come and dwell within us. If we love God and keep His Word, the Trinity will come to us and dwell within us. “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” This invitation given to us to share in the unity of God is also a mystery too deep for words.

As a child, perhaps you were taught about the mystery of the Trinity by being shown a three-leaf clover. Each petal represents one of the divine Persons, but the whole leaf represents Their unity. We benefit from this simplistic imagery to help us begin to understand Who God is. But in reality, there is only one thing that will help to fully reveal God’s very Self to us. What is that one thing? It is exactly what Jesus spoke about: Loving obedience to the Word of God. 

Obedience to the Word of God is the best expression of love we can offer to God. This is because God’s Word is Truth in its fullness. When we understand this Truth and live by it, then this is love. Furthermore, this form of loving obedience will result in something that is unimaginable. It will result in the indwelling of the Most Holy Trinity in our souls: “...and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

Though this language is clouded and mysterious, when the Most Holy Trinity comes to dwell within a person, the cloud begins to be lifted and the mystery begins to become known. Therefore, the only way to begin to discover this incomprehensible mystery of the life of the Most Holy Trinity is to allow the Trinity to dwell within you. And the only way to invite God to do so is through love of Him. And the only way to love Him is through obedience to the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. We especially come to know Him as the Word of God through our reading of the Scriptures and by living the message it proclaims. 

Reflect, today, upon the most central calling you have been given. That mission is to become a dwelling place for God. And that is only accomplished by your love of God which is expressed through obedience to His Word. Ponder obedience. Tell God you will obey His every command of love. Look at your actions and consider any ways that you fail in obedience to all that our Lord has commanded. Where you see any deviation, know that correcting that deviation is the pathway not only to a deeper love but also the pathway to a fuller unity with the Triune God Who seeks to unite Himself to you from within. 

Most Holy Trinity, Unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, come dwell within me. I pray for the gift of love of You, expressed through my obedience to Your every command that is revealed through Your holy Word. May I become more fully aware of every way I delay in my obedience so that I may change my ways and open myself more fully to You. Jesus, I trust in You.  

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