Dear Friends,

“3:16” – Did you ever see it on a bumper sticker or at a stadium or on a billboard? To what does it refer? Oddly enough, it refers to a verse in St. John’s Gospel. And, while many, through the ages and still today, have prophesied the demise of the Church or the end of Christianity, doubting the word of Jesus when He promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church; there continue to be glimpses of the Light, traces of the Most Holy Trinity, vestiges of the Love of God in the world. Even according to Wikipedia, in the article titled, “John 3:16,” reads: John 3:16 (chapter 3, verse 16 of the Gospel of John) is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible, and has been called the most famous Bible verse. It has also been called the “Gospel in a nutshell,’ because it is considered a summary of the central theme of traditional Christianity.” The Gospel that Holy Church gives us for meditation on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity includes this famous verse. It proclaims: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Thus, we should not so easily dismiss this significant truth of our Catholic faith: the mysterious Father and Creator of all things is, in fact, known and loved as the origin and goal of salvation through two inseparable, distinct and historical missions of His divinity. First, in the Incarnation of the divine Logos (Word) in Jesus Christ the Redeemer—we come to know the Creator God in a personal way, as Abba, Father; and secondly, in the Sending of the divine Pneuma (Breath) in the seven-fold outpouring of grace through the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier—we are personally inspired from the objective Truth of the Word that come through the witness of others and, subjectively, from within by the very Love of God Himself poured into our hearts that gives us the capacity to respond fully and freely in love with our own wills.

One of the great Fathers of the Church, the bishop, St. Athanasius, in his first letter to Serapion reflects:

It will not be out of place to consider the ancient tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church, which was revealed by the Lord, proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the fathers. For upon this faith the Church is built, and if anyone were to lapse from it, he would no longer be a Christian either in fact or in name.

We acknowledge the Trinity, holy and perfect, to consist of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In this Trinity there is no intrusion of any alien element or of anything from outside, nor is the Trinity a blend of creative and created being. It is a wholly creative and energizing reality, self-consistent and undivided in its active power, for the Father makes all things through the Word and in the Holy Spirit, and in this way the unity of the holy Trinity is preserved. Accordingly, in the Church, one God is preached, one God who is above all things and through all things and in all things. God is above all things as Father, for He is principle and source; He is through all things through the Word; and He is in all things in the Holy Spirit.

Writing to the Corinthians about spiritual matters, Paul traces all reality back to one God, the Father, saying: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone. 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. This is also Paul’s teaching in his second letter to the Corinthians: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” For grace and the gift of the Trinity are given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Just as grace is given from the Father through the Son, so there could be no communication of the gift to us except in the Holy Spirit. But when we share in the Spirit, we possess the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Spirit Himself.

With a reflective intellect which is dynamically oriented toward Truth and a free will which is dynamically oriented toward Love, each human being, prior to any language of faith is already prepared to receive the Word of God (Truth) and the Spirit of God (Love) and respond personally with his own self-gift in service to God and his neighbor. As believers who weekly profess our faith in One God: the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God; and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life; let us profess, reflect upon and live this holy and dynamic faith in praise of our triune God.

Be of good cheer and have a blessed week!

Msgr. Grous