Unity of the Family = Unity of the Trinity
Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday in our Catholic Church. The Most Holy Trinity presents us with a mystery that is beyond the understanding of the human mind, a mystery that is understood in spirit and in truth through prayer, contemplation and Christian living.
St. Patrick gave us the explanation of the shamrock (or clover) – three leaves together on one stem – so that we could have a mental image to help us focus on the reality of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one Divine Person. Last week Monsignor Shora explained this unity at the 9.30am family Mass by bringing three children up to the altar and giving them a sign to carry; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In 15th Century Russia Andrei Rublev painted his famous icon of the Trinity that he offered to the Russian people during a time of discord and division, calling the people to contemplate, gaze on the icon so that it would lead them to unity.
As I spoke of several weeks ago in my reflections on the family, a unified family is a replica of the unity of the Holy Trinity. The communion between a husband and his wife and between parents and their children is the personification of the Holy Trinity in the family through the operation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the invisible protagonist between each family member. Every step in the journey of a family is taken under the sign of the Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian love constitutes the very being of God. It is through the Holy Spirit that the family takes part in the vitality and vigour of the love that transcends from the Holy Trinity.
Where else can this transcendence in love be manifested other than in the Church and the liturgy. Participation in the Church community, the sacraments and the liturgy will allow our families to associate their communion with the communion of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, in focusing and reflecting on the importance of each family member and the role that they play over the last few weeks, my main aim was to help you to understand this very point: if they can accept the unity of the three persons of the Holy Trinity and understand how each person as unique as they are work together for the good of humanity, then they too can follow this example and strive to achieve the same. Allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and perfect their union is the key.
