The Gospel reading was John 15:9-17, the same as last Sunday. The priest (Fr. Hoang?) gave a short yet energetic homily on love. Jesus commands us to love one another. Love isn't simply a feeling or an emotion; it's a decision, a commitment. Love is relational, it's something we share. And the Trinity symbolizes this relational nature of love.
Today I read a few pages of Without Buddha I Could not be a Christian where Knitter talks about the relational nature of God and the world:
All of this means that God’s very being, or existing, or identity consists of relating, or inter-existing, or InterBeing. That’s what theologians term the “internal Trinity” – God’s inner nature. But what God is internally, God must be externally. What Christians have seen in Jesus of Nazareth is a God who creates and is present to the world through relationships, the same kind of relationships that we say exist in the very nature of God: relationships of knowing, of giving, of loving that bring forth ever more life and existence. Behind and within all the different images and symbols Christians may use for God – Creator, Father, Redeemer, Word, Spirit – the most fundamental, the deepest truth Christians can speak of God is that God is the source and power of relationships. (19)
And as if echoing today's homily, Knitter writes, "To love means to relate, to give of oneself, to bring forth Interbeing" (25). The more I look, the more examples I find in my own experience: my relationship with Annie; the joy and happiness I experience during communion; the time I've spent with Dorothy; the love expressed by all the people who've reached out to me and my family with prayers and words of support; etc.
I think I'm finally starting to realize that the more you distance yourself from others, the more you close yourself off from others, the more difficult it becomes for you to love. But the more you open your heart, the more you're able to give of yourself, the closer we get to God, because God is love.
I didn't go to mass on Catholic Ascension Day, but I'm glad you tried, even though it was transferred to the following Sunday. That's Catholic expediency for you.
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I found out that Ascension Day had been transferred, because I took Faris and Souad Shemali to their church for mass, St Sharbel's, just up the street from St Philip's. It was a bit strange, but was actually way more like an Orthodox liturgy than I could have guessed. In fact, there is something very special going on in that church, and I could tell. Real love, for one thing. The clergy love the people there, and their love is returned. I have gotten pretty tired of the stiffness that the clergy at St George's show towards the people there, and in comparing St Sharbel's to St George's, I'd rather be at St Sharbel's. One of the long-standing families at St George's recently moved out to Holy Trinity, because words has been getting around that the new Fr Paul is a real priest, I mean, he loves the people. I will most likely be going there again too. It's just I hate to leave the suffering but good people that I know at St George's. Anyway, I told Souad and Faris I would be happy to go to St Sharbel's with them again this coming Sunday for Pentecost, since I saw how much they enjoyed being there again. I just told them I'd have to return to Holy Trinity for Orthodox Pentecost the following Sunday. Anyway, if you haven't checked out St Sharbel's, stop in there some time just for the experience. It was awesome.
It'd be nice to go to St. Sharbel and Holy Trinity with you some time. Maybe get some lunch afterwards, too.
ReplyDeleteIt'd be nice to go to St. Sharbel and Holy Trinity with you some time. Maybe get some lunch afterwards, too.
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