The Grace to Love
Something about calendars and writing down a plan has always twisted uncomfortably in my gut. It’s not that I don’t want to plan; life becomes a lot easier when you know what is coming next. And I don’t have a problem with commitment either. Thinking back several years, I recall how I ended up attending two different Bible study groups at the same time. Even though I realized I was attending the same sort of meeting twice a week, I had committed to both from the start and could not walk away. My real struggle with calendars, electronic and paper, comes from the knowledge that I am giving up time. As we hurtle into the summer months, I feel how precious that time is, and I want to hoard all my time for myself. Yet today’s feast of the Holy Trinity offers a reminder and a challenge to my immediate desire.
For Catholics, the Holy Trinity is both an important tenet of our faith as well as an enigma. Many people are familiar with the story of St. Augustine walking along the beach and contemplating the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The story goes on to say that Augustine came across a boy trying to fill a hole dug in the sand with the ocean and Augustine stating that ‘You’ll never fit the ocean in that hole.’ This conversation serves as an analogy for how we as human persons will never be able to fit the entirety of the Holy Trinity into our minds. This is a Divine Mystery, that God is three persons in one being. How do we make sense of this mystery?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers insight “By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange’ (221). What a powerful statement that reminds us once again that God is Love. In John’s gospel, we encounter the love of the Trinity in the Last Supper discourses, where Jesus mentions the Father’s love for him. This love does not go one way as Jesus also returns love to the Father through the giving of himself. Love is active, and as a result, we encounter God’s pouring out of love through the Holy Spirit. It is in the presence of the Holy Spirit that we begin to see the destiny mentioned in the Catechism. The love of God is an invitation for us to join in loving communion with God. The love of God reaches out to include us.
How do I enter into this relationship of love that God reveals in the Holy Trinity? To love is an action for me as well, and as I reflect again on my calendar and the various requests for my time, my attention, I can begin to see countless opportunities to love, to give of myself. As Pope Francis reminds us in his Pentecost homily “The worldly spirit drives us to concentrate on our own problems and interests, on our need to appear relevant, on our strenuous defense of the nation or group to which we belong. That is not the way of the Holy Spirit. He invites us to forget ourselves and to open our hearts to all.” What can I commit to that will allow me to open my heart to all?
One way I am committing this summer is by participating in the summer playlist activities for adults. Here is a chance for me to take time for others, to get to know other people and open my heart to God. It is not easy planning so far in advance, but when I am uncertain about having enough free time for myself, I ask God to teach me to love, to give me the grace to love, and when I am incapable, to love for me.
Our destiny as Christians is to participate in the life-giving love of the Triune God. And so much of that love begins with a choice. Oftentimes, the choice in front of us is simple. We might just need to click a button or give someone a friendly hello. We are faced with a decision. How are you going to choose love today?