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It is so with the Blessed Trinity. In my last week’s article, I did point out that the LOVE between the Father and the Son is so great, that that IS Who the Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit is the LOVE between the Father and the Son.
Imagine! That LOVE is so great it "makes" or "creates" (a poor choice of words) the Holy Spirit.
Anyone who thinks they can understand the Blessed Trinity, in my humble opinion is loco.
I have a lovely Protestant friend (she is a sweetheart), who told me a few months ago that her Pastor "explained" the Holy Trinity like this: a man in a family can be a husband, a father and a laborer all at one time. I agree, but this "explanation" falls far short of an explanation of the Holy Trinity, for the simple reason that it only explains three roles that one persons has. That man is still just one and the same person. A person could have three or more "jobs" in life, but that doesn’t change him/her into more than one person.
See what I mean? The Protestant minister fell far short in explaining the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. Nice try, but when we talk about God and His nature, that is, of being One God, but three Persons, there is nothing in the human experience that can match it, equal it or adequately explain it. It is THE greatest mystery of the Christian Faith.
Who can comprehend God? Who can comprehend His Nature... Who He Is?
In grade school, I learned that even in Heaven and for all of eternity, we will not comprehend this stupendous mystery. That part of it is not hard for me to understand. I mean, if anyone can understand the Blessed Trinity, then he/she would have to be God Himself, for only God fully comprehends Himself.
Confusing? Well, if there are mysteries in the natural world (who understands everything about the universe or what causes all kinds of cancers?), we should not be surprised that there are mysteries in the supernatural world.
But you see, we don’t have to understand. All we have to do is BELIEVE!
Let me close with a verse from an inspiring hymn we sing on this day: "O Lord, my God... How great Thou art! How GREAT Thou art!"
1249 A.D.
The Seventh Crusade captures the city of Daimetta in the Holy Lands.
1510 A.D.
The master sculptor Buonarroti Michelangelo, at the age of 35, is commissioned by Pope Julius II to fashion fifteen statues of saints for the Duomo of Siena, Italy. The response would prompt Julius to bring him to Rome and turn over the Sistine Chapel to the master of masters who recruited Raphael to help finish the work.
303 A.D.
Death of Saint Erasmus, also known as Saint Elmo, the bishop of Campagna, Italy who was martyred under the persecution of Diocletian though it was not easy for the pagan emperor. Elmo was hurled into a fiery pit but emerged unscathed (thus the phrase "St. Elmo's fire") and then imprisoned. An angel freed him and led him to Formiae where he eventually died of his wounds in dignity. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and is patron saint of sailors.
1484 A.D.
The Dominicans in Toledo, Spain issue instructions on how to deal with cases of sorcery for the Inquisition of Toledo which were spread to all orders and Inquisition courts throughout Europe.
1536 A.D.
Through the Jesuits and Dominicans, the Court of Inquistion is brought to Mexico four years after Our Lady appeared to Blessed Juan Diego, an Aztec peasant, at Guadalupe and presented him the miraculous tilma that is intact today and hangs in the Basilica in Guadalupe.
1002 A.D.
Henry II, who would be coronated Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Benedict VIII, was elected on this day the King of Germany, succeeding Otto III.
1099 A.D.
The First Crusade arrives at the walls of Jerusalem in their effort to recover the Holy Land for Christianity.
1159 A.D.
Death of Saint Robert of Yorkshire or of Newminister where he is buried. This Benedictine monk founded abbeys and affiliated with the Cistercians, making his monasteries much-sought-after centers of holiness and austerity, which, after his death, became pilgrimage destinations.
1304 A.D.
Blessed Pope Benedict XI, under pressure from King Philiv IV of France, nevertheless carries through in excommunicating the king's minister Guillaume de Nogaret for his major part in the attack at the Papal Palace in Anagni of Benedict's predecessor Pope Boniface VIII.
1498 A.D.
Explorer Christopher Columbus departs on his third voyage to the new world.
1502 A.D.
Birth of Ugo Boncompagni in Bologna, Italy, who would not only go on to become a cardinal but the 227th successor of Peter and the man who would reform the universal calendar, henceforth called the "Gregorian calendar."
I thank You, most loving Jesus, for having made Your- self my food, and for uniting me to Yourself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in You.
I thank You, my Jesus, for giving Yourself to me in this Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Your love that You have no greater gift to give me. I thank You not only for becoming my food but also for offering Yourself as a continual sacrifice to Your Eternal Father for my salvation.
I thank You, Divine Priest, for offering Yourself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.
I thank You for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which You satisfy Divine justice for us poor sinners.
I thank You, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.
I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He has bestowed upon me.
In union with Your offering of Yourself to Your Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor: (Mention your request).
If it be Your holy Will, grant my request. Through You I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Your love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy eternity with You in Heaven. AMEN.
O Lord, You have given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.
O Jesus, since You have left us a remembrance of Your Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Your Redemption, for You live and reign forever. Amen.
Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Oklahoma, is sponsoring the amendment which specifically states that governments cannot endorse or establish any religion, "but the people's right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, or traditions on public property, including schools, shall not be infringed." Istook cites three decades of judicial decisions and bureaucratic mandates "which have warped the original plain and simple meaning of our religious rights under the First Amendment."
A constitutional amendment is ratified after a two-thirds majority of both chambers of Congress and three-fourths of state legislatures approve the measure. Supporters said they don't think the amendment will pass this time. Randy Tate, executive director of the Christian Coalition, said it was victory just to get the measure on the floor of the House for consideration. Istook said it usually requires four or five votes to win passage of a constitutional amendment.
President Bill Clinton said in his weekly radio address last Saturday that a constitutional amendment is not necessary, since many of the infringements of rights cited by supporters of the amendment are already protected by federal guidelines. He then reissued those guidelines for use in public schools.
Don Gabriele Amorth, interviewed the Italian daily Avvenire today, said that the Pope's remarks at a Wednesday audience noted that in recent centuries "excorcisms have been almost completely abandoned by the Church." As a result, he continued, priests and even bishops are unacquainted with the work of exorcism, and some of them even reject it. Some theologians, he observed, even argue that Christ's exorcisms, as reported in the Gospels, were not real events but merely dramatic descriptions of the fight against evil.
Father Amorth said that the prayer of exorcism was widespread among Christians prior to the 4th century, when it was formally incorporated in the Latin rite. The prayer of exorcism is still used in Baptism, he pointed out. And the clergy should remain active in the fight against the devil, he said, quoting the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that Satan would remain active "until the end of the world."
House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Missouri, said the MFN designation would reward human rights abuses and repression by China. "We must not reward the Chinese Communist government for its continuing political repression and tyranny," he said. "Human rights is a principle that can not be allowed to fall prey to politics. America must stand for more than money." Under MFN, a country is granted the preferential tariff rates that have been established with major trading partners, primarily through negotiations.
Gary Bauer, president of the Family Research Council, called the decision part of Clinton's abandonment of his promise to get serious of China's disregard for human rights. He noted that the State Department had recently documented abuses, including "state-sanctioned murder, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, forced abortion, and continued brutalization of Protestants, Catholics, and ethnic minorities, including Tibetans." He also cited recent intelligence reports that China is now targeting nuclear missiles at US cities.
Clinton said it was important to stay engaged with Beijing and trade was a key part of that engagement. "Our exports have tripled over the last decade and now support over 170,000 American jobs," Clinton said. "But just as important, trade is a force for change in China, exposing China to our ideas and our ideals and integrating China into the global economy."
Benham and Tom McGlade of Bradenton, Florida were arrested in front of the Lucerne Terrace Women's Clinic. Operation Rescue is leading a week of protest in Orlando against abortion clinics, Barnes & Nobles Booksellers which the group says sells pornography, and Walt Disney World which will be the site of Gay Days this weekend with thousands of homosexuals and lesbians descending on the family resort. The group also demonstrated at Orlando City Hall on Monday to oppose the flying of rainbow flags throughout the city in honor of Gay Pride Month.
The Orlando Police Department had obtained an injunction against Operation Rescue which requires pro-life and pro-abortion demonstrators keep at least ten feet apart, banns singing, whistling, and chanting within earshot of a clinic, and allows police to search backpacks and purses of anyone within 1,000 feet of the a clinic. Benham complained that the injunction limits protesters' activities unfairly and said its restrictions are "oppressive tyranny."
Don Gabriele Amorth, interviewed the Italian daily Avvenire today, said that the Pope's remarks at a Wednesday audience noted that in recent centuries "excorcisms have been almost completely abandoned by the Church." As a result, he continued, priests and even bishops are unacquainted with the work of exorcism, and some of them even reject it. Some theologians, he observed, even argue that Christ's exorcisms, as reported in the Gospels, were not real events but merely dramatic descriptions of the fight against evil.
Father Amorth said that the prayer of exorcism was widespread among Christians prior to the 4th century, when it was formally incorporated in the Latin rite. The prayer of exorcism is still used in Baptism, he pointed out. And the clergy should remain active in the fight against the devil, he said, quoting the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that Satan would remain active "until the end of the world."
