7/30/2019 Year of Faith Companion 2012-12-09

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9 December 20122012-2013

Created by Christopher Carmody: jesusinsalem@yahoo.com and Stephanie Rangel: beverlyyouthministry@gmail.com

Perfect Love

Every time we make the Sign of the Cross we are calling on the Holy Trinity;Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Understanding the Trinity can be overwhelming,exhi larat ing, daunt ing, myster ious, and down r ight

difficult. St. Augustine, one of the great Fathers of the Church dares toexplain this great mystery: Wherever there is love, there is a trinity: a lover, abeloved, and afountain of love.

Sound like Chinese? Well if there is one way to break down thisoh-so-complex doctrine it is to liken it to a simple three leaf clover; one clover,three leaves. Like the three leaf clover God is threepersons perfectly united as one God.

Leaf One: The Lover, The Father

God the Father is the lover. The Father, as Creator, is filled up withunconditional and unceasing love for all His creatures.In human experience, father and mother stand for origin and authority, forwhat is protective and supportive, (YouCat par. 37). So we can gain a rich viewof God by simply looking at the way we respect and love a parent. Think aboutthe parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus points out the human longings for amerciful father, (YouCat par. 37). We see the Father as an ever-loving,merciful, protective and supportive God.

Leaf Two: The Beloved, The Son

Jesus Christ is the beloved Son. And behold, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son , wwhom I am well pleased, (Mt.3:17). Jesus comes to us, sent by the Father, to forgive our sins. He is a

revealed as the Son of God through His life, death and Resurrection. As the second part of the Trinity He wbrought down to us, fully human and fully divine, to become the prime example of the faith and lay down life for us. He is the beloved because the entirety of the Fathers loves flow into the His heart and Jesus is beloved to us because He is the bridge to the Father, the lover.

Leaf Three: The Fountain of Love, The Holy Spirit

God sent, the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, (Gal 4:6) so that we could be filled with Him complet(YouCat par.38). The love that is shared between the Father and the Son is manifested and sent out to masses as the Holy Spirit, the fountain of love. He is alive and active, God speaking and working through ubecome more intimately connected to Him. By giving us the Holy Spirit God is showing us not only an act

love but an act of mercy, guiding us in every way to find true fulfillment in Him.

- St. Augustin

ChallengeTake this week to find ouhow the Holy Trinity workin your life and within you

family.

What part of the Trinity d

you most relate to most?

Seek out the Catechism athe Scripture for a bette

understanding.