God our Father has revealed himself to us, his children. He has spoken his Eternal Word, his only begotten Son. Creating all things out of Love, he sent his Word into the world to redeem our fallen human nature and invite us to embrace the Gift of his Divine Life. The Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, reveals God perfectly. He became one with us, showed us the way to the Father, died on the Cross and rose from the dead so that we could share his Divine Life forever. After his Resurrection, Jesus commissioned his Apostles to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” [Matthew 28: 19] This is the wonderful revelation that we have received through the Gospel, and he remains with us always.
We have faithfully celebrated the great Mysteries of Salvation. The death and Resurrection of the Lord, his Ascension and the Gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, are all carefully proclaimed in the Creed. These Mysteries emerge from the central Mystery of our Faith, that is: God is one and three, a Trinity of Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equal in power and majesty. This sacred Doctrine, revealed by Christ, has been understood more clearly and expressed more confidently by the Church through the centuries. It is essential to knowing God and knowing ourselves.
Some might ask why this truth is so important for us. The answer is that it is essential to know the truth God has revealed about himself because we are created in his image and likeness. In other words, we are created to be like God in all the ways that lead us to him. We are his children, he loves us, and he wants us to receive the fullness of life and happiness. As St. Paul writes in the Letter to the Romans: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…” [Romans 8: 16] All that God has revealed of himself through his Divine Word is given in order that we might have the fullness of life. Every truth that we are capable of receiving is made known to us so that we will come to love and serve God and thereby attain our goal of union with him.
God is all powerful, all good, all knowing and the source of all being. He is also an eternal relationship of Love. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit form a Divine Community and invite us to enter that Community through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. As we come to accept the invitation, we begin to experience the joy of heaven even while we remain in this world. In fact, we should always be joyful because Jesus embraced our human nature to prepare us to share in his Divinity. Through his death and Resurrection, he redeems us, frees us from sin and lifts us up to heaven. As his friends and disciples, we want to imitate his way of life, obey his commands, and teach others to do likewise. By his mercy, we acquire the true blessedness of heaven.
Since we know and accept these truths about God, there is evidence already that God dwells in us. The Holy Spirit makes that possible. Now if we want to make greater progress in our journey, we should assess the evidence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Do we exhibit the gifts of charity, joy, patience, and generosity? Do we live with gentleness, kindness, and self-control?
Today as we worship God together in the community of the Church, we want to be thankful for all God’s gifts. We especially give praise and thanks to him for allowing us to know him and for the promise that as we follow Jesus, we will come to see his glory in heaven forever.