May 26, 20024
There is a beautiful and ancient Jewish tale that says that when we are conceived in the wombs of our mothers, God spends the next nine months whispering to us all the secrets of the universe. He uses the time to tell us why snowflakes always have six sides and where the birds go when they soar beyond the clouds. He tells us what’s really at the end of the rainbow, and according to the legend, why waves always come into shore and never the other way.
For nine long months, our Heavenly Father whispers all there is to know, and then right before we are born into this world, one final secret is proclaimed: God loves us – always has and always will. Somehow, though, in the process of being born we forget all that we heard in the womb of our mother, and thus spend the rest of our lives trying to remember. And thus, the Jewish story ends with this profound thought: we sense that we have met God whenever we find ourselves loved.
This Sunday, we reflect upon that Gift and Mystery of Love as revealed in the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who unite with all who turn to God through renunciation of sin and faithfulness to Gospel Truth. The whole history of our salvation – and the understanding of true love – is powerfully interwoven with the Mystery of the Trinity. As the Jewish legend states, may we, too, spend our lives seeking to live in lasting unity with the Trinity.