The Trinity Continued

The Trinity Continued

Rublev Old Testament Trinity

“Trinitarian theology holds that true power is circular or spiral rather than hierarchical. If the Father does not dominate the Son, the Son does not dominate the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit does not dominate the Father or the Son, then there’s no domination in God. All divine power is shared power.”—Richard Rohr, The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (Whitaker House), pp. 95-96.  

Robert Farrar Capon says that when humans try to describe God, we are like a bunch of oysters attempting to describe a ballerina. But we can’t help but try, especially as we strive to understand the doctrine of the Trinity, perhaps the greatest mystery of the Christian faith.

At a summer course at Oxford University, a Greek Orthodox bishop, Timothy Kallistos, introduced us to Andrei Rublev’s 15th-century icon, The Trinity, or The Hospitality of Abraham. It depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre (Gen. 18:1-8) to announce the coming birth of his Son, Isaac. We have interpreted it as a symbol to help visualize the mystery of the interrelationship within the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Each figure is in circular harmony with the others, humbly pointing to one another in mutual love. We miss the mark if we relate only to the Trinity in its separate parts. The Persons are in a community, transparent to one another, indwelling, and in love with one another. They have no secrets from one another, no jealousy, no rivalry. Instead, they teach us how to live in community. Barbara Brown Taylor describes their relationship as the sound of “three hands clapping.” 

The doctrine of the Trinity calls us to a radical reorientation in how we see and live in the world. We are what we are in relationship. The God of the Trinity is not an I but a we; not mine but ours. Our belief in and understanding of the Trinity can make a difference in how we drive our cars, how we fill out our tax returns, how we relate to others of different faiths, colors, and political views; how we stand on war; how we treat the person sitting across the aisle from us, as well as those living across the Interstate and beyond our country’s borders.

Richard Rohr’s and Barbara Brown Taylor’s thoughts are excellent to meditate on when we are in conflict with another person, especially when the Christ within us has difficulty seeing the Christ in that person. 

[See Barbara Brown Taylor, “Three Hands Clapping,” in Home By Another Way (Cowley), pp. 151-154.]

Thank you for supporting our camp and conference center, Camp Mitchell, on top of Petit Jean Mountain, by purchasing this book from the daily series of writings for the liturgical year, A Daily Spiritual Rx for Ordinary Time: Readings from Pentecost to Advent. All proceeds from book sales benefit Camp Mitchell. If you enjoy this book, please take a moment to write a brief recommendation on its Amazon page at https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Spiritual-Ordinary-Time-Pentecost/dp/B08JLTZYGH/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=joanna+seibert+books&qid=1621104335&sr=8-1

 More thank-yous than we can say!!!

Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Esther de Waal and Celtic Spirituality on Trinity Sunday

De Waal: Trinity Connection

“If I am estranged from myself, I am also estranged from others. It is only as I am connected to my own core that I am connected to others.”—Esther de Waal, Living with Contradiction: An Introduction to Benedictine Spirituality (Morehouse, 1997).

Esther de Waal’s writings make the Benedictine and Celtic way of life accessible to us. It is a life in which we learn about ourselves through relationships with others, nature, and daily life in the world around us. This life requires almost constant prayer, connection to God, awareness of each precious moment, and a connection to the world around us.

De Waal reminds us how easy it is to walk or drive, rushing from task to task without any awareness of the people we pass by. All too often, instead of silently sending love to them, we make snap judgments and label them based on their appearance or clothing.

I am indebted to de Waal for yet another book on Celtic spirituality, The Celtic Way of Prayer: The Recovery of the Religious Imagination. I was rereading her chapter on Celtic prayers about the Trinity as we prepare for Trinity Sunday. She reminds us of the Celtic tradition of placing three drops of water on an infant’s forehead immediately after birth to signify that the Trinity now indwells the infant. 

In the Celtic tradition, the Trinity is a natural part of daily songs and prayers at work and is praised through the changing seasons. The day in Celtic life begins with splashing three handfuls of water on the face in the name of the Trinity. The day ends with the embers of the household fire spread evenly on the hearth in a circle divided into three equal sections, with a square of peat laid between each. This is called the Hearth of the Three. A woman then closes her eyes, extends her hand, and softly sings this prayer: 

The sacred Three

“To save,

To shield,

To surround,

The hearth,

The household,

This eve,

This night,

Oh! this eve,

This night,

And every night,

Each single night.

Amen.”—Carmina Gadelica I, “The Trinity” in The Celtic Way of Prayer (Doubleday, 1997).

De Waal describes what she has learned from the Celtic Trinitarian tradition: “It allows me to be at ease with a mystery that no longer threatens me but supports, refreshes, and strengthens me.”

The Threeness and connectedness of the Trinity also remind me of an anonymous prayer, sometimes attributed to William Blake—yet it sounds so Celtic:

      “I sought my God;

      My God I could not see.

      I sought my soul

      My soul eluded me.

      I sought my brother

      And I found all three.”

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

McQuiston: Always We Begin Again

McQuiston: Always We Begin Again

“The first rule is simply this:

live this life

and do whatever is done,

in a spirit of Thanksgiving.”

—John McQuiston in Always We Begin Again: The Benedictine Way of Living (Morehouse, 2011).

I purchase copies of this book in bulk to give to individuals seeking spiritual direction. My own copy is falling apart. It is pocket-sized, so I can carry it throughout the day and leave it by my bed at night. McQuiston, a Memphis lawyer, has shaped and paraphrased The Rule of Benedict into modern language. Its simplicity is its beauty. 

McQuiston’s story of being introduced to The Rule of Benedict reminds us that we are constantly cared for by God. At his father’s funeral, a priest friend of the family gave him Esther de Waal’s book, Living with Contradictions: Reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict. That gift led him to Canterbury Cathedral and a Benedictine experience—and to a significant transformation in his way of life. 

McQuiston distills a rule of life written for sixth-century monks living in community into an essential guide for living today. His book is a tremendous help to those of us in today’s world who do not live in a monastery, showing us how to establish a balanced routine amid our busy schedules. I need to carry the book with me because I constantly forget and get pulled off-center and disconnected. I try to read the chapter on humility every day, especially when “I have such great ideas.” My rule of life changes more often than I would like, but McQuiston keeps reminding me how necessary it is to honor a rule, stay connected to God and my community, and remain thankful. 

Reading McQuiston’s book has been a revelation to me, revealing how many principles of the Rule are incorporated into the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. When two disciplines speak the truth, I try to notice and recognize this as wisdom. The book also includes meditative material and a sample rule of life. 

Joanna joannaseibert.com

Thank you for supporting our camp and conference center, Camp Mitchell, located atop Petit Jean Mountain, by purchasing this book as part of the daily series of writings for the liturgical year, A Daily Spiritual Rx for Lent and Easter. If you like this book, please take a moment to write a recommendation on its Amazon page. https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Spiritual-RX-Lent-Easter/dp/0578425130/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=joanna+seibert&qid=1620904788&sr=8-3

 More thank-yous than we can say!!!