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Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity.
Jesus said to his disciples: "I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you to bear now. However, when the Spirit of truth comes eh will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking of his own accord, but will only say what he has been told; and he will reveal to you the things to come. He will glorify me, since all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine". This great feast of the Church is celebrated on the Sunday following Pentecost. The Holy Trinity is at the heart of every act of worship that we offer. We worship the Trinity and we worship through the Trinity. Every Mass begins with the words: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Explanation of the meaning on the Trinity Icon. This icon takes as its subject the mysterious story where Abraham receives three visitors as he camps by the oak of Mamre (see Genesis 18: 1-15). He serves them a meal. As the conversation progresses he seems to be talking straight to God, as if these 'angels' were in some way a metaphor for the three persons of the Trinity. In Rublev's representation of the scene, the three gold-winged figures are seated around a white table on which a golden, chalice-like bowl contains a roasted lamb. In the background of the picture, a house can be seen at the top left and a tree in the centre. Less distinctly, a rocky hill lies in the upper right corner. The composition is a great circle around the table, focussing the attention on the chalice-bowl at the centre, which reminds the viewer inescapably of an altar at Communion. On one level this picture shows three angels seated under Abraham's tree, but on another it is a visual expression of what the Trinity means, what is the nature of God, and how we approach him. Reading the picture from left to right, we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Colours Rublev gives each person of the Trinity different clothing. On the right, the Holy Spirit has a garment of the clear blue of the sky, wrapped over with a robe of a fragile green. So the Spirit of creation moves in sky and water, breathes in heaven and earth. All living things owe their freshness to his touch. The Son has the deepest colours; a thick heavy garment of the reddish-brown of earth and a cloak of the blue of heaven. In his person he unites heaven and earth, the two natures are present in him, and over his right shoulder (the Government shall be upon his shoulder) there is a band of gold shot through the earthly garment, as his divinity suffuses and transfigures his earthly being. The Father seems to wear all the colours in a kind of fabric that changes with the light, that seems transparent, that cannot be described or confined in words. And this is how it should be. No one has seen the Father, but the vision of him fills the universe. The wings of the angels or persons are gold. Their seats are gold. The chalice in the centre is gold, and the roof of the house. Whether they sit, whether they fly, all is perfect, precious, and worthy. In stasis, when there is no activity apparent on the part of God, his way is golden. When he flies, blazes with power and unstoppable strength, his way is golden. And in the Sacrifice at the centre of all things, his way is golden. The light that shines around their heads is white, pure light. Gold is not enough to express the glory of God. Only light will do, and that same white becomes the holy table, the place of offering. God is revealed and disclosed here, at the heart, in the whiteness of untouchable light. The Father looks forward, raising his hand in blessing to the Son. It is impossible to tell whether he looks up at the Son or down to the chalice on the table, but his gesture expresses a movement towards the Son. This is my Son, listen to him… The hand of the Son points on, around the circle, to the Spirit. In this simple array we see the movement of life towards us, The Father sends the Son, the Son sends the Spirit. The life flows clockwise around the circle. And we complete the circle. As the Father sends the Son, as the Son sends the Holy Spirit, so we are invited and sent to complete the circle of the Godhead with our response. And we respond to the movement of the Spirit who points us to Jesus. And he shows us the Father in whom all things come to fruition. This is the counter-clockwise movement of our lives, in response to the movement of God. And along the way are the three signs at the top of the picture, the hill, the tree, and the house. The Spirit touches us, even though we do not know who it is that is touching us. He leads us by ways we may not be aware of, up the hill of prayer. It may be steep and rocky, but the journeying God goes before us along the path. It leads to Jesus, the Son of God, and it leads to a tree. A great tree in the heat of the day spreads its shade. It is a place of security, a place of peace, a place where we begin to find out the possibilities of who we can be. It is no ordinary tree. It stands above the Son in the picture, and stands above the altar-table where the lamb lies within the chalice. Because of the sacrifice this tree grows. The tree of death has been transformed into a tree of life for us. The tree is on the way to the house. Over the head of the Father is the house of the Father. It is the goal of our journey. It is the beginning and end of our lives. Its roof is golden. Its door is always open for the traveller. It has a tower, and its window is always open so that the Father can incessantly scan the roads for a glimpse of a returning prodigal. The tree is on the way to the house. Over the head of the Father is the house of the Father. It is the goal of our journey. It is the beginning and end of our lives. Its roof is golden. Its door is always open for the traveller. It has a tower, and its window is always open so that the Father can incessantly scan the roads for a glimpse of a returning prodigal. Staffs for the journey Each person holds a staff, which is so long it, cuts the picture into sections. Why should beings with wings, that can fly like the light, have need of a staff for their journey? Because we are on a journey and these three persons enter into our journey, our slow movement across the face of the earth. Their feet are tired from travelling. God is with us in the weariness of our human road. The traveller God sits down at our ordinary tables and spreads them with a hint of heaven The Table The table or altar lies at the centre of the picture. It is at once the place of Abraham's hospitality to the angels, and God's place of hospitality to us. That ambiguity lies at the heart of communion, at the heart of worship. As soon as we open a sacred place for God to enter, for God to be welcomed and adored, it becomes his place. It is we who are welcomed, it is we who must 'take off our shoes' because of the holiness of the ground. Contained in the centre of the circle, a sign of death. The lamb, killed. The holy meal brought to the table. All points to this space, this mystery: within it, everything about God is summed up and expressed, his power, his glory, and above all his love. And it is expressed in such a way that we can reach it. For the space at this table is on our side. We are invited to join the group at the table and receive the heart of their being for ourselves. We are invited to complete the circle, to join the dance, to complete the movements of God in the world by our own response. Below the altar a rectangle marks the holy place where the relics of the martyrs were kept in a church. It lies before us. It invites us to come into the depth and intimacy of all that is represented here. Come follow the Spirit up the hill of prayer. Come, live in the shadow of the Son of God, rest yourself beneath his tree of life. Come, journey to the home, prepared for you in the house of your Father. See also: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/trinity/ |
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1st June ~ Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr Born 100 Flavia Neapolis, Judea Died 165 (aged 65) Rome, Roman Empire Canonized Pre-Congregation for the Causes of Saints Patronage philosophers Justin was born at the beginning of the second century at Nabius in Samaria. Although his family were pagans, he became a Christian when aged about thirty. He first went to Ephesus, then to Rome where he established a school. He is known to have been the author of many works in defence of Christianity of which two: "Apologies 1 and 2" and "Dialogue with Trypho" survive – links below. He gives us the earliest known account of a baptism and of a Sunday Mass. He was martyred with six others in about 165 during the time of Marcus Aurelius. Almighty and ever-living God, though the intercession of St. Justin Martyr grant that we to may reject falsehood and seek out and cling to the truth. See also: https://www.bartleby.com/210/6/011.html https://catholicsaints.info/saint-justin-martyr/ https://www.earlychurch.org.uk/justin.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Martyr |
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2nd June ~ Optional memorial of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs Born: unknown. Died: 304. Major shrine Church of Santi Marcellino e Pietro, Rome; Seligenstadt, Germany; relics also claimed by cathedral of Cremona Attributes Depicted as two tonsured men holding crowns; palms of martyrdom; depicted alongside St. Pollio Marcellinus and Peter were Roman martyrs, who died in 304. Evidence for their early cult is strong consisting of feasts in sacramentaries and calendars, the survival of their tombs and some verses by Damasus. Marcellinus was priest, Peter an exorcist. An unreliable account of their lives relates that they made converts of their gaoler, Severus, and his family while they were in prison. The place of their execution was called Black Wood, renamed White Wood afterwards. They were buried in the catacomb of Tiburtius on the Via Lavicana, over which a church was built. In 827, Pope Gregory IV sent their relics to Einhard, former secretary and biographer of Charlemagne to enrich his monastery at Seligenstadt. Records of the miracles that took place there survive. Almighty and ever-living God, contemplating the example given to us by Peter and Marcellinus, may we be supported and sustained by their prayers. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcellinus_and_Peter https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09637d.htm https://catholicsaints.info/saint-marcellinus-2-june/ https://catholicsaints.info/saint-peter-the-exorcist/ https://www.bartleby.com/210/6/022.html |
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3rd June ~ Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
Born 1 January 1860, Kingdom of Buganda Died 3 June 1886 (aged 26), Namugongo, Kingdom of Buganda Beatified 1920, Rome, Kingdom of Italy, by Pope Benedict XV Canonized 18 October 1964, Uganda, by Pope Paul VI Major shrine Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs, Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine Patronage African Catholic Youth Action, converts, torture victims This group of twenty-two Africans died for their faith between 1885 and 1886 and includes Joseph Mkasa, who reproached the ruler Mwanga for debauchery and for murdering a Protestant missionary bishop, James Hannington, Charles Lwanga, who was in charge of the royal pages and Kizito, aged thirteen, who was one of the pages. The day after the chieftain had killed another page, Denis Sebuggwawo, all the pages were assembled and the Christians were told to separate themselves from the others. Fifteen, all under twenty-five years old, did so immediately. They were joined by two others already under arrest and two soldiers. When asked if they wished to remain Christian, they replied, “Unto death.” Joseph Mkasa was beheaded. The others were led out to Namugongo where they were wrapped in mats of reeds and burnt alive. Their exemplary courage and cheerfulness were comparable to that of the early martyrs. They were canonised in 1964 and their feast was added to the Roman calendar in 1969. List of the martyrs
Almighty and ever living God, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christianity. May the faith and perseverance of St. Charles Lwanga and his Companions stand as examples to us to live the Christian faith. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lwanga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Martyrs https://catholicsaints.info/saint-charles-lwanga/ https://catholicsaints.info/martyrs-of-uganda/ http://www.buganda.com/martyrs.htm https://wau.org/archives/article/the_uganda_martyrs/ https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=8370 |
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5th June ~ Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop, Martyr Born c. 675, Crediton, Devon Died 5 June 754 (aged c. 79) near Dokkum, Frisia Major shrine Fulda Cathedral, St Boniface Catholic Church, Crediton, UK Attributes In bishop's robes, book pierced by a sword (also axe; oak; scourge) Patronage Fulda; Germania; England (Orthodox Church; jointly with Ss. Augustine of Canterbury, and Cuthbert of Lindisfarne) Boniface was born in Devon, possibly in Crediton, in about 675. Educated in monasteries in Exeter and Nursling he was ordained at the age of about thirty. His knowledge of scripture made him a successful teacher and preacher and he is known to have been the envoy of King Ine of Wessex to Buchard, the archbishop of Canterbury. In 716 he travelled to Frisia to carry on the missionary work begun by Wilfrid and Willibrod. However political conditions and rampant paganism made missionary work impossible. He returned to Nursling and was elected as abbot but refused the position travelling instead in 718 to Rome to receive a definite mission from Pope Gregory II to preach the gospel, Intending to go to Bavaria and Hesse, he returned to Frisia to assist the ageing Willibrod. He was consecrated a bishop in 722. Ten years later, Pope Gregory III sent him the pallium, making him an archbishop with the power to consecrate bishop for Germany beyond the Rhine. When, in 738, Charles Martel defeated the Saxons of Westphalia, this opened up new missionary opportunities for Boniface who wrote his famous letter to the English people asking for support with their prayers and with gifts of books, vestments, relics and personnel. In 738-9 he was back in Rome where he was joined by new companions. Using his legatine powers he summoned a synod for all the Christians if Germany and established a hierarchy in Bavaria eventually becoming archbishop of Mainz. During his work he was hampered not only by pagans but also by half-converted Christians and the importance of Boniface’s work lies not only in his pioneering missionary work but more significantly in his organisation of the Church. His next important work was the reform of the Church in France where no council had met for years, and many bishoprics lay vacant or were in the hands of unsuitable laymen. There Boniface presided over the councils of 742 and 747 where the abuses were condemned and the Rule of St. Benedict was made the basic code for all Carolingian monasteries. In his old age Boniface returned to Frisia to end his days amongst the people of his first missionary enterprise. He was martyred in 754 by a band of pagans whilst awaiting the arrival of some neophytes for confirmation. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Boniface https://www.bartleby.com/210/6/051.html |