Power, Wisdom and Love

    “By our belief in the Holy Trinity we acknowledge in one single God, Power, Wisdom and Love, and these three are one. Now surely, I do see what an immense effect such a doctrine must have upon life.  It is no mere question for theologians, but one that concerns every living soul. Whatever is allowed by God’s power must be guided by His wisdom and urged on by His love. All that happens to me in life, the little worries and the great anxieties, the crisis and the daily annoyances, the sorrow and the joys, the harms that reach me through the sins of others, the great cries of history, the huge and devastating wars, the partings and loves and the whole cycle of human experiences are permitted by Power which is itself wise and loving. These three Persons determine my life, and since I walk by faith, I must surely grow very patient in my attitude through life. For how can I complain or criticize God’s Providence, since it comes under the triple influence of Power, Wisdom and Love? Under the guidance, then, of this mystery, I can walk through the valley of death or the more perilous borders of sin without loss of courage or hopelessness. Nothing can make me afraid. How these are separate, but one, I do not know, nor can I reconcile in my concrete experience the claims of each. It is always a mystery, but a mystery in which I believe. Whatever Power allows on earth is designed in Wisdom and attuned by Love.”           
                                                                                Father Bede Jarrett



     As I read and pondered the words of Father Jarrett, I shook my head in awe, wonder and gratitude for the wisdom he has bequeathed to us!

     Let us allow Father's words to penetrate and saturate our minds and lives, not in a small way but to overflowing. The Holy Spirit wants us to enlarge our comprehension of truth and know the facts as they truly are. We would live in peace and serenity. Although we would still experience pain and suffering, we would no longer be plagued and burdened that the world and its inhabitants, are the orchestrators of our destiny. “Whatever is allowed by God’s power must be guided by His wisdom and urged on by His love.” Life is not spinning out of control, but is overseen, guarded and guided by the Blessed Trinity!

     The Trinity is a mystery which most of us will never understand this side of heaven. Try as we might, we cannot wrap our mind around the idea. It is much too big for our finite minds, yet we profess it in our creed. It has been handed down to us as a core belief. Christ Himself told His apostles to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: to the Father, power is attributed, to the Son, wisdom, and to the Holy Spirit, love. Power without wisdom and love, is a dictator. God is not only the God of power, but of love and wisdom. Also, the Blessed Trinity, three Divine Persons with one nature, loves us. Though our baptism THEY COME TO LIVE WITHIN EACH OF US!

      “By the grace of Baptism, ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,’ we are called to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity, here on earth in the obscurity of faith, and after death in eternal light” (CCC 265).

     The aim of our powerful, wise and loving God, is that one day, we will be one with Him in heaven for all eternity. Therefore, He permits the events in our lives to unfold, and directs us toward that end. To achieve this goal, heaven, we must grow in faith, virtue and trust, in the God who loves us and wants only our good. To our eyes, life will not always present itself, as such. During such times, we need to be open to the grace God sends into our souls and move forward by blind faith.

     Father Bede tells us that we must remember to be patient in our attitude, since we walk by faith while on earth. Our life and the happenings of the world, are like an immense tapestry, of which we see just a little piece. The Blessed Trinity sees the entire picture, from the Garden of Eden till the second coming of Christ. He sees the whole pattern with its light and its darkness, which makes this tapestry the masterpiece He has seen from all eternity.

     So, when we are plagued by worries and anxieties, when strangers, friends and loved ones challenge our patience and love, when sorrow knocks at the door of our hearts, or world events make us want to pray for the second coming of Christ, call to mind that God is a maker of saints. He is trying His best to form us into the image of His Son, Jesus, whose “food was to do the will of His Father.” Christ KNEW the Father, who cannot permit anything that is not for our ultimate good. When events occur in our lives that challenge our idea of a loving God, we must remember and trust His ordaining and permitting will. These situations have been allowed under the triple influence of Power, Wisdom and Love. “Whatever Power allows on earth is designed in Wisdom and attuned by Love.”

     We must not allow ourselves to get stuck in our skewed vision, or in our own version of how God’s will should play out in our lives. Pray for an increase in faith! Beseech the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit, to come to know them as they truly are. When we come to really know them, we will find our peace and give praise and glory to God! We will not be moved by the events in our life but will begin to taste a bit of heaven right here on earth!

     “O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so to establish myself in You, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my unchanging God, but may each minute bring me more deeply into Your mystery! Grant my soul peace. Make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and the place of Your rest. May I never abandon You there, but may I be here, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over to Your creative action. Amen.”              (St. Elizabeth of the Trinity).
    
    
    
    


    
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