“Before all the ages the Father is “all powerful”, because he is the source of the gift and its acceptance. That is why the one, adorable Trinity is a communion of Father, Son, and Spirit. Here we find in its eternal outpouring; the river of life, which John contemplates at the heart of history, is an energy of Love.”
Fr. Corbon gives a concise and beautiful explanation of the Holy Trinity.
“Yes, the mysterious river of divine communion is an outpouring of love among the Three, and in it eternal life consists. Each Person is a gift and acceptance of gift, never varying yet not motionless; each is an elan (energy, style, and enthusiasm) that is enamored of the Other but in pure transparency; each is a joy given gratuitously and accepted freely. To this communion, with its ebb and flow, to this rhythm of love from which love overflows, no living being can draw near unless the veil of mortality is rent asunder. The human heart cannot contain this inexpressible joy as long as the last attachment to “self” has not been severed.” (Mary’s dormition, our assertion that she died of love, when the soul is detached from the body, death is the result. She was able to enter into this inexpressible joy of the Holy Trinity).
“This river is love, but it does not arise in the human heart. The river if life, but a life that does not flow from the human heart. That is because this river, this energy, is wholly other; it is the self-opening of our thrice holy God. Our God is holy because he is wholly other…. The communion within the Trinity is a river of life, that is of love, because it is holy. When Jesus reveals to us the truth “that anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will save it (Lk 9:24), the words of the Word are infinitely more that a prudential maxim; the plunge us into the very wellspring of the river of life, love, and holiness. And when this river of love overflows, the manifestation of the hidden holiness will be called its glory. This is the starting point for the economy of salvation and for our Eucharistic anaphoras.”
Trinity outpouring is glory and the start of economy of salvation, the plan, the how. Note the connection to the praises (anaphoras) in the Eastern Eucharist or liturgy.
Note how this echoes with Catalina’s revelations.
Liturgy is a work given to us for grace. Does not originate with ourselves. All good works come from the Trinity. An engagement with another Person for our benefit and His glory. What we do matters, somewhat nihilistic. the soul was saved from meaninglessness, sin, skepticism, and the deepest of chaos which could only be self-referential.
Fr. Corbon draws us into the hidden mysteries and I certainly feel like a catechumen, an unfinished Christian, plunging these depths while being refreshed.
VIII. Living the Mysteries, A Guide for the Unfinished Christian, Hahn & Aquilina 5” x 7” (pocket sized)
We are all unfinished Christians. I propose both here and God willing in heaven. We cannot ever exhaust the reality of God, as He is infinite, and we are finite, and thus not possible to be ‘finished’. As a corollary to this proposition, Therefore, it is impossible to be bored in heaven or on earth. The great adventure is coming to know and love God for all of eternity. Unveiling mystery keeps us enamored.
“Mystagogy is what we all need, and what we always need, because God’s mysteries are inexhaustible. Till we get to heaven, were all unfinished Christian. (note my small qualification)
The technical definition of mystagogy is “post-baptismal instruction,” and it is usually assumed that this lasts form Easter to Pentecost. But there is no reason why it cannot extend until the end of one’s life on earth. After all, each and every one of those days qualifies as “post-baptismal”.”[1]
The book presents ancient teachings the newly baptized could have heard from their bishop during the Sacred Liturgy concerning profound truths of the faith. Then the faithful would meditate on these readings and seek to apply them to their own personal situation. Let us always remember the great danger these Christians faced meeting if before Edit of Milan. Often these homilies or teachings centered around the Scriptures seen through a Trinitarian, Christological, and Ecclesial lens. The book is meant to be readily accessible to most sincere Christians.
[1] Scott Hahn & Mike Aquilina, Living the Mysteries, A Guide for Unfinished Christians (Our Sunday Visitor: Huntington, IN 2003) 11
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