Month: May 2024

When one looks at the iconography of Christian art one becomes conscious of the abundant images used by artists to give some expression to the mystery we call the Trinity.

God the Father as an old man, God the Son as a younger man, and God the Holy Spirit as a dove.

God the Son sits at the right of God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit as a dove hovers between the two inevitably with wings outstretched.

So much for three co-equal persons? A dove?)When one looks at the iconography of Christian art one becomes conscious of the abundant images used by artists to give some expression to the mystery we call the Trinity.
God the Father as an old man, God the Son as a younger man, and God the Holy Spirit as a dove.

God the Son sits at the right of God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit as a dove hovers between the two inevitably with wings outstretched.

So much for three co-equal persons? A dove?)

Then at some point the three-leaf clover, known as the shamrock, took over from the triangle – at least the clover leaf had colour.

Each of these images however, is static.

Then, I discovered in the kitchen cupboard an oil known as 3-In-One oil. One oil performing three separate functions. The one oil lubricates, cleans, and prevents rust – functions which might well be Trinitarian.

The nuisance is the admonition to “keep out of reach of children”! Not the best idea when speaking of God!

Speaking of children, there is a toy known as a “fidget spinner.” In production since 2017, the fidget spinner is typically three-lobed and designed to spin on a central axis.

When spun with speed, the three lobes look to be one.

(insert video)

The Cappadocian Fathers of 4th century Turkey, ( St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, and St. Basil of Caesarea)  said: “Whatever is going on in God is a flow, a radical relatedness, a perfect communion between Three — a circle dance of love. And God is not just a dancer; God is the dance itself.”

“Whatever is going on in God is flow”.

Imagine four people.

Each is given a large glass jar.

Each, in turn, is instructed to return one with water, one with fire, one with earth, and one with wind in their respective jars.

Two return with their jars filled; two however return with their jars empty.

You can capture earth, and you can capture water.

Fire and wind remain elusive.

Yet, these are the two images used by the author of the Acts of Apostles to describe God’s Spirit.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

“They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2: 1 – 4)

Greek philosophy supposed the Universe to comprise four elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.

These are well-known and yet unknown realities.

Of the four elements only earth has fixed shapes; and in the long run, even these shapes are not fixed (remember liquefaction?

A word that was added to many a vocabulary with the occasion of the Christchurch earthquake!)

In Hebrew and Aramaic, scholars tell us, the same word means ‘spirit’, ‘breath’, and ‘wind’. This word is “ruah”.

Fire and wind as earth elements can at times be devastating. We only need remember the horror of bush fires raging and of cyclonic winds.

I, and no doubt others, so want to tame God’s Spirit; to make this Energy acceptable!

In doing so maybe we are attempting to suck God’s life out of God!

It may be time we put our glass jar away and refrain from catching our God! The “elusive one” is not for catching!

The alternative to “catching” is “being caught”.

That is what happened that first Pentecost day – may it continue today!

The departure lounge at a transport hub—be it an airport, a bus, or a train station—is a place of mixed emotions.

A person(s) is leaving. Persons have come to say goodbye however they are staying.

Each goodbye is particular and indeed peculiar to everyone.

I can only name emotions that I have personally experienced; for others, the emotions may well be quite different.

As the one going, I feel a mixture of sadness at leaving those who are important and special, anticipation for what lies ahead, and no doubt a certain anxiety—where I had known friends as immediate contact and support, I might well be on my own.

As the one staying, I experience an equal mix of emotions.

There is pleasure for the one leaving—perhaps stepping out for the first time to a new place of learning or job opportunity, and there is also sadness that the one leaving will leave a hole—and it is to that hole I must return to and be reminded of with regularity.

The regular aroma of a particular scent or aftershave is no longer there!

The irrepressible laugh or chuckle of the other is no longer heard.

Toward the end of the Gospel of John, I find one of the most intimate moments in the entire Gospel. Jesus, newly risen from the dead, is standing on the shore of the lake,

“Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realise it was Jesus.

He called to them, “Friends, have you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”

When they did, they could not haul the net in because of the large number of fish. (Jn. 21:4 – 6).

It is that early morning call, piercing the approaching light, “Friends!”

On the feast of the Ascension, I suggest that before we run headlong into any theological discourse on the role of proclaiming the Good News (Mk. 15:15), we take a moment to reflect on the very real experience of friends saying goodbye.

These persons are as we are with all the mix of emotions that make us human.

Remember, too, one of those persons Jesus needs say goodbye to is his mother.