Journaling Archives - Page 18 of 69

Have you ever struggled with understanding the mystery of the Holy Trinity? I know I have. The concept of one thing being three is difficult for a simple human mind to fathom.

Many questions come to mind when I think of the Trinity. How can one person be three? Can the same person be the Father and the Son? As difficult as the Trinity is to understand, this is exactly what faith is all about. Faith is not only believing in something we can’t see. It is also believing in something we may NEVER understand.

I once saw an interview given by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, where he attempted to explain the Holy Trinity. In that interview he compared the different persons of the Trinity to different forms of water in order to illustrate how one thing can take three different forms. His explanation was beautiful. What he said was just like water can become ice and steam, so the Trinity, the one thing, is three. That explanation made sense to me. It provided clarification.

As I continued on my spiritual journey, thirsting for the Lord and seeking true holiness, I began meditating more. I was able to quiet my mind for longer periods of time as I progressed in my practice. As a result, I began to see God in all things. My ability to see Him in the people I meet, in the books that I read, in the movies I watch and in nature itself grew.

I found myself contemplating God’s word, daily routines, relationships and the mysteries of my faith. As I journeyed on, I was no longer looking for others to give me answers. I was seeking to be still long enough to hear the answers directly from God. By the grace of God, one day as I was sitting in stillness, a profound explanation of the Trinity came to me. I hope you find it enlightening and as profound as I did when it came to me. So here it goes:

In the summer of 2014, my husband and I took our niece and nephew to the drive-in for a double feature. One of the movies we saw was Lucy starring Scarlett Johannsen. The movie itself was not one I desired to see but the kids wanted to see it so we obliged. The premise of the movie was scientific and revolved around the fact that human beings use only 10% of their brain capacity. In the movie, the protagonist ingests blue crystals which slowly leak into her bloodstream, increase her brain power and gradually poison her.

By the end of the movie Lucy is able to use 100% brain capacity. The instant this happens she explodes and disappears into thin air. Shortly after her disappearance, another one of the characters receives a text from Lucy which states “I AM EVERYWHERE.” The first thing that came to my mind when I saw that was GOD – but that was the extent of my thought that night.

For some reason I could not get the scene of the movie out of my head for weeks. I began to question the bigger meaning. The Holy Spirit was stirring within me and would not let it go. I couldn’t understand why that movie (that particular part) kept popping into my head when I didn’t even think it was so good.

Then several weeks later, as I sat in my recliner still and contemplative it hit me. God is everywhere. God is omniscient and omnipotent, all-knowing and all-powerful. He is, like Lucy, the only one in the universe that uses 100% brain capacity. God is everywhere because of that.

The more I sat with this idea of God using 100% brain capacity and being everywhere, the more I thought about the Trinity and one thing being three. I realized that we humans (one) are made up of three things – body (flesh), mind (brain) and soul (spirit). Bingo! So it is with God. If we are made in the image and likeness of God, then God must also be made of mind, body and soul. We believe God is everywhere. He is everywhere because He uses 100% brain capacity. So He is the “mind” of the Trinity. We believe Jesus is the Word made flesh so He is the body, the flesh of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Trinity. That is what came to me during contemplation.

Sometimes we ask the same questions that have been asked for centuries. We accept the answers that have been given for centuries without asking God to give us a new set of eyes and ears, to renew the Spirit within us to understand what is before us. We ask how one thing can be three when, in fact, we human beings are three things in one. Scripture says seek and you will find, ask and it will be given, knock and the door will be opened. Keep faith brothers and sisters. Depend on the Lord for guidance. You too have the answers to many of life’s questions. You just have to sit still long enough to hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I have to say, one of my favorite pieces of advice to give is ‘just go with the flow”. It’s my life’s motto. I see the “flow” as God’s hand guiding me and I know God will never steer me wrong. Looking back on the night I went to the drive-in, it was another one of those times I “went with the flow.” Both movies of the double feature were not movies I would have run to see. As a matter of fact, I remember being torn about staying to see Lucy. It wasn’t a must see for me.

The Lord works in mysterious ways and I love it when His plan comes together. The joy and awe I feel when I think of how God enlightened me on the Trinity brings tears to my eyes! All I can say is don’t resist the joy God has planned for you, don’t resist the answers God has at the ready. BE STILL and GO WITH THE FLOW!

Visio divina is latin for “divine seeing.” It is a form of prayer using images or some form media. This past Easter Sunday, as I did on Good Friday, I decided to watch something that was going to help me encounter the day and its meaning. I decided AD The Bible Continues was just that something. Before I go into my experience, I have to give a little background about myself. I can be a bit obsessed with cleaning my house. As a result, I find it very difficult to sit still before a television and watch a movie without moving. During commercials I’m usually up and doing a load of laundry or loading the dishwasher. I may even try a little vacuuming or mopping.

Easter Sunday was a bit different. I say “a bit” because I think I may have gotten up a few times between episodes. The real difference was in how I received the material I was watching. For the first time in my life, I sat still enough to actually meditate on what I was watching. I was able to “see” a message beyond the event that was unfolding before my eyes. The miniseries was chock full – so much so that I started taking notes. Here’s what I got (and I still have 2 episodes left to watch):

Fear Paralyzes

Throughout the miniseries we see a back and forth between the Jews and the Romans. There was a constant struggle between them to maintain control of their people. I guess in their eyes, everything was going quite well until Jesus came along. He was causing a stir in the community. The Jews feared that Jesus’ actions would cause a riot in the streets and would cause the Romans to take control. The Romans feared an insurrection. In a sense, they feared a loss of control as well. As a result, they found it quite easy to kill Jesus even though they had no evidence of any “crime” he committed.

As the events of Jesus’ arrest were unfolding, the disciples feared persecution. They feared for their lives. What I realized from watching the miniseries is that fear comes from attachments. Fear causes us to become irrational. Caiaphas is a perfect example of the irrationality that comes with fear. Fear also clouds our judgment. We saw this with the Apostles as they navigate through life after Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion and resurrection.

Hope is not too far off. Then there’s Mary and the trust she possessed. Watching her helped me understand, in a concrete way, that TRUST CONQUERS ALL FEAR. She was unshakeable because she trusted everything the angel told her before Jesus’ birth. She also trusted everything Jesus said after he was born. Her steadfast trust helped her walk the road to Calvary alongside Jesus with immense grace. Her steadfast trust in her son’s word helped her encourage the Apostles after the Resurrection. She knew in her heart that what He promised would come to pass. Even while his disciples doubted, she stood watching and waiting for her son to appear on that third day. Steadfast trust! Amazing! I can only hope to get there one day.

The reality is we don’t trust enough. The disciples didn’t trust enough either. Even at the empty tomb they doubted He had risen, despite what he promised. Of course John believed he had risen. He trusted his words. No wonder he was the disciple He loved. It’s no wonder He entrusted His mother to him.

Then there’s Peter. His story helped me to see that Jesus gives us every opportunity to right our wrongs. Just look at what he did for Peter. Peter denied Jesus three times. After the resurrection Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to profess his love three times. No coincidence there. In a sense, Jesus was providing an opportunity for Peter to negate his denial. He was preparing him to go forth to preach in confidence.

For me, it was no coincidence that John and Peter were imprisoned together. The one whom Jesus loved was a symbol of faith and obedience. And the one who loved Jesus enough to be transformed into one of unwavering faith and obedience. Unwavering, even to the point of death! Death on a cross!

As I watched the scene of John and Peter escaping from prison I immediately thought of lies, deceit and truth. I realized that lies and deceit had gotten them into prison. Not their own lies, but the lies of the Jews who feared loss of control. They couldn’t handle the truth. So they attempted to maintain their control by the manipulation of others. They attempted to silence the disciples by imprisonment but the Truth, capital T, set them free!

By the end of his life, Simon, whom Jesus named His “Rock”, Peter, became a rock of the faith. He eventually became who he was created to be. He became who Jesus wanted him to be. Jesus had a hand in that. He did what He had to do to transform Peter. That’s just what He does for us.

As we struggle through life, working hard to remain faithful and live holy lives, we shouldn’t be discouraged when we stumble. Jesus is with us every step of the way and we should trust, as Mary did, that what He promised will be accomplished. Open your heart to His will. He’s going to take you places you’ve never dreamed (as Joel Osteen would say). Remember those setbacks in your life are part of the plan. Look what he did with Saul. Imagine what He will do for you!