Pope Francis
has made another of his bold moves. He
has talked this time - not about migrants or climate change or family issues –
but about holiness. This is hardly a headline grabber and people are not
queuing up to buy his book, entitled Rejoice
and be Glad or, in its Latin original,
Gaudete et Exsultate. He is simply
saying, if Christians would be
Christians they would have a powerful leaven impact on the world.
Trinity
Sunday! We believe that within God
himself there is motion: a relationship between Father and Son and Holy
Spirit. There is a dynamism that is
communicated to us and our relationships.
Our primary relationship is between man and woman and children – another
trinity. (The Two Trinities are caught
in one picture of this title by the 17th century Spanish painter
Bartolomé Murillo). This basic dynamism,
which we learn at our mother’s breast, gives birth to all our relationships.
Holiness,
Francis tells us, is living in tune with the Beatitudes, which are the
“identity card” of the Christian (# 65).
They are Jesus’ “election manifesto”, his fundamental statement about
the qualities needed for the Kingdom, which he is announcing, to take root and
flourish. Fundamental to this manifesto,
this identity card, is the first statement, “Blessed (or happy, or holy – it is
all the same) are the poor in spirit.”
These six words, which go in the opposite direction to the flow of life
in the world today, say everything. They
ask us to be truly open to life and tune our own values, plans and desires to
the will of God, which is our happiness.
A recent
article in The Atlantic describes the
opposite; values which appear to be held by the present occupants of the US
White House; “Blessed are the proud.
Blessed are the ruthless. Blessed
are the shameless. Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for fame.”
To live the Beatitudes
of Mathew 5 today calls for “boldness”, Francis tells us (#129), as we will be
going against the current. This is holiness.
The pope encourages us to realise that all our actions, which are
grounded in truth and compassion, are ways in which we live out holiness. The
whole papal letter is simply saying: happiness, holiness – call it what you
will – are attainable to ordinary people – you and me – if we try each day to
live out of truth and mercy. “ We need
to live humbly in his presence,” he says (#51), “cloaked in his glory (and)
once we stop trying to live our lives without him the anguish of loneliness
will disappear.” (cf. Ps 139:23-24)
27 May 2018 Trinity
Sunday
Deuteronomy 4:32…40 Roman 8:14-17 Matthew 28:16-20
