The following is an extract from an article written by Sr. Karen Berry, O.S.F. and was originally published in The St. Anthony Messenger, June, 2002
When Jesus knew his death was near, he promised to send the Spirit to be with his disciples. After his resurrection he said, “I am with you always until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Just as Jesus had said he was one with the Father (in an earlier section), so now he said he was one with the Spirit.
This third Person in the Trinity, “proceeding from the Father and the Son,” is the ongoing inspiration providing gifts of wisdom, understanding and holiness to those who seek closeness with God.
Even though we name the Father first in the Trinity, Jesus tells us that the Person we name last will probably be the basis of our first connection with God. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Everyone who glorifies the Father does so through the Son in the Holy Spirit; everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him and the Spirit moves him” (#259).
So how will you find your true self? Discover the God who lives in you. Think about your strengths and weaknesses, your gifts and fears. Examine your thoughts, feelings and actions. You will find God the healer working within you, inspiring and supporting you, whenever you allow God to be your partner in growth.
Think of yourself as a type of “trinity.” All of us are capable of thinking, feeling and doing. But each of us is more at home in one realm than in the other two. One person may think all day but be slow to act. Another might be involved in lots of activities but not be very sensitive to how others feel. Some-one else might have great sensitivity to another’s need but be less inclined to think what action would be helpful.
Are you more comfortable as a thinker, a feeler or a doer? Do you suspect there are some untapped resources in yourself that, if developed, would enrich the way you approach life?
Prayer can touch and open up the parts of you that need to be brought into the whole picture of your self. You can allow the mystery of the Trinity to play an important role in your spiritual growth.
If you are a “thinker”-someone who likes to ponder and understand-you probably can easily find God in Jesus. Imitating Jesus appeals to you.
If you are a “feeling” type-one who is at home with your emotions-you probably relate well to God as Spirit, whose love is always flowing and filling all things.
If you are a “doer”-someone who is readily active and involved-you probably enjoy just “being” or resting when you come to prayer. Praying to God as Father, the Source and ground of your being, can be very satisfying.
Tap Trinity Energy
One high school student wrote a prayer which includes these words: “It’s easy to live with a God you’ve been taught, but it’s easier to love a God you’ve found in yourself.”
You can see it happen — in the story of Jesus, the story of the Church, the story of your life. In your own experience, you’ve discovered that love is both giving and receiving. You have seen in the Easter story that when love is shared, it brings to life something new. Jesus gave his life; now we are strong enough to give ours.
Think of the Trinity this way: the Father extending love (Creator), the Son embodying or giving visible shape to that love and offering it back (Redeemer) and the Holy Spirit being the shared love of Father and Son (Sustainer).
The Trinity lives within and embraces you. As the Trinity is One, so you are one unified whole. You are receiving love from God and returning love to God. In the process, you are always becoming someone new.
Sister Karen Berry is a Joliet Franciscan, with a master’s degree in religious studies, who has taught in high school for 25 years. Currently, she is the director of religious education for a parish family program in Tucson, Arizona. This is her second Youth Update.
