Five Minute Sermons, Volume II.: For Low Masses on All Sundays of the Year by Priests of the Congregation of St. PaulPaulist Fathers
Religion
Five Minute Sermons, Volume II.: For Low Masses on All Sundays of the Year by Priests of the Congregation of St. Paul
Paulist Fathers
Catholic Church -- Sermons; Sermons, American -- 19th century
It was the faith in the Most Holy Trinity that the Apostles were
sent forth to teach throughout all the world to every creature.
It is into this faith that every Christian is baptized by the
invocation of the thrice-holy name of the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost, and because of this baptism he is bound to
persevere all his life long in that steadfast faith in the Holy
Trinity for which the church to-day teaches us to pray. Think it
not strange that this doctrine should be so deep a mystery. We
are surrounded on all sides by mysteries. There is scarcely a
department of knowledge into which we can turn our minds where we
are not met by things which we cannot understand. There is,
therefore, nothing wonderful in the fact that God is the greatest
mystery of all. We cannot solve the mysteries of nature and of
life as we see them before us. How, then, can we expect to
comprehend the nature and the inner life of God? It is not for
us, with our poor, feeble minds, to ask the how or the why, but
simply to bow down in humble adoration before the truth of God as
he has revealed himself to us. Faith would not be the virtue that
it is if everything were perfectly plain to us. The chief merit
of faith is in accepting on God's authority that which is beyond
our own reason. His revelation of himself to us is only partial.
The full light that we are capable of receiving will not come
until we are before his throne, and see him face to face, for it
is only when that which is perfect shall come that that which is
in part shall be done away. For now we see, as it were, through a
glass, in an obscure manner, now we know but in part, but then we
shall know even as we are known. Meanwhile our time of trial
remains, and we must submit our minds as well as our hearts and
wills to God.
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But he has not given us this partial revelation of himself in
order to perplex and worry us. He has told us all that is good
and needful for us to know in our present state. We should not,
therefore, fix our minds upon that which he has chosen to hide
from us, but upon that which he actually has revealed to us, and
we shall find in this more than enough for our love and devotion.
Each Person of the Blessed Trinity has some special relation to
us, and there are, therefore, special acts of love and adoration
which we can pay to each. He has revealed himself to us as the
Father, not only as the Father of the Eternal Son, but as our
Father as well; our Father, because he has adopted us as his
children. Nothing that we know on earth of a father's love can
compare with the tenderness with which the Eternal Father regards
his children. We, therefore, must become as little children
towards him, looking up to him with love, with reverence, with
simple trust, striving to fulfil his holy will in perfect
obedience, knowing that he wills only our good, here and
hereafter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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