“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).

God the Father loves each of us who, have existed, exists, and will exist with an infinite love, an unconditional love. He loves us not because of what we do, there is nothing we can do to earn his love. He loves us even in our faults and sins, even when we choose so many things over and/or instead of him. 

He has shown that love most powerfully in sending his Son to become one with us in our humanity to accompany us, not just in one point in history and time but now in this moment as I write these words and, in your moment, when you read them. He has become one with us so that we can become one with him in his divinity. 

The gift of Jesus entering into our human reality is that he reveals to us the wonderful glory of the Trinity. In the fullness of Jesus’ Paschal Mystery, his incarnation, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, we are invited into the fullness of the divine communion of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In ascending to the Father, still fully divine and now fully human, he opened the door for us to experience the infinite love shared by these three infinite persons. 

The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are present with and for us, each in their own unique ways, to lead and guide us to our true purpose which is to be loved by them, to receive their love, and to love others as we have been loved. 

One simple way to accept the gift of this trinitarian love is inviting Jesus into our present moment. Sit in a quiet place, make the sign of the cross, take a few deep breaths, and then simply say or think the name of Jesus on each inhalation. 

Breathing deeply, slowly, and calling upon the name of Jesus is no mere psychological trick. When we call on the name of Jesus, invite the Son of God to be one with us and we express the humility that without God we can do nothing. We accept that Jesus is the Son of God and we are not, that Jesus came to save us and restore us to our rightful relationship with the Father so that we may intimately experience the love between them, the Holy Spirit. 

Praying in this way, when all is going well, is a good way to express thanksgiving for all that God gives us. Making this practice a consistent habit provides the foundation for those times when life gets bumpy. When we start to experience fear, doubt, anxiety, indecision, or whatever mental negativity comes our way, no matter where we are, we can close our eyes, breathe, call on the name of Jesus, bring up his image to our mind’s eye, and gaze upon his face. In this way, we will rise above any negative mental waves which seek to undo us and drag us down, and like Peter, we too will walk on water!

Picture: Taken while walking this evening and praying the rosary.

Mass readings from Sunday, June 4, 2023