23 MAY 2024
If we are to learn one thing from the Trinity, it is that God is relational. We see that all three persons of the Trinity relate beautifully to each another in love, and we witness how such love forms a perfect unity. Furthermore, as the three persons of the Trinity exist in love, the Triune God seeks a loving relationship with each of us. We see this love in the life of Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and God's desire to always be near to us. The Christian God is a relational God of love.
Thus, our faith is never an individual exercise. Our salvation in Christ is not personal; it is communal. Without other Christians, we cannot be Christian. Just as the Trinity cannot exist with only one person, so we cannot practice our faith in a vacuum. Community relationships are necessary if the love of God is to be made manifest.
This is one of the reasons why worship and fellowship in the church are essential for authentic faith. When we worship together, we practice the love that binds the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When we gather for fellowship, we are called to be in the presence of our neighbors, seeking to love those persons we normally would not encounter or include. Christianity, as faithful to the life of the Trinity, is a faith that is forever seeking relationships with others through love.
Did you know that if no one shows up for a mass, tradition maintains that the Eucharist is not to be celebrated? The priest may commence the mass, but if no one shows up by the proclamation of the Gospel, the priest does not proceed with the Holy Communion. Thankfully this never happens at our weekday masses at St. Mark's.
God is relational, and Christianity requires relationships. There must always be two people present for a mass. There must be the potential not only for the Body of Christ in the bread and the wine, but also the potential for the Body of Christ in the relationships of the people. There have been exceptions to this practice in history, but we can safely argue that when the faithful gather for the Sacrament of Holy Communion, two or three people are to be present. This is not because we are trying to elevate the status of the laity and diminish clerical hierarchy, although that can be contextually important. There is a richer reason.
Worship is the school in which we practice opening up ourselves for perfect relationship with God and each other. This does not always work, as humans are fallible, but we would be hard-pressed to find another situation in life that fosters such relationality between people. When you visit with one another after church on Sundays, it is not because you are naturally predisposed to love your neighbor. Worship has formed you to reach out to others, even those you hardly know. The economy of the Sacraments has opened your eyes to love your neighbor. You have been inspired by the perfect love of the three persons of the Trinity, and thus you go forth to find that love, whether in friends or complete strangers.
Father Paul Lillie +
