January 3, 2011: Susan discovers relationships within Theology
While studying the many scholars on the first book of the Bible, including Pope John Paul II, Susan once again learned we, humanity, were created in God's image and likeness. What is God's image and likeness? Through Sacred Tradition, it has been told to us that God is three persons in One God. We must be able to learn something about relationships if He is one God in three persons.
The Father gives himself over to the Son holding nothing back and the Son completely accepts everything of the Father rejecting nothing. At the same time, the Son gives himself totally over to the Father holding nothing back and the Father accepts everything of the Son rejecting nothing. This is a total self-gift. The love between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit.
We, humanity, mirror the Trinity primarily in marriage. The husband gives himself totally over to his wife holding nothing back and the wife completely accepts her husband rejecting nothing. At the same time, the wife completely gives herself over to her husband holding nothing back and he completely accepts her rejecting nothing. This love is shown most completely in the marital act. In the marital act, the perfection of spousal love, a child is created. .. the love between a husband and wife.
Susan realized that when she dated, she needed to keep her eyes wide open. She needed to ask and rely upon the gifts of the Holy Spirit she received at Confirmation: especially wisdom, knowledge and and understanding. When she dated someone, she wanted to know "is this person interested in being FOR me, or getting FROM me? If he appears to be FOR me, is that so later he can get something FROM me, or is this genuine other-centeredness? Chaste dating would be the only way to know for sure. If either of the partners in the relationship was pressuring for chastity to be ignored or done away with, it would be quite apparent the one doing the pressuring was wanting FROM. And, that person was not interested in mirroring the Trinity but taking something that does not belong to him/her.
As Susan dated, she continued her quest to find her vocation. She continued to study. She once again learned that at the right time, deemed by God, The Son would come into the world in the incarnation. The Son of God would be Son of God and Son of Man. He would receive the name of Jesus. Jesus would grow into manhood and after his baptism He would form a community of men/apostles around him. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, it would be clear to the apostles they were to continue what Jesus had begun. St. Paul would later call Jesus the bridegroom and the church the bride. Scripture scholars would say that in the Old Testament, the bride and bridegroom imagery foreshadowed Jesus as the groom and the Church as the bride.
Susan was taught that there is another way to mirror the Trinity besides two biological people entering into marriage. The priest stands in the person of Jesus (last blog post) and is wedded to the Church. The two becoming one give us the sacramental life. In other words, when a husband and wife give biological life, they bring the biological life to the Church to have spiritual life given to the child. So, the Church and the Priest give spiritual life in the sacraments.
Susan also realized that the religious sister is called a bride of Christ. She stands in the person of the Church and is wed to Christ. How can this be, however, since there are thousands of sisters and only one Christ? In Christ we are all one. In the Church, we are all one. Jesus Christ is not in polygamous relationships. The sisters stand in the person of Church. The sisters nourish and nurture the Church's children who are given life by the sacraments.
Susan had always felt that deep desire to nourish and nurture children ...and...everyone for that matter. Maybe she was called to mirror the Trinity not as a married person (to another biological person) but as a bride of Christ. Jesus the groom, her the bride and giving spiritual nourishment to the Children of the Church and God.
The Father gives himself over to the Son holding nothing back and the Son completely accepts everything of the Father rejecting nothing. At the same time, the Son gives himself totally over to the Father holding nothing back and the Father accepts everything of the Son rejecting nothing. This is a total self-gift. The love between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit.
We, humanity, mirror the Trinity primarily in marriage. The husband gives himself totally over to his wife holding nothing back and the wife completely accepts her husband rejecting nothing. At the same time, the wife completely gives herself over to her husband holding nothing back and he completely accepts her rejecting nothing. This love is shown most completely in the marital act. In the marital act, the perfection of spousal love, a child is created. .. the love between a husband and wife.
Susan realized that when she dated, she needed to keep her eyes wide open. She needed to ask and rely upon the gifts of the Holy Spirit she received at Confirmation: especially wisdom, knowledge and and understanding. When she dated someone, she wanted to know "is this person interested in being FOR me, or getting FROM me? If he appears to be FOR me, is that so later he can get something FROM me, or is this genuine other-centeredness? Chaste dating would be the only way to know for sure. If either of the partners in the relationship was pressuring for chastity to be ignored or done away with, it would be quite apparent the one doing the pressuring was wanting FROM. And, that person was not interested in mirroring the Trinity but taking something that does not belong to him/her.
As Susan dated, she continued her quest to find her vocation. She continued to study. She once again learned that at the right time, deemed by God, The Son would come into the world in the incarnation. The Son of God would be Son of God and Son of Man. He would receive the name of Jesus. Jesus would grow into manhood and after his baptism He would form a community of men/apostles around him. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, it would be clear to the apostles they were to continue what Jesus had begun. St. Paul would later call Jesus the bridegroom and the church the bride. Scripture scholars would say that in the Old Testament, the bride and bridegroom imagery foreshadowed Jesus as the groom and the Church as the bride.
Susan was taught that there is another way to mirror the Trinity besides two biological people entering into marriage. The priest stands in the person of Jesus (last blog post) and is wedded to the Church. The two becoming one give us the sacramental life. In other words, when a husband and wife give biological life, they bring the biological life to the Church to have spiritual life given to the child. So, the Church and the Priest give spiritual life in the sacraments.
Susan also realized that the religious sister is called a bride of Christ. She stands in the person of the Church and is wed to Christ. How can this be, however, since there are thousands of sisters and only one Christ? In Christ we are all one. In the Church, we are all one. Jesus Christ is not in polygamous relationships. The sisters stand in the person of Church. The sisters nourish and nurture the Church's children who are given life by the sacraments.
Susan had always felt that deep desire to nourish and nurture children ...and...everyone for that matter. Maybe she was called to mirror the Trinity not as a married person (to another biological person) but as a bride of Christ. Jesus the groom, her the bride and giving spiritual nourishment to the Children of the Church and God.
posted by Fr. Joe Corel at
9:19 AM
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