CathNews New Zealand

We prepare for Mass, gathering together in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen. So let’s look at that sentence and ask ourselves, which word is the most important? Is it the aspect of God that feels closest to our heart? What about God the creator of all that is? What can be more important than God our loving Father? Then there’s God the son, our Saviour Jesus Christ who came to dwell among us. Perhaps we feel closer to Jesus  because he is the bridge between the creator and the created. But let’s not forget the Holy Spirit, the aspect of God that guides us from day to day.  Where would we be without that continual guidance? If choosing one of these doesn’t suit us, we can opt for the Trinity, three in one and one in three. Trinity sounds right, especially followed by amen.  Amen seals the blessing. Maybe that word too, has some importance. While we agree that all the words of the blessing are significant to our faith, let’s look at a little word that we have missed, a word used without much thought. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Remember those early school days when we are told that and is a joining word? Let’s take that little word into a moment of prayer. It is and that reminds us that the Trinity is three in one. ‘And ‘is about connection, about relationship. That little three letter word cements our understanding of families, communities, nations. Where and is missing in the world, there is often a breakdown in communication.. In our prayer, we can reflect on all the ways and operates in our lives. In quiet simplicity, and is present to kindness, cooperation, laughter, growth, love. Each time we remember an act of loving-kindness, we will find and somewhere in the middle. We give thanks for all the times that separation through misunderstanding has been healed, a gap replaced by and. Then there are all those aspects of life experience that increase the knowing of God. These learnings have not been incidental. They are part of God’s ongoing plan for us. We understand that when we link them all with and. Again, we give thanks. When we look at Jesus’ life, we see it is all about connection. We can go through the gospels making a list of Jesus and…  But that list would be never ending. So instead we sit in stillness with Jesus, feeling the peace of his presence. We have come to the final connection in this time of prayer with the little  important word. To Jesus we say “You.”  Then we say, “and.” Then we say. “me.” Amen.

• Joy Cowley is a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and retreat facilitator.

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News category: Analysis and Comment.