At the Corner of Mystery and Mundane

At the outset, I have to say that much of my thought today has been advised by Steve Shusset’s essay in HUNGRYHEARTS of Spring 2007.  He writes, “On the road of life there are innumerable occasions for us to stand at the corner of ‘Mystery’ and ‘Mundane’ and see God at work in the course of an an ordinary day.”  Trinity Sunday finds us at such an intersection:  the Spirit has been overflowing, and now we’re ready to plunge into Ordinary Time as we look at how the Church responds to Jesus’ call to free the captives, heal the sick and proclaim the Day of the Lord.

Proverbs 8 recognizes the constant presence of the Spirit of Wisdom “at the crossroads…beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals”.  “Wisdom’s fingerprints are allover God’s creation because Wisdom was there when everything in this world began.” (Richard Boyce, in FEASTING on the WORD, C 3:28)  There’s comfort for me in this reading:  it confirms that there IS a plan which is unfolding, a delight in the human race.

Romans 5:1-5 is typically Pauline in that it’s hard to digest without picking out the wonders contained in each phrase.  Verse 5,”God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”, quantifies all that has gone before:  peace with God, hope of sharing God’s glory, strength for even the most severe trials…  In the Spirit there’s no “disappointment”–disgrace of shamefulness– but a merry anticipation of completeness as we await God’s next move.

The Gospel (John 16:12-15) is our final encounter for now with the benedictory words of Jesus at the Last Supper.  He speaks of “the Spirit of Truth” which will guide the still-raw disciples along the holy way.  This Spirit is not a loose-cannon (canon?), but declares a genuine direction as an integral part of God.  Even though we faithful followers can’t “bear” the fullness which the Resurrection brings to the unfolding Creation, the Spirit of Truth will help us to keep intact despite news of tariffs, shootings and munitions.

Any Mystery should be approached with a sense of humble reverence.  Yet today’s readings bring a bubbling buoyancy about being alive in the holiness of Today!  If there’s an antidote to society’s current sourness, it’s the Church-message that God is happily in charge.  Reuben P. Jobs concludes it well:  “No day can be ordinary when God dwells within.  Every day is seen as blessed and holy, filled with opportunity and grace for all who put their trust in God.”  (A GUIDE TO PRAYER FOR ALL WHO SEEK GOD. Upper Room Books, Nashville:2003)

God Bless Us Every One                   Horace Brown King

My thoughts about lectionary passages assigned to the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com