Dear Friends,
The Easter Season has finished, and today we celebrate the festival of the Most Holy Trinity, as we reflect on the nature and inner life of God. I am preaching at Holy Trinity, Avonside, and so will miss the Solemn Mass at S. Michael’s.
On Thursday we celebrate Corpus Christi, the festival of thanksgiving for the Blessed Sacrament. There are several Masses that day, including a School Mass at 8:40 am. At the Solemn Mass in the evening the preacher will be the Revd Carlie Hannah, Vicar of New Brighton, and the people of S. Luke’s are invited to join us. This will be followed by our usual pot-luck meal.
Next Sunday the preacher at the Solemn Mass will be the Revd Jim Robb, speaking from the point of view of Hospital Chaplaincy.
Many of you are familiar with the icon of the Holy Trinity, which is represented in black and white in this weeks Trumpet. It was made in 1425 by Andrew Rublev, in memory of the great Russian saint, Sergius (1313–1392). This icon is often reproduced in our day, and is well worth meditating upon. It was painted by Rublev, not only to share his own meditation on the mystery of the Holy Trinity, but also to offer his fellow monks a way to keep their hearts centred on God while living in the midst of terrible political unrest. Ever since, prayerful people have found it an aid to living in God’s house and way of love while remaining fully engaged in the struggles of our hate-and fear-filled world.
What we do and think about God (even if we don’t!) really matters to the way in which we engage in society. The false images of God which we may hold can make us very unhappy and even destructive people. Growth into the image of God as Trinity can help us to be stable at our centre and resilient at our boundaries, and thus able to be makers and bearers of healthy community.
May God bless you all.
Peter Williams
