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Dear St. Augustine's 'ohana,
Sometimes things go a little sideways. Mostly that's not a big deal, like when I'm making dinner and steam the broccoli (takes 7 minutes) before starting the rice (takes 25 minutes).
On occasion, I realize I've messed up something more important, like delaying a call to family on the mainland, forgetting to express my appreciation for others, or missing a meeting.
We get caught up in the whirlwind of life. We spend time and energy worrying about the small stuff instead of focusing on what's important. In the grand scheme of things, eating cold cooked broccoli isn't horrible, but missing out on meaningful connections with others matters.
We observe Trinity Sunday this week, focusing on the three-in-one aspect of the Divine: God, Son, and Holy Spirit. Woven together as inseparable, yet also present with us in distinct ways, our Trinity God creates, teaches, and inspires us----a trio of guiding help when things go a little sideways.
Made in God's image, we carry a "trinity" within us, too. We are present in the world physically, mentally, and spiritually. These aspects of our being are knit together as one, yet each provides us with distinct ways of interacting with the world. Body, mind, and soul combine to connect with God, creation, and one another.
Jesus came to show us a way to live as embodied souls, to show us how to find guidance from God through the Divine Spirit we carry within ourselves. "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you," he says (John 14:20), teaching us that we can be in unity with God and each other.
Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, we are eternal souls packed into physical bodies. But sometimes we go a little sideways. We forget about our spirit. Daily routines trick us into thinking we are bodies navigating the world, with our souls merely hitching a ride.
Yes, sometimes we get off track. The idea of a triune God reminds us to attend to our spiritual lives -- to embrace all aspects of ourselves: body, mind, and spirit. Living into our spiritual selves, may we find comfort, guidance, and wisdom to think and act in the world with Divine grace. May we create, teach, and inspire with our whole selves, as God forms us, as Jesus shows us, and as the Holy Spirit moves us.
In Christ,
Jennifer
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