Matthew, Chapter 21, verse 26:
26 But if we say,
‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a
prophet.”
The chief
priests and the elders of the people were master politicians during Christ’s
time. Some of them were faithful in thought word and deed, but many were as
Christ pointed out like marble sepulchers which are pretty on the outside but
inside full of death and rottenness within. Many of them put on the airs of
piety but in reality were agnostic in nature.
Here we see
the priest and elders were afraid of
the people. I think in our time a similar thing occurred with Saint John Paul
II’s struggle with communism in Poland. John Paul was a John the Baptist of his
time. Poles like the Jews of the Baptists time identified with John Paul and
were hungry for a chance to cleanse themselves of the compromises they had to
make to live under the rule of the communist’s. I believe John the Baptist
message to have been very similar to John Paul’s.
“He told
them to be good, not to compromise themselves, to stick by one another, to be fearless, and that God is the
only source of goodness, the only standard of conduct. 'Be not afraid,' he said. Millions shouted in
response, 'We want God! We want God! We want God!' The regime cowered. Had the
Pope chosen to turn his soft power into the hard variety, the regime might have
been drowned in blood. Instead, the Pope simply led the Polish people to desert
their rulers by affirming solidarity with one another. The Communists managed
to hold on as despots a decade longer. But as political leaders, they were
finished. Visiting his native Poland in 1979, Pope John Paul II struck what turned
out to be a mortal blow to its Communist regime, to the Soviet Empire, [and]
ultimately to Communism."[1]
Feast of the Most Holy Trinity[2]
Sunday is dedicated to
the worship of the Triune God, and is called accordingly the Lord s day; but
the first Sunday after Pentecost is appointed by the Church a special feast of
the Most Holy Trinity, because this mystery, as the fundamental doctrine of the
Christian religion, began at once to be preached by the apostles, as soon as
they had been enlightened and strengthened by the descent of the Holy Ghost.
What thoughts and
affections should occupy our minds on this feast?
Although the mystery of
the Trinity is incomprehensible to us, we must consider:
1. That God would cease
to be God, if our limited understanding were capable of penetrating the
substance of nature.
2. The mystery of the
Blessed Trinity, though incomprehensible to our intellect, is yet not without
fruit in our hearts. The records of revelation show us God the Father as our
Creator, God the Son as our Redeemer, God the Holy Ghost as our Sanctifier; and
should not this move us to a child-like gratitude towards the blessed Trinity? In
praise of the Most Holy Trinity, the Church sings at the Introit of the Mass,
Blessed be the Holy Trinity and undivided Unity; we will give glory to Him,
because He hath shown His mercy to us. O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Thy
name in all the earth.
When we are filled with the essence of Christ we fear neither man nor
demon.
Trinity Sunday[3]
Superstition also ascribed great powers to the weather on Holy Trinity Sunday, regardless of what it was: "Trinity rain" was considered as healthy as "Trinity sunshine."
[1]
Angelo M. Codevilla, "Political Warfare: A Set
of Means for Achieving Political Ends", in Waller, ed., Strategic
Influence: Public Diplomacy, Counterpropaganda and Political Warfare (IWP
Press, 2008.)
[2]
Goffine’s Devout Instructions
[3]
http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/postpentecostcustoms.htm#Trinity_Sunday
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