2
Corinthians 13:11-13
God is
one, and God is love. To share
in God’s live is to share in
God’s love. Saint Paul knew
this when he wrote to the
Corinthians, “The grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love
of God and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with all of
you.”
We
often hear this verse of
scripture quoted at the
beginning of Mass when the
priest greets the people. He
says words that date back to
the first century. Our
communities today have the same
spiritual needs as the
Corinthians did of old.
Paul’s
greeting names all three
members of the Trinity and
assigns each of them a quality.
Jesus comes to us with grace,
the goodness that stirs up
thanksgiving in the heart. God
comes to us in love, the virtue
that sparked creation and that
led to our redemption. The
Spirit brings fellowship, a
sharing of God’s joy in our
communion with one another.
Paul
urged the Corinthians to
rejoice and to live in peace. A
harmonious community
experiences the presence of
God, because the Trinity dwells
in perfect harmony.
Church
communities are not perfect. We
do not always love as we
should. We cause division. We
neglect the needs of others.
But God gives us an example and
all the encouragement we need.
We aim for divine harmony and
we wish it for ourselves every
time we begin Mass with Paul’s
greeting. May grace, love, and
fellowship be ours.
