18- THE HOLY TRINITY God has revealed Himself to us: the Father Who is the Author and Creator of All, the Son Who has brought us to the Father, and the Holy Spirit Who is the Life-giver. We have received God's self-revelation and are filled with the life of the Trinity dwelling in us. We celebrate this fullness of revelation and our sharing in God's life. The dogma of the Trinity is the fundamental Christian experience. Unable to make an image of God, iconography frequently represents the Holy Trinity in the form of the Three Angels who visited Abraham by the Oak of Mamre. "The Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot. Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby." (Gen. 18: 1-2) To show that they belong to the heavenly world, they are depicted as winged Angels. Sitting at table, side by side, as equals in rank, the Three Persons of the Trinity are proclaimed by the Icon to be equal yet distinct. This truth is again emphasized by the figures -each having identical staves in their left hands and holding their wings in identical position - emphasizing the single nature of the three divine persons. The Icon symbolically reveals the unity of the Trinity of the Godhead by showing its triune action in the world. The Icon achieves a mood of inner peace and recollection. This image of the biblical event shows the first appearance of God to man, signifying the beginning of the promise of redemption. The Icon also links the beginning of this promise with its fulfillment on Pentecost Day - the final revelation of the Holy Trinity. The revelation of God in the Old Testament and its fulfillment in the New Testament are joined together in the Icon. On Pentecost, the grace-given knowledge of the mystery of the Holy Trinity -consubstantial, undivided, yet distinct - is revealed to the world. On the day of Christ's baptism in the waters of the Jordan River, the manifestation of the Trinity was accessible only to the external senses - the Baptist heard the voice of the Father, saw the Son, and beheld the Spirit in the form of a Dove. On the day of Pentecost the whole being of man was opened to its mystery as "all were filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2: 4) The Holy Spirit gives life. Because we are redeemed by the Son of God, we are able to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives life to man and enables him to "become sharers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1: 4) Through the power of the Holy Spirit it is possible for us to see God and participate in the Kingdom of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. TROPARION -Blessed are You, O Christ God, Who have filled the fisher- men with wisdom, sending down upon them the Holy Spirit; and through them have caught in Your net the whole world. 0 Lover of Mankind, glory be to You!
What other people think about me is not my concern When you concern yourself with doing only what others "think" you can do, you lay the floor of your prison. When you conform your activities based on what others might say, you put the bars around your prison. When you allow what others have done or are doing to determine what you can do, you build the roof of your prison. When you allow fear, competition or greed to guide your actions, you lock yourself up and throw away the key. It is our concern over what others say, do and think about us that imprisons our mind, body and spirit. I have never been contained except that I made the prison.