The Christ Within Us: A Retreat Reflection Sister Betty Igo, SFP, MS, M.Ed. [This article was reprinted with permission from the Association of Christian Therapists newsletter, InterAct, Fall 2007.] “…through Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, almighty Father.” Here we become involved in the very rhythm of Trinitarian life in the movement between one Person and another, The Trinity is not, so to speak, at the head of the line but is itself the line along which our prayer passes. This is a prayer mode with the Trinity and not just to the Trinity. Because of the love infused in us by the Holy Spirit, we love God through God, we can say the same about prayer in general: “We pray to God through God.” Christian prayer is distinct from all other types of prayer precisely because of this.” As I read the above words in Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM, Cap.’s book, Contemplating the Trinity my heart leapt. The author’s words, that we Christians “pray to God through God,” jumped out at me and I realized that they were calling for a deeper pondering. Being on retreat, I began my reflection upon them. When we, as Christians, pray “through Christ” we are praying in the power of the Indwelling Trinity and not just sending created ego energy to the one in need of healing. By faith we are united with, and prayerfully sending forth, the uncreated, Divine Trinitarian energy of Love, Goodness and Truth that dwells within us. Our union allows for the very life and healing energy of God to flow through our prayer to the ones for whom we are in intercession. Taking it yet further I wondered, as we are united to the cycle of love within the Trinity and loving “God through God,” we are praying that the same Divine healing energy of the Holy Spirit that empowered the Risen Jesus raise up the person for whom we are praying. This is far beyond our limited psychic energy, we are asking the Holy Spirit present in the indwelling presence within us to be the mighty healing energy available when we connect through our faith in Jesus. We are going directly to the Source of all Energy the love of the Blessed Trinity. I thought of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, who brought our humanity into the fullness of that indwelling cycle of love, and thanked the Father for His tremendous gift to us. I thought of how Jesus spent His life here on earth, as He spends His Godhead existence in the Trinity seeking always to glorify the Father, do His Will and exalt Him to all His creatures. There is no selfishness in the Trinity. Even when Jesus was with us here on earth, He sought always to please His Father and spend His life teaching us how to do that. He promised us His Spirit so as to continue to free us to love. I thought, just as His healing ministry flows from that Trinitarian love so must ours. As with Jesus, healing begins in Community and its end is community. Romans 5:5 came to my mind. “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.” As Christians, we never stand alone in the healing ministry because that indwelling Trinitarian love flows through us. As we gather within ACT (Association of Christian Therapists) to give public witness, I continue the hope that the healing power of the indwelling Trinity may be evermore set free to glorify the Trinity through us and continue its outreach of healing to poor, suffering humanity. My heart filled with gratitude and the need arose to prayerfully ask for His guidance: “I thank you, Father, for the action of Your Holy Spirit incarnating the Son within us each day as we envision and enter into the light of Your Trinitarian Love. May You send forth that same Trinitarian healing Love of the Risen Jesus to flow through us to our brothers and sisters in need of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual healing. May we be so one with Your Divine Will that the Divine healing energy flowing through us will purify our own limited psychic energy and enrich it with the power of Your own Strength, of Your own Truth, Love and Goodness overcoming our world’s division and violence. And finally, may the realization of the Indwelling Trinity allow Jesus to become incarnate within us, as ACT members, and strengthen us to faithfully bring forth His healing ministry, allowing His Healing Presence to again be felt and acknowledged in today’s world.”(prayer - Sr. Betty Igo)
© Franciscan Sisters of the Poor |
