Tried and True: Trinitarian Love

I was deeply moved by a recent story in the news. Identical twin brothers, Julian and Adrian Riester, both Franciscan Friars, died within hours of each other at the age of 92. These brothers were not only identical, they were inseparable. They went to school together, worked together, played together, and joined the Franciscan order together 65 years ago. They spent much of their time working as gardeners and carpenters at St. Bonaventure University in New York. Though they were a lot alike, they each had unique personalities. It was said that Adrian was more talkative than the more quiet Julian. I can’t help reflecting on the intimacy, the closeness and the radical nearness they shared—even to the point of death. Both died of heart failure, Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.

This story helps me to relate to the mystery of the Holy Trinity, which we celebrate this weekend. Like Julian and Adrian, the persons of the Trinity are separate yet connected, alike yet distinct, diverse yet unified. We celebrate Trinity Sunday once a year. Yet, every Sunday our prayer is trinitarian: we pray to God through Christ, in the Spirit; We profess the Trinity in our Creed; In fact, we began our spiritual lives by being baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Our entire lives are immersed in the Trinity!

Julian and Adrian lived and loved in community, not only with each other, but with the community of Franciscans. They existed not only for themselves but for others in lives of selfless giving and service. So, too, God lives and loves in a community of persons, and with us—selflessly giving, loving, and teaching us to do the same.

O Lord, show us how to live with and for one another. Amen.