One easy relational tool we can use is objectification). It is the ability to reduce persons to objects. Its use offers us the false sense of control.

I’ve got you! You are a customer, patient, a Republican, an Irisher, a Catholic; a “something” by which the other becomes a what instead of a who. I know all I need to know to deal with and around you. I demystify and confine you to safe parameters.  

We objectify the mysteriousness of others, because it takes too long to solve and be less frightened of the other’s mystery. I have encountered married persons who complain to me, “Father, I cannot figure her/him out after all these years”. I usually reply that this is a good thing, she/he is an evolving mystery to be received, reverenced and enjoyed. This response seems to end the conversation quickly.

What confronts us today in the liturgy and every day of our faith-life is the mystery of a God, which would be hard enough to deal with, but a Trinity, three relational un-parts of the Oneness. So how’s that for you? Now let us objectify for a while. God is Mother or Father? Nope! So how’s about a three-leaf shamrock, one flower in three displays? Nope! How about we picture a mother who generates a daughter and loves the daughter so much that the mother guides, protects, encourages and shares her daughter. That sounds good! Nope!

Our human arrogance desires to figure out God, just as we like to figure out everybody else for safety reasons, so we can perform, manipulate or render benevolent the other. We can also assume that the other is relating with us in a similar manner. It is all a business then.

Hold on! Moses, in our First Reading, bows down experiencing a Some-Who provokes wonder rather than personal comprehension. In our Gospel Jesus offers His friends the unearned Love which un-defines any image which they may have had and lived with in their Jewish formation. They will want more images, names, pictures which will assist them in their relationships with this new/old God. Jesus never takes away from His disciples the freedom which faith provides.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit are good words, names, human concepts, but these do not take away our desire for “More please” which keeps us reaching. What John’s verses say to us is that this One-God does not choose to love us as we do with one another. This One-God does one relational move, to continually and constantly and creationly love us and each. We want to know why and how and for how long and be satisfied!! We would wish to objectify this God so we could perhaps get more love, or more forgiveness or more new objects to figure out.

What we celebrate in this liturgy is our human limitedness and the infinite embrace of the un-figure-outableness of this mystery Jesus called Father. We, like Moses bow down and in our humility say, “If that’s the way You want it, well it’s not really the way we’d like it, but okay”. “Have it Your Way and Ways”. God so loves the world that He keeps sending us life and life eternal. This is all not to be figured out or objectified, but received, not achieved, but believed.

I could have explained clearly the whole Trinity of course and I just might some day; stay tuned.