Dear Sisters and Brothers in Faith:
Benedictine Father Peter Tynan recalled the School-
house Rock educational cartoons shown on television a
few generations ago. They were meant to teach and
delight children with their upbeat music and meaningful
presentations of topics the children might encounter in
their classes at school. The first such cartoon to be
aired was “Three is a Magic Number.” It was meant to
help students with their multiplication tables, but the
cartoon also included reasons why three is a special
number.
There are three aspects of time: past, present, and
future.
The human person is comprised of three main parts:
heart, brain, and body.
There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and
charity.
The so-called nuclear family is comprised of at least
three individuals: father, mother, and child.
There seems to be something very solid about the
number three. Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel
wrote that Judaism revolves around three sacred
entities: God, Torah (the law of God), and Israel. He
said, God is the Creator, yet remains hidden; God be-
comes manifest in living out the Torah. This living out
of the Torah takes place in the community of Israel.
These three aspects of their faith are interdependent on
each other.
We Christians also hold the number three in reverence,
but not because it is a magic number. We tend to shy
away from talk of magic because it implies control over
the unknown. We stand in awe of what cannot be fully
grasped by humans, and we call it mystery. The num-
ber three is held in reverence because God has re-
vealed himself to be three in one. This is a mystical
Trinity where three distinct persons exist in a single be-
ing “consubstantially”, as we say in the new translation
of the Nicene Creed.
So three is indeed a special number—not magical, but
rather mystical. It points to God, who is the generator of
all love and creation. We stand in awe of our God and
hold close to our hearts all that point to the Trinity—
especially our families. In the family we can come close
to the image of what God is—a relationship of love that
creates new life. It is good to remember this thought as
we come together to give our triune God thanks by cel-
ebrating the Eucharist in reverence and love.
I hope you have a Christ-filled week!
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
May the Holy Spirit always be with you.
Deacon Mike