The Father's gift in Christ

On Friday the Seventh Week of Easter our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the second letter of the apostle John entitled "Whoever is faithful to the teachings of Christ possesses both the Father and the Son". Our treasure, which follows, is from the treatise On the Trinity by Saint Hilary, bishop. Saint Hilary was a fourth century bishop of Poitiers, France and a Doctor of the Church. His name comes from the Latin word for happy or cheerful. Saint Hilary is best known as the leading opponent of Arianism during his time. Arianism was named after Arian, a priest who taught that Jesus Christ was not divine. Arianism was becoming popular among Christians in this era and Saint Hilary's theological position was supported by Constantine the Great.   Saint Hilary's "On the Trinity" provides a comprehensive discussion of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son: they are consubstantial, co-eternal, and fully equal. This work was a trailblazer in its day because, apart from Tertullian's relatively brief remarks on the Trinity, it is the earliest study of Trinitarian doctrine in the Latin language. Our "treasure" today from Saint Hilary teaches that Jesus Christ is the greatest gift the Father has given to humanity because through Christ we receive divine life, truth, and salvation. Hilary explains that the Father and the Son are perfectly united in nature and love, so to know and receive Christ is to know and receive the Father himself. He emphasizes that eternal life is not earned by human effort alone but is given through God's grace in Christ, who brings believers into communion with the Father. The main message is that God lovingly gives himself to us through his Son so that we may share in his life forever. The main message from our first reading from John is that true faithfulness to God means remaining faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John warns Christians not to be led astray by false teachers who deny the truth about Christ, because abandoning Christ's teaching also means losing communion with the Father. At the same time, he encourages believers to live in love, obedience, and truth, reminding them that genuine Christian love is inseparable from fidelity to Christ's commandments. In short, the letter teaches that staying rooted in the authentic teaching of Christ keeps believers united with both the Father and the Son.