The vision of Cardinal Mahony rests on a theological foundation that is Trinitarian through and through. Recall that, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Trinity is "the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the source of all the other mysteries of Christian faith, the light that enlightens them" (CCC 234).

Often thought to be the most lofty, abstract and incomprehensible of Christian truths, the Trinity is, in fact, the most practical. Because it is a teaching about communion of three who are distinct --- in One Love. It is about nothing more or less than diversity and unity, about the God who is first and finally Love, about love as the life that pours itself forth, and never stops coming as gift. It is all this and more. Because the Trinity is not just a teaching about God. It is just as much about who we are created to be; what we are called to become.

Underpinning Cardinal Mahony's and Pope Benedict XVI's emphasis on communion, there is this theological truth: All who are baptized are invited to share in the very life of God. We are incorporated into the Body of Christ in those waters, and the Spirit given in baptism is sealed and strengthened in confirmation. Those so baptized and confirmed live to the glory of God the Father in all they say and do.

This is to say that the Cardinal's vision of communion is deeply sacramental and doxological, a vision shaped through and through by worship and praise of God. Our life is a life of participation in the very life of God, so that the whole of our lives, every inch and ounce of who and what we are, exists for the praise and glory of God, not just when we celebrate the sacraments, but with every breath we take.

Called to share in the Church's mission
In As I Have Done for You, the Pastoral Letter on Ministry, Cardinal Mahony and the priests of the Archdiocese wrote:

"All Christians are configured to Christ through baptism, for that is the sacrament by which the new People of God are incorporated into the Church, participate in Christ's death and resurrection, and assume the name "Christian." All Christians are called to a life of discipleship and have the obligation of extending his work and presence in the world today, advancing the Reign of God in our own time and place. All share in the one same vocation --- to be and to build the Body of Christ, building up the Kingdom of God here and now."

The baptized are called to share in the Church's mission through mutual service (diakonia), through a life of worship (leitourgia), and through witness (marturia) to the Gospel by holiness of life. These are the hallmarks of Christian living. The manner and degree of engagement in this common call differ, depending on the gifts and ministries given by the Spirit: "And the gifts are given so that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers" (Ephesians 4: 11).

Most lay persons are called to transform the world by living out their baptismal vocation, being and becoming the Body of Christ in the world, advancing the Kingdom of God, amidst the pressing demands of marriage, family, school and workplace.

The baptized also witness to the light and love of Christ through all forms of prophetic utterance, through teaching, through the ministry of catechesis, through theological reflection by which they seek to probe the riches of the Word and the Christian tradition, and through participation in the Church's evangelical mission, sometimes being sent from home and country as heralds and servants of the good news in other lands.

The baptized worship God in Spirit and in Truth through full, conscious and active participation in the Sunday liturgy, through the proclamation of the Word in word and in deed, through the liturgical ministries of lector, musician or eucharistic minister, through the many other ministries which serve to animate the community gathered for prayer.

The baptized serve God through administration, feeding the hungry, caring for the needs of the sick, working for justice, washing the feet of the homeless, safeguarding and protecting the rights of the last, the littlest, and the least, giving the Body and Blood of Christ to those gathered at the Table of the Lord, and bringing this Holy Communion to those who are sick at home or in hospital.

In all these ways and more, the gifts of the Christian people for witness, worship and service are being shared for the greater glory of God in a community of faith, hope and love whose members together become a living doxology --- alive for the praise and glory of God the Father, through Christ the Word, in the creative and bonding Spirit of Love through which the world is transformed.

The heart and soul of our communion
As you will note from the Cardinal's remarks, these three --- witness, worship and the service of charity --- are echoed years later in Benedict XVI's encyclical Deus Caritas Est. They are the heart and soul of our communion with the living God and with one another.

This understanding of communion is also hierarchical. Theologically, the word "hierarchical" does not mean higher, but means to have one's source in the sacred or the holy. All ministers in the Church, ordained and non-ordained, as well as all the baptized, have their source in the sacred. This is what it means to say that the Church is hierarchical.

To say that the Church is hierarchical does NOT, at root, mean that some have it --- such as power --- and some don't. Or, that some are higher and holier than others by virtue of their state in life or by the sacrament of orders. It does mean that all gifts, ministries and offices are to be understood relationally --- as the Three in One Love are related to one another. To say that gifts, ministries and offices are related is not to say that they are interchangeable. Priests and bishops act in a relationship of headship while other ministers act in relationship as other members of a Body --- elbow, ankle, hands, heart, head, lungs or neck.

Our communion is rooted in our baptism and in doxology, that is, in praise. All ministry: the ministry of the ordained, the ecclesial ministry of laypersons, and the common priesthood of the baptized, are all rooted in the one same source: Baptism, by which we share in the life of the One Love, whose being is communion, that is, Three in One Love. For which we give thanks.

A word about culture. At the heart of Cardinal Mahony's vision is a clear and compelling commitment to diversity, specifically cultural diversity. Again his position rests on Trinitarian underpinnings. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit. Each is distinct from the other. Neither is subordinate, lesser, than the other. The three are altogether equal, yet distinct, different from one another. Our differences in language, culture, economic standards, yes, even religious convictions, are a reflection of the divine life --- three, not one, in One Love, and our differences can be a taste of the divine life when we embrace and celebrate them.

Why? Very simply: The Gospel of the Lord Christ is to be preached to all peoples, to the ends of the earth. To this end, each and every culture --- so deeply part of who a people is --- must be known, respected, and embraced --- not just tolerated. Saint Thomas Aquinas had it right: Whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver. Disturbing instances of genocide --- for example the Rwandan Massacres --- give clear indication that the Gospel was not received, did not take, in that soil. Is it because it was preached in such a way, as if it might have been preached anywhere else, to any other people, be they in Norway, Nigeria, Tamil Nadu or Tennessee?

Communication. The importance of effective communication, too, rests, on Trinitarian foundations. The Three in One Love do not exist in a sort of self-imposed blissful solitary confinement. God is Love. And love is the life that pours itself forth. In other words, God is the great communicator: God so loved the world that he SENT the only son; and poured OUT the Spirit into our hearts. God is not self-absorbed, self-preoccupied, but always and every where constantly coming as gift.

The Mission of Jesus is the reason for the Church. And the mission of Jesus was to preach the Good News, the Kingdom of God, a world made new in which holiness, truth, justice, love and peace will prevail over all evil. Our life is to be poured out in this mission of communicating the love of God in and to the world. We need always to find more effective ways to be true to this mission, first, in our own dealings with one another, and then in the wider world.

Reason for our hope
It seems a daunting task. But there is reason for our hope. For the Church is not ours, it is Christ's, and Christ is God's. You and I have received the inheritance of the Spirit, and what this means is nothing less than living from, in, for and toward the light, life and love of God. Even as the Church finds itself in a weakened state in many parts of the world, it is ours to take confidence as we strive to be a sacrament of reconciliation for the whole world.

Remember this: in Trinitarian perspective, when you and I reach an impasse, face irreconcilable differences, when we cannot find words of forgiveness and reconciliation, we can take heart in the consolation that from all eternity, and until the consummation of the world the Father and the Son are still managing to talk to one another. And their speech, their saying, their Word is Love poured out, making of us a new creation in which there will be no division or separation, higher and lower, but all shall be one, and all manner of things shall be well. Good News indeed. How do we together find ways to communicate this in a way that is really and truly good news?

For our grand communion in God's love --- which is wide and deep enough to embrace everyone and all the languages of the world, and for the gift and task of being the sacrament through which God continues to reconcile everyone and all things in that grand communion of the Three in One Love, let our first and final words be praise and thanksgiving.

Dr. Michael Downey is the Cardinal's Theologian and a professor of theology at St. John's Seminary, Camarillo. This talk was presented at the Gathering of Synod Delegates and key archdiocesan leaders held Nov. 18 at St. Mel Church in Woodland Hills.