CMRE NOTES2 - THE TRINITY, A MYSTERY |
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CM-RE Notes 2 – THE TRINITY,
A MYSTERY Introduction: The Jubilee Year 2000 is
specially dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is the central
doctrine of the Catholic Church. It took the early Church some 300 years
to clarify and formulate this doctrine for which the final result is found
in the Apostles Creed (short version) and the Nicene Creed (longer
version). But what is the Trinity? And
how did we come about this doctrine of the Trinity? 1.
Origin. The word
“Trinity” come from the Greek “Trias” (used by Theophilus of
Antioch AD 180). The Latin translation was “Trinitas” (which became
popular in AD 260). It was from this Latin word that our present term
“Trinity” is derived. 2.
Foundation. The concept of the
Trinity was not yet explicitly revealed in the Old Testament. In the New
Testament, it was Jesus Christ himself who revealed this fundamental truth
to his disciples. This revelation, however, was gradual, step by step.
Full revelation came later when after his resurrection, he commanded his
disciples to “go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:18). 3.
Tradition. Since the earliest
time the doctrine of the Trinity has been taught by the Church and
professed by her members in various ways: ·
In the baptismal formula (“I
baptize you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.”) and in the prayer of consecration of the one baptized. ·
In the “Symbols of Faith,”
the Creed used in catechesis (“I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth…”) ·
In the doxology (“Glory be
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.”) ·
As ending in prayer (“We ask
this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.”) ·
In liturgical greetings
(“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor 13:13) 4.
Church Doctrine. This
doctrine states that IN ONE GOD THERE ARE
THREE DIVINE PERSONS: THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.
·
Another way of saying this is:
There is ONE GOD, who is THREE EQUAL and DISTINCT PERSONS. They are the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. ·
The above doctrine consists of
three assertions: (1) God is One, (2) in three distinct and (3) equal
Persons. 5.
Some Aspects of this Mystery. 1.
God is One. In the Trinity we
do not imagine the three divine are three Gods, nor three parts of the one
God. Each Person is the WHOLE GOD. The divine Persons are RELATIONS which
SUBSIST in the divine nature. The one God is Father, begetting the Son and
breathing the Spirit; the same God is Son begotten of the Father and
breathing the Spirit; the same God is Spirit as Breath of the Father and
Son (CFC 1327). 2.
The three Divine Persons are
EQUAL. God the Father does not come first, then the Son, and then the Holy
Spirit. All three divine Persons are equally eternal, with no beginning
and no end (CCC 255). The words “father” and “son” are
co-relational terms: one exists in relation to the other. So God the
Father and God the Son relate to each other and are equally eternal. One
does not come before the other. The same for the Spirit who is the BREATH
of the Father and Son. Breath and Breather are simultaneous. Neither comes
before the other (CFC 1328). 3.
The Divine Persons are
DISTINCT. Jesus said, “The
Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30). But this does not mean he is identical
with the Father, but rather that he is perfectly UNITED with the Father.
God the Father and Jesus, His only begotten Son-made flesh are distinct
Persons, yet wholly united in LOVE, their Holy Spirit (CCC 254). 5.
Some Aspects of the Trinity that have to be Developed in Catechesis 1.
Trinity is Unity. The Three
Persons are truly distinct from one another but are always united is such
a way so that the Father is wholly in the Son and wholly in the Spirit,
the Son wholly in the Father and wholly in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is
wholly in the Father and wholly in the Son. We tend to assign the work of
creation to the Father, that of redemption to the Son, and the work of
sanctification to the Holy Spirit. But the truth is that inseparable in
what they are, the divine persons are also inseparable in what they do. 2.
Trinity is Love. God is Love.
The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father. This union in love
is the Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian love is a complete mutual giving (so
that in the Trinity we can speak of “I” but no “mine”, of
“thou” but no “thine”. It is because of this love that the Father
sends his Son, and the Son to give up his life in obedience to the Father,
and from both the Spirit comes, the Spirit of Love. The Holy Spirit is the
very Love of the Father and Son. 3.
Trinity is Community. God is
one but not solitary. God is a community of Three Persons. Each person
exists only in its relationship to the “other.” In the divine
community there is perfect unity and sharing of the divine life and love.
The Trinity is the model of all our earthly communities, whether that
community be that of the Church (diocese, parish), GKK (Kriska Unit,
Buklod, Celda), School or the family. 4.
Trinity is Communion. The God
manifested by Jesus Christ is a personal God and the communion of three
persons; this means the essence of God is communion (koinonia), that is,
the Trinity. God is Trinity, and the essence of God is Trinity-Communion (TMA
‘98, pp. 15, 17). The Trinity is a mystery of “personal Loving
Communion” of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit (FC 11). We share in
this Trinitarian communion through Grace which is a sharing in the divine
life. Our “holy communion” should lead us not only in communion with
God but also with one another. Summary: Trinity is sharing in
divine life and love. Trinity is Unity, Community and Communion. 6. The Trinity in
Relation to Humanity
·
The movement of God to
humanity is a descending process. Everything comes from the Father, is
accomplished by the Son, and reaches humanity through the Holy Spirit.
God’s goodness comes down to us through Christ in the Holy Spirit. This
is the movement of revelation and grace. ·
The movement of humanity to
God is an ascending process. In the Spirit and through the Son we reach
the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, we reach the Son and through the Son,
we reach the Father. This is the movement of response in faith and prayer. 7. The Trinity
in Relation to Christian Life
·
At the beginning of our life
we were baptized and by the grace of baptism we are consecrated to the
Blessed Trinity and share in the life of the Trinity. In our daily life we
often make the sign of the cross to proclaim our faith in the Three
Persons in one God. In death we are blessed in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. ·
The whole Christian life is a
communion with each of the divine persons, without separating them.
Everyone who glorifies the Father does so through the Son in the Holy
Spirit; everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him
and the Spirit moves him (CCC, 259). ·
In the Spirit – This
expression means that God, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, places
himself in communion with the human person and shares with him the eternal
mutual love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Spirit
fills in the infinite distance which separates God from human beings. ·
In creating us, the three
Divine Persons freely shared themselves, their own divine life of Love,
with us. Moreover, we are raised from being “creatures” of God to
being His sons and daughters. The Father adopts us as His children by
sending His only begotten Son to become one of us, and the Holy Spirit to
dwell within us as the inner source of divine life. This is what we
properly mean by Grace (CFC 1330). ·
We Filipino Catholics, need to
become more aware of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in our daily lives.
This is an important step in maturing in our Christian Faith. We begin to
appreciate the reality of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Father and
the Risen Christ within us – the reality of Grace (CFC 1331). ·
In our three-year preparation
for the Jubilee Year 2000 we were asked to reflect on each person of the
Holy Trinity. Thus, in our first year of preparation (1997), we
contemplated on Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, our Savior and
Redeemer. On the second year (1998) we reflected on the Holy Spirit, the
Lord and Giver of Life. Finally in 1999 we focused on God the Father, the
Father of Mercy. Now comes year 2000 and we bring all the three Persons
together and reflect on the Holy Trinity. This year the three Persons of
the Holy Trinity should become more familiar to us and take on real
meaning for us. Our reflection this year should lead us to a deeper, more
personal appreciation of the Blessed Trinity in our lives as the loving
God of our Salvation. (END)
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