It’s the season of the great feasts in the church. We shall soon be celebrating the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. One God but three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each equally God and yet one God.
The mystery of the Trinity has baffled many Christians and they have often shunned entering into the depth of the mystery; the mystery revealed to us by Jesus through the promised Holy Spirit. The primary way in which God brings us into his life is by once again breathing into us mortals his very own life - the Holy Spirit. He gives life to our mortal bodies, so that alive with his power we may now participate in his own life. You cannot exterminate, crush or vanquish this life. Thus as Christians who have been made alive by God through the grace of Baptism, we will grow as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of rejuvenation which he freely undertakes in us; “for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure”. Phil 2:13
The concept of the Trinitarian God is unique to Christianity. God has revealed himself to us in his triune nature so that we may share in the same life that he himself shares with himself, in total fellowship and love. “..that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” 1 John 1:3.
Just as in a family all relationships begin with the fatherhood, likewise in our Christian life every relationship begins with the Fatherhood of God. The sin of humanity in this existential situation is not to recognize God as Father. God overlooked the times of ignorance , but now he commands all men everywhere to repent” Acts 17:30. The very reason Jesus came was to reveal to us God as our loving Father and through faith in Him to find our ultimate fulfilment. Our fulfilment comes primarily through our relationship with him and not by good works; if good works was the criteria then the Lord, in the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 10, would perhaps have asked Cornelius to carry on with his good works and would not have had the apostle Peter called from Joppa. God is sustenance for the soul just as food is sustenance for the body. Divine food is of far more value than earthly mission or food. This is not just a New Testament teaching but a teaching from the beginning; “.. that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone”. Deut 8:3
The Holy Spirit who binds us into this relationship was introduced to us by Jesus in a new and dynamic way. We can now choose to live this life of grace and unity with God and with one another by living in this powerful fellowship or reject it to live a self-centered life, creating our own small ghetto community.
Jesus is the invisible head and the source of our unity while the Pope is the visible head and the sign of unity in the Church; a unity achieved through the promised Holy Spirit. Unity is often mistaken as uniformity as humans are often comfortable with this straight jacket kind of uniformity. Unfortunately, there are also some in the church who are working for this kind of unity resulting in a lack of the divine gifts in the church in the measure in which it was meant to be (1Cor. 12:4ff). There is a flourishing of all kinds of rebellious doctrine and rational workings in the church of God and under domineering authorities in many places.
For this we need to learn from the Trinity. Though each are equally God, yet they have different roles in the hierarchy of order. There is no room for jealousy and envy in the roles they perform.
The Trinity is not an abstract revelation but a reality whose mark we find in the created things of God. In other words, ‘God has left his mark on creation’.
The first instance of such a mark we find is in the first chapter of Genesis (26-27): “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”.
The passage of Scripture gives us an insight into the action of God in creating man: male and female. Like himself he gave them dominion over the works of his hands (Ps. 8:6-8).” For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind” James 3:7
Yet, the greatest mark he has left on us is his triune nature gone off target on account of the disobedience of sin which is at work in us (Rm. 11:32). Man is body, mind and spirit; a three in one! Yet we who know this truth never refer him as three different. We may experience some of the sinful conflict of body, mind and spirit, yet we will not say that they are three different entities. We may ultimately see the body corrupted in death yet we do not look at the human person as different from himself. Some have tried to separate the two or three by terms such as true self. If there is something called the true self then where is the other a false self?
Whether it is the soul that expresses or the mind or body, each so distinct and yet can at time express in great synchronization. In each expression of the mind and soul whether in art or writing we are able to recognize the signature of the man. When we ultimately have to define the person concretely and tangibly then the bodily form becomes the norm for universal recognition. This is so because we largely see through our eyes.
Likewise, like our body Jesus is the visible, definite and tangible expression of God. “He is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15a). The eternal Word who always existed with the Father; “..the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” John 1:14.
Another mark of the Trinity we find in the largest object visible to man and one which sustains life on earth; the Sun.
Sadhu Kartar Singh a Sikh convert to Christ in the late 19th century was assailed with a deep doubt about the Trinitarian aspect of God. He took this up before Jesus in Prayer, who revealed to him the truth through the example of the Sun. Though one yet the great heavenly body has three different aspects to it: The mass that exists in the sky, the light that emanates and the energy that it supplies to sustain life on earth. We may separately identify the Sun through the individual aspects of the Light and Energy, yet the Sun is only one.
Likewise, God who dwells in the highest heaven as Father of us all, manifest himself through the light of Christ and energizes his chosen ones through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Again, if we delve into the great mystery of the smallest atom, we have the proton, neutron and electron and still further as we observe the protons which are positively charged particle we have the quarks and gluons and the magnetic field that binds them.
The magnet which is a great source of energy in the world and has played a gigantic role in the transformation of our present world through the production of electricity is again a great model to explain the Trinitarian aspect of God. The North Pole and the South Pole and the magnetic field that exists between the two poles in a horse shoe magnet communicate a triune dimension of the invisible God.
No wonder the Apostle Paul who may have not been exposed to modern scientific findings asserts that God has revealed himself in creation. “Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made” Rom 1:20. Hence no one can excuse oneself for not knowing God; “So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles” Rom 1:20-23.
Though no one is excused for not knowing God, a Christian cannot excuse himself for not knowing the Trinity and entering into the mystery of the most Holy Trinity. Jesus has given us his Holy Spirit who will be with us and lead us into all truths. (Jn.16:13).
Prayer: Lord by your Holy Spirit guide me into all truths and let me be faithful to your calling. Help me to dwell deeply into the mystery of the Trinity and find your rich blessings to lead a life of grace and strength.
)))))))> fr. Conrad Saldanha
Thank you Fr Conrad for your insight into the Holy Trinity. The examples you have cited truly help in further understanding this great mystery. Truly the mystery of the trinity has baffled men for a long time. but thanls to your efforts, my confusion has turned to wisdom with God's help.
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