On the Trinity
I always struggled with the notion of a Triune God. I accept the Trinity as mystery, but my head always wants to make that mystery accessible.
If you grew up in the era of the Baltimore Catechism, as I did, you remember the picture. The Father is seated on a throne with long white hair and beard. There is a golden arrow connecting the Father to the Son, who is standing with his hand held up in blessing so that you could see the wound and his Sacred Heart there for all to see. (By the way, Jesus wasn't a white dude with blue eyes.) Then there is another golden arrow connecting the Son to the Spirit, which is represented as a dove. And then another golden arrow connecting the Spirit to the Father.
Patrick of Ireland likened the Trinity to a three-leafed shamrock. The essence of the Trinity suggests that if all of those persons did not exist, the nature of God disappears and the attainment of salvation is impossible. This teaching has been the defense of people for centuries that one has to accept all of the Persons of the Trinity to attain salvation. And that has caused so very many problems throughout history.
As I try to wrap my head around the Trinity, I get hung up on the notion of Persons. Because to me, a person is an event (and certainly a dove is not a person). My experience of God is not as an event. So I have to find a way to express the Trinity in different ways.
Many people don't like to use the term "Father". Those people, justifiably, don't want to see their loving God in that way. Maybe they were abused by their fathers or they didn't grow up with a father or their relationship with their father was never one of mutual love. While I was blessed to have an amazing man as my dad (RIP Dad), I listen to those who did not have that same experience. For me, that makes the term "Father" confining.
Talking about the "Son" can be equally problematic. I have a son, he's awesome and I love him with all my heart. I also have two daughters, who I also love with all my heart. And herein lies the problem with the "Son". Jesus was an historical fact. Even if people do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, he was an actual person who lived on this earth. I will write a future blog where I talk about the Messiah's return that just might blow your mind. And it will add context to this discussion.
The "Spirit" person has always been problematic. Probably because of the way the Spirit is depicted in the New Testament. A dove descends on Jesus at his Baptism by John, tongues of fire appear above the apostles' heads on Pentecost. Events again.
In all of these representations, God is a person that we can somehow relate to. Or the Trinity needed to be given an easy way for people to grasp on to the very notion. I get it. But that places God solely in an historical and biblical context. And again, I think that's OK, but it doesn't bring the notion of Trinity to a place that is comfortable for me.
So as I reflect on the nature of God expressed in the Trinity, I need to change my perspective. Is God present in my life? How is God made manifest to me? How do I recognize the presence of God within and around me? Those questions take the notion of God as person and turn them into a notion of God as action, alive and present in my life.
I see the "Father" as the Creator. And I believe the Creator is actively and constantly working on Creation. Within and around each and every one of us, Creation happens. Whether it's creating the motivation to write a blog, creating seasons, creating opportunities, creating people to come into our lives and challenge us and enrich us. God the Creator.
I see the "Son" as the Redeemer. All of the actions taken by the historical Jesus, from His Nativity through His death and resurrection, lead to redemption. His teaching, his healing, his compassion for the marginalized, his ability to draw people in, and, yes, his forgiving. All of what Jesus did reminds us that we are beloved of God and worthy of redemption and He walked this earth to remind us of that. God the Redeemer.
I see the "Spirit" as the Sanctifier. While the Creator makes us see the good that has been done, the Redeemer reminds us that we are part of a larger story with many others in the act of redemption, the Sanctifier gives us the grace to appreciate all of that and recognize its' holiness. The Sanctifier gives us the grace to see God active in our lives. God the Sanctifier.
In the name of the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier.
If you grew up in the era of the Baltimore Catechism, as I did, you remember the picture. The Father is seated on a throne with long white hair and beard. There is a golden arrow connecting the Father to the Son, who is standing with his hand held up in blessing so that you could see the wound and his Sacred Heart there for all to see. (By the way, Jesus wasn't a white dude with blue eyes.) Then there is another golden arrow connecting the Son to the Spirit, which is represented as a dove. And then another golden arrow connecting the Spirit to the Father.
Patrick of Ireland likened the Trinity to a three-leafed shamrock. The essence of the Trinity suggests that if all of those persons did not exist, the nature of God disappears and the attainment of salvation is impossible. This teaching has been the defense of people for centuries that one has to accept all of the Persons of the Trinity to attain salvation. And that has caused so very many problems throughout history.
As I try to wrap my head around the Trinity, I get hung up on the notion of Persons. Because to me, a person is an event (and certainly a dove is not a person). My experience of God is not as an event. So I have to find a way to express the Trinity in different ways.
Many people don't like to use the term "Father". Those people, justifiably, don't want to see their loving God in that way. Maybe they were abused by their fathers or they didn't grow up with a father or their relationship with their father was never one of mutual love. While I was blessed to have an amazing man as my dad (RIP Dad), I listen to those who did not have that same experience. For me, that makes the term "Father" confining.
Talking about the "Son" can be equally problematic. I have a son, he's awesome and I love him with all my heart. I also have two daughters, who I also love with all my heart. And herein lies the problem with the "Son". Jesus was an historical fact. Even if people do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, he was an actual person who lived on this earth. I will write a future blog where I talk about the Messiah's return that just might blow your mind. And it will add context to this discussion.
The "Spirit" person has always been problematic. Probably because of the way the Spirit is depicted in the New Testament. A dove descends on Jesus at his Baptism by John, tongues of fire appear above the apostles' heads on Pentecost. Events again.
In all of these representations, God is a person that we can somehow relate to. Or the Trinity needed to be given an easy way for people to grasp on to the very notion. I get it. But that places God solely in an historical and biblical context. And again, I think that's OK, but it doesn't bring the notion of Trinity to a place that is comfortable for me.
So as I reflect on the nature of God expressed in the Trinity, I need to change my perspective. Is God present in my life? How is God made manifest to me? How do I recognize the presence of God within and around me? Those questions take the notion of God as person and turn them into a notion of God as action, alive and present in my life.
I see the "Father" as the Creator. And I believe the Creator is actively and constantly working on Creation. Within and around each and every one of us, Creation happens. Whether it's creating the motivation to write a blog, creating seasons, creating opportunities, creating people to come into our lives and challenge us and enrich us. God the Creator.
I see the "Son" as the Redeemer. All of the actions taken by the historical Jesus, from His Nativity through His death and resurrection, lead to redemption. His teaching, his healing, his compassion for the marginalized, his ability to draw people in, and, yes, his forgiving. All of what Jesus did reminds us that we are beloved of God and worthy of redemption and He walked this earth to remind us of that. God the Redeemer.
I see the "Spirit" as the Sanctifier. While the Creator makes us see the good that has been done, the Redeemer reminds us that we are part of a larger story with many others in the act of redemption, the Sanctifier gives us the grace to appreciate all of that and recognize its' holiness. The Sanctifier gives us the grace to see God active in our lives. God the Sanctifier.
In the name of the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier.
Comments
Post a Comment