The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity compels us to contemplate the essential dogma and foundation of our faith.
We begin and end the Mass with the Trinitarian formula. The doxology of Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, is chanted with particular reverence by monastic communities after every psalm and canticle during the liturgy of the hours. We recall the Trinity every time we bless ourselves.
What we call the Trinitarian formula, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit cannot be replaced by neutered gender-free versions such as in the name of a creator, a redeemer, and a sanctifier or other absurdities. A person is not a function. No function defines an individual. The dogma of the Holy Trinity is One God in Three Divine Persons, not one object with three functions. The Trinitarian formula is critical to the Church's seven sacraments,
The sign of the cross begins and ends everything the Church does. As it should and as it must. We read in The Catechism of the Catholic Church, (#234): “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in Himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the hierarchy of the truths of faith.”
Every time we make the sign of the cross we recall the mystery of the Trinity, a mystery that remains incomprehensible despite the many books attempting to explain it. Each book may contain a fragment of insight but the sum of all the books written does not come close to capturing the true essence of the Trinity. The dogma of the Trinity can only be understood through faith. This raises the question, What is faith?
A dictionary defines faith as: “Belief that does not rest on logical proof
or material evidence.” The Letter to the Hebrews defines faith in forty verses that make up the entirety of chapter eleven. It begins with: "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. . . . By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God,
so that what is visible came into being through the invisible."
Faith is mysterious and impenetrable. There is no chance of truly "explaining" the Trinity. But no one can declare him or herself a Christian if he or she denies the Trinity.
The word Trinity does not appear in scripture. The understanding of the Trinity grew in the earliest years of the Church as she began to consider
what Jesus said and did during His time on earth.
Jesus always spoke of the Father as distinct from Himself while also saying,
“I and the Father are One.” The same is true of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus refers to His oneness with the Father he is referring to substance and NOT the functions of creation, redemption, and sanctification. Thus, the ancient creeds in Greek use homoousion which was translated as consubstantialem in Latin. It is obvious that the English consubstantial, a word we will pronounce in a few moments during the Nicene Creed, arises directly from the Latin. The Trinity is a mystery. It will never be anything other than mystery.
The responsorial prayer came from the Book of Deuteronomy rather than the psalter. It is a doxology to the Father: "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
And thus the doxological praise of the Trinity that echoes it. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
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The photos are from Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. Spent three weeks there giving retreats in daily life and walking to the beach whenever possible.
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| The kind of detail I always look for. There is at least a short story in this scene if not a semi-morose pop song say by Cat Stevens. |
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