God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Dogma of the Trinity

Transcription

1 God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit The Dogma of the Trinity

2 One God or three? One. We believe in only one God because, according to the testimony of Sacred Scripture, there is only one God and, according to the laws of logic, there can be only one. If there were two gods, then the one god would be a limit on the other; neither of the two would be infinite, neither one perfect; in these respects neither of the two would be God. Israel s fundamental experience of God is: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord (Deut 6:4). Again and again the prophets exhort the people to abandon their false gods and to convert to the one God: For I am God, and there is no other (Is 45:22).

3 Three in one, one in three The creeds go back to Jesus, who commanded his disciples to baptize. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). All the creeds of the Church are elaborations of the faith in this Triune God. Each of them begins with a profession of faith in the Father = the Creator and preserver of the world, Son = the redeemer of the world Holy Spirit = God s presence in the Church and in the world Holy Trinity Luca Rossetti da Orta,

4 So, why three then? We believe in one God in three persons God is not solitude but perfect communion. (Pope Benedict XVI, May 22, 2005). Christians do not worship three different Gods, but one single Being that is three fold and yet remains one. We know that God is triune from Jesus Christ: He, the Son, speaks about his Father in heaven I and the Father are one Jn 10:30 He prays to him and sends us the Holy Spirit, who is the love of the Father and the Son. That is why we are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). Adoration of the Trinity Albrecht Dürer (1511)

5 Why is God, Father We revere God as Father first of all because he is the Creator and cares lovingly for his creatures. Jesus tells us to regard his Father as our Father and to address him as our Father. Several pre-christian religions used the divine title Father. Even before Jesus, the Israelites addressed God as their Father (Deut 32:6; Mal 2:10), realizing that he is also like a mother (Is 66:13). In human experience, father and mother stand for origin and authority, for what is protective and supportive. Jesus Christ shows us what God the Father is really like: He who has seen me has seen the Father (Jn 14:9). In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus addresses the most profound human longings for a merciful father. I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth (Apostle s Creed) I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. (Nicene Creed) Baroque Trinity Hendrick van Balen, 1620

6 Jesus, the Son In John s Gospel we read, No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known (Jn 1:18). That is why we must believe Jesus, the Son of God, if we want to know what God would like to communicate to us. Believing, therefore, means accepting Jesus and staking one s whole life on him. I have no imagination. I cannot picture God the Father. All that I can see is Jesus. Blaise Pascal

7 Jesus, the Son I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. (Nicene Creed) Jesus of Nazareth is the Son, the second divine person mentioned when we pray, In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). Jesus was either an imposter who made himself Lord of the Sabbath and allowed himself to be addressed with the divine title Lord or else he was really God. The scandal came when he forgave sins. In the eyes of his contemporaries, that was a crime deserving death. Through signs and miracles, but especially through the Resurrection, his disciples recognized who Jesus is and worshipped him as Lord. That is the faith of the Church.

8 The Holy Spirit I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. (Nicene Creed) Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity and has the same divine majesty as the Father and the Son. When we discover the reality of God in us, we are dealing with the working of the Holy Spirit. God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts (Gal 4:6), so that he might fill us completely. In the Holy Spirit a Christian finds profound joy, inner peace, and freedom. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship [in whom] we cry, Abba! Father! (Rom 8:15b). In the Holy Spirit, whom we receive in Baptism and Confirmation we are permitted to call God Father.

9 The Promise of the Holy Spirit John 14:25-31 (RRV) I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, I am going away, and I am coming to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.

10 The Paraclete In the biblical manuscripts we read that Jesus will send a parakletos, a Counselor, Advocate, or Helper. John uses this term five times in his Gospel in reference to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Paraclete is a legal term for an attorney or spokesperson who defends the cause of the accused in a courtroom. Jesus sends this paraclete from heaven to complete the teaching ministry of Jesus and give the apostles an accurate understanding of the gospel. The Spirit also works through the Sacraments to renew the world with the graces and blessings that Christ died to give us.

11 God as love What does it mean to say that God is love? No other religion says what Christianity says: God is love (1 Jn 4:8,16). Faith holds fast to this promise, although the experience of suffering and evil in the world may make people wonder whether God is really loving. In the Old Testament God communicates to his people through the words of the prophet Isaiah: Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you (Is 43:4-5a) and, Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have graven you on the palms of my hands (Is 49:15-16a). This talk about divine love does not consist of empty words; Jesus proves this on the Cross, where he gives up his life for his friends. "Gottes Not Jusepe de Ribera, ca. 1635

12 A Trinity of Love If God is love, how do we understand the Trinity? How can God be one and love? Father = Lover Son = Beloved Holy Spirit = Shared love

13 Who created the world? Who created the world? God alone, who is beyond time and space, created the world out of nothing and called all things into being. Everything that exists depends on God and continues in being only because God wills it to be. The creation of the world is, so to speak, a community project of the Trinitarian God. The Father is the Creator, the Almighty. The Son is the meaning and heart of the world: All things were created through him and for him (Col 1:16). We find out what the world is good for only when we come to know Christ and understand that the world is heading for a destination: the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Lord. The Holy Spirit holds everything together; he is the one that gives life (Jn 6:63)

14 St Augustine on the Trinity In the ninth book of his treatise On the Trinity (Latin, De Trinitate), St Augustine proposed an analogy to help understand the Trinity. Augustine found in the dynamics of the mind, since our intellect is that which separates us from other species, a mirror of the Trinity mens- mind the Father notitia sui self-knowledge the Son amor sui self-love the Holy Spirit The Adoration of the Trinity Albrecht Dürer (1511)