June 12, 2022, The Most Holy Trinity (Year C)

Today is the celebration of the Holy Trinity, the central mystery of our faith – one God in three persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We hear mention of the Trinity quite frequently, probably most of us on a daily basis when we make the sign of the cross, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Because of this we kind of take it for granted and never really consider what it actually means.

The basis for the concept of the Holy Trinity can be found in scripture, in both the Old and the New Testaments. One of the oldest texts in which God is called “Father” comes from a speech of Moses: “Is this how you repay the LORD, so foolish and unwise a people? Is he not your Father who begot you, the one who made and established you?” (Deut. 32:6). Mention of God as Father is also found within the Psalms: “Sing to God, praise his name; Father of the fatherless, defender of widows.” (Ps. 68:5a,6b).

Since Jesus had not yet been incarnated in the Old Testament, he is associated with titles other than “Son,” particularly the “Word” and “Wisdom.” In his Gospel John makes this description explicit when he says, “In the beginning was the Word” (Jn. 1:1). We also find the use of this description in the Old Testament. We see it in the prophetic texts, such as Isaiah, “Giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my Word be that goes forth from my mouth” (Isa. 55. 10b, 11a). And in today’s First Reading, “Thus says the wisdom of God: The Lord possessed me; from of old I was poured forth before the earth.” (Prov. 8:22a).

Finally, the Holy Spirit also appears frequently in the Old Testament, particularly with the metaphors of wind or breath demonstrating divine activity in the world. At creation “the Spirit” as wind hovered over the surface of the water (Gen. 1:2). And in cooperation with the Word established the heavens of God, “By the LORD’s word the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host.” (Ps. 33:6).

Then, of course, numerous examples of the Holy Trinity abound throughout the New Testament. We are familiar with it, especially during the Easter season, at the Ascension when Jesus instructs his disciples, “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). And it is found in todays’ Gospel: “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason, I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” (Jn. 16:13, 15)

Yet with all of this scriptural evidence describing the persons of the Trinity, its recognition showed cause for numerous debates and heresies in the early church. First there were those who followed Arius, a monk of the 4^th century who debated the dual nature – divine and human – of Jesus. He taught that Christ was merely a created human being. This escalated into a situation where rival bishops were in deep conflict. Finally, in 325AD, the emperor Constantine called together the Council of Nicaea which declared that the Father and Son were of one substance, but distinct persons, thus confirming the dual nature of Christ.

Toward the end of the 4^th century, it became necessary for the Church to reaffirm the teaching of Nicaea because rival bishops were once again taking sides over the nature of Jesus, with the opponents once again denying the divine nature of Jesus. This resulted in the Council of Constantinople in 381AD which added statements to the creed of Nicaea professing that Jesus was “born of the Virgin Mary and became man… was crucified under Pontius Pilate and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” Here those who opposed the Arians affirmed the equality of the divine nature of Jesus by saying that Christ was not a created creature, but rather “begotten, not made.” They also defined certain aspects about the Holy Spirit, stressing that he, too, is God and along with the Father and Son is worshipped and glorified.

In 431AD the debate once again arose with the followers of the bishop Nestorius, who said that Christ had two natures that were distinct from one another such that he was only human when he walked the earth and only divine after the resurrection. Thus, they declared that the child born in Bethlehem and the man who died on the cross were not God, but only human, making Mary the Mother of Christ, not the Mother of God. The resultant Council of Ephesus which was convened determined that Christ was both a man and divine at the same time and also upheld the identity of Mary as the Mother of God.

Finally, a heresy known as “Docetism” developed, which was contrary to Arianism, saying that Christ had only one nature which was divine and that he had only seemed to be human while on earth. The Council of Chalcedon in 451AD was convened and once again reaffirmed the teaching of Nicaea and the dual natures of Christ.

Thus, within the span of a century the early Church had taken the concept of the Trinity which was found in scripture and defined that which was only inferred about the nature of Jesus. They thereby developed a set of beliefs, the Nicene Creed, which we pray every time we say Mass. Here we declare that the “Son of God was begotten, not made, consubstantial (of one substance) with the Father.” And “we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.”

We are so accustomed to saying this prayer that we probably don’t really take the time to consider what the words really mean. And there is a lot of theology printed here which might help us to understand the Trinity – three persons of the same substance but one God. Yet this dogma still remains a mystery to us.

Moreover, left out of this discussion is a more misunderstood, complex doctrine. That is, how do the three persons of the Trinity relate to and communicate with one another if they are three but one? Perhaps, this is something that God did not intend for humans to understand. It’s just something to take on faith. In fact, St Augustine said of the Trinity, “If you have understood, then this is not God. If you were able to understand, then you have understood something else instead of God. If you were able to understand even partially, then you have deceived yourself with your own thoughts.”