FAITH IN FOCUS: ETERNAL TRIANGLE
Theology students have nightmares about the Trinity. That’s because the books on theology try to explain the Trinity in complicated philosophical and theological terms that are based not so much on scripture as on the works of Greek philosophy and Latin scholars.
So we have to throw away the books and ask ourselves what our faith, based on God’s revelation and the constant teaching of the Church, tells us about the type of God we have. And our faith generally has nothing to do with concepts of person, nature, divine processions, economic or immanent relations etc. Thank God!
Scripture invites us to see God as Father (and if we look closely, even as Mother). This is because God is the parent principle of life, the author of creation. And society has attributed a protective and loving role to parents. Parents look after their children and want the best for them. So does God.
Jesus, the Son, was sent by the Father. He is the great communicator whose role is to tell us about the type of God we have and what God expects of us. He shows us a pattern, a way of living that will bring us happiness and let us live life to the full, while respecting everyone else’s right to live. And because we found it hard to respond to this way of life he showed us how to overcome sin, death, evil and all that would drag us down.
The Holy Spirit is the supreme enabler. It is he who animates us, who inspires us to go beyond our own limitations and who supports us constantly in all our endeavours. It is the Spirit who disposes our hearts to listen to the prompting of God’s grace and to bring hope, harmony, justice and reconciliation to all the areas of our lives.
Each one of the three is God. The fact that we attribute different aspects to each of them does not imply that one is greater than the other.
When we adopt a parental role or are seen as people who bring life and light to any situation, then we are living the life of the Father. When we follow the way that Jesus set out for us, then we are living the life of the Son. When we bring hope and encouragement, wisdom and support to those around us, we are living the life of the Spirit.
When we do all three, we are living the life of the Trinity.