I've always heard that since God is a triune God - Father-Son-Holy Spirit - that the church should strive to be a better reflection and demonstration of this triune life found within the Godhead. There are books and teachings about it and I checked a book out from the library that addressed the subject. It was crammed with thoughts but I was able to read only part of it but it left some thoughts going around in me. Some of the Catholics here mention things along this line from time to time. I took down my mother's Catholic Catechism this morning and read the part about the Trinity. I'm not Catholic anymore but it's good stuff in my opinion. Some say the Catholics have kept the doctrine of the Trinity more aflame than others but I'm sure some would disagree with that but that's not what I'm after. But let me share a few things from the Catechism that caught my notice. I'll be skipping parts so this is not in chronological order.

233 Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their names, for there is only one God, the Almighty Father, his only Son, and the Holy Spirit: the Most Holy Trinity.

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 the faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the "hierarchy of the truths of faith." The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men "and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin."

236 The fathers of the Church distinguish between (theologia) and economy (oikonomia). "Theology" refers to the mystery of God's inmost life within the Blessed Trinity and "economy" to all the works by which God reveals himself and communicates his life. Through the oikonomia the theologia is revealed to us: but conversely, the theologia illuminates the whole oikonomia. God's works reveal who he is in himself; the mystery of his inmost being enlightens our understanding of all his works. So it is, analogously, among human persons. A person discloses himself in his actions, and the better we know a person, the better we understand his actions.

240 Jesus revealed that God is Father in an unheard of sense: he is Father not only in being Creator; he is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son who, reciprocally, is Son only in relation to his Father: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matt 11:27)

251 In order to articulate the dogma of the Trinity, the Church had to develop its own terminology with the help of certain notions of philosophical origin: "substance," "person," or "hypostasis," "relation," and so on. In doing this, she did not submit the faith to human wisdom, but gave a new and unprecedented meaning to those terms, which from then on would be used to signify an ineffable mystery, "infintely beyond all that we can humanly understand."

Me: Sorry, I couldn't resist sharing at least a little of that for your edification I hope.

Meanwhile, one of my first thoughts when asking myself the question of how could the church better reflect the Trinty in its earthly mission I think of the word unity. Maybe it's just because I know that's what one is supposed to say. But,

255 The divine persons are relative to one another. Because it does not divide the divine unity, the real distinction of the persons from one another resides in the relationships which relate them to one another: "In the relational names of the persons the Father is related to the Son, the Son to the Father, and the Holy Spirit to both. While they are called three persons in view of their relations, we believe in one nature or substance." Indeed, everything (in them) is one where there is no opposition of relationship" (emphasis mine). "Because of that unity (emphasis mine) the Father is wholly in the Son and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Son is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Son."

260 The ultimate end of the whole divine economy is the entry of God's creatures into the perfect unity (emphasis mine) of the Blessed Trinity. But even now we are called to be a dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity. "If a man loves me," says the Lord, "he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home within him." (John 14:23)

I've waxed on long enough. But it all seems to end in unity as being the best reflection by the church of the life of the Trinity. But is that all? Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Or even thoughts on neglect of the Trintiy and what it would do if it were brought to the forefront again since it is "the source of all the other mysteries of the faith" and is "the most fundamental and essential teaching in the 'hierarchy of the truths of faith.' " Has it ever left the forefront? I sense that if it hasn't left the forefront it still seems we take it for granted so much of the time that it becomes common instead of helping us maintain a place of wonder and reverence. I was stirred again just reading through the section on the Trinity in the Catechism.

41 - So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 - And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 - And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 - And all those who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 - and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 - And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 - praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day to day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41-47)

That's a pretty powerful description of the early church trying to model God's life. We see "all who believed were together" and day by day continuing with one mind (in no opposition to one another) among all the other things described. Modern society and the way it is structured works against this type of unity and commonness of purpose. And even as far as church goes, you may see someone in the church in Sunday that you feel joined to but may not see them again until the next Sunday. It's much more diificult these days and it likely comes down to more than just they live there and I live way over here and we only see each other at church once a week obstacle that keeps people apart. And it's not like the church isn''t trying. I'm just curious if anyone has any thoughts on the Trinity or neglect of the Trinity as it relates to the daily life of the church today. If the Church is to reflect the triune life of God, Father - Son - Holy Spirit, how can we better do it and especially since the times are growing late in my opinion?

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David Winter

I have always believed in the Trinty since becoming a Christian although my understanding of it as an essential Christian doctrine (it's about more than just a doctrine of course) came gradually and not all at once. But looking around recently I came across the book I mentioned in my first post above and what I read there concerning the neglect of the Trinity echoed what one sees commonly expressed regarding the Trinty when books and articles about the Trinity are looked at.

In the book "God For Us - The Trinity and Christian Life" by Catherine Mowry Lacugna, the author states,

"Recent years have seen a burgeoning interest in trinitarian theology. In "God For Us," Catherine Mowry Lacugna demonstrates that the doctrine of the Trinity, properly understood, is an eminently practical doctrine with radical consequences for Christian life. "Because of God's outreach to the creature," Lacugna writes, "God is said to be essentially relational, ecstatic, fecund, alive as passionate love. Divine life is therefore our life....The doctrine of the Triniity is ultimately, therefore, a teaching not about the abstract nature of God, nor about God in isolation from everything other than God, but a teaching about God's life with us and our life with each other."

The author's premise is that the Trinity has suffered from neglect and common run of the mill acceptance that has caused many to lose sight of its central importance to all the faith and that if rediscovered it could have noteworthy results in the lives of Christians and the church. Personally, I don't think about the Trinity all the time but I know that it is central to the faith. But not being consciously aware of it at all times - does that constitute neglect of it? The reason I use the author's example is because it is similar to what I see in more than one place regarding the Trinity.

He has been somewhat of a controversial person and maybe not without reason but James White wrote a book titled "The Forgotten Trinity - Rediscovering the Heart of Christian Belief." The reason I use his title is not because I entirely endorse him but because it highlights what I am trying to say. The forgotten Trinity in need of rediscovering? For whoever may be reading this, is this true in your opinion? If so, how has it been neglected or forgotten? The author Lacugna is Catholic and James White is Protestant so there seems to be a similar vein of thought regarding the neglect of the Trinity coming from both sides of the Christian aisle. And not just from them but from other Catholics and Protestants.

From the book by White,

"So why don't we talk about loving the Trinity? Most Christians do not understand what the term means and only have a vague idea of the reality it represents."

"We are comfortable saying, "I love the old rugged cross" because we think we have a firm handle on what that actually means and represents. But we confess how little we understand about the Trinity by how little we talk about it and how little emotion it invokes in out heart."

Me: He's saying similar things to the former author I mentioned. Few really understand the Trinity. We have only as vague idea of what it means. We hardly talk about the Trinity when it is central to all that exists in our faith. It invokes little emotion in Christians. To any reading, is this true in your opinion? Is this because we have unconsciously and inadvertently neglected it to our own detriment and that of the body? If so, what are some of the consequences that would occur if we "rediscovered" it?

"Many Christians misunderstand the doctrine of the Trinity." (R. C. Sproul)

How true can these things be regarding the Trinity that many Christian authors and scholars seem to agree on? If so, what would be the consequences if we straightened things out?

Thanks and blessings,

"Doc"

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David Winter