The Blessed Trinity

Blessed John Henry Newman wrote some beautiful Hymns and Prayers, one of which begins, “Firmly I believe, and truly, God is Three and God is One….”, very appropriate for the Celebration of the Three Persons in One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Read more of Newman’s writings here.

​This is, indeed, a mystery of Faith! The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which we thought about last week, help us to accept this fundamental Teaching of the Church. The Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity is, to our limited minds, not the easiest Truth to even begin to comprehend. This, of course, is where the Gifts of Faith, Hope and Charity come in; we believe and trust that God, in His Love for us, will never tell us anything which is not totally true and will not ask the impossible of us in terms of belief. We can be certain that He will bring us, if we do our best to love and obey Him, to Heaven.

If you are looking to better understand this Truth, perhaps to explain it to others, then one of the clearest explanations of the Three-in-Oneness of God is to be found in Frank Sheed’s book, Theology for Beginners, chapter 5, The Three Persons. This can be further simplified in order to explain it to our children; they also have a right to the Truth and we have a duty to do our best to teach them. For those who would postpone such teaching until children are ‘old enough’ (and who of us will ever be ‘old enough’ to understand it?!), you would do well to heed the words of a renowned educational psychologist, Jerome Bruner, who said that anything can be taught to anyone at any age as long as it is properly thought out first. Such forethought will be very beneficial to teachers as well as those being taught.

In this day and age this Doctrine may be a stumbling-block to be overcome in a journey of Faith. It takes Prayer and perseverance to break down barriers; we cannot allow our human limitations to be transferred to God. We have to make a ‘leap of faith’ over the barrier!

The image is 'The Holy Trinity' a miniature from the Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany, Queen consort of France (1477-1514).
God the Father is depicted on the left, God the Son (Jesus) on the right, holding a book with seven seals open to the Alpha and Omega passage, and the Dove of God The Holy Spirit in the centre. The animal symbols of the Four Evangelists are depicted in the corners.