Making Sense of the Trinity

Reflections on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 & John 3:16-18)

How can one God be three persons? Centuries of sincere and intelligent attempts still seem to somehow elude a ‘once and for all’ convincing rational response to this central question of our faith. Harold Lindsell and Charles Woodbridge in their 1953 book A Handbook of Christian Truth wrote, “The mind of man cannot fully understand the mystery of the Trinity. He who has tried to understand the mystery fully will lose his mind; but he who would deny the Trinity will lose his soul” (p.51-52). What we know of the Trinity is from God's Revelation. Pope Francis says, “The Most Holy Trinity is not the product of human reasoning, but the face with which God actually revealed himself" (Angelus, May 26, 2013).

Revealed knowledge on this mystery can be summarised in three clear affirmations: 1. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit); 2. Each person is distinct from one another; and 3. Each person of the Holy Trinity is entirely God. But how can we logically hold these three affirmations together? How can one God be three distinct and complete persons? Christian tradition has long employed analogies (comparisons) to help us make sense of these three revealed truths of the incomprehensible mystery of the Trinity. Useful and effective as they are, these analogies are also risky in the sense that they could cause some serious misunderstandings (heresies). Let us group a few popular images of the Holy Trinity under three headings and understand their underlying risks:

1. Sun: Saints John of Damascus and Gregory explained that the Father is like the sun; the Son is like the rays that reveal the sun and the Holy Spirit is like the heat produced by the sun, effective but invisible. Comparing the Trinity to the Sun evokes the ancient heresy of Arianism, according to which the Son (light) and the Holy Spirit (heat) are viewed as ‘products’ of the Sun (Father) and not as co-eternal 'persons'. This is incorrect because the Son and the Spirit are not creations of God but God Himself. Light and heat are related to the sun but they are not the sun. Arius, a priest from Constantinople (currently Istanbul, Turkey) held a similar position in the fourth-century Church. He believed that there was a time when the Son did not exist. His position was declared as heretic and contrary to faith in May 325, during the Council of Nicaea which held that the Son as a divine person is eternal, meaning He has no beginning, just as the Father and Spirit have no beginning (John 1:1).

2. Water: Two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom join together to form a water molecule (H2O). However, the same water occurs in three states: solid (ice), liquid (water), or gas (vapour). Similarly, the same God reveals himself as the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. The same logic underlines the comparison of the Trinity to a human person. A man can simultaneously be a father to his child, a husband to his wife, and a son to his parents. Similarly, the one Godhead can exist in different modes as Father, Son, or Holy Spirit depending on the context and the purpose. The water and the human person analogies are versions of modalism, which considers the three persons as ‘forms’, ‘roles’ or ‘modes’ and not as 'distinct' and 'complete' persons. The risk of this type of analogy is that it does not uphold the unity of God. Bible provides us with numerous episodes where the Father, Son, and Spirit are all present at once interacting with each other (creation, baptism of Jesus, etc.,). The three persons of the Trinity are not three roles played by one God. The Father, Son, and Spirit each revealed themselves as unique persons.

3. Cloverleaf: Often attributed to Saint Patrick, this analogy insists that just as one shamrock can have three leaves on it, the one Godhead is constituted by three Persons. The same reasoning is found in the parallel drawn between the Trinity and an egg (made up of three distinct parts: the outer shell, the yellow yoke, and the white albumen), or an apple (one fruit made up of three parts: the red skin, the juicy flesh, and the core with the seed). A discernible risk in this third set of analogies is ‘partialism’, where each person of the Trinity is understood as ‘parts’ of the Godhead and not as unique 'persons'. While the persons of God are distinct (Father, Son, and Spirit), they are united. They are persons, not parts. One could separate the leaves of a clover or the parts of an egg. This risk leads to a bigger problem that we call "tritheism." Tritheism is the belief in three gods, which would make Father, Son, and Spirit each a distinct god. Jesus clearly didn't see himself this way when he said, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).

So if our analogies are potentially misleading have to reject them all? No! As human persons, we need images, concepts, and categories to make sense of the Trinity. However, it is also important to realise that no analogy, dogma, theological school, doctrine, or book can ever ‘explain’ the mystery conclusively. This fact the mystery of the Trinity evades the confines of any formulation or comparison is perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from these analogies! Analogies are not idols, they are icons. Idols seek to imprison God, whereas icons serve to point us to God. Analogies help us realise that the mystery of the Trinity is not so much a concept or a problem which waits to be explained or solved. To make true sense of the Trinity, therefore, maybe we need to focus less on the “persons” and more on the “relationships” between them. Richard of St. Victor, a 12th-century monk said, “For God to be truth, God had to be one; for God to be love, God had to be two; and for God to be joy, God had to be three!”.

Saint Thomas Aquinas argues in Summa Theologica that the three persons are subsistent relations and therefore when we say Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we are naming a personal relation (I, Q. 29 & 40). Moses (First Reading) in relating to the LORD declares him to be a merciful and gracious God rich in kindness and fidelity. Paul (Second Reading) proposes the trinitarian model as a paradigm for our human relationships. The Gospel provides a picture of the Holy Trinity together at work for the salvation of all creation. Entering the intelligence of this mystery does not require rational explanations or convincing analogies but opening ourselves to the trinitarian model of relationship. The Triune God did not just reveal himself as an object of rationalisation but as an offer of relationship. Entering into this relationship transforms us into his temple. Therefore Jesus says, “We will come to him and make our home with him” (Jn 14:23). Saint Paul asks, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16). Even though the reality of this indwelling presence transcends our capacity of intelligence, it is in relating to this abiding presence that we realise that Trinity is the true source, center, and foundation of our Christian life. Do you wish to make sense of the Trinity? Relate, the Trinity way!