Thought of the Day June 4, 2020 Faith in the Trinity
When we profess the Apostles’ Creed or
the Nicene Creed, we may not be aware of the struggles our ancestors in the
faith had to endure in order to preserve the revelation handed done concerning
the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.
First of all, the apostolic community
didn’t have the clarity of language that we have to express our faith. They
believe without knowing how to fully express what it meant for the One God to be
Triune in persons. As the Church spread beyond Palestine into Greek and Roman
territories, they began to develop a theology on the Trinity.
As a result of trying to explain a
mystery with limited words, the first heresies arose, challenging the teaching
handed down by the Apostles to succeeding generations. There were those who
taught that there were not three persons but three aspects of One God. Others
questioned the humanity of the Christ, saying he was not God/Man but God in a
man, or appearing as a man. Some professed that Jesus was not God, but a god.
Others denied the Spirit was a person, only a power of God. Others stated there
were three gods.
Throughout, the Spirit guided the
Church to hold on to the truth as revealed by Jesus. And so 2000 years later,
we profess belief in one God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Hundreds of
years from now, as long as their are Christians alive, the same belief in the
Most Blessed Trinity will still be professed. We have been blessed to have been
recipients of this handed-down mystery. Now, we are called to pass on to future
generations this truth revealed by Jesus. Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit!
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