College Chaplain 

The Trinity

We have moved, dear brothers and sisters, from Easter's great celebrations and feast to Ordinary Time in the church liturgical calendar. We celebrate the Trinity this Sunday as a reminder that our life should pattern to the love in the Trinity. We believe in a gracious and loving God revealed to us as ONE God that exists as THREE distinct PERSONS – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It's a puzzle that Christian thinkers have tried to make sense of for thousands of years, and I'm confident they will do so for many more! The truth is that the Trinity is a profound mystery and cannot be fully understood. No one metaphor or explanation can capture everything God is. The images we turn to and descriptions always fall short. We can and do know some things about Trinity but cannot fully comprehend it, and it is okay because what is needed here is not reason but Faith.

 Reason only comes to help us know something about the Trinity, but eventually, Faith shines the light and helps us to believe in whatever God has revealed. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 198, teaches that "Our profession of Faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the Creation of Heaven and earth, for Creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works."To help us this Trinity Sunday, I present the Nicene Creed, a profession of Faith during the Catholic Mass, confessing our devotion to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I Believe in One God/The Father, Almighty maker of Heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible - As Catholics, we believe the Trinity is three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit — the one true God. to the Father belongs or we associate with acts of Creation. God is the first distinction in the Godhead, whereas the Father is the source of the Trinity. 

I Believe in One Lord Jesus Christ/The Only Begotten Son of God/Born of the Father Before All Ages Jesus is the Lord and master of all, and He is a kind, loving entity dedicated to helping all God's creations. Begotten refers to being born of God. The Son was born from the essence of God the Father. As humans share their humanity with their parents, the Son also shares the essential nature of God the Father. As God the Father is eternal, so is the Son of God. God From God, Light from Light/True God From True God The Son exists in relation to the Father. While the Son is not the Father, they are both God. Though the Father and Son stem from the same source, they are distinct. The Scripture regularly uses all three persons, including the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. True God from true God states that God the Son and God the Father are fully and completely God despite their different persons. Begotten, Not Made/Consubstantial with the Father The Father and Son are God and equally divine with the same will and substance. While the Father and the Son share qualities, they do not have the same identity.

Through Him, All Things Were Made/For Us Men and for Our Salvation; He Came Down from Heaven. Through Jesus, all things were created because he is the Son. Jesus came from Heaven for the salvation of all God’s creations. And by the Holy Spirit, Was Incarnate of the Virgin Mary and Became Man God the Son was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man in the person of Jesus Christ. For Our Sake, He Was Crucified Under Pontius Pilate; He Suffered Death and Was Buried Jesus suffered, died on the cross for our sins, and was laid to rest in a tomb. And Rose Again on the Third Day in Accordance With the Scriptures Jesus Christ was resurrected in body and rose on the third day after the crucifixion. This is what we celebrated at Easter. He Ascended Into Heaven and Is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father Jesus entered Heaven and took His rightful seat at the Father’s right hand, looking over all God’s creations. He Will Come Again in Glory to Judge the Living and the Dead, and His Kingdom Will Have No End God’s kingdom is eternal, and Jesus will return one day to judge the living and the dead. I Believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life/Who Proceeds From the Father and the Son The Holy Spirit is the Lord and sustains our lives as Catholics. The original Nicene Creed ended with, “We believe in the Holy Spirit.” In 381, the Council of Constantinople approved the later additions to thwart fourth-century heretics’ attempts to deny the divinity of the Holy Spirit.

I Believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life/Who Proceeds From the Father and the Son While the Son is begotten, the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Both words describe the unique bond between the Son and the Father while still being divine. Who With the Father and the Son Is Adored and Glorified/Who Has Spoken Through the Prophets Like the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is God. The Spirit animates the Catholic Church. I Believe In One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church The Catholic Church is holy because of Christ, not because its leaders or members are perfect. While we all strive to live a faithful life, the true holiness of the Church comes directly from God and His divinity. I Confess One Baptism for the Forgiveness of Sins The waters of baptism wash away our sins and make us children of God, brothers and sisters to Christ, heirs to God's kingdom. And I Look Forward to the Resurrection of the Dead and the Life of the World to Come. Amen. This is our hope, our eternal destiny; to be with God in Heaven and share in eternal blessedness.