The Most Holy Trinity

The Most Holy Trinity:

1. The dogma of the Holy Trinity is the source of all the other mysteries of faith, it is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the “hierarchy of the truths of faith”. (CCC 234)
2. There are three divine Persons in one God.
   • How are the three Persons alike? They are consubstantial = i.e. they are of the same divine substance or essence. (CCC 253)
   • How are the three Persons different? They are distinct from each other in the sense that it is the Father who generates, the Son is begotten not made from the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. (CCC 254)
   • We use the words “the Son is eternally begotten of the Father,” and “the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son,” but it does not mean that the Son and the Holy Spirit were created by the Father. What it means is that all three Persons are eternal, they have no beginning or end, and even though the Son is begotten of the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, each of the three Persons is God whole and entire. (CCC 253)
3. The dogma of the Holy Trinity has many applications in our lives, especially regarding relationships.
   • Some people can’t understand why a loving Father would send His only Son into the world to die on the Cross. But that is a very myopic view of salvation.
     • Lesson 1: The Father and the Son love each other so much that they both willed to carry out their plan to redeem mankind and bring salvation to the world. Loving God does not mean we love others less and vice-versa.
     • Lesson 2: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit worked in harmony, carrying out their roles in the plan of salvation. Each of us have our roles to do in life. Let us do our best to carry it out in harmony with others.