On the eve of his passion, Jesus prayed to the Father: “The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me” (Jn 17, 22-23). In his speech to the World Economic Forum, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair affirmed: “The opening of the 21st century has seen a move away from a very narrow, perhaps selfish individualism towards the idea of belonging, of community, of a self-interest that is mutual.” What is the relationship between the Holy Trinity and society?
In Eastern Orthodox theology, the Trinity functions through perichoresis, or “interpenetrations”. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the three Persons in one God, permeate but not fuse one another. The perfect exchanging love between the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit renders the Trinity as the sublime harmonious relationship that the human mind and heart can ever think of and experience. Within this peaceful interrelationship of the Trinity, the three names “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” allude to the tripartite functions of the one God: “To the exiles of the Dispersion … chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood” (1 Pet 1, 1-2). The Primitive Church comprehended these functions solely in relation to each other. For Athanasius and the Cappadocians’, the title “Father” refers to the divine relatedness. God is a “Father” in a personal way.
He is a father to someone. The name “Father” meant two things: (i) Coming from no one (unbegotten); and (ii) standing in relation to the Son (begetter). The title “Father” portrays the relational and personal character of God.
For Fathers Michael and Kenneth Himes, the theological basis for the Trinity doctrine lies in the Johannine assertion: “God is love” (1 Jn 4, 8). To state that God is love signifies that God is pure self-gift. God is demonstrated as the One who is totally self-giving in himself. Thus, the commandment: “Love one another; even as I have loved you” (Jn 13, 34). The Trinity illustrates a relationship of reciprocal self-giving. The Father gives himself exclusively to the Son whereas the Son gives himself exclusively to the Father. The Spirit, emanating from both Persons, is the union of love between them. As the Himes brothers explain in ‘The Trinity and Human Rights’, “God is the lover, the beloved, and the love between them”.
God is the completion of relatedness.
The unique nature of the Christian God rests in the fact that He reveals himself as that perfectly inclusive divine communion. The Three Persons open their divine community to its outsiders and invite human persons to actively participate in their community and life of love through mutual service. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the exemplar of how the Trinitarian Community integrated with humanity, thereby demolishing the walls of division and distinction and establishing, in return, a community of equals.
Similarly, contemporary society is urged to create a sense of belonging among its various sectors. Society can truly develop if it creates a civilization of love and understanding both within and outside it, primarily through the committed employment of solidarity.
Blessed John Paul II stated: “The well-being not only of individuals, and of the family as the primary cell of society, but also of nations themselves and, indeed, of the entire human race, is intimately connected with a sense of truthfulness, responsibility, solidarity and respect for the legitimate rights and freedoms of others. These are some of the necessary ethical building blocks of a just and harmonious society.”
Human relationships are meant to represent the divine communion. As human beings we live as beings-in-relationship. May our society get rid of the old leaven of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and intolerance and embrace encounters, inclusion and solidarity. Hence, the ethos of eternal Trinitarian belonging!
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap