Chapter 5: Jesus Helps Us to Understand the Trinity, Mary, and the Holy Spirit ©Ave Maria Press

Chapter 5:Chapter 5:Jesus Helps Us to Jesus Helps Us to

Understand the Trinity, Understand the Trinity, Mary, and the Holy Mary, and the Holy

Spirit Spirit ©Ave Maria Press

Beyond Human Beyond Human UnderstandingUnderstanding

The mysteries of God far surpass the ability of the human mind to

comprehend them.

Even for the great theologian, Even for the great theologian, St. Augustine, God surpassed St. Augustine, God surpassed

his understanding.his understanding.

According to one story, St. Augustine saw a boy trying to

empty the ocean into a hole with a shell.

After the saint pointed out the futility of this

endeavor, the boy told him, that his

mind was, likewise, too small to hold the

immense truths about God, and then

disappeared from his sight.

And yet, God so wants us to have a And yet, God so wants us to have a relationship with him that he relationship with him that he

reveals himself to us in ways that reveals himself to us in ways that we could never discover for we could never discover for

ourselves.ourselves.

As we saw previously, it is only by God’s revelation that we could come to understand anything about his nature.

The Inner The Inner Life of GodLife of God

God reveals to us certain things about

his divine nature that are essential to our faith in him, foremost being the

reality of the Blessed Trinity.

When we pray the Sign of the Cross, When we pray the Sign of the Cross, it reminds us how central belief in it reminds us how central belief in the Trinity is to our Christian faith.the Trinity is to our Christian faith.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The gestures we use to make the Sign of the Cross—touching our forehead, our chest, and then both shoulders—convey that we are making this profession with our minds, hearts, and entire being.

The study of the existence and The study of the existence and attributes of God is called attributes of God is called theologytheology. .

The great theologians of our Church The great theologians of our Church have explained for us that the One have explained for us that the One God is three divine Persons by his God is three divine Persons by his

very nature—without regard to how very nature—without regard to how God relates to human beings.God relates to human beings.

This reality is called the Immanent Trinity, and refers

to the inner life of God, or how “God exists in God.”

When we reflect on the When we reflect on the Salvific Salvific TrinityTrinity, we are considering how God , we are considering how God interacts with us, his creation—how interacts with us, his creation—how

God has gone outside himself to God has gone outside himself to communicate with us, and to save communicate with us, and to save

us.us.The Immanent Trinity and the

Salvific Trinity are intimately related. When we reflect on

God’s actions in Salvation History,

we understand better who God is.

Church theologians have Church theologians have developed vocabulary to developed vocabulary to

assist us in understanding assist us in understanding the mystery of the Trinity.the mystery of the Trinity.

When the word substance is used theologically, it refers to “nature” or

“essence.”Substance makes something what it

is.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all of the same substance—meaning that

they all have the same divine nature—they are consubstantial.



Person refers to the distinctions between the Father, the Son, and

the Holy Spirit.



Relation indicates that

the three Persons of the

Trinity are distinct because

of how they relate to one

another .

Using this vocabulary, the Using this vocabulary, the Church teaches several Church teaches several

truths about the mystery truths about the mystery of the Holy Trinity.of the Holy Trinity.

While there are three distinct Persons, there

is only ONE God—one divine

being.

We should not think of the Persons in the Trinity as being the same as human persons, or “people.” They are not three separate beings, or three separate wills or intellects.There is only one divine being.

When one Person of the Trinity acts, the other Persons act in

communion.

God is one, a “community- in-unity.”

Using this vocabulary, the Using this vocabulary, the Church teaches several Church teaches several

truths about the mystery truths about the mystery of the Holy Trinity.of the Holy Trinity.

How do the Persons of the Trinity relate

to one another?

As the first person of the As the first person of the Blessed Trinity, the Father is Blessed Trinity, the Father is

absolutely without origin.absolutely without origin.

From all eternity, the Father

“begets” the Son, the second Person of the Trinity. This

means that the Father did not

create the Son, but rather, the Son is

the Father’s perfect, divine expression of

himself.

The Son, too, is a divine Person, and there was never a time when the Son

did not proceed from the Father.

“In the beginning, the Word was with God and the Word

was God.”

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son as the

perfect expression of

their divine love for each other.

This means that the Son and the Holy Spirit have

the exact divine nature as the Father.

The Son and the Holy Spirit are The Son and the Holy Spirit are consubstantialconsubstantial with the Father. with the Father.

The Father is not made, not created, not begotten

by anyone.

The Son is from the Father alone. Neither created nor

made, but begotten.

The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son. Not created, not made, not

begotten, but proceeding.

St. Athanasius described the St. Athanasius described the different ways the Persons of the different ways the Persons of the

Trinity relate to one another.Trinity relate to one another.

The Church has employed many The Church has employed many symbols to try to express the symbols to try to express the

mystery of the Triune God.mystery of the Triune God.

God’s Actions in God’s Actions in Our LivesOur Lives

When we experience God’s saving activity in our lives and

in the world, we can reflect upon the Salvific Trinity.

The majesty of the world and every galaxy, as well as God’s gifts that sustain our life

on the earth are all examples of the Father’s work in the Salvific Trinity.

We experience the work of God We experience the work of God the Father in the Salvific Trinity the Father in the Salvific Trinity

through his creation.through his creation.

The second Person of the Trinity became human and is truly Emmanuel

—“God with us.”

Through our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Through our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we experience the work of the Son we experience the work of the Son

of God in the Salvific Trinity.of God in the Salvific Trinity.

As Christ promised, the Holy Spirit is here to guide and strengthen us as individuals and as

the Church community that we

are.

The Holy Spirit’s activity in the The Holy Spirit’s activity in the Salvific Trinity happens because the Salvific Trinity happens because the third Person of the Trinity lives in third Person of the Trinity lives in

us.us.

In the divine missions of the Blessed Trinity, we have distinctive

works of God’s saving intervention in the world:

creation, Salvation, and sanctification.

We typically attribute certain actions We typically attribute certain actions to the individual Persons of the to the individual Persons of the

Trinity, but remember that all three Trinity, but remember that all three Persons act as one being.Persons act as one being.

While the Father is associated with creation, the Son with Salvation,

and the Holy Spirit with sanctification; all three Persons are

fully present in all the divine missions.

We typically attribute certain actions We typically attribute certain actions to the individual Persons of the to the individual Persons of the

Trinity, but remember that all three Trinity, but remember that all three Persons act as one being.Persons act as one being.

As a sign of our gratitude, God asks us to love in

imitation of him.

Our contemplation of the Blessed Our contemplation of the Blessed Trinity leads us to a fundamental Trinity leads us to a fundamental

truth about the nature or essence of truth about the nature or essence of God: God:

God is love.God is love.

We were made to love, and can not be truly happy apart from loving God

and other people.

The first place we learn to love is The first place we learn to love is also a reflection of the love of also a reflection of the love of

God: God: our familiesour families

We allow the Trinity to live in us when we reach out in love to our

brothers and sisters.

As Pope John Paul II said,

“God in his deepest mystery is not a

solitude but a family, since he has in

himself Fatherhood, Sonship, and the

essence of a family, which is love.”

The Role of The Role of Mary, the Mary, the Mother of Mother of

GodGodThe perfect model of the

Christian faith is Mary, the Mother of Jesus, our

Savior.

Mary is the greatest Mary is the greatest saintsaint..

She is the very definition of

what it means to be a saint—a

holy person who lives in union with

God.From the

moment of her conception, Mary lived a

life free of sin.


At the Annunciation,

the angel Gabriel told the virgin Mary that God wanted her to become the mother of his

Son. Despite the fear she must

have experienced, she agreed to

do as God asked.


Mary could not have fully

understood all of what God was

asking of her, but her

unselfish “yes” should be an

example to all of us about the

importance of having faith in

God.

Directly after learning of God’s plan Directly after learning of God’s plan for her, Mary left home to see to the for her, Mary left home to see to the needs of her cousin Elizabeth, who needs of her cousin Elizabeth, who

was also pregnant.was also pregnant.

Not thinking of herself, but

acting for the good of others, Mary offers us

another example of what it means

to show Christian love.

By dedicating her life to caring for By dedicating her life to caring for the Son of God, Mary became the the Son of God, Mary became the

first disciple of Jesus, and continued first disciple of Jesus, and continued to be so to the end of her life.to be so to the end of her life.

From the moment of her “yes” to

God’s plan, through the

ministry, suffering, and

death of her Son, Mary was a

devoted follower of our Savior, and

her Savior.

While he was dying on the cross, While he was dying on the cross, Jesus gave his mother to us, the Jesus gave his mother to us, the Church. Mary stayed with the Church. Mary stayed with the

disciples after Jesus’ Ascension to disciples after Jesus’ Ascension to support them as she had her own support them as she had her own

Son.Son.She was present with the Apostles

at Pentecost, when the Holy

Spirit descended upon them,

bringing strength and courage.

At the end of her sinless earthly life, Mary At the end of her sinless earthly life, Mary was taken, body and soul, to be with her was taken, body and soul, to be with her

Son and reign as Queen of Heaven.Son and reign as Queen of Heaven.

This belief is called the Assumption, and serves as a promise to all the faithful of the eternal life God has in store for us. The Church has held this belief for many centuries, and Pope Pius XII declared the

Assumption as a dogmatic teaching of the Church in 1950.

Because of the special role Mary plays in Because of the special role Mary plays in Salvation History, the Church teaches Salvation History, the Church teaches

several other important truths about her .several other important truths about her .

The Immaculate Conception is the belief that from the moment of Mary’s

conception in the womb of her mother, she was preserved from Original Sin.

Pope Pius IX declared the Immaculate Conception an infallible teaching of the

Church in 1854.This means that, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception proclaimed by

the Magisterium of the Church is totally free from error.



Mary conceived and bore Jesus our Savior as a virgin. Jesus had no human father, but was conceived by the

power of the Holy Spirit.Mary remained a

virgin, even after the birth of the Lord, for

her entire life.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Our_Lady_of_Good_Counsel_by_Pasquale_Sarullo.jpg



At the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, the Church declared that Mary should be called Theotokos—which means “God-

Bearer” or “Mother of God.”This title for Mary

makes it clear that Jesus is one Person

with two inseparable natures—human and

divine.

Catholics have always had a special Catholics have always had a special devotion to Mary. Because she is the devotion to Mary. Because she is the Mother of God and the Mother of the Mother of God and the Mother of the

Church, we ask her to intercede for us to Church, we ask her to intercede for us to God. Our prayers to Mary help us to God. Our prayers to Mary help us to

imitate her total love and commitment to imitate her total love and commitment to her Son.her Son.

Our devotion to Mary should not be confused with worship, which is proper only for God.

Mary never seeks glory for herself, but always points us toward her Son. As she told the waiters at Cana, she

says to us: “Do whatever he tells you.”

Of the many devotions to Mary, the most Of the many devotions to Mary, the most popular is the Rosary, which includes a popular is the Rosary, which includes a

repeating of the repeating of the Hail MaryHail Mary and a and a meditation on the mysteries of the life of meditation on the mysteries of the life of

Christ.Christ.

Some other popular Marian devotions Some other popular Marian devotions include the feast of the Solemnity of Mary include the feast of the Solemnity of Mary

the Mother of God on January 1the Mother of God on January 1stst, the , the Miraculous Medal, the Scapular, various Miraculous Medal, the Scapular, various Marian prayers such as the Marian prayers such as the AngelusAngelus, and , and the devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart.the devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart.

The Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit Gives and Gives and

Renews LifeRenews LifeJesus promised to send the Holy

Spirit, and it is that Spirit—the third

Person of the Blessed Trinity—who gives life to

the Church.

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Jesus called the Holy Spirit the ParacleteParaclete, indicating that the Holy , indicating that the Holy

Spirit would be our advocate, Spirit would be our advocate, defender, and consoler.defender, and consoler.

The Holy Spirit is God’s gift—or grace—to us, that enables us to share his life

and love.

We first receive the Holy Spirit We first receive the Holy Spirit at our baptism, when we at our baptism, when we

become temples of the Holy become temples of the Holy Spirit and are justified before Spirit and are justified before

God.God.Justification means that our sins are

forgiven, and we are able to enter into a right relationship with God through our faith in Jesus

Christ.While Jesus had no sin, the Holy Spirit

descended upon him at his baptism as

well.

The Holy Spirit also gives life to The Holy Spirit also gives life to and builds up the Church.and builds up the Church.

The Holy Spirit uses the Church to draw

us to Christ, to reveal good things the Lord has done

for us, and to make present today the Paschal Mystery of

Christ’s love.

This is done especially in the

Eucharist, in which we share God’s own

life.

The Holy Spirit showers gifts The Holy Spirit showers gifts upon us that strengthen and upon us that strengthen and

build up the Church. build up the Church.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are bestowed on us especially at

Baptism and Confirmation,

and they make it easier for us to live a Christian

life.

WisdomWisdom

Fear of the LordFear of the Lord

PietyPiety

FortitudeFortitudeCounselCounsel

KnowledgeKnowledge

UnderstandingUnderstanding

St. Paul also tells us about other St. Paul also tells us about other gifts of the Spirit called gifts of the Spirit called

charismscharisms..CharismsCharisms are given are given

to individuals to to individuals to benefit the person benefit the person and strengthen the and strengthen the whole community.whole community.

Among the charisms are wisdom,

knowledge, faith, healing, miracle

working, prophecy, discernment, speaking

in tongues, and interpreting tongues.

Further, St. Paul describes the Further, St. Paul describes the fruits of the Holy Spiritfruits of the Holy Spirit..

TheThe fruits of the Holy fruits of the Holy SpiritSpirit are spiritual are spiritual

perfections that result perfections that result from the Holy Spirit from the Holy Spirit

living in us.living in us.

These fruits are charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness,

modesty, self-control, and chastity.

The Holy Spirit brought the Church The Holy Spirit brought the Church into existence at Pentecost.into existence at Pentecost.

The Catechism of the The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches Catholic Church teaches us that we find the Holy us that we find the Holy

Spirit still actively Spirit still actively working in the Church.working in the Church.

The Holy Spirit works through the Scriptures which he

inspired.




Through Sacred Tradition, witnessed

throughout the ages by the Church Fathers.




Through the Magisterium or teaching authority of the Church, as a guide to the

servants of God’s people: the pope and bishops of the

Church.




In the Sacraments which put us in touch with the

Risen Lord.




Through prayer, where he continually

intercedes for us.




Through the many gifts and ministries that

build up the Church as the Body of Christ.




Through the apostolic and missionary life and

outreach.




Through the saints, whose lives witness to

the presence of the Holy Spirit and his continuing

work of Salvation.

Since the third Person of the Blessed Since the third Person of the Blessed Trinity is purely Spirit, we use many Trinity is purely Spirit, we use many different symbols to communicate different symbols to communicate his presence, nature, and activity.his presence, nature, and activity.

Becoming familiar with these symbols can help us to

understand the Holy Spirit more deeply.

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Chapter 5: Jesus Helps Us to Understand the Trinity, Mary, and the Holy Spirit ©Ave Maria Press