October - The Trinity
Did you catch the different heresies in the short and silly video above?
If not, here they are:
Modalism - God is not 3 distinct persons, but he merely reveals himself in 3 different forms.Condemned in the Council of Constantinople in 381AD.
Arianism - Christ and the Holy Spirit are created by the Father, and are not one in nature (consubstantial) with him.
Partialism - The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not 3 distinct persons of the Godhead but are different parts of God, each composing one third of the Divine.
In the words of St. Patrick, "The Trinity is a mystery that cannot be comprehended by human reason but is understood only through faith, and is best confessed in the words of the Athanasius Creed, which states that we worship one God in Trinity and Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance, and we are compelled by Christian truth to confess that each distinct person is God and Lord, and that the deity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coequal in majesty." The mystery of the Trinity is the central mystery of our faith.
St. Catherine and the Trinity
In October, we shared some of St. Catherine's insights on the Trinity, whom she called "Holy Truth." St. Catherine liked to think of God the Father as "Power." Only God the Father has the power to call forth entire worlds into being, simply by uttering it to be done. God the Father holds all of creation in existence, because he wills it to be so. He gives his own spark of life into all of creation, as is appropriate for each thing. God also has the power to overcome the greatest evil, even drawing forth life from death.
Catherine called Jesus the Son "Wisdom." What is Wisdom? The Old Testament has a lot to say about Wisdom, like "the fear of the Lord is training for wisdom, " and "How much better to get Wisdom than gold!" (Proverbs 15: 33, 16:16) Jesus clearly identifies himself with Wisdom in the New Testament, embodying it in his willing submission to do the will of his Father, instead of being in competition with him, and challenging us to do the same. It is his willing submission to the will of the Father that results in our salvation.
The Holy Spirit was called "Love" by Catherine. Love meant God's overwhelming desire to share his infinite love and life with each of us, both in community and individually. It is God moving out into the cosmos, as an other-focused, selfless, life-giving invitation.
St. Catherine also taught that since we are made in the image of God, we reflect the Trinity in our own faculties. For example, she taught that our ability to Remember, Understand and Desire was really the interior reflection of the Trinity, calling us on the one hand to journey inwardly, while at the same time inspiring us to move outwardly into the world, bringing the light, life and love of God.
Trinity & Relationships
The Trinity is also our model for all relationships. Each person of the Trinity--God, Son and Holy Spirit--is continuously pouring out love to the others and, at the same time, constantly open to receiving love from the others. As families, we are called to do the same. We continuously pour out love, energy and affection on the members of our families. At the same time, we need to receive from them their love, energy and affection, as well. The Trinity has an "inner life," their relationships between each other, and an "outer life" in the way the persons of the Trinity are in relationship with each of us. Families have their home life as well as their lives out in the community. The Trinity is a model for all of these relationships.
The Trinity, Respect Life & Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse and a lack of respect for life in ALL its stages--young, old, rich, poor, sick, well, immigrant, migrant, etc.--rupture our relationships and cut off the flow of love, energy and affection. Please visit the Respect Life table at the back of the church for information on domestic abuse and the many ways we are called to respect life.
How do I get in the flow?
Our lives are meant to be journeys deeper and deeper into the heart of God. God wants us to live within the inner life of the Trinity and to allow the Trinity to dwell within us. One way to "get in the flow" of this Trinitarian life and love is the do the Ignatian Examen at the end of the day. This is a short, simple and, yet, powerful way to look back on our day and discover when and where we met God and when and where we missed God. www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen.
Would you like to Go Deeper?
Check out a few of our recommendations for books on the Trinity HERE.
If not, here they are:
Modalism - God is not 3 distinct persons, but he merely reveals himself in 3 different forms.Condemned in the Council of Constantinople in 381AD.
Arianism - Christ and the Holy Spirit are created by the Father, and are not one in nature (consubstantial) with him.
Partialism - The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not 3 distinct persons of the Godhead but are different parts of God, each composing one third of the Divine.
In the words of St. Patrick, "The Trinity is a mystery that cannot be comprehended by human reason but is understood only through faith, and is best confessed in the words of the Athanasius Creed, which states that we worship one God in Trinity and Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance, and we are compelled by Christian truth to confess that each distinct person is God and Lord, and that the deity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coequal in majesty." The mystery of the Trinity is the central mystery of our faith.
St. Catherine and the Trinity
In October, we shared some of St. Catherine's insights on the Trinity, whom she called "Holy Truth." St. Catherine liked to think of God the Father as "Power." Only God the Father has the power to call forth entire worlds into being, simply by uttering it to be done. God the Father holds all of creation in existence, because he wills it to be so. He gives his own spark of life into all of creation, as is appropriate for each thing. God also has the power to overcome the greatest evil, even drawing forth life from death.
Catherine called Jesus the Son "Wisdom." What is Wisdom? The Old Testament has a lot to say about Wisdom, like "the fear of the Lord is training for wisdom, " and "How much better to get Wisdom than gold!" (Proverbs 15: 33, 16:16) Jesus clearly identifies himself with Wisdom in the New Testament, embodying it in his willing submission to do the will of his Father, instead of being in competition with him, and challenging us to do the same. It is his willing submission to the will of the Father that results in our salvation.
The Holy Spirit was called "Love" by Catherine. Love meant God's overwhelming desire to share his infinite love and life with each of us, both in community and individually. It is God moving out into the cosmos, as an other-focused, selfless, life-giving invitation.
St. Catherine also taught that since we are made in the image of God, we reflect the Trinity in our own faculties. For example, she taught that our ability to Remember, Understand and Desire was really the interior reflection of the Trinity, calling us on the one hand to journey inwardly, while at the same time inspiring us to move outwardly into the world, bringing the light, life and love of God.
Trinity & Relationships
The Trinity is also our model for all relationships. Each person of the Trinity--God, Son and Holy Spirit--is continuously pouring out love to the others and, at the same time, constantly open to receiving love from the others. As families, we are called to do the same. We continuously pour out love, energy and affection on the members of our families. At the same time, we need to receive from them their love, energy and affection, as well. The Trinity has an "inner life," their relationships between each other, and an "outer life" in the way the persons of the Trinity are in relationship with each of us. Families have their home life as well as their lives out in the community. The Trinity is a model for all of these relationships.
The Trinity, Respect Life & Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse and a lack of respect for life in ALL its stages--young, old, rich, poor, sick, well, immigrant, migrant, etc.--rupture our relationships and cut off the flow of love, energy and affection. Please visit the Respect Life table at the back of the church for information on domestic abuse and the many ways we are called to respect life.
How do I get in the flow?
Our lives are meant to be journeys deeper and deeper into the heart of God. God wants us to live within the inner life of the Trinity and to allow the Trinity to dwell within us. One way to "get in the flow" of this Trinitarian life and love is the do the Ignatian Examen at the end of the day. This is a short, simple and, yet, powerful way to look back on our day and discover when and where we met God and when and where we missed God. www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen.
Would you like to Go Deeper?
Check out a few of our recommendations for books on the Trinity HERE.
At the October Sessions
St. Cat's Glowbugs Centers:
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders were busy in the centers this month, learning about the Holy Trinity.
Craft Center: In the crafts center, each child created a special blue cup as a reminder of St. Catherine's teaching that the Trinity is like a "deep well." It is always life-giving, always refreshing, and bottomless. The blue cup represented the well, and each person of the Holy Trinity had a symbol glued onto the cup. For God the Father, the children used a sparkly gold pompom. For Jesus, they glued on a cross. A white feather was used to represent the Holy Spirit. The children wrote their own prayers of thanks and petition to the Trinity, and placed them into the cup.
Story Center: A parent volunteer read the story Stone Soup, about 3 monks who came down from their high mountain to the village below. They found the villagers were unfriendly and unwelcoming and had shut themselves off from each other. So the 3 monks decided to teach them how to be happy. Just like the 3 monks in the story, the Trinity gives life to us and teaches us how to give life to others.
Living Liturgically: This center teaches the families about a feast day celebrated during the month. Since we celebrate St. Francis' feast day on October 4, the children and their parents acted out the story of St. Francis and the Wolf. Lots of growling and stomping could be heard coming from this center!
Scripture Center: Since October is the Month of the Rosary, the children prayed a decade of the rosary with their parents, while meditating on the Baptism of Jesus, where the Trinity is revealed. Scripture and prayer were put together with guided reflections, teaching the families how to pray a Scriptural Rosary.
St. Cat's SPARKS (4th and 5th grade)
This month Pope Francis opened his year-long Share the Journey campaign to encourage the worldwide Catholic Church to pray for, learn about and support migrants and immigrants. The Trinity is our model for living community, so our 4th - 8th graders participated in simulated refugee and migrant journeys to learn more about their plight. Here is a link to the 4th and 5th grade journey:
www.crs.org/sites/default/files/usops-resources/elementary_prayer_pilgrimage_on_the_refugee_crisis_2.pdf.
St. Cat's IGNITE (Middle School)
Here is a link to the Middle School journey:
education.crs.org/sites/default/files/Middle School Simulation on the Refugee Crisis %28Education%29.pdf.
St. Cat's Glowbugs Centers:
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders were busy in the centers this month, learning about the Holy Trinity.
Craft Center: In the crafts center, each child created a special blue cup as a reminder of St. Catherine's teaching that the Trinity is like a "deep well." It is always life-giving, always refreshing, and bottomless. The blue cup represented the well, and each person of the Holy Trinity had a symbol glued onto the cup. For God the Father, the children used a sparkly gold pompom. For Jesus, they glued on a cross. A white feather was used to represent the Holy Spirit. The children wrote their own prayers of thanks and petition to the Trinity, and placed them into the cup.
Story Center: A parent volunteer read the story Stone Soup, about 3 monks who came down from their high mountain to the village below. They found the villagers were unfriendly and unwelcoming and had shut themselves off from each other. So the 3 monks decided to teach them how to be happy. Just like the 3 monks in the story, the Trinity gives life to us and teaches us how to give life to others.
Living Liturgically: This center teaches the families about a feast day celebrated during the month. Since we celebrate St. Francis' feast day on October 4, the children and their parents acted out the story of St. Francis and the Wolf. Lots of growling and stomping could be heard coming from this center!
Scripture Center: Since October is the Month of the Rosary, the children prayed a decade of the rosary with their parents, while meditating on the Baptism of Jesus, where the Trinity is revealed. Scripture and prayer were put together with guided reflections, teaching the families how to pray a Scriptural Rosary.
St. Cat's SPARKS (4th and 5th grade)
This month Pope Francis opened his year-long Share the Journey campaign to encourage the worldwide Catholic Church to pray for, learn about and support migrants and immigrants. The Trinity is our model for living community, so our 4th - 8th graders participated in simulated refugee and migrant journeys to learn more about their plight. Here is a link to the 4th and 5th grade journey:
www.crs.org/sites/default/files/usops-resources/elementary_prayer_pilgrimage_on_the_refugee_crisis_2.pdf.
St. Cat's IGNITE (Middle School)
Here is a link to the Middle School journey:
education.crs.org/sites/default/files/Middle School Simulation on the Refugee Crisis %28Education%29.pdf.