Brian’s Reflection: The Weekend, Saturday, May 29, 2010

All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that
[the Sprit] will take what is mine and declare it to you."

John 16 [ Scripture for Trinity Sunday, RCL, Year C ]


It is – at least to me – very clear that by the time the Gospels were fully formed and accepted in written form, the Church had “had her way” with the Kerygma! At least with the written version. Seen simplistically, the so-called “doctrine of the Trinity” was formulated at the Council of Nicea (begun in 325) for primarily 2 reasons: (1) to satisfy the Emperor Constantine that the Christian Church would become a unified agent of unity in the Empire, and (2) to make clear that Jesus was God, and so set up the Christian Church as a very “powerful” religion since its “founder” was God Himself!

The “doctrine” of the Trinity has been a real millstone around the neck of the Church. No matter what is said, the Trinity seems to imply that there is more than one God. All of the convoluted language trying to identify Jesus as “God” while saying that “God is One” has created nothing but confusion – and it has also completely alienated us from Judaism and Islam.

The one thing I would celebrate on “Trinity Sunday” is this: Jesus, as “God Incarnate”, makes it clear (at least to me!) that We and God are bonded, our “essence” is the same. We human beings are connected with and part of the great Mystery of Being. There is no separation, no “gulf fixed”. We human beings are not some add-on appendage of Life. We are an integral and necessary part of It. Of God. Of the Universe.

And I think it is high time that we started acting like it – ALL of us in this amazing World!

Brian+