The Most Holy Trinity AD 2009
As we observe the Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity each year priests up and down the land struggle to find new ways to teach their people the truth of this doctrine which in essence is about the mystery of the Godhead.
In previous years I have talked about there being at the heart of the Godhead a relationship of love and the importance of community within the Godhead and of how we are all called to be caught up in that relationship of love. I have on another occasions tried to explain to you St Augustine of Hippo’s understanding of the “Processions of God” which essentially tries to show us that God’s greatness and love are so great that they cannot be contained and that they proceed forth and as they proceed we experience them as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I have used parts of the Creed attributed to St Athanasius to talk about Three Persons and yet One God.
If there is one thing I haven’t done it is talk about the Shamrock or a clover-leaf! And if there is one thing that all my Homilies, and probably all other homilies preached by other priests have in common it is that they have the same effect on their hearers: a look of complete bewilderment!
So this morning I am going to say a few things on the theme of the Holy Trinity, but from a different perspective. I am sure that in some ways what I am about to say could be seen as controversial, but that it is not my intent. My intent is to show some of the problems that exist when forces both within and without the Church try to assimilate all religions while at the same time illustrating this by looking at some complete contradictions of Catholic Doctrine found elsewhere.
We live in an age when Governments in western nations face the threat of terrorism. It has been rightly said that not all Muslims are terrorists, but that most terrorism is committed by adherents of that Faith. Rightly, we must acknowledge that the overwhelming majority of individual Muslims would want nothing to do with acts of violence, and that they sincerely believe the tents of their faith and try to live them out in peace. However, in the face of this threat of terrorism two strands seem to have emerged which have had a problematic effect on Christianity and give rise to difficulties for not a few individual Christians.
The first strand is that of militant secularism hitching a lift on an old and worn-out theory that religion is the cause of all wars and disharmony. They do this not to try and deal with the problem of those who do indeed use religion to justify or even cause violence, rather they do it in order to further their stated aims of removing all Christian influence from our society. There are other lobby groups that are also hitching a ride on this too; e.g. many minority activist groups that disagree with the Church’s moral teaching are demanding the curtailing of Christian influence in British society.
The second strand is potentially far more damaging. It is where well-meaning, but misguided, individuals in positions of influence and power seek to alter our laws and culture to try and assimilate the religions and try and reduce them to the lowest common denominator. Usually, we are expected to agree with their assumptions that all religions essentially believe similar things and that our differences are purely cosmetic. Those who peddle these views outside the church are often those who have little or no religious background. Those who peddle them inside the Church are complete heretics.
So are there any differences between what Catholic Christians believe and what Islam teaches? Well, yes there are many differences and many of them are fundamentally different and there can never be assimilation between them.
A faithful Muslim believes that the Archangel Gabriel told Mohammad what to write in the Koran word for word. Why then does the Koran say that the Christians’ understanding of the Holy Trinity is the “Father, Jesus and Mary?” When pointing out to a Muslim that the Holy Trinity is “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” we will be told “Oh no, the prophet teaches us...” For a faithful Muslim the prophet cannot be wrong. So here we have a fundamental difference.
The Koran also teaches that Jesus is simply a prophet, whereas we believe him to be the Incarnate Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity - another fundamental difference.
The Koran also teaches that Jesus, in referring to sending the Comforter meant Mohammad whereas we believe that Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity - another, fundamental difference.
The faithful Muslim has no concept of God as loving but simply as a capricious God who may or may not grant eternal life according to how he wishes at the time, except for those who are martyred who go straight to heaven. Christians believe that our salvation comes through faith in Christ and that God our heavenly Father loves us and wants all people to be saved – another fundamental difference.
Islam means submission, whereas the Catholic Christian believes that God wants people to come to him of their own free-will – another fundamental difference.
These differences cannot be swept aside and nor can a significant number of other differences. There is also the matter of the veracity of Mohammad’s claims written 600 years after the time of Jesus Christ. The Islamic profession of faith is designed deliberately to deny the Christians Faith. It reads: “There is only one God, and Mohammad is his prophet,” which means that when recited a Muslim is saying “There is no Holy Trinity and Jesus isn’t God’s Son.” That may not be what we will be told today to our faces, but that is what the intention was when it was compiled. There is also the matter of the claimed influence of the Archangel Gabriel – why then are there numerous retellings of apocryphal and heretical legends about Christ placed into the text of the Koran as well as numerous Arabian legends that predate the period in question by centuries? What about the whole matter of how later violent texts in the Koran completely contradict earlier peaceful sections? When looking at the history of the Koran’s compilation we enter a complete minefield of stories and disagreements.
Now, our own Bible has not been without its critics and for 150 years has faced some stringent critical inquiries and by and large has come through relatively unscathed, but it has to be said that even a little research into the matter would show that if the same process was done with the Koran then there would be serious issues to face.
For Christians the matter of WHO IS JESUS CHRIST? is central to our faith. And that is the question that separates us from all other religions. We believe that God became man and dwelt among us, that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification, that his manhood is now in heaven and that the Holy Spirit is sent for our sanctification. We cannot simply assimilate with other religions for there are fundamental differences between us that cannot be reconciled, and that furthermore we have been commanded: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” God is not capricious – he is love, and wants all to know of the love that exists within the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity and which is so great that it overflows and proceeds towards us who are his children.
As we observe the Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity each year priests up and down the land struggle to find new ways to teach their people the truth of this doctrine which in essence is about the mystery of the Godhead.
In previous years I have talked about there being at the heart of the Godhead a relationship of love and the importance of community within the Godhead and of how we are all called to be caught up in that relationship of love. I have on another occasions tried to explain to you St Augustine of Hippo’s understanding of the “Processions of God” which essentially tries to show us that God’s greatness and love are so great that they cannot be contained and that they proceed forth and as they proceed we experience them as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I have used parts of the Creed attributed to St Athanasius to talk about Three Persons and yet One God.
If there is one thing I haven’t done it is talk about the Shamrock or a clover-leaf! And if there is one thing that all my Homilies, and probably all other homilies preached by other priests have in common it is that they have the same effect on their hearers: a look of complete bewilderment!
So this morning I am going to say a few things on the theme of the Holy Trinity, but from a different perspective. I am sure that in some ways what I am about to say could be seen as controversial, but that it is not my intent. My intent is to show some of the problems that exist when forces both within and without the Church try to assimilate all religions while at the same time illustrating this by looking at some complete contradictions of Catholic Doctrine found elsewhere.
We live in an age when Governments in western nations face the threat of terrorism. It has been rightly said that not all Muslims are terrorists, but that most terrorism is committed by adherents of that Faith. Rightly, we must acknowledge that the overwhelming majority of individual Muslims would want nothing to do with acts of violence, and that they sincerely believe the tents of their faith and try to live them out in peace. However, in the face of this threat of terrorism two strands seem to have emerged which have had a problematic effect on Christianity and give rise to difficulties for not a few individual Christians.
The first strand is that of militant secularism hitching a lift on an old and worn-out theory that religion is the cause of all wars and disharmony. They do this not to try and deal with the problem of those who do indeed use religion to justify or even cause violence, rather they do it in order to further their stated aims of removing all Christian influence from our society. There are other lobby groups that are also hitching a ride on this too; e.g. many minority activist groups that disagree with the Church’s moral teaching are demanding the curtailing of Christian influence in British society.
The second strand is potentially far more damaging. It is where well-meaning, but misguided, individuals in positions of influence and power seek to alter our laws and culture to try and assimilate the religions and try and reduce them to the lowest common denominator. Usually, we are expected to agree with their assumptions that all religions essentially believe similar things and that our differences are purely cosmetic. Those who peddle these views outside the church are often those who have little or no religious background. Those who peddle them inside the Church are complete heretics.
So are there any differences between what Catholic Christians believe and what Islam teaches? Well, yes there are many differences and many of them are fundamentally different and there can never be assimilation between them.
A faithful Muslim believes that the Archangel Gabriel told Mohammad what to write in the Koran word for word. Why then does the Koran say that the Christians’ understanding of the Holy Trinity is the “Father, Jesus and Mary?” When pointing out to a Muslim that the Holy Trinity is “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” we will be told “Oh no, the prophet teaches us...” For a faithful Muslim the prophet cannot be wrong. So here we have a fundamental difference.
The Koran also teaches that Jesus is simply a prophet, whereas we believe him to be the Incarnate Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity - another fundamental difference.
The Koran also teaches that Jesus, in referring to sending the Comforter meant Mohammad whereas we believe that Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity - another, fundamental difference.
The faithful Muslim has no concept of God as loving but simply as a capricious God who may or may not grant eternal life according to how he wishes at the time, except for those who are martyred who go straight to heaven. Christians believe that our salvation comes through faith in Christ and that God our heavenly Father loves us and wants all people to be saved – another fundamental difference.
Islam means submission, whereas the Catholic Christian believes that God wants people to come to him of their own free-will – another fundamental difference.
These differences cannot be swept aside and nor can a significant number of other differences. There is also the matter of the veracity of Mohammad’s claims written 600 years after the time of Jesus Christ. The Islamic profession of faith is designed deliberately to deny the Christians Faith. It reads: “There is only one God, and Mohammad is his prophet,” which means that when recited a Muslim is saying “There is no Holy Trinity and Jesus isn’t God’s Son.” That may not be what we will be told today to our faces, but that is what the intention was when it was compiled. There is also the matter of the claimed influence of the Archangel Gabriel – why then are there numerous retellings of apocryphal and heretical legends about Christ placed into the text of the Koran as well as numerous Arabian legends that predate the period in question by centuries? What about the whole matter of how later violent texts in the Koran completely contradict earlier peaceful sections? When looking at the history of the Koran’s compilation we enter a complete minefield of stories and disagreements.
Now, our own Bible has not been without its critics and for 150 years has faced some stringent critical inquiries and by and large has come through relatively unscathed, but it has to be said that even a little research into the matter would show that if the same process was done with the Koran then there would be serious issues to face.
For Christians the matter of WHO IS JESUS CHRIST? is central to our faith. And that is the question that separates us from all other religions. We believe that God became man and dwelt among us, that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification, that his manhood is now in heaven and that the Holy Spirit is sent for our sanctification. We cannot simply assimilate with other religions for there are fundamental differences between us that cannot be reconciled, and that furthermore we have been commanded: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” God is not capricious – he is love, and wants all to know of the love that exists within the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity and which is so great that it overflows and proceeds towards us who are his children.
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