Monthly Archives: June 2006

EXCERPT: What do we believe about the Trinity? I cannot do better than to quote great Creeds. You know the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed from Mass. Taste now the so-called Athanasian Creed (or Symbolum Quicumque), which probably came from 5th century Latin Gaul and was attributed to the Greek speaking St. Athanasius of Alexandria (+373). Read this aloud and savor the lack of ambiguity!

Whoever wants to be saved should above all cling to the Catholic faith. Whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the Catholic faith:…
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EXCERPT:
In this Collect there is a reference to those moments in Scripture when God granted a manifestation, an epiphany of the Trinity and of the glory of God. At Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan the Holy Spirit was seen in the form of a dove descending and the voice of the Father was heard (cf. Luke 3). Before going to His death in Jerusalem Jesus was transfigured before the eyes of Peter, John and James (cf. Matthew 17) and God again revealed the wondrous mystery (admirabile mysterium) that He is Three in One, a Trinity of divine Persons. In our confession of true faith (vera fides) in the Creed we recognize (agnoscere) God to be Three and One. The Triune God is God the Father, God the Word of Truth, God the Spirit of sanctification, One God in three eternal divine Persons. In the articles about prayers used during the Conclave we learned the difference between cognosco and agnosco. The L&S says for agnosco, “as if to know a person or thing well, as having known it before, to recognize: agnoscere always denotes a subjective knowledge or recognition; while cognoscere designates an objective perception.” Man can reason toward this on his own, as did the pagan Neoplatonic theologians, but only by the gift of faith, of grace, and of divine revelation enable us to profess (confiteor) the Trinitarian mystery fully, in an authentic way. Read More →

EXCERPT:
In the mystery of the Unity and Trinity of God we believe that, from all eternity and before material creation and even time itself, the One God who desired a perfect communion of love expressed Himself in a perfect Word, containing all that He is. The Word God uttered was and is a perfect self-expression, also perfectly possessing every characteristic of the Speaker: being, omniscience, omnipotence, truth, beauty, and even personhood. So, from all eternity there were always two divine Persons, the God who spoke and the Word who was spoken, the God who Generates and the God who is Generated, true God with and from true God, Begetter and Begotten, Father and Son. There was never a time when this was not so. These two Persons eternally regard and contemplate each other. From all eternity they knew and loved each other, each embracing the other in a perfect gift of self-giving. And since the self-gift of these perfect and divine Persons, distinct by sharing one divine nature, is a perfect self-gift perfectly given and perfectly received, the very Gift between them also contains all that each of the Persons have: being, omniscience, omnipotence, truth, beauty, and even personhood. Thus, from all eternity there exist three distinct divine Persons yet having one indivisible divine nature, Father, Son and the perfect self-gift of love between them, the Holy Spirit. This is the foundational saving doctrine we believe in as Christians. At the core of everything else we believe in and hope for, we will find this mysterious doctrine of divine relationship, the Triune God. Read More →

EXCERPT:
In the mystery of the Unity and Trinity of God we believe that, from all eternity and before material creation and even time itself, the One God who desired a perfect communion of love expressed Himself in a perfect Word, containing all that He is. The Word God uttered was and is a perfect self-expression, also perfectly possessing every characteristic of the Speaker: being, omniscience, omnipotence, truth, beauty, and even personhood. So, from all eternity there were always two divine Persons, the God who spoke and the Word who was spoken, the God who Generates and the God who is Generated, true God with and from true God, Begetter and Begotten, Father and Son. There was never a time when this was not so. These two Persons eternally regard and contemplate each other. From all eternity they knew and loved each other, each embracing the other in a perfect gift of self-giving. And since the self-gift of these perfect and divine Persons, distinct by sharing one divine nature, is a perfect self-gift perfectly given and perfectly received, the very Gift between them also contains all that each of the Persons have: being, omniscience, omnipotence, truth, beauty, and even personhood. Thus, from all eternity there exist three distinct divine Persons yet having one indivisible divine nature, Father, Son and the perfect self-gift of love between them, the Holy Spirit. This is the foundational saving doctrine we believe in as Christians. At the core of everything else we believe in and hope for, we will find this mysterious doctrine of divine relationship, the Triune God. Read More →

EXCERPT:
For some time I have been of the opinion, that we need an ever greater emphasis on beauty in all we do in our public worship. It does not seem unreasonable to suggest that with the rise of post-modernist tendencies together with the decline in excellence in the system of education in the last decades, people today are less and less inclined to rational argument. As a matter of fact, it happens that you can lead a person through a series of propositions until you finally arrive at a conclusion with which they will agree. Then you will stunned to hear him say, “That might be true for you, but not for me.” The Church has for centuries taught doctrine and catechism in a very rational and linear fashion. But that is not how many people think today. It is getting harder to draw people to the truth with that kind of presentation. People are much more inclined to their “feelings” about things. That is why we must reclaim beauty. Beauty is a reflection of the Truth. People can be lead to Truth through their apprehension of the beauty of a thing. We must do all we can to enhance and make beautiful every aspect of our public worship so that we have that much more opportunity to shape, form, and give hope to God’s people. Liturgiam authenticam is very much about inculturation. This is why the issues of beauty and dignity, together with doctrinal precision, are so often emphasised in the document. We must do all we can to enhance and make beautiful every aspect of our public worship so that we have that much more opportunity to shape, form, and give hope to God’s people together with an open door to the true beauty of the Beatific Vision of the Most Blessed Trinity. Read More →