Page 8 - Children Celebrate - Summer 2003

What Jesus says about being the Father’s only Son recalls Abraham’s willingness to show his love for God by sacrificing his only son, Isaac. In the end, of course, Isaac was spared, and in the end Jesus will be, too—but not without first proving the depth of God’s love for his people.
Children’s Connections
Today’s Homily puts into terms accessible to children some sophisticated ideas about the Holy Trinity. First, you will use a shamrock
to show that God is both one and
three. God is one Being in Three
Divine Persons, or, as the Eleventh
Council of Toledo (675) put it, “one
substance and three persons.”
The early Christian writer Tertullian (c. 160–
c. 220 ad) was first to give us precise terminology in this area of theology. In fact, he coined the term Trinity. He also was first to speak of Father, Son, and Spirit as person; person being a term with a specific meaning in the Latin language in which
he wrote—one, unfortunately, that translates imperfectly into modern English.
It referred mostly to the Trinity’s key roles in salvation history—those of Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. (Nevertheless, it must be remembered that Father, Son, and Spirit existed before anything was ever made, saved, or graced. Thus, their relationship to one another is of prior importance, and the words Father, Son, and Spirit more perfectly identify them than do the terms Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.)
Finally, when Tertullian spoke of the Trinity as being one in substance, he meant “what the three persons of the Trinity have in common...their common foundational unity, despite the outward appearance of diversity” (Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction, 2001, p. 322).
An image of Borromean rings shows three interlocking circles. The diagram is
a good way to illustrate the quality
of perichoresis associated with the
Trinity. McGrath says, “The basic
notion is that all three persons of the
Trinity mutually share in the life of the others, so that none is isolated or detached from the actions of the others” (p. 586). No circle in the diagram is greater or lesser than any other. Even one circle
that might appear to be “on top” no longer is if you simply rotate the image. And no circle can be removed without completely changing the image.
The Children’s Leaflet
The leaflet for this week helps children learn about the mystery of the Holy Trinity, through a prayer, a summary of the Gospel, and a creative activity.
You may distribute the leaflet now, for use during the session, or before the children return to the assembly. If you distribute the leaflet now and time permits, you may wish to read with the children the summary of the Gospel in “The Word of God This Week” after you have read the Gospel. Point out the artwork and ask the children what is happening in the picture.
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An Ancient Meditation on the Holy Trinity
The Athanasian Creed, which dates back to the sixth century, was written in the spirit of the great fourth-century theologian Athanasius. It “stands alone in its detailed and beautiful description of the Holy Trinity,” according to beginningcatholic.com. Here are some key excerpts:
• “Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. However, there are not three gods, but one God.”
• “The Father was not made, nor created, nor generated by anyone. The Son is not made, nor created, but begotten by the Father alone. The Holy Spirit is not made, nor created, nor generated, but proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
• “There is, then, one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.”
• “In this Trinity, there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less. The entire three Persons are coeternal and coequal with one another.”
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