Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ,

We are back to Ordinary Time, this Sunday after the conclusion of Easter Season, honors the Holy Trinity. My favorite story about understanding this mystery from the life of Saint Augustine. He authored theological books about the Holy Trinity. When he was walking on the shore of the sea he saw a little boy building a sand castle from the sand on the beach and filling up a moat around the castle with water. He brought more and more water. Saint Augustine stopped and asked the boy if he thought he could pour all the water from the sea to the moat. The boy answered – and you, Augustine, do you think that you can contain all the truth about God in your mind?

Triggered by that story, I wondered what AI could tell us about the Holy Trinity. Below are the results from AI. I can testify that it made quite good “artificial catechesis” supporting our non-artificial faith in our living God.

Enjoy!

Father Andrew

The Holy Trinity in Christian theology refers to the doctrine that God exists as three persons but is one being. These three persons are the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit, each fully and completely God, yet there is only one God. This concept is central to most branches of Christianity, though it is understood and explained in many ways.

• Biblical Basis: The Trinity isn’t explicitly named in the Bible but is inferred from passages like Matthew 28:19 (“baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”) and 2 Corinthians 13:14. The Old Testament hints at God’s plural nature (e.g., Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image”), while the New Testament clarifies the distinct roles of the three persons.

• Theological Explanation: Each person of the Trinity is distinct in function but equal, sharing the same divine nature. For example, the Father creates, the Son redeems, and the Spirit sanctifies, yet all are fully God. This avoids modalism (one God in different modes) and polytheism (multiple gods).

• Historical Development: The doctrine was formalized in early church councils, like Nicaea (325 CE) and Constantinople (381 CE), to counter heresies like Arianism, which denied the Son’s full divinity. The Athanasian Creed is a key text articulating Trinitarian belief.

• Analogies: Common analogies include a triangle (one shape, three sides), water (existing as liquid, ice, or steam), or a person with multiple roles (e.g., father, son, husband). These are imperfect, as they can oversimplify or misrepresent the mystery.

• Denominational Views: Most Christians (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) affirm the Trinity, but some groups, like Unitarians or Oneness Pentecostals, reject or modify it, emphasizing God’s oneness over three distinct persons.