“Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come.”
Rv 1:8
The two young men at my door wore black ties and crisp white
shirts, a familiar sight in neighborhoods everywhere: Mormon missionaries. I
always welcome the chance to evangelize them! Because, while I admire their
missionary zeal, I know that they teach a doctrine foreign to Christianity.
Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the LDS Church does not believe in the Holy
Trinity, one God in three Divine Persons. They believe instead in three
separate Gods, including a flesh-and-blood God the Father who pre-exists both
Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The missionaries are enthusiastic and convincing, and if
Christians don’t know what the Church teaches, they may have difficulty
defending their own beliefs. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is difficult to
comprehend, even for the greatest theologians and fathers of the Church. But it
is our faith, so we all have an obligation to try to learn what the church
teaches and why it matters.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a rich source of
information about the roots of this teaching. Drawing from scripture and
apostolic tradition, the Catechism summarizes it this way, “The mystery of the
Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of Christian
life” (Para 261).
This seemingly obscure bit of doctrine is the definitive teaching of the Christian
Church. If we fail to acknowledge that the eternal God became man, suffered and
died for us, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, we have rejected
Christianity.
In today’s Old Testament reading, Moses asks, “Did anything
so great ever happen before? …Did a people ever hear the voice of God… and
live?” We, as Christians, have been given something even greater. We have seen
the face of God among us, and lived. So on the day that we, like Peter, hear
Jesus ask, “Who do you say that I am?” let us be prepared to answer, “My Lord
and my God!” And when those young missionaries knock on our door, let us be
prepared to defend our faith, inspired by the wisdom and gentleness that comes
from God, the Holy Spirit.
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee;
While in essence only One,
Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee;
While in essence only One,
Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.
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