What is the significance of “Trinity Sunday”?
May 31, 2010
Yesterday, Sunday 30th May, we celebrated Trinity Sunday with readings
from Psalm 8, Romans 5 vs 1 to 5 and John 16 vs 12 to 15. The hymns we sang were some favourites such as "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty", "There is a Redeemer", "Love Divine All Loves Excelling" and "Glory be to God the Father". But what is the significance of “Trinity Sunday”?
The Sunday after Pentecost was chosen as Trinity Sunday because with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost all three elements of God have now come into view. The Trinity, or Godhead, is a way of Christians understanding the nature of God. Think of H
2O which can take three forms – water, ice or steam: Christians understand God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Unlike the elements, however, the Trinity is seen as a warm family unit, the ultimate example of a loving relationship where boundaries are blurred and understanding goes far beyond words.
Trinity Sunday is a day when Christians think of the nature of God rather than, as with other festivals, commemorating historical events of special significance. It is a comparatively recent addition to the Christian year originating in the Western Churches in the 10th Century. It seems, however, to have been made an official feast for the entire Church by Pope John XXII in the early 14th Century.
In today's world, how many of us measure the passage of a year by the Christian cycles? Some do and some don't. We now enter a period called, rather strangely perhaps, "Ordinary Time" (translated from the Latin "Tempus per annum") when there are no significant celebrations or feasts until Advent.
More News