Trinity: ultimate basis for reality

“Christian understanding integrates distinctions in God without thereby multiplying God... This profession of faith is laden with consequences for humankind and society, since it supposes that the ultimate basis for reality is not to be found in the solitude of One but in the co-existence and communion of Three.” Leonardo Boff, Trinity and Society p139

This quote really impacted on me - our faith in the Triune God is laden with consequences for humankind and society. And yet most Christians don't even bother to try and understand this shape of God, let alone let it have any impact in their living and relationships. In fact Karl Rahner said that if the doctrine of the Trinity was suddenly found to be false, this change in theology would leave the majority of Christian thought and practice completely unchanged. Fr Richard Rohr points out that if Rahner is right, then we must be doing something wrong: the shape of God is either being misunderstood or entirely ignored, and that has to be a bad state of affairs!

The nature of the Trinity has implications for humankind and society because its about how to relate to one another and how to transcend our earthly selfishcentredness. I feel strongly that we need to get to grips with this if we want to show the world that the Kingdom of God is good news...