3.8 the trinity and God's love

• who were St Augustine and Catherine LaCugna and what were their focuses?

  • two Christian theologians who wrote about the trinity
  • St : relationship with the trinity and how it can be understood through the concept of love
  • Catherine : trinity is revealed to humans as God's attempt to redeem them ( bring them back into a relationship with God )
• what is a quote St Augustine said and what was the text he wrote called?

  • ' True love is : a trinity of lover, beloved and the love that binds them together in one '
  • On the trinity
• what did the text he wrote say?

  • bible states that ' God is love ' ( 1 John 4:16 )
  • love cannot exist on its own - must be someone to give it and someone to receive it
  • to have love there must be three things : the person who loves : the person who is loved and the love that unites them
  • trinity can be though of as three Persons united in love
  • Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father ; the love that unites them is the Holy Spirit
  • Holy Spirit pours out into the hearts and lives of believers, sharing God's love with all people
• what did Catherine teach about the trinity : Father begets the son ?

  • Father begets the Son - the son comes from the Father
  • Son did not just suddenly come into being - he has always been apart of God
  • Son is continually eternally coming from the Father
• what did Catherine teach about the trinity : Holy spirit uniting ?

  • Holy Spirit is the love that eternally unites the Father and the Son
• what did Catherine teach about the trinity : continual creative act ?

  • this continual creative act - of the Father begetting the Son, and the eternal love between them constantly flows outwards into the whole of creation
• what did Catherine teach about the trinity : Son came to earth ?

  • Son came to earth as Jesus to bring redemption : to save people by brining them back to a relationship with the Father
  • Son comes from the Father to save humanity
• what did Catherine teach about the trinity : Holy Spirit is God's love ?

  • Holy Spirit - God's love is continually guiding believers towards the Father, to complete the work of Jesus' redemption
• what did Catherine teach about the trinity : complete redemption ?

  • once redemption is complete through the help of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit all things will be brought back to God
• how do St Augustine's and Catherine LaCugna's views differ?

  • Lacugna places more importance on the outward effects of the Trinity
  • thought best way to know God is through understanding God's actions in peoples lives
  • while Augustine focused on the relationship within the trinity and how understanding it is essential for understanding God