The Triune God

• Forms of expression


  • the glory of God
  • music
• The glory of God expressed through music

  • The glory of God is the inexpressible splendour and mystery of God
  • Music is a way of expressing deep things about God, things that are beyond description in words
• Vatican II describes music as 'a treasure of inestimable value" and says that music is the highest form of art to praise God
• Music


  • is evocative-it inspires thoughts and emotions
  • expresses joy-Christian worship should be joyful as it celebrates the resurrection of Christ
  • expresses love as St Augustine said, 'A song is a thing of joy; more profoundly, it is a thing of love,"
• Types of music used in worship

  • psalms-Biblical hymns and poems that express joy, repentance, sorrow, praise and love put to music
  • plainchant or Gregorian chant (named after Pope Gregory) - this is chanted with voices alone (not accompanied with instruments) and often used in monasteries. It is soothing and evokes an air of mystery
  • traditional hymns- these are hymns that have been used for a long time, they often have several verses which express some aspect of Catholic belief and a reason to praise God, such as the incarnation at Christmas. The words can sometimes seem to be old-fashioned but they can contain deep meanings and sometimes are very poetic
  • contemporary worship songs- after Vatican II there was a new emphasis on people being more personally involved in the Mass. One way of doing this was encouraging people to sing and this led to new music being composed with more contemporary tunes such as 'Make Me a Channel of Your Peace' or 'Here I am Lord'
• Sections of the Mass that can be sung with instrumental music accompanying, called mass settings

  • Kyries-the Lord have mercy
  • Gloria-the 'Glory to God' hymn of praise
  • Alleluia-this is just before the Gospel is read
  • Sanctus-the "Holy, Holy, Holy' in the Eucharistic prayer
  • Eucharistic acclamations-these are short statements of faith made by the people in the Eucharistic prayer (when thanks to God is given, and bread and wine are consecrated), which otherwise is said by the priest
  • Doxology-Through him, and with him and in him at the end of the Eucharistic prayer
  • Agmes De-Lamb of God' just before receiving communion
• Mass settings


  Used in order to highlight certain parts of the music and to draw out the meaning. They help the congregation to participate rather than just listening.
• Kyries


  Speak of mercy and the mass begins with penitence, saying sorry for sins
• Alleluia


  Marks out the Gospel reading as special as it is the words and deeds of Jesus
• Sanctus


  Based upon the hymn of the angels in heaven, showing that God is present among the people
• Agnus Dei


  A reminder that Jesus is present in the consecrated bread and wine, the 'Lamb of God' who died to forgive sins
• St Augustine: 'He who sings prays twice.'
• St Augustine: 'Anyone, therefore, who has learnt to love the new life has learnt to sing a new song [...] so let us love God with the love He has given us.'
• Psalm


  A hymn of praise, repentance or lament
• Plainchant


  The traditional settings for reciting the Psalms, using the human voice alone
• The Trinity is one God in three equal persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
• Mission


  Going out to spread the Word of God and to show the love of God by helping with social issues
• Evangelisation (also called evangelism)


  Communication of the good news of the Gospel through preaching, teaching, drama or a holy life
• The Catechism teaches that the mission of the Church is the same as the mission of Jesus: to show the love of the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit
• Jesus: 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.'
• Trinity


  One God in three equal persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
• The Trinity is seen in the story of the baptism of Jesus, where the persons of the Trinity are present: Jesus the Son is baptised, the Holy Spirit comes down like a dove, and the voice of the Father is heard from heaven
• The term 'only begotten' for the Son does not mean he had a beginning, but rather that he is eternal, never having a beginning, but always coming forth from the Father within the life of the Trinity
• Trinity


  Catholic belief about the Trinity comes from references to the three persons of the Trinity in the Bible
• References to the Trinity in the Bible


  • Mark 1:9-11
  • Galatians 4:6-7
• Trinity


  • An example of the love of God in action, as the persons give themselves to each other perfectly and reach out with that love to the world
• St Augustine's view of the Trinity


  The Trinity contains the lover, the beloved (the person who is loved), and the love that binds them
• St Augustine's emphasis


  The love that unites the Trinity also flowed out into the world to Christians
• Catherine LaCugna's view


  We should try and understand God from what he has done in the world; his actions
• God sent Jesus to earth (the incarnation)

  To die and be resurrected to restore human beings' relationship with God
• God sends the Holy Spirit


  To guide and inspire Christians
• Magisterium


  The Pope and bishops are believed to have succeeded from the Apostles and have the authority to make decisions about Church doctrine
• Conciliar magisterium


  • When the pope and bishops come together to work out doctrine in councils
• Council of Nicaea (325 CE)


  • Concluded that Jesus was fully divine and eternal equal to God the Father, and made belief in the Holy Spirit central to the faith
• Council of Constantinople (381 CE)


  • Confirmed that the Holy Spirit was fully God, and the third part of the Trinity
• Nicaea-Constantinople Creed


  A statement of faith that was created and finalised in these two councils
• The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops, when, together with Peter's successor (the Pope), they exercise the supreme Magisterium, above all in an Ecumenical Council
• Creed of Nicea-Constantinople: 'I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified'
• Baptism is a sacrament that was established by Jesus when he instructed his disciples to baptise others
• Baptism


  The sacrament that signals entry, or initiation, into the Catholic Church