It took an apple (the fruit, not the electronic device) and an inquisitive mind to “discover” a force to which we all owe our existence. According to legend, Sir Isaac Newton was enlightened by an apple falling from a tree on his head; most historians dismiss this, but he was certainly curious about why apples always fall straight to the ground rather than sideways or upwards. Inspired by such a simple fact, the likes of which had been witnessed daily by everyone since time immemorial, Newton eventually developed his law of gravity. In other words, he defined in the scientific terms of his time something that had existed for a long time. A century later, this helped to predict the existence of planet Neptune, when astronomers found discrepancies between the calculated and actual trajectory of another planet, Uranus. They speculated that a massive celestial object beyond the orbit of Uranus must have been the cause of the discrepancy. A couple of astronomers independently used Newton’s law to predict Neptune’s location in the night sky, and the planet was discovered there within a day. Although Newton’s work was indeed a milestone in science, he didn’t invent gravity but helped us understand it and use it more effectively. Space travel is the most obvious but not unique example of that.
The idea of formulating, describing and defining pre-existing entities applies to the physical world as well as to the spiritual one. In the field of theology (the knowledge of the divine), humankind has travelled a long way from typically shamanic religious beliefs, where the world was inhabited by a plethora of supernatural beings. The next step was polytheism, where there were a few major gods and a greater number of minor ones. We may be familiar with such forms of religious beliefs thanks to our acquired knowledge of the ancient Greek and Rome cultures. However, a number of ancient thinkers deduced that there must have been only one god. That was de facto the birth of monotheism. That was also the end of the road for the so-called “natural religion” – the ability to discern the existence of a higher, divine being. Because that god of philosophers was transcendent (out of this world), it was impossible to say anything about the nature of such a being. So there came the third “theological” phase: the revelation, where God reveals to people who He was and is.
The end of my last sentence caused me a huge problem because I had to use language that is completely inadequate to describe indescribable spiritual realities. Our language (in the broadest sense) is deeply rooted in the physical reality of our world because that’s how we perceive it. Things are made more challenging by the relatively modern drive to describe everything in the most precise ways and in the minutest detail. It can be useful in many fields of science, but there are many areas where it’s impossible to do so. For example, how can you exactly describe your feelings, emotions or pain? We can use rudimentary terms, but conveying any more nuanced aspects is nearly impossible. When we don’t have adequate language, we resort to the language of symbols, metaphors, comparisons and poetry. In such a way, we can try to convey what escapes words, knowing that all those literary devices have limitations. Namely, they mostly hint at a spiritual reality rather than describe it in tangible definitions.
The mystery of the Holy Trinity, one God in Three Divine Persons, is one such impalpable, incomprehensible aspect of the Christian revelation. Since the first century AD, many have tried to explain this superficial paradox using many metaphors and images, like St Patrick with the Shamrock. Now it’s my turn to fail at a similar attempt… For that, I will use a highly simplified version of one branch of physics; I hope you listened diligently to your teachers when you were students.
“Energy” is a very popular word used in everyday language. In physics, the term describes a measurable property recognisable in performance. In practical terms, we can “see” energy when it’s at work. Notably, the law of conservation of energy states that energy can be converted in form but not created or destroyed. For example, energy stored in a battery in chemical form can be converted into light in a torch. So, there’s only “one” energy, but it can be active in various forms. Let’s take fireworks as an example. The energy used to produce them is effectively stored in them. When the explosive is set off, it emits energy in the forms of heat, light and sound. One energy but three different forms. As I mentioned before, the language of metaphors is highly limited, so my example only hints at the spiritual reality of the Holy Trinity. Don’t read too much into it; certainly, don’t try it at home!
Why should we bother about such impractical theological detail in the first place? Does it matter whether we believe or not that God is Triune? Well, do we need to understand gravity? Many before Newton simply took advantage of it without a second thought (not that they had any choice…). However, a better understanding of gravity helped us to achieve more in our pursuit of greatness. When Jesus became one of us, He invited us to participate in the internal life of God. Most of us can recall “adopted” uncles, aunties, grandads or grandmas – people unrelated to us by bloodline but treated as family members. We often have good memories of them, and their positive impact on our lives is long-lasting. Similarly, but in reverse mode, we are adopted children of God, invited to be His family, so we can learn how to be better versions of ourselves. The most concise and yet most comprehensive definition of God was given to us by St John: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Love is the very reason God exists. We must yearn for the same.
