A homily for Trinity Sunday

+ “Quicumque vult salvus esse… Whoever would be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith. Which faith, except everyone doth keep entire, and unviolated, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. Now the Catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity…”
 
These words form the opening of the Athanasian Creed—a creed which St John Henry Newman called “the most simple and sublime” and “most devotional formulary to which Christianity has given birth” (Grammar of Assent)—originating between the fourth and sixth centuries (possibly even rather locally, in association with St Vincent of Lerins, according to some scholars) and sung at the Office of Prime on this feast to this day.
 
These words are uncompromising, and the text of the Athanasian Creed continues in the same vein. It is well worth praying and pondering this ancient creed in its entirety on this feast – the feast of “God Himself”, as it were. For the Athanasian Creed is a powerful witness to the faith of the Church hammered out amidst the secular persecutions and doctrinal conflicts of her first centuries as she sought faithfully to follow the command given to us in the Gospel of this Holy Mass: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 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.”
 
In stark contrast to the faith of the Athanasian Creed, and indeed to the command of Our Blessed Lord in commanding that we make disciples of all nations, we very frequently hear – even from Catholics! – expressions such as “We all worship the same God,” or “All religions are valid paths to God,” etc. At best such statements are disingenuous and misleading. At worst they are false and heretical. The doctrine of the Trinity is not some form of optional upgrade or an ‘add-on’ to a basic theism chosen by people called Christians according to their peculiar taste. No. As today’s feast proclaims loud and clear, the doctrine of the Trinity speaks of the very nature of God Himself, as He has revealed Himself in human history. To reject Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit as truly God is to reject God. To refuse to worship the Trinity is to refuse to worship God. Any “god” who is not three persons yet one God is not the One True God. This is what we mean when we say that the Holy Trinity is “indivisible.”
 
This is not to downplay in any way importance and value of good will with people of other beliefs, nor to undervalue cooperation in humanitarian matters where possible. But it is essential that gestures of good will not be misinterpreted so as to foster a “mentality of indifferentism ‘characterized by a religious relativism which leads to the belief that 'one religion is as good as another.’’” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Dominus Iesus, 2000, n. 22)
 
Nor is it to exclude the clear and nuanced teaching of the Church that “those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 847).
 
And it is not to deny the sincerity of people who adhere to other faiths or to refuse them the respect that is their right. But it is to insist that ordinarily, according to the teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the constant Tradition of His Church, faith in the Blessed Trinity is necessary for salvation.
 
And yes, we must underline that faith is necessary for salvation, not simply good works. It is not enough to be “nice” or somehow “good”; one must truly believe in God the Holy Trinity. Hence the missionary command of today’s Gospel – a command that has inspired countless men and women, great saints amongst them, throughout the centuries, to leave their homeland to bring the One True Faith to others so that they too may be saved.
 
“Haec est fides catholica, quam nisi quisque fideliter firmiterque crediderit, salvus esse non poterit. This is the Catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved,” the Athanasian creed concludes. My brothers and sisters, this is nothing less than a question of (eternal) life and death. For our perseverance in this faith, and for a renewal and increase in missionary zeal in respect of it in the Church of our day, let us pray earnestly as we adore the Most Holy Trinity in the most perfect way possible in this life in this Mass. +

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