Session 7: The Trinity Teaches Harmony

Free Image by Andrea Don from Pixabay 

Today we are going to look at how the Trinity, a mystery of the Catholic faith, is a model for us of

how to live in harmony. God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit work together to guide us.

As His children and through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are called to work in harmony with

God, using the talents and gifts He gave us, to bring about His Kingdom on Earth.

The Trinity is One God, with three distinct persons- a mystery! The trinity is never in conflict.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in complete harmony with one another. All are equally

omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, and unchanging, but each one has unique

functions.

Sometimes when we think of the word "harmony," we think only of music. In this interesting video, we explore how early Italian Renaissance painter Massaccio taught the public about The Trinity through his brilliant visual art. Learn how the artist creates a harmony of color, shading and dimension to bring the teaching of The Trinity to life. Click this link to view the video. 

Think about it: What did you learn about The Trinity from the painting described in the video? 

Next, let’s look at Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John about his role in the Trinity.

Read: John 17:1-5

Think about it: What does it mean to “glorify” something? What do you think Jesus means by

being glorified?

Jesus has authority. Jesus IS God, which of course might make it confusing that

He is praying this way. Jesus came down to Earth as a human, temporarily setting

aside His glory as God. But because He did so, we are able to approach God’s throne. Jesus

allows us to come near to God. Because of what Jesus did, we can be in God’s family! 

Read John 17:6-11

When Jesus spoke this prayer, He knew that He would soon be in Heaven and that his

disciples, including you and me, would still be on Earth.  Jesus knew life would be difficult. He

was not only praying, but was offering a message of hope and encouragement to us. We have to

live our lives in the world, surrounded by sin and challenges. That doesn’t mean we have to give

in to that sin. We can be in the world, but still show that we are different from the world, as people

demonstrating Christ’s love! 

Read: John 17:20-26

The world won’t always understand what it means to be a follower of Christ. Also, no human

being, not even a saint, is perfect.That’s OK because we are all welcomed into eternal life with

God through Christ’s mercy and sacrifice.  He allows us to rest in His glory, and brings us into

friendship with God the Father.

Activity:

In this Exit Ticket, write a prayer thanking God the Father for sending his Son Jesus and the Holy

Spirit to help us in the world. Tell Jesus the challenges you’ve faced in defending your faith, and

ask the Holy Spirit to help you always stay close to God the Father as you try to share your faith

with others using the gifts God has given you.