The Trinity refers to the one God in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Old Testament hints at personal distinctions in God, while the New Testament openly reveals the three persons through Jesus Christ. The persons are distinct yet united in their divine essence. The Trinity is central to Christian faith and expressed in the Apostles' Creed.

1. The
Trinity

2. The Trinity
The Trinity is
the one God in
three persons,
Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.
KEY DEFINITION

3. The Revelation of the Trinity
Holy Trinity with Mary Magdalene, St John the Baptist and Tobias and the Angel by Botticelli

4. The Revelation of the Trinity

5. The Revelation of the Trinity
The three divine persons are revealed through Jesus Christ
and are united in the work of our salvation.
The Father
lovingly supports
the cross and
receives the
sacrifice of his Son.
The Son
reveals the love of
the Father and
breathes forth the
Spirit from the
cross.
The Holy Spirit
placed between
Father and Son as
the personal love
between them.
John the
Baptist
bears witness to
the Lamb of God
and calls for our
worship of the
mystery.

6. The revelation of the one God
The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo

7. The revelation of the one God
The existence of the one God
has been known to faith and
reason throughout history. God
chose to reveal himself as one
God to the people of Israel, to
teach them that he is the creator
of all things and the single, true
and exclusive object of worship.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one
LORD; and you shall love the LORD your
God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your might.
Deut 6:4-5

8. The revelation of the one God
The Old Testament gives
glimpses of personal distinctions
in God. An example is the use of
the plural pronoun ‘us’ at the
creation of human beings.
Then God said,
“Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness.”
Gen 1:26

9. The revelation of the three persons
The Annunciation by Fra Angelico

10. The revelation of the three persons

11. The revelation of the three persons
The Trinity is first revealed
through the Incarnation of
Jesus Christ.
God the
Holy Spirit
God the Son
present in the womb of Mary.
God the
Father
Mary

12. The revelation of the three persons
The Baptism of Christ
by Piero della Francesca
In the New Testament, when God
the Son becomes man, he openly
reveals the persons in God.
First the relationship between
Father and Son is revealed:
“No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who
is in the bosom of the Father, he has made
him known.”
Jn 1:18

13. The revelation of the three persons
He then reveals the relationship
of the Father and the Son with
the Holy Spirit:
“When the Paraclete comes, whom I shall
send to you from the Father, the Spirit of
truth who issues from the Father,
he will be my witness.”
Jn 15:26 NJB

14. The revelation of the three persons
All Christian life begins with
Baptism in the name of the three
divine persons, following Jesus’
command:
“Make disciples of all nations; baptise them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit.”
Mt 28:19-20 NJB
The three divine persons are the
One Triune God.Baptism of the Neophytes
by Masaccio

15. The Trinity in Creed and worship

16. The Trinity in Creed and worship
The Trinity is the central
theme of the Apostles’
Creed, a summary of
Christian belief from the
early Church that is also an
important liturgical prayer.

17. The Trinity in Creed and worship
GOD THE FATHER
I believe in God, the Father
Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.

18. The Trinity in Creed and worship
GOD THE SON
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son,
our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin
Mary. He suffered under Pontius
Pilate, was crucified, died and was
buried. He descended into hell. On the
third day he rose again. He ascended
into heaven and is seated at the right
hand of the Father. He will come
again to judge the living and the dead.

19. The Trinity in Creed and worship
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy
catholic Church, the communion of
saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and life
everlasting. Amen.

20. Summary
Questions
to reinforce
key points
Discussion
questions
Practical
activities
Presentation Part II
Summary Activities I
Please select an activity or go immediately
to part II of the presentation

21. Summary
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
• The Trinity is the one God in three persons,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• In the Old Testament, God revealed himself as
one God. Nevertheless, these texts also
contain hints of personal distinctions in God.
• In the New Testament , when God the Son
becomes man he openly reveals the persons in
God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three
divine persons are the One Triune God.
• The Trinity is the central mystery of the
Christian faith. The Creed is structured in
terms of the three persons of the Trinity.

22. Questions to reinforce key points
One God
Three persons
What are the two essential elements
of the doctrine of the Trinity?
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
1
2
Click on a box to reveal one
of the answers

23. Discussion questions
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
• Discuss how we know
of the three divine
persons of Trinity.
• Discuss what Genesis
1:26 and Genesis 18:1-
16 tell us about the
Revelation of God in
the Old Testament.
Select one or more of the
following:

24. Practical activities
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
• Read through one or more of the
following: the Apostles’ creed; the
Nicene creed used in the Mass; the
Athanasian creed. Note carefully
what is being said and what each
line tells us about the Trinity.
• Read the Compendium of the
Catechism questions 43-49.
Select one or more of the following:

25. What is the Trinity?
The Trinity by Rublev

26. One substance, three persons

27. One substance, three persons
God alone reveals the
Trinity since it is the
mystery of his very being.
Human reason can know
that there is a God; we
cannot know God as he
knows himself except from
what God has revealed.

28. One substance, three persons
The fact that Jesus Christ
reveals the relationships
of Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, tells us that these
are distinct and what we
would call ‘persons’.
Each divine person can
properly say ‘I’, as when
Jesus says:
“I and the Father are One.”
(Jn 10:30)

29. One substance, three persons
Jesus also uses a personal
pronoun (translated ‘he’) of
the Holy Spirit when he says:
“The Counsellor, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my
name, he will teach you all things”
(Jn 14:26; cf. 15:26; 16:13-15).

30. One substance, three persons
Nevertheless, the relations
within the Trinity differ from
those among human persons.
Our relationships are
changeable, and are
established from person to
person over time.
By contrast, the relations of
the divine persons are the
very being or ‘substance’ of
God. They are eternal and
unchanging.

31. One substance, three persons

32. One substance, three persons
This picture symbolises the eternal and immanent Trinity.
Father Son
Holy Spirit
Open table and
chalice
invites us to share the
divine life of the
Trinity.
One substance
The similarity of
appearance signifies
the three persons are
equally God.
Three persons
The differences of the
eyes, clothing and
gestures signify the
distinct relations of the
three divine persons.

33. One substance, three persons
This unity of substance and
distinction of persons is
expressed in the Trinitarian
formula of St Gregory
Nazianzus, which Pope St
Damasus I affirmed:
The Trinity is
one substance, three
persons.
KEY DEFINITION

34. Mistaken beliefs about the Trinity
The Teaching of St Augustine by Gozzoli. This shows Augustine meeting with a
little child attempting to scoop up the whole ocean. When he asked the child
why he was attempting the impossible, the child replied that Augustine was
trying something even more difficult: explaining the mystery of the Trinity.

35. Mistaken beliefs about the Trinity
The challenge of speaking
about the Trinity leads to
frequent mistakes.
These mistakes deny one
aspect or another of the
‘one substance, three
persons’ of the Trinity.

36. MISTAKES ABOUT THE TRINITY
 Modalism
Denies that the Father, Son
and Spirit are three persons,
and sees them as mere
appearances, or masks, of
one person.
Mistaken beliefs about the Trinity

37. MISTAKES ABOUT THE TRINITY
 Tri-theism
Denies that there is one God,
and claims that the Father,
Son and Spirit are three gods.
Mistaken beliefs about the Trinity

38. MISTAKES ABOUT THE TRINITY
 Subordinationism
Denies that the Son and the
Spirit are equal in divinity to
the Father, claiming that they
are subordinate to him.
Mistaken beliefs about the Trinity

39. The Trinity and our friendship with God
The Coronation of the Virgin by Quarton.
Our final goal is to be united with the Trinity forever in heaven.

40. The Trinity and our friendship with God
God does not want us to relate to
him merely as creatures to their
Creator. The remarkable invitation
that God has given to us is to enjoy
intimate friendship with him by
sharing his divine life.
This is the precise reason why God
has revealed the Trinity to us, so
that we may come to know and love
him as he knows and loves himself.

41. The Trinity and our friendship with God
This is why:
• All Christian belief is Trinitarian
(for example, the Creed).
• All sacraments are Trinitarian
(for example, Baptism is in the name
of the Trinity).
• All Christian life is directed
towards union with the Trinity
(for example, the virtue of charity).
• All Christian prayer is Trinitarian
(for example, blessings and the
Sign of the Cross).

42. As you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit
of his Son crying, “Abba, Father.” (Gal 4:6 NJB)

43. Summary
Questions
to reinforce
key points
Discussion
questions
Practical
activities
Summary Activities II
Please select an activity or go immediately
to the concluding prayer
Concluding Prayer

44. Summary
Activities Menu
• The Trinity is one substance, three persons.
• Personal pronouns, such as ‘I’ and ‘he’
properly apply to each of the divine
persons, showing their personal
distinctions.
• The relations of the divine persons are the
very being or ‘substance’ of God. They are
eternal and unchanging.
• God has revealed the Trinity to us, so that
we may come to know and love him as he
knows and loves himself. The Trinity is the
centre of all Christian belief, sacraments,
life and prayer.
Concluding Prayer

45. Questions to reinforce key points
All Christian belief is Trinitarian
All sacraments are Trinitarian
All Christian life is directed towards union with the Trinity
All Christian prayer is Trinitarian
How does the Trinity relate to us?
Activities Menu Concluding Prayer
1
2
Click on a box to reveal one
of the answers
3
4

46. Discussion questions
Activities Menu
• Discuss the need for
great care with language
when describing the
mystery of the Trinity.
• Discuss some personal
experiences of how we
live out and express our
faith in the Trinity.
Select one or more of the
following:
Concluding Prayer

47. Practical activities
Activities Menu
• Read John 14:25-31 and
Galatians 4:4-7 and note
what they tell us about the
persons of the Trinity in
relation to ourselves.
• Visit a church and note
any symbols of the three
divine persons.
Concluding Prayer
Select one or more of the
following:

48. Final Prayer
From the ‘Te Deum’
We praise you, O God: we acclaim you as the Lord. Everlasting Father, all the
world bows down before you. All the angels sing your praise, the hosts of heaven
and all the angelic powers, all the cherubim and seraphim call out to you in
unending song: Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God of angel hosts. The heavens
and the earth are filled with your majesty and glory. The glorious band of
apostles, the noble company of prophets, the white-robed army who shed their
blood for Christ, all sing your praise. And to the ends of the earth your holy
Church proclaims her faith in you: Father, whose majesty is boundless, your true
and only Son who is to be adored. The Holy Spirit sent to be our Advocate.
Amen.