Catholic Radio Dramas

Light, Radiance and Grace are in the Trinity

From the First Letter to Serapion by Saint Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria (297-373)

Light, Radiance and Grace are in the Trinity and From the Trinity

It will not be out of place to consider the ancient tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church, which was revealed by the Lord, proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the fathers. For upon this faith the Church is built, and if anyone were to lapse from it, he would no longer be a Christian either in fact or in name.

We acknowledge the Trinity, holy and perfect, to consist of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. In this Trinity there is no intrusion of any alien element or of anything from outside, nor is the Trinity a blend of creative and created being. It is a wholly creative and energizing reality, self-consistent and undivided in its active power, for the Father makes all things through the Word and in the Holy Spirit, and in this way the unity of the holy Trinity is preserved. Accordingly, in the Church, one God is preached, one God who is above all things and through all things and in all things. God is above all things as Father, for he is principle and source; he is through all things through the Word; and he is in all things in the Holy Spirit.

Writing to the Corinthians about spiritual matters, Paul traces all reality back to one God, the Father, saying: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone.

Even the gifts that the Spirit dispenses to individuals are given by the Father through the Word. For all that belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son, and so the graces given by the Son in the Spirit are true gifts of the ‘Father. Similarly, when the Spirit dwells in us, the Word who bestows the Spirit is in us too, and the Father is present in the Word. This is the meaning of the text: My Father and I will come to him and make our home with him. For where the light is, there also is the radiance; and where the radiance is, there too are its power and its resplendent grace.

This is also Paul’s teaching in his second letter to the Corinthians: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. For grace and the gift of the Trinity are given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Just as grace is given from the Father through the Son, so there could be no communication of the gift to us except in the Holy Spirit. But when we share in the Spirit, we possess the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Spirit himself.

Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of Readings

 

Saint Athanasius (d. c. 368) was born at Alexandria in 297, during the struggle between orthodox Christians and followers of the heresy of Arianism, one of the greatest threats Christianity ever faced. Athanasius was well educated especially in Sacred Scripture and theology. He was ordained a deacon and became secretary to Bishop Alexander in his native city about 318. Under several Emperors of the Roman Empire, Athanasius, after his election as bishop of Alexandria, was forced into five separate exiles due to his strong opposition to the schism threatened by the Arianists.

Athanasius was present at the Council of Nicaea which condemned Arianism and excommunicated Arius, its founder. Rulers of the Roman Empire during this conflict included Constantine followed by his sons Constantine II and Constans who jointly ruled a divided empire. These were followed by Emperor Julian the Apostate who was killed in 363 and followed by Emperor Jovian. Jovian died after only an eight-month reign and was followed by Emperor Valens, who banished all orthodox bishops in 365 but revoked the order four months later. During his seventeen years of on-and-off exile Athanasius was forced to flee into the desert where he was protected by the monks living there. The struggle against Arianism was eventually won, and Athanasius returned to his see. He spent the last seven years of his life in Alexandria and died there in 373. His efforts helped build the new Nicene party whose support eventually secured the triumph of orthodoxy over Arianism at the General Council of Constantinople in 381. He was declared a Doctor of the Church and is called the “champion of orthodoxy.” He aided the ascetic movement in Egypt and was the first to introduce knowledge of monasticism to the West. He wrote a number of outstanding works on the Incarnation and redemption and produced major treatises while in exile.