relate trinitarially

Two years ago, I quoted Richard Rohr on the topic of Trinity Sunday (which was yesterday).  In today’s Daily Meditation, he says this:

“One reason so many theologians are interested in the Trinity now is that we’re finding both physics (especially quantum physics) and cosmology are at a level of development where human science, our understanding of the atom and our understanding of galaxies, is affirming and confirming our use of the old Trinitarian language—but with a whole new level of appreciation.  Reality is radically relational, and the power is in the relationships themselves!…” 

In my sermon yesterday, I didn’t focus on Trinity Sunday as such.  It was in a couple of the prayers that I noted that the Holy Trinity is the model of the ideal family, the ideal community.  In the Trinity, there is a continuous flow of self-giving, self-effacing love.

Rohr continues, “Great science, which we once considered an ‘enemy’ of religion, is now helping us see that we’re standing in the middle of awesome Mystery, and the only response before that Mystery is immense humility.  Astrophysicists are much more comfortable with darkness, emptiness, non-explainability (dark matter, black holes), and living with hypotheses than most Christians I know.  Who could have imagined this?”

It is interesting, and sad, that many (perhaps most?) Christians are too rigid and unimaginative to see how disciplines like natural science, behavioral science, philosophy, and faith interweave.  The Trinity is the very definition of creativity and ever-creative.