By Fr. Mathew Thankachen O.Praem –
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Trinity, the mystery of God’s nature as revealed to Christ at various moments of His life and ministry; at Birth, Baptism, Transfiguration which impelled Him to call God his “Father” (Abba), and did promise to send the Holy Spirt to his Apostles.
Later, St. Augustine expounds this ‘Mystery of Faith” to the Church and no wonder, our prayers and liturgy is abounding in the Trinitarian formula. Even, St. Augustine found it hard to justify and explain this mystery of “Three in One and One in Three” for our “monotheistic faith”.
In this write up, my attempt is to show that the ‘Trinitarian mystery of God’ is not akin to the Indian culture. In the past and even till today, many conservative Christians fail to appreciate the Indian religion and culture and condemn their religion as “polytheistic”. The Indian culture and religion is the most ancient, yet the most modern. Their ‘nature worship’ arose out of ‘free thinking’ with the inborn search of man for the “ultimate”.
The nature of God in Hinduism is not based on ‘Revelation’ unlike Christianity, rather the fruit of ‘rational search’, the natural ‘search engine’ of man to find a meaning of life in relation with the ultimate cause. The principle they followed in reasoning was “Nethi…. Nethi…” (i.e. Not this, not this). Yet they found there is ‘god’s presence’ in the “crated things” like cows or pupal tree and many other created beings.
Thus, in search of a “unifying ultimate” cause, they began to appreciate God’s marvellous works in the created beings that gradually becomes their objects of worships which gave rise to “polytheism”. But they did not put an end to their search for the “unknown God” (Greek God which you find a reference in Acts). Gradually, certain ‘dogmas’ began to be written down in the Upanishads and Vedas, explaining nature of gods, the rituals and the role of priests. Knowingly or unknowingly, the “concept of God’s nature as Trimoothy” ie. “Brahmav, Vishnu and Shivan), the creator, protector and savior begin to develop.
These three divine persons found another equivalent in “AUM”, the “Adi Shabda’’, the archetypal voice, in tone with the Gospel of John, “in the beginning was the Word”, the “cause of every being to “Be” (Swayambhu). Again we find another equivalent “Tribology’ expressed as “Sathyyam, Shivam, Sundaaram”. (God is Truth and Beauty). Such an experience of God, the sages qualified as “Sat-Chit – Annand” (Be-in-mind – in Bliss). This triad of Hinduism gets gradually funnelled into a single ultimate cause in the theory of Monism (Advaita) by Aadi Shankara.
In the 19th century, Sree Narayana Guru of Kerala further propounds the theology of “One God, one Religion and One Humanity” into a social movement. Thus, we find a “unifying force in God of Triad” which becomes the Indian culture of “Unity in Diversity”. All the religion believe “God is Love”.
Islam religion uses the phrase, “Il Illahi Rehumani Rahim” (i.e. God is Merciful). Instead of Love, Islam attribute “Mercy” as the quality of God. The Trinity is the “total self–giving” of God-the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The very nature of love in human experience shows that it wants to “reach out”.
Jesus says, “No love is greater than that one lays down his life for his friends”. And no wonder, India had a “joint family system” because the Indian culture was basically “community building “. Looking at the early Christians, other people said, “how nice it is for brothers dwelling in unity”. Let this feast help us to understand the “community building of humanity” in an otherwise, the most selfish world.