This coming Monday, my lesson will be on the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, and I plan to also talk about the mystery of the Trinity.
I’ve been observing a thread on Catholic Catechist dealing with how to teach the Trinity. One suggestion caught my eye. It is from a catechist named Cheri and I think it is a good approach:
Use ice, water, and steam as a visual aid. Show your students how they are all the same substance (H2O) but have different appearance and manner of being. So it is with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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I know that no metaphor is perfect, but this sounds like a nice way to engage them with the mystery of the Trinity. Ultimately, I want them to know that the Trinity is an intimate community of Persons (so intimate, they are ONE) whose essence is selfless loving relationship. Made in God’s image, which is Trinitarian, we are called to live in community, offering selfless love to others.
What are your thoughts about the water, ice, and steam approach? Do you see any major flaws that I’m missing?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
ManOnTheMoon 09.24.09 at 3:37 pm
Since this is the type of thing that is taught in 8th grade science, I think it is a very strong metaphor for explaining the Trinity. Thank you for sharing it!
The problem I have, is with the 1st graders I teach. There is a lesson each year on the Holy Trinity, but the objectives are not about teaching the Trinity at all, but on how to share and help your neighbor.
At what age do you think the concept of the Holy Trinity should be introduced and would you dare to even attempt to introduce it to a 1st grader?
Peter
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Johnny Tuason 09.24.09 at 8:33 pm
It is always heart-warming whenever i get the chance to read your lines in the Catechist’s Journey (once a week at the most)… always comforting to realize that we have fellow brothers and sisters across the globe, with the flaming desire to bring the Good News to the ‘Little Ones”.
Comparing the “Holy Trinity” to water, ice and steam is a wonderful way to explain the Mystery, Joe! I will try that one when i have that topic.
A catechist-friend shared with me another idea:
Myself as the “Holy Trinity”.
~When i am in school/parish, i am a Catechist, wearing a little cross, bringing some visual materials, singing songs for the Lord, being a “foster father” to these young people..
~When i am with a client, i am an Architect, looking a bit like a professional, making some sketches, thinking Art & Design, doing business..
~When i visit my parents in Manila, i am just their simple son “Boyette” ( they fondly call me ), just lazying around the house, smelling Mama’s cooking, feeling like a child again..
In the end, i am (still) just one person, but with different “roles” in life. What do you think?
Thanks also for sharing how you handled the “giggling” of the children during your first session, reminding them that they are no longer kids, and that a “mature behavior” would be apt… and how you showed your appreciation when they responded positively. You could imagine my 4th year students (@ 60 per class) !!!
Thank you Joe for letting me share.
May God bless us all, in this journey.
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Greg 09.25.09 at 5:02 am
Hi Joe. What a great image! I sure don’t see any flaws in explaining the Trinity this way. The mysterious part in using ice/water/steam is that the cycle starts all over again. Steam can turn back into water. Water back into ice!
For whatever reason, I also immediately associated the steam with incense, another image of our prayers going to heaven (but not sure 8th graders would make that image association).
It’s so hard to explain the Trinity. I’m just reading a book: This Is Our Faith by Michael Pennock. He says that explaining the Trinity is like trying to explain a kiss, defined as “a caress with the lips, a gentle touch or contact”. That definition of a kiss, of course, cannot describle the feeling a baby gets from his mother’s kiss or the feeling of a you couple exchanging a kiss goodnight after realizing they are in love. Accepting the Trinity’s mystery is part of our acceptance of God. Not sure I’d use the kiss analogy with 8th graders. Some of them may not need any more encouragement to kiss than they already have
but I felt it was an interesting analogy.
Excellent image with the water, ice, and steam Joe! Good Luck
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Leila V. Lapus 09.25.09 at 5:04 am
I think usin g the ice, water and steam is a great idea to get the message of the Trinity across. the mystery of the Trinity is not easy to explain to adults, how much more to youngsters! I have been thinking of ideas to get this message across as simply as I can. This idea can simplify things for me too since I have adults in my group who are not exactly keen on theology. I intend to use this on my group. I will let you know how they accept the idea and their reactions.
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Christian 09.25.09 at 8:16 am
I do something similar in my class, I think I posted at the original thread. I’m in my 6th year, and haven’t found a better analogy.
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Maura 09.25.09 at 9:56 am
Nothing wrong with this approach however I would not put all my eggs in that one basket. While it effectively emphasizes the oneness it lacks the “personal”ness of the persons in the Trinity making God seem more abstract in my mind. Why not also include some art work or visual symbols of the trinity as well. If you are emphasizing community the famous icon of the 3 persons from the old testament is a personal favorite. The Selfless giving one of the Trinity Cross images that include the Father upholding the son on the cross accompanied by the spirit. I feel lik offering a variety of images does better justice to our God who cannot be cubby holed.
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Marianne 09.30.09 at 8:09 am
Sorry, plenty wrong with this approach and it will therefore confuse your students!! This is the heresy of Modalism, check the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 254. “Father, Son, Holy Spirit are not simply names designating modalities of the divine being for they are really distinct from one another.” The Trinity are three distinct persons within the one Godhead- look at the Athanasian Creed, Catechism paragraph 266.
Again using the analogy of one person with different roles in life reflects this same heresy.
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Joe Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Marianne, thanks for weighing in here and I think your caution and correction are important to keep in mind for those of us who are teaching the Trinity. It can help to shape what we say and teach. At the same time, I remind you that what we are talking about here is a metaphor, so your use of the word heresy (the willful and persistent rejection of any article of faith by a baptized member of the Church) is a bit over the top. No one here is rejecting an article of faith…simply searching for ways to teach it to young people in a way that they can begin to approach the mystery of the Trinity without simply dismissing it as being too confusing. In Scripture, God is referred to as “my Rock” (Psalm 18:2) yet no one is to conclude that God is indeed a rock…it is a metaphor. Metaphors are always imperfect and yet can help us to deepen our understanding of various realities. Most young people (in fact, most adults) do not understand the concept of modalities so we need to find ways to explain such complexities to young people. Secondly, within the context of a metaphor, one can argue that water, ice, and steam are indeed distinct yet “consubstantial” and therefore can be a way of approaching the mystery of the Trinity: 3 distinct persons in One God. The key is to emphasize the distinctness of the Persons of the Trinity while also emphasizing consubstantiality. The important thing is that young people (and all Catholics) need to know that we are called to share in the life of the Trinity: the selfless loving relationship of three Persons in One God. They also need to know how to talk about this distinctiveness of the three Persons in such a way as to not conclude that we worship 3 gods. Therein lies the challenge for catechists. With that in mind, I invite you to share your thoughts on how to help young people begin to grasp the mystery of the Trinity. We need workable strategies (inspired by the Catechism but that go beyond just quoting the Catechism) for speaking to young people about this crucial doctrine of our faith.
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