Trinity Sunday

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday--the naming day of our church.  In the Anglican tradition, it was Thomas Beckett, consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, who made it his first act to ordain the day of his consecration (the Sunday after Whitsunday) as a festival day celebrating the mystery of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as one--the Holy Trinity. 


The icon pictured here was painted by the medieval Russian iconist Andrei Rublev in the early 15th century.  The scene actually depicts the three angels who visit Abraham when he camps by the great oak tree of Mamre.  He serves them a meal of roasted lamb, and as conversation progresses, it becomes more evident that the angels are in fact representations of God, the three in one. It is the only Orthodox Russian icon of the Trinity that depicts the three beings of God as equal to one another.

The image shows the Father on the left, wearing robes of indeterminate, nearly transparent colors that imply the invisible characteristic of the Father. Circling to the center, sits the Son robed in colors of earth and sky symbolizing the corporeal being of God as being of earth.  Continuing in the circle  is the Holy Spirit in robes the colors of Heaven and all life as it is the Spirit that gives life. Each figure has wings of gold, gold implying the riches of the Kingdom of Heaven.  They have halos of purest white, or rather, purest light as it is only God who provides the purest light.  Each figure carries a staff.  The staff denotes the journey, and that each aspect of the Holy Trinity walks with us on our own journey.  The angle of their heads may be seen as recognition of weariness brought on as we travel through life, but their eyes focus upward in perpetual hope as they rest their feet and share a meal. The artist implies the viewer as the "fourth" person at the table. The viewer gives credence to the Holy Trinity, thereby closing the circle.

While viewing the heavenly figures in a clockwise manner--the direction of heavenly order--the artist encourages us, using the pointing direction of the images, to read the background symbolism in a counter-clockwise movement as our lives often run counter to God's divine plan.  The hill behind the Holy Spirit represents our upward journey towards God.  It is rocky and craggy which makes the journey difficult. It is our individual path on which the Holy Spirit directs us. The tree behind the Son represents the tree upon which he was crucified.  The tree is fully alive because his resurrection attains eternal life. The life of the tree is rooted in the lamb (the Son as well the lamb in the chalice--Holy Eucharist) and provides the comfort and security of shade to the weary traveler.  The path's direction points and leads us to the house which represents our ultimate goal, our Father's House--the mansion with many rooms, one of which has been readied just for us. You may notice that the door and window stand open.  The door remains always open in a gesture of welcome to the traveler.  And from the open window, high in the tower for the best view, God watches for the return of the prodigal. The table represents the sacrificial altar.  Remember that Abraham, the unseen focal of this image, was ordered to sacrifice his only son.  The great foreshadowing of God's own sacrifice fulfilled.  The chalice in the center of the table contains the meat of the lamb that Abraham served his visitors. The viewer is invited to the table to partake of the meal, because the open space at the table is on our side. Throughout the icon are suggestions of three, that none of the three are possible without the others--you can't build a house without wood from the tree, which cannot grow without the earth of the hill, which has no purpose without the person viewing, who needs the comfort and security of the house.  But also you will note the drawn in frame surrounding the whole image stating "the three are in one."

On this Trinity Sunday as we sing the words of St. Patrick's breastplate, consider the powerful imagery of this most famous icon. Consider this great mystery of our faith.  Recall that by the symbolism within the icon, you are invited to partake of the meal of the Holy Trinity, thereby creating a unity between you and God.