REFLECTING  THE TRINITY: Human nature as an image of the Divine Nature

"It takes not two, but three to make perfect Love, whether it be in the flesh (husband, wife, and child), or in the spirit (lover, beloved, and love) or in the Divine Nature (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)  Sex is duality; Love is always triune."
-- Fulton Sheen, from Peace of Soul

"God created man in His image, in the divine image He created him, male and female He created them."  Genesis 1:27

If we consider the above statements fully and carefully, we may reach some surprising conclusions about our own nature.  We begin to see why God said "Let US make man in OUR own image and likeness."  It is not just that one human being is like God.  It is true that each human being is made in the image of God in that each of us has the power of reason and free will, but there is another way in which we resemble God.  The human trinity -- man, woman, and child -- is a reflection of the Divine Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit.

This view may shed some light on Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 11 that "man does not come from woman, but woman from man."  This was once somewhat puzzling to me, since biologically speaking, it is quite the other way around.  Every man must be born of a woman.  And though I knew taht Paul was referring to the story of Eve being taken from Adam's rib, I did not believe that story to be literally true.  Therefore, I saw Paul's citation of it as an excuse for the subjugation of women.  For several years I was dismissive of Paul because of what I perceived as his chauvinism.

After reading more about the Trinity, though, I saw one possible implication of the Genesis story of Eve's creation from Adam's rib, and of Paul's statement that woman came from man.  As Son proceeds from Father and Holy Spirit proceeds from Father and Son (or, in the Eastern tradition, from Father THROUGH Son), so, in the trinitarian view of the human family, woman proceeds from man, and child proceeds from man and woman.

In alternative view (see CATHOLIC FOR A REASON, edited by Scott Hahn), the human family is an image of the Trinity in the sense that it contains father, child, and the bond of love between them: woman.

Whichever view we take, it is important to realize which is the reality and which is the symbol.  The Trinity is not God's version of a family.  Rather, the human family is an imperfect approximation of the Divine Relationship.  "In His own image He created them, male and female He created them."  And He allows us the privilege of acting as creators in return.

Viewing human sexuality as a symbol of the Trinity may help make the Catholic Church's stances on extramarital sex, homosexuality, and contraception a little clearer.  All of these deny the triune nature of love.  "Free love" is actually selfishness: the refusal of a couple to share their love with the natural result of lovemaking.

By allowing us to act as co-creators, to bring new lives into the world, God has given us an extraordinary gift.  How we use it is up to us.