Jul 25, 2011
The second change in the creed that has been talked about a great deal is the translation of the Latin “consubstantialem.” This was translated as “one in being” and now is to be “consubstantial.” Apparently, this was the topic of some debate because it is alleged that people will find the new wording “awkward” or will not understand it.
The real awkwardness of “one in being” is that it can mean many different things. I can imagine a modern Juliet saying she is “one in being” with her Romeo. A general statement, even one that is poetic, can aim at expressing a truth, but is handicapped by the complexity of that truth. In this case, we are talking about the essence of God. We have to be careful not to speak in ways that make the inner life of the Trinity sound like the ties of human affection or sympathy.
One of my uncles married a woman who was especially close to her sisters. Her sister-in-law, another of my aunts, admired the unity of the three sisters and once said, “Those three are closer than the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity.” The hyperbole was intended to be humorous, not blasphemous. No three human persons can hope to be as united as God.
The “closeness” of the three Persons is the central mystery of our faith. Obviously, no language can really express the profundity of the mystery that is God. The shell on the papal coat of arms which I have seen so frequently in my time here in Rome is a reminder of that.