Trinity among Western Christians (12/06)

Since the 14th century, Trinity Sunday in the Catholic Church began to be called the first Sunday after Pentecost, in contrast to the Orthodox tradition, where the celebration of Pentecost (the Descent of the Holy Spirit) and the day of the Holy Trinity is combined.

Today's holiday is dedicated to the glorification of the Holy Trinity; the liturgical readings and sermons of this day reveal the Christian teaching about the trinity of God.

Trinity in Christian ideas — God, whose essence is one, but His existence is a personal relationship of three hypostases: the Father — of the beginningless First Beginning, the Son — of absolute Meaning embodied in Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of the Holy — life-giving Beginning. According to Catholic doctrine, the Third Hypostasis comes from the First and Second (according to Orthodox — from the first).

It should also be noted that in the Catholic tradition, the holiday of the Trinity is included in the so-called «cycle of Pentecost», which opens with the holiday of the descent of the Holy Spirit. Then the Day of the Holy Trinity is celebrated, after another 4 days — on the 11th day after Pentecost — the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ is celebrated, and on the 19th day — the Feast of the Blessed Heart of Jesus is celebrated. The cycle ends with the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary (Saturday, Pentecost 20).

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