The Trinity is the one God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

What is the best way to represent or think of the Trinity?

No one representation of the Trinity could ever be adequate to express every aspect of the Trinity, which exceeds any created thing. So the best way to represent the Trinity is to try to avoid just one, single image, but to use a variety of images to emphasise distinct but complementary aspects of the Godhead. An example of such an image is the Irish Shamrock, a single plant with three leaves, which was used by St Patrick when preaching the gospel to the pagan tribes of Ireland in the fifth century.

A second group of images emphasise better the distinction of the divine persons, a famous example being Andrei Rublev's icon. The equality of the figures in this icon shows that they are one God, but the gaze of their eyes, their clothing, and the background objects distinguish their relationship.

A third group of images emphasise the revelation of the Trinity through Jesus Christ. An example from this last category is the image by Alessandro Botticelli, The Holy Trinity.  Note how this painting depicts the Father as being older and with beard, not because God the Father is literally older than God the Son (which would make no sense) but to highlight the relationship of the Father and the Son who has revealed Him. Similarly, the Spirit is represented as a dove between the Father and the Son, indicating how the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son and unites the Father and the Son. Such diverse representations of the Trinity are helpful provided we grasp what they show and in what ways they remain limited!

What is the practical impact of the Trinity on our lives?

Since the Trinity is the central revelation of Christianity about God, the practical impact of the Trinity is intimately linked to every aspect of our lives as Christians. To select one example, the revelation that God is a Trinity (rather than, for example, God as a singular person, if this were possible) underlines the foundational importance of interpersonal relationships comprising two key elements: a perfect unity of love, yet without one person absorbing the others or annihilating their personal identity. These principles are reflected, for example, in the institution of Christian marriage, the notion of Christian friendship, and a vision of society in which properly distinct institutions work in mutual harmony. One related idea is the Catholic political principle of subsidiarity. Another practical impact of the Trinity in our lives is that this revelation can give us hope for our future happiness in heaven. In particular, the revealed life of Trinity answers two deep and conflicting human fears - loneliness and loss of identity. Just as the persons of the Trinity are united but distinct in their communion, in heaven we shall be neither isolated nor absorbed. Indeed, in relationship with God in heaven, we shall also truly be ourselves and know ourselves. 

Catholic answers to today's questions, Fr. Marcus Holden, Fr. Andrew Pinsent.

Prayer is speaking and listening to God and desiring to be united with God and to do his will.

How do I know that God hears my prayers?

The all-powerful God who created the universe out of love hears not only our spoken prayers, but even the prayers 'spoken' in our minds. Furthermore, Psalm 94(93) explicitly affirms that the Lord sees and hears everything that happens and even knows our thoughts. Jesus Christ affirms the same teaching, telling us that our heavenly Father sees all that is done in secret, "Go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father that sees all that is done in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6 NJB). In this text, Jesus therefore confirms that God hears our prayers, both from the fact that he is God and all-powerful, and from explicit revelations in Scripture, including the words of Christ himself.

The 'Lord's Prayer' also called Our Father, is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him to teach them to pray. 

Why should the Lord's Prayer be so important when the words seem so simple?

The most direct response to the question of the importance of the Lord's Prayer is that this prayer is from Jesus Christ himself, when he answered his disciples' request to teach them to pray. So for the simple reason that the Son of God has taught us this prayer, we can be assured that this is a perfect prayer - pleasing to God and beneficial to ourselves. 

Furthermore, although the words of the Lord's Prayer are so straightforward that they can be taught to young children, these words are profound, referring to realities that exceed the natural reach of the human mind. St Thomas Aquinas also identifies five exemplary qualities of the Lord's Prayer: this prayer is confident, addressing the Father in calm expectation; this prayer is well ordered, starting with God, heavenly things, and then earthly things; this prayer is suitable, insofar as we ask only for what is good for us; this prayer is devout, insofar as it flows from a love of God and neighbour; and finally it is humble, insofar as we recognise our need of God's help, without demanding or trying to buy God's help.

Shouldn't we try to pray without words, as in transcendental meditation?

While many Christians today think that achieving the highest forms of prayer involves emptying the mind in wordless meditation, it is important to remember that Jesus teaches us to pray using words. While the saints sometimes speak of contemplative prayer as a vision that outruns language, this gift does not refute the importance of words. In fact on Scripture, prayer is almost always associated with spoken words, and one of the titles of Jesus himself is the Logos, or 'Word'. So we should not be afraid of using words to pray or to think that words are only for beginners in the spiritual life. We should draw especially from Scripture and Tradition for our words in prayer, since these words are inspired by God.

Catholic answers to today's questions, Fr. Marcus Holden, Fr. Andrew Pinsent.

Baptism is the sacrament by which we become Christians. It frees us from the Original Sin, makes us children of God, temples of the Holy Spirit, and members of the Church. 

If the Christian life begins with Baptism, what about those good people who are not Baptised? Are they without grace and, if so, are they destined for hell?

In the New Testament, Jesus describes the people living before the flood as "eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark." Now eating, drinking and marriage are good activities, not evil ones. Yet, Jesus adds that "they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away" (Mt 24:39). So a good life that consists merely of eating, drinking, marrying and other good things while being cut off from God is contrary to God's will for our happiness. We were made to know and to love God personally. Yet we cannot know God without the grace of Baptism. As Jesus tells us, "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:5). Therefore, even people who do many good things still need the grace of Baptism. 

What happens then to those who are not Baptised through no fault of their own? Based on the Scripture and Tradition, the Church teaches us that, while Baptism is necessary for salvation (ccc. 1257), the sanctifying grace of Baptism may sometimes be received without the rite. For example, the Holy Innocents, the children killed by Herod, are recognised as saints, an example of 'Baptism of Blood' (Mt 2:16). There is also  'Baptism of desire' for those who desire Baptism, such as catechumens, and yet die before receiving the sacrament. There may even be many people who are saved because they would desire Baptism explicitly if they knew of its necessity, but who are ignorant through no fault of their own. Yet all these are extraordinary possibilities of grace. Following Christ's explicit command, we should urge people to be converted to Christ and receive Baptism while this sacrament is available to them, for no sacraments can be received after death.

Why Baptise babies when they can't choose and if they have never sinned?

The argument in favour of baptising a child is similar to the argument in favour of conceiving a child. A child did not, after all, choose to be conceived, yet those who mature into adults generally say, in retrospect, that they are glad to be alive. Similarly, Baptism is a second birth that makes the Christian life possible. Those who mature into saints will certainly say, in retrospect, that they are glad that someone baptised them. Furthermore, it is prudent that a child received Baptism as soon as possible so that this grace can mature. In the case of a baby, Baptism does not, of course, wash away actual sins for the child has not committed any sins. Yet, like all of us, the child still needs the grace of Baptism, the second birth, "of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5) which frees us from the Original Sin and makes us adopted children of God. 

Catholic answers to today's questions, Fr. Marcus Holden, Fr. Andrew Pinsent.