Chapel Matters

The forty days of Lent are almost complete, and we will soon enter Holy Week (starting with Palm Sunday), but last week was St Patrick’s Day which “interrupts” Lent with the sorts of excesses you might have seen around town! St Patrick himself was keen for people to understand God as seen in the world around them. In particular, he tried to explain the uniquely Christian concept of the Trinity by using the three-leafed shamrock, which has become one of the symbols of Ireland. God is one, but God is also three – the Three-in-One – just like the shamrock leaf!

This week (and next) the Year 9 students are learning about the various biblical images of God that are seen in the Trinity. While we don’t have any shamrocks, clover leaves from the field do the trick just as well!

The traditional formulation of God as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is used in baptism, but it is not the only way to appreciate the nature of God. For example, God is described in the Bible as a mother eagle protecting her young (Deut 32. 11), while Jesus describes himself as a mother hen gathering in her chicks (Luke 13.34), and we are probably familiar with the Spirit being likened to a dove (John 1.32).

People have always looked for ways to describe the various aspects of God. As St Patrick knew, our world is full of things that can enrich our understanding of God – be they shamrocks, clover, or birds! Where do you see God in the world around you?