One of the major controversial issues in Christian theology has been that of the Trinity, i.e. the doctrine that God has been revealed to humankind in the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This has caused a lot of confusion because many non-Christians and even some who claim to be Christian believe that the doctrine of the Trinity is a teaching of polytheism (the doctrine of many gods). The most ardent defenders of the doctrine will insist that what is at play here, is not a promotion of polytheism, but rather an affirmation that God has been revealed in a variety of ways.
That, of course, is not too far from the Hindu affirmation that when they say that they believe in 330 million gods, that what they are saying is that the one God or the one ultimate reality has also been expressed in a multiplicity of ways.
For those who are familiar with Church history, they will know that the doctrine of the Trinity was not officially adopted until well in the fourth century (325 A.D.) after the Emperor Constantine, who by had then "converted" to Christianity called for the Church to gather together to resolve the issue.
There were some (the Arians) who were saying that Jesus was a creature of God, who was inferior to God but higher than the angels. Then there were those (the Sabellian Modalists) who were claiming that God had appeared in three different modes (thus the term modalists), playing three different roles in human history as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And then there those who believed that the Father was not the Son, and that the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit was not either the Father or the Son. They believed that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were each distinct as to person, but the same as to nature, i.e. that they all shared the same nature as you and I are different persons who share the same nature. The problem with this was that the word "person," which came from the word "persona" meant "mask," and by saying that God was using different masks to reveal Godself, they were falling back on modalism. The doctrine of the Trinity, as we know it today, was officially adopted by the Church, though there were those in the Church who held on to other views such as Arianism and modalism. And there are some groups such as the Jehovah's Witnesses who continue to subscribe to the Arian view, and groups such as the Oneness Pentecostals (known to many as the "Jesus Only") who subscribe to the doctrine of modalism, and who are distinct from other Pentecostals who subscribe to the doctrine of the Trinity.
How does Hispanic-American theology deal with the doctrine of the Trinity? I would say that for the most part, both Latin-American Liberation Theology, the parent of Hispanic-American theology, and Hispanic-American theology itself subscribe to and operate with the classical historical view of the doctrine of the Trinity, i.e. that God has been revealed in the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is, however, one element which needs to be addressed from both a Latin-American and a Hispanic-American theological point of view. It is that element which I now address, and I trust that you the reader will play close attention so as to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.
In his book, We Are A People, Fernando Segovia, quotes a Catholic theologian by the name of Sixto Garcia. Dr. Garcia has served as Professor of Theology at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach Florida.
In an article entitled "Trinitarian Theology," introduces the element of Mary, the mother of Jesus as being part of the Trinity. While initially this may appear to be a view which is distinct to Roman Catholicism, Garcia is presenting it in the context of the suffering of the people of Latin America and also the suffering of Hispanics in the U.S.A. As he points out, theologians from different Christian traditions agree that the biblical role of Mary as disciple, as hearer of the Word, and as the receptor of the Holy Spirit, can offer common points of ecumenical discussion and theologizing (Segovia, p. 120). He quotes Leonardo Boff, a Brazilian Liberation theologian as saying that the Spirit "pneumatizes" Mary, the Spirit brings about, in the context of God's invitation and Mary's assent in faithful discipleship, the incarnation of the Son, and thereby becomes personified in the person of Mary, just as the world took presence (Shekinah) in the Tent of the Covenant , where the words of the Covenant were kept. He also quotes Boff as saying that the Spirit became personified in Mary just as the Son became personified in Jesus of Nazareth. (Segovia, p. 121).
Garcia goes on to say that this particular discussion underscores the role of Mary in the Hispanic perception of the unity and trinity in God. He says that this reality springs from an old tradition that associates Mary with the salvific activity of Jesus, and through Jesus, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. He adds that this Hispanic tradition can claim a foundational New Testament background, especially, though not exclusively in the Gospel according to Luke (Segovia, pp. 120-121).
A very careful reading (which I would strongly suggest) will reveal that Garcia is not directly advocating for Mary becoming a fourth member of the Godhead, which would then no longer be a Trinity, but a cuaternity (one God revealed in four persons). Garcia is presenting his thesis from the point of view of:
1. Mary being the God-bearer, in other words, giving birth to the God-human.
2. Mary suffering at the scene of the Cross seeing her son crucified.
3. Mary identifying with the suffering of her son, which in our times, would be his solidarity with the suffering people of Latin America and Hispanics in the U.S.A.
I challenge and invite you the reader to comment on this perspective. Your evaluation is important. I look forward to your contribution.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
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