Should Not a Triune God Use “They/Them” Pronouns?
Today’s post is from Bondings 2.0 contributor M. Hakes (they/them).
Today’s liturgical readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity can be found here.
I’ve thought for a long time that our Triune God would use singular they/them pronouns. I mean, the Catechism says, “[God] is neither male nor female” (n. 239), so God is clearly intersex or nonbinary or both, and so why wouldn’t they? Just forget for a moment that sex and gender are human made categories to help us make sense of God’s infinite creativity in Creation! As a trans nonbinary person who uses they/them pronouns, it’s been a helpful and essential part of my spiritual journey to imagine my identities reflected back to me as part of the Trinity. After all, we are created in the image and likeness of God.
On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we have a tremendous opportunity to relish in the profound mystery of our Triune God and to see ourselves and our world reflected back. This feast invites us to contemplate relational essence of God in three Persons, calling us to a deeper understanding of God as a community of love, unity, and relationality. It is through the mystery of the Trinity that we catch glimpses of the beloved community.
Our understanding of this mystery can be enriched by the insights of theologians like Catherine LaCugna and Karl Rahner, alongside voices from queer theology, that call for an inclusive and liberating interpretation of divine love. Rahner, in his book The Trinity, illuminates this by suggesting that the way in which God is in relationship with Creation (the economic Trinity) is mirrored in the relationship between the three persons within God’s self (the immanent Trinity) and vice versa. Or as LaCugna further illuminates, in her seminal book on the Trinity, God for Us: “The doctrine of the Trinity is ultimately a teaching not about God’s inner life, but about God’s life with us and our life with each other.”
LaCugna expands on this relational nature by asserting that any notion of God as not giving or not loving is theologically impossible. She writes, “God only and always loves. You cannot reverse, slow, or limit an overflowing waterwheel of divine compassion and mercy and a love stronger than death.” This depiction of God as a dynamic relationship of love and self-giving calls us to mirror this divine relationality in our own lives, particularly in our interactions with those who are marginalized and oppressed.
Rooted in the inclusive and transformative love of the Trinity, we are challenged to see the image of God in all people, including those marginalized because of their gender and/or sexuality. As theologian Miguel Díaz writes, “Queer theology brings to light the multifaceted and inclusive nature of divine love, urging the Church to embrace all of God’s children” (Queer God de Amor).
The Triune God is a welcoming and inclusive community. The Church must reflect this beloved community and be a space where all people are welcomed and celebrated. Our Trinitarian faith calls us to foster families, parishes, dioceses, and a Church where the divine mystery of love and relationality is lived out inclusively. Christ’s Liberation must encompass the full diversity of human experiences, including the identities of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity invites us to embrace the mystery of divine love and to live out this love in our communities by advocating for the dignity and liberation of all people, including, and especially, our queer and intersex siblings. By doing so, we participate in the divine life, mirroring the unity and relationality of the Triune God in our efforts to create a more just and inclusive Church and world.
—M. Hakes (they/them), New Ways Ministry, May 26, 2024
M. Hake’s piece, thanks M, makes me THINK and hope to also LOVE in a greater and more inclusive way…and to GROW in understanding of what and mostly…WHOM I have not loved and cherished as much as the Trinity, each of “them” urges…motivates me.