The family : a reflection of the Trinity

Abstract

While in God there necessarily is absolute simplicity, because of his infinitely perfect divine nature, in the human person God's image appears, as it were, reflected or refracted into different aspects just as a ray of light falling on a prism comes out split into a variety of rays representing the rainbow colours. Thus both man and woman, in their spiritual and sexual differences, are God's image and likeness. And so is their complementarity and their instinctive, urge to be attracted to each other and become one, through mutual love and total self-giving, and thus share in God's creative prerogative by becoming procreators of new life. Thus the family itself, of its very nature, is God's image and likeness.