Patriarch Douaihy and the Trintarian Paradigm in the Maronite Mass

Ghassan Nakhoul

 

The Seventeenth Century Maronite Patriarch Venerable Estephan Douaihy developed a Trinitarian Paradigm in his masterpiece Manaratul Aqdas to highlight the manifestation of the Trinity in the Mass. Through the Trinitarian Paradigm, the Trinity is allegorised in objects, signs, actions, prayers, readings and hymns throughout the liturgy. The design of the church, priesthood and the Eucharistic communion are also parts of Douaihy's Trinitarian Paradigm.

Douaihy liturgises the theology of the Trinity to bring the Trinity closer to the average human. With this paradigm, every faithful can relate to the Trinity, not only scholars or theologians. By experiencing the Trinitarian manifestation in the Mass, the faithful can know more about the Triune God and understand God's love in their own lives, without necessarily taking an interest in understanding how the Trinitarian nature of the One God works.

Douaihy draws on the work of the Western and Eastern Fathers of the Church to build his Trinitarian theory. While he adopts the various Trinitarian approaches undertaken by the Church Fathers, including faith, reason, awe, economy and Scripture, Douaihy makes liturgy his main approach. With Douaihy, the Mass is seen in a totally new light. Once understood, Douaihy's thought makes the faithful never wanting to leave the church after Mass.

The Mass is a time for an intimate encounter between the Trinity and the faithful, regardless of their level of understanding. Douaihy demonstrates how the bond of love between God and the human is strengthened in the Mass and perfected in the Eucharistic communion. The Eucharist is the ultimate experience of the Trinity.

 

 

About the Author

Ghassan Nakhoul is a subdeacon in the Maronite Church. He is a Walkley Award winning journalist, with over forty-three years of media experience, including around twenty-nine years with SBS. Ghassan is the author of Overboard, a book on asylum seekers, people smugglers and government policies. He is also an academic who taught translation, media and Middle Eastern Affairs at the University of Sydney.