Down their history, the Jews had stoutly maintained the "one-ness" of the God and they worshipped Him as Creator and Father. In the fullness of time, Jesus appeared and very gradually, those around Him came to realize that He was, in fact, their long-awaited Messiah. The turning point in Our Blessed Lord's earthly ministry was when, at Caesarea Phillipi, St Peter blurted out "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God". Jesus didn't deny it, but complimented Peter, and added that His Father had revealed this truth to him [Matthew 16:15-17].

The disciples' learning didn't stop there, as more revelation came to them at Pentecost when they felt, heard and saw the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the whole group, fulfilling Jesus' promise. After that, again gradually, they came to realize that the Holy Spirit was indeed a manifestation/essence/Person of God and that in their thinking and praying they had to make room for this new revelation.

Going about three years back, we can trace the revelation of the Holy Trinity in "Epiphany" (= "revelation from above") or "Theophany" (= "revelation of God"), ie., the Baptism of Jesus. On that day and in a very special way, the Holy Trinity was seen at work:
The Son of God, having become Man, accepted Baptism by water,
the Father testified of Him by His heavenly voice and
the Holy Spirit, in the form of a Dove, confirmed His Words, as the Apolytikion of Theophany declares:

Apolytikion (Tone First)
When You, O Lord / were baptized in the Jordan,
The worship of the Trinity / was made manifest !
For the Father's voice / bore witness to You
By naming you / the Beloved Son,
And the Spirit in the form of a dove
Confirmed the sureness / of the Word
O Christ our God / Who has revealed Yourself
And enlightened the world / glory to You !

The New Testament does not use explicitly the word "Trinity". Although there are references like:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" [Matthew 28:19].

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" [2 Corinthians 13:13].

Another important declaration of the Doctrine of Holy Trinity occurs in St John's Gospel, [John 15:26-27] where Our Blessed Lord says: "When the Comforter comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."

This means that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity was indeed part of the apostolic preaching. St Basil the Great claimed that the small doxology ("Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit") was in use in the Church worship from the very time that the Gospel was announced. He also points to the Vesperal Hymn ("Phos Ilaron...") which he calls "ancient" and "handed down from the Fathers", and which includes "...we praise to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit of God."

Saint Gregory the Theologian claims that the Holy Trinity is the "fountainhead of our Faith". All three Persons of the Holy Trinity possess the same attributes and all the inexhaustible riches of the Godhead. But each Person has His own particular distinguishing mark: the Father is unbegotten, the Son is begotten and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. The Father decides, the Son carries out and the Holy Spirit perfects all of God's works for the salvation of Man. Thus, "the Father does all things through the Son and in the Holy Spirit". So the unity of the Trinity is understood and "one God" is preached in the Church. One Triune God "who is above all, and through all, and in all" [Ephesians 4:6].

The Church Fathers were aware that it was a difficult doctrine to understand. During the time of the Ecumenical Synods, the aim was to try to find ways of protecting the teaching against misuse by heretics. To put that in another way, there was a continued attempt to bring the mystery of the Holy Trinity a little closer to our earthly ideas; to bring what is really beyond our understanding, a little closer to that which is understandable. To do this, the Fathers of the Church used comparisons from nature, where some kind of "trinities" are found, like:

a) the sun, its rays and its light
b) the root, trunk and fruit of a tree
c) a spring of water, and the fountain and the river that issue from it
d) three candles burning simultaneously which give a single, inseparable light
e) fire and the light and the warmth which come from it
f) mind, will and memory
g) consciousness, knowledge and desire.

But regarding such comparisons, St Gregory the Theologian warns clearly that they are useful but all inadequate and fail to reach the depth of theological meaning in the Sacred Trinity.

The icon of the Holy Trinity, often referred to as "The Hospitality of Abraham" is based on a passage in the book of Genesis concerning the visitation of three angels to Abraham's tent [Genesis, 18].

According to the teaching of the early Church Fathers, this account of the visitation of the three angels, or messengers, serves as a type, or sign, of the Holy Trinity - it was not a literal visitation by The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. According to Orthodox theology, the Holy Trinity cannot be depicted literally in Iconography, as only the Lord Jesus Christ who became incarnate can be transcribed. Therefore, when looking at the icon of "The Hospitality of Abraham", one should remember that what is being portrayed is not an actual image of the Trinity but merely a "type" of the Holy Trinity.

Apolytikion (Tone fourth plagal)
O blessed are You / O Christ our God
Who by sending down / the Holy Spirit upon them
Made the fishermen wise and through them
Illuminated the world
And the universe / was ever drawn all to You
O Lover of Man / glory to you !

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May 2000 :

The Little Angels child sponsorship program began in May 2000, after Mission Board member Antonia Antonopoulos visited the Philippines and saw first-hand how much the children and families living in poverty would benefit from our help.

Goals of the Program
- To alleviate the pain and struggle of poverty faced by hard-working, poor families.
- To address the total development of a child, by contributing to all essential aspects of his/her life. This includes Educational, Health, Community, Social, and Spiritual Needs.
- To support our Orthodox-Filipino brothers and sisters in serving as a witness of Orthodox Christian love worldwide.
- To foster cross-cultural understanding and Christian friendship through letter writing between the sponsor and his/her "Little Angel".

December 2000 :

In the middle of the photo and slightly to the right (and also in the inset), His Eminence Metropolitan Nikitas. Sitting at the first row, first from the left Fr Philemon, third (+)Fr Tarasios and last Mother Theodoti. (#p-29)

April 2002 :

As of April 2002, sponsors have stepped forward to support over 70 Filipino children.

How does your gift help? The Little Angels program is run by volunteers and all administrative costs are covered by the Mission Board. This allows us to commit 100% of all gifts to the Little Angels and their families or communities.

The Little Angels program helps needy families living in the slum areas of Manila and Los Baños that are near the Orthodox Churches of the Holy Trinity (Los Baños) and The Annunciation (Manila). The program is run in Philippines by Orthodox volunteers who are members of the "St. Sophia Sisterhood" chapters (these are the equivalent of out "Philoptochos" organizations), under the direction of parish priests Father Philemon and (+)Father Tarasios and Metropolitan Nikitas of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

The Little Angels program was conceptualized by the Orthodox-Filipinos themselves as a worthwhile program to pursue in poverty alleviation. The Little Angels program will assist a poor child irrespective of religion or gender.

A sponsorship supports a child's educational and health needs, as well as his or her spiritual and social development. Depending on the needs of the child, your gift of $29 per month will contribute to any or all of the following:

Education
- yearly tuition fees
- school bag and school supplies
- mandatory school uniform and shoes
- transportation costs to and from school

Health
- INSUMIX pacts (a nutritional food/vitamin mix recommended by nutritionists)
- medical/dental check-ups

Spiritual & Social Development
- Sunday School programs
- summer camp activities (educational trips, tree-planting)

Family & Community
- livelihood training
- health centre supplies
- day care needs

The Mission Department of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto is committed to spreading Christ's good news to all people and helping those in need, both across Canada and around the world. We run a child sponsorship program, co-ordinate and finance the digging of wells overseas, support priests and seminarians in foreign countries, and more. On our Website, you will find information about all of our programs, including details about how you can get involved. If would like to make a donation, volunteer your time, or learn more, please contact us today.
http://www.gocanada.org/Missions/LittleAngels.htm

Our hands are the only hands our Lord has to do His work on earth; our mouths are the only mouths He has to proclaim His word. "Thank you" to all of our donors and volunteers for their time, effort, and support.

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