“consubstantial with the Father”
What does that mean?
This reflection is my attempt to clarify these mysteries a little.
I hope you find this helpful.

This is best experienced as a guided meditation,
so if you can, have someone read it to you while
you close your eyes and exercise your imagination.

****************

Imagine God before the beginning:
infinite in size,
infinite in intelligence,
infinite in power,
with no limitations of time or space or energy;
THE Godhead.

Being the Godhead, God is absolutely in control,
and God is absolutely ALONE.

God applies intelligence and realizes that
the greatest joy anyone can know comes by
sharing a mutual love with another.
To love and be loved by someone other than yourself
is the greatest source of happiness.
So, God decides to no longer be alone.

The lonely God person begets a fellow God person.
If you will, God clones God.
Thus there are now two absolutely equal persons.
Both infinite in size.
Both infinite in intelligence.
Both infinite in power.
Both with no limitations of time or space or energy.

Being clones, neither is parent, neither is child.
Both have always existed.
Since each is infinite and unlimited,
there is still only one Godhead, but with two persons,
(as Star Trek writers would say, two sentient beings).

With two persons, God is able to experience
love, caring for each other.
However, applying intelligence again
God realizes that there is a further level of love.
Like when parents share each other with a child
they experience another level of love and trust.
So the two persons of God together decide to beget again,
to clone again, producing a third person in the one Godhead.

Again, the third person is
absolutely equal to the other two persons.
Being clones, none are parent. None are child.
All three have always existed.
All three are infinite in size.
All three are infinite in intelligence.
All three are infinite in power,
with no limitations of time or space or energy.

All three experience every place together.
All three experience every time together.
All three are one in all times; in all places; in all circumstances.

With three persons, the experience of love
within the Holy Trinity is complete.
Adding more persons within the Godhead
would not create any additional experience of love.
And yet, God has much more love to give.

Seeking more experience of love,
God decides to create creatures.
Created creatures are necessarily less than God,
but can be made in God’s image.
God thinks of the wonderful possibility of
creating you. God knows God will always love you.
God hopes you will love God in return.

And so, in preparation for creating the universe
for you to live in, the three equal persons
of the one Godhead choose roles.

One takes on the role of God the Father,
bearing the parental burdens of leadership.
God the Father decides what has to be done
and sees to it.
The hardest part is knowing
God’s loving children will obey,
even when pain in involved.

Another person of God takes on
the role of God the Son, Jesus.
Jesus chooses to obey whatever
God the Father decides is necessary
for you to ultimately be happy
regardless of the pain Jesus must suffer.

The third person of God takes on the role of Holy Spirit;
comforter, guide, paraclete.
The Holy Spirit lives within all who accept Him and
allow Him to actively love them,
especially strongly in those who have been Baptized.

And so God thinks through and plans the
creation of a whole new universe.
God plans it carefully so that
you can live and thrive in it and then God says,
“Let there be light.”