Trinitarian Communion and working together
Introduction
Last week’s post examined human dignity and labour. Today’s post examines partnership in the context of a Christo-centric theology of economics.
Partnership
Partnership in economics is “a formal business arrangement between two or more individuals who agree to manage and operate a business together while sharing its profits and liabilities”. The extent of the partnership depends on the agreement. In some cases, profits and liabilities are shared equally; in other cases, they are shared according to the agreed percentage. Each type can change over time. Hence, a fundamental requirement in partnerships is clear agreements that establish the guiding principles and framework for the partnership.
Caveat
I must state at the outset that this anthropomorphic analysis may have slippery slopes that could undermine Christ’s divinity. This is because theological communion (communio) concerns mutual interiority, such as Christ’s words: the Father is in me and I in the Father; I am in you and you in me; I am the vine, and you are the branches. On the other hand, a partnership concerns two distinct persons.
Trinitarian Communion and working together
At the heart of the Christocentric theology of economics is the idea that Christ is not an isolated individual. Instead, he is constantly in and creates communion.
First, as the second person of the Blessed Trinity, Christ is always in communion with other members of the Trinitarian community. This goes back to the Incarnation when the angel said to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). As the Incarnation begins the penultimate phase of the salvation history, the Incarnation story shows the Trinity working to achieve the goal of saving humanity. This working together reflected throughout Christ’s life, teaching, and passion.
One recalls the presence of the Trinity at Christ’s baptism and transfiguration. The Spirit “drove him [Christ] out into the wilderness” to be tempted (Mark 4:1). One recalls also that Christ regularly went to pray alone – a form of stock taking in the salvation mission. Christ’s prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane clearly shows this. The scripture reads: “And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want” (Matt 26:39).
Jesus repeatedly spoke about his relationship with the Father. As young as twelve, when he remained in the temple, Jesus responded to his parents who searched for him, saying, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). On another occasion, he said to his disciples “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me (John 14: 11).
He also spoke of the Trinitarian collaboration in furthering the salvation plan. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). This is a clear example of partnership in achieving a goal.
The second dimension of Christocentric theology is the sending of his disciples to places he would not go. Here, partnership as a collaboration between two different persons comes to the fore. Jesus chose twelve apostles and seventy disciples and sent them out in pairs so they could be efficient and effective in their work (Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1).
In preparation of his triumphant entry to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two disciples to obtain a colt for his entry (Matt 21:1). Jesus also sent Peter and John into Jerusalem to prepare a Passover meal that turned out to be the Last Supper (Luke 22:8). Although Jesus never went out alone, apart from when he went to pray, it was more of a mentoring session than a partnership.
Partnership in the ministry of Christ served several purposes: mutual support, accountability, shared wisdom, emotional strength, protection against discouragement, and communal discernment. Hence, the disciples always achieved the purpose for which they were sent. Concerning the 70, they “returned with joy” because even the demons were subject to their unified power (Luke 10:17).
Lessons
First, God rejects an isolated existence and intends a relationship. The Trinitarian community and collaboration, and Christ’s sending of his disciples in pairs, show that relationships are essential to human existence and sustenance.
Second, although modern economic systems frequently glorify an individual as a self-made entrepreneur, the lone genius or the independent achiever, these individuals never achieved their success alone. They always had partners, just that these partnership agreements favoured one over the other, were designed to elevate one over the other, were framed to project a particular image, or the partner was simply used and dumped without adequate recognition.
Christ organised his mission and the Church differently, emphasising that humans flourish more through relationships and partnerships. The clergy do not and cannot carry out the mission alone, even if other collaborators are not adequately recognised. The Church teaches that all baptised are called to collaborate in the mission. Canon 208 reads: “From their rebirth in Christ, there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality regarding dignity and action by which they all cooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ according to each one’s own condition and function.”
Moreover, the Church’s emphasis has now moved from collaboration to co-responsibility, where lay people alongside the clergy are “co-responsible for the Church’s being and acting” (Pope Benedict XVI, Message: To the Sixth Ordinary Assembly of the International Forum of Catholic Action, 10 August 2012).
Third, humans are not designed to exist in isolation, because isolation weakens spirituality and economics. Hence, societies are financially poor because they lack relational poverty, that is, the collapse of trust, cooperation, and shared responsibility. Christ’s economic model emphasises cooperation because partnership multiplies strength, produces better ideas with different insights and is more resilient to exploitation, loneliness, and anxiety. It prevents one from being trapped within the limitations of an isolated self. The early Church adopted an economic partnership where believers shared resources so that “there was no needy person among them” (Acts 4:34).
This ideology is part of the African traditional communitarian ethic, which has been distorted by the adaptation of Western models not designed for African society. Traditional African society developed through a network of cooperation, including communal farming, age-grade systems, market alliances, and extended family responsibilities. The individual who previously existed within a living web of relationships is increasingly alone and isolated, with attendant consequences on individual well-being and community development.
The economic implications are the sustained poverty in Nigeria, which exists not for lack of resources, but for a system that destroyed partnership and enabled exploitation for the elite and colonialists. Sadly, without partnership, communities are weakened, trust collapses, and individuals struggle alone against structures too large to confront on their own.
May God continue to help us🙏🏾
K’ọdị🙋🏾♂️
