This is a very fine book. I think that Scott Hahn does an exemplary job in showing how a reflection of the Holy Trinity resonates in the construction of a family.
He has received some flack from those who take exception to some of the feminine characterizations of the Holy Spirit in his reflections on the Holy Trinity. What he says, of course, as his book illustrates, is supported by great theologians such as Cardinal Ratzinger and Matthias Scheeben. The explanations that he gives, both in the Endnotes as well as in the text, are more than adequate, in my view, to cover the objections which he has confronted.
Unfortunately, in our time, the devil is not only in the details, but also in the pronouns. Because of the onslaught of radical feminism, and other ideologies that are not compatible with the Catholic Faith, there is a great sensitivity to the kind of pronouns used for the Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity, and so, the sensitivity and contrary feelings that might be aroused from the beautiful speculation that this book contains, can perhaps, in the light of the circumstances of the present time, be understood, if not appreciated.
The only adjustment that I would suggest would be, in addition to what he already has in the text, to place some of the information he has in the Endnotes into the text so that the objections could more readily be refuted -- illustrating, as he says so well, that there is no intention to indicate any kind of gender or sexual differentiation in the Godhead. It might also have been helpful had there been an allusion to the pronouns used for the Holy Spirit in John 14-16.
That being said, I certainly salute the work that Hahn has done, and congratulate him for it. I assure you that in my view it is not only completely orthodox, but also exceptionally useful.
The remarkable thing about Scott Hahn's own brand of high-street theology is that it loses nothing in quality or depth. Since his conversation from hard-core Protestantism, Hahn has devoted himself to explaining the beauty and coherence of the Catholic faith to ordinary lay people. And with his infectious enthusiasm he certainly has a talent for uncovering richness of Church doctrine hidden in Scripture. But that's not all. Often, as in First Comes Love, he probes new depths, his obvious love of the Word of God leading him to insights that are, as Aidan Nichols observes in the foreword to this book, both wholly original and wholly orthodox.
The most revolutionary theory Hahn promulgates in First Comes Love is the idea that there was something left of the divine image for the man and woman to bring to completion themselves, a life-giving sacrifice. Sacrifice, Hahn argues, is the only way humans can imitate the interior life of the Trinity.
Hahn's ideas do not remain merely theoretical. In the second part of the book he brings his theology home, quite literally, with an honest discussion of how this self-giving love works practically in the family; it is a slow and gradually learned process. He includes a brief glance at the celibate vocation, as providing no less an opportunity for self-giving than married life, but this could perhaps be treated at greater length.
Hahn embarks on some bold but cautious explorations into the identity of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity in a chapter devoted to the Holy Spirit. Leaning on the Scriptures and the writings of various saints and theologians, he incorporates Mary's maternity into this vision of the Spirit. This chapter demonstrates just how responsible Hahn is as a theologian. He openly and most willingly submits all his findings to the judgment of the Magisterium.
Hahn writes personally as always, with his trademark wordplay, painful or ingenious according to your taste. His theology is both profound and highly accessible, suited to those unused to reading academic works. All credit and indeed thanks to Hahn for cashing in on the fact that the Truth is simple.
