LaCugna applies her **relational ontology** by treating the Trinity as the model and source of genuinely communal, egalitarian, and ethical life in the church and world: persons are “being‑toward‑another,” and Christian existence is living God’s life of communion with one another.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
## Core idea of relational ontology
– She reads the Cappadocians as making *person* (hypostasis) ontologically prior to substance (ousia), so “person” = **being‑in‑relation**, not an isolated individual.[2][5][6]
– God’s very being is communion; therefore human beings, made in God’s image and destined to share the divine life, are “radically relational, created to live as persons in communion.”[2]
## Human personhood and ethics
– LaCugna defines the human person as “**ecstatic, toward‑another; we are persons by virtue of relationship to another**,” so freedom is found in right relationship, not self‑enclosed autonomy.[2]
– This grounds a social ethic: true communion requires mutuality, equality, respect for difference, and rejection of domination; hierarchical or subordinating patterns contradict the triune life they are meant to reflect.[7][8][2]
## Church and community life
– She presents the Trinity as “shared rule of equal persons in communion, not domination by some persons over other persons,” and offers this as a vision for the church as a community marked by **equality, mutuality, and reciprocity**.[6][7][2]
– Practically, this means ecclesial structures and relationships should mirror relational personhood: participatory leadership, non‑hierarchical community, and practices that enhance each person’s dignity, freedom, and well‑being.[8][9][2]
## Vocation, sexuality, and daily life
– Because persons are created “to know and be known, to love and be loved,” she applies relational ontology to marriage and sexuality: sexual partnerships should be genuinely mutual, open to others, and protective of each partner’s dignity and freedom.[2]
– More broadly, “God’s monarchy is relational, personal and shared,” so Christian patterns of power—in marriage, ministry, and society—should be non‑dominating, reflecting a God whose “To‑be is To‑be‑for.”[4][7][2]
## Doxology and participation (theosis)
– Relational ontology is lived doxologically: she argues that the doctrine of the Trinity is best expressed not in abstract speculation but in “faithful living of the life of communion,” where believers are drawn into “God’s‑life‑for‑us” and oriented to right relationship with God, others, and creation.[7][8][2]
– In this way, her relational ontology directly serves a participatory theosis: to be deified is to share the triune life of self‑giving love in concrete, communal practices of justice, mutuality, and care.[10][11][2]
Sources
[1] [PDF] CATHERINE MOWRY LaCUGNA’S CONTRIBUTION TO … https://theologicalstudies.
[2] [PDF] The Trinitarian Theology of Catherine Mowry LaCugna | Word & World https://wordandworld.
[3] God for Us: The Trinity and Christian Life – An Extraordinary … https://www.goodreads.com/
[4] The “Practical” Trinity – Catherine Mowry LaCugna https://theologyandchurch.com/
[5] [PDF] The Relational Ontology of Augustine’s and LaCugna’s Trinity https://digitalcommons.csbsju.
[6] Catherine Mowry Lacugna’s Contribution to Trinitarian Theology https://journals.sagepub.com/
[7] [PDF] God For Us – -ORCA – Cardiff University https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/
[8] [PDF] ON THE TRIUNE GOD AND THE CHRISTIAN MORAL LIFE https://scriptura.journals.ac.
[9] [PDF] Practicing the Trinity in the Local Church – Fordham University Faculty https://faculty.fordham.edu/
[10] The Dimensions of God’s Life – Religion Online https://www.religion-online.
[11] Participating in the Life of the Triune God: Towards a Trinitarian … https://imtglobal.org/
[12] [PDF] A Study of the Trinitarian Theology of Catherine Mowry LaCugna … https://repository.divinity.
[13] Trinity, Patriarchy, and White Supremacy: Theological perspectives … https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/
[14] [PDF] The Practical Trinity – WordPress.com https://livinglocalnw.files.
[15] The Relational Ontology of Augustine’s and LaCugna’s Trinity https://digitalcommons.csbsju.
[16] Relation-First Theology, Divine Simplicity, and the Work of AI: https://substack.com/home/
[17] God for Us (Lacugna) – The Puritan Board https://puritanboard.com/
