“#1...The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal “it”...and your reductionism to that level basically convinces me you don’t even know Him!!!
What it convinces you of is meaningless. My point still stands. The Holy Spirit has no body. Can you refute that?
“#2...In the article itself, I reference this phrase of Jesus: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6)”
All you’re doing is proving that my original point is unassailable. Thanks.
“How can your “physical” comment blunder past such a basic spiritual distinction Jesus makes?”
No blunder is made or needed. The Holy Spirit has no body. Jesus does.
“IoW, why would you even expect that who is Spirit would automatically generate some physical manifestation?”
If the issue is “Mary ‘Mother of God’=Church ‘Mother of Holy Spirit?’(Are we not god-bearers-’theotokos’-too?[Vanity]” then the defining aspect will be whether or not a physical person can give birth to a non-physical being. And that answer is no.
“It’s as if we were talking about the tri-unity components of water: Flowing water, vapor, and ice. All is water. But ice isn’t vapor. And flowing water isn’t (usually) ice.”
The problem with your analogy is that it is no analogy at all. We are not talking about “tri” aspects of Mary for there are none. Also, there are no “tri-unity components of water”. Flowing water, vapor and ice are all water, not components of water.
“You might zero in upon all the manifestations of ice. I might highlight how the same things apply to vapor.”
And NONE of that has anything to do with Mary’s motherhood.
“But if you then said, “But vapor doesn’t CONCRETELY PHYSICALLY...” XYZ, I’d say, “Duh! It’s vapor! Nothing ‘concrete’ about vapor!””
Your analogy fails again, because vapor is still matter, not Spirit. Vapor molecules are still MOLECULES. That’s physical matter. Spirit is not matter.
“Okay, God’s choice of Mary’s womb was unique. We won’t see a 6-foot-tall Jesus-like miracle replicated in any womb. But guess what? The body of Christ has expanded:”
Not His physical body. His mystical body, yes. Best examinations on the scriptures on this:
“So the new (spiritual) “womb” — is the Church. The Holy Spirit flows from her (John 7:38-39).”
I would rather put it this way:
“God…has established one sole order composed of two parts: nature exalted by grace, and grace vivifying nature. He has not confused these two orders, but he has coordinated them. One force alone is the model and one thing alone the motive principle and ultimate end of divine creation: Christ…All the rest is subordinated to Him. The goal of human existence is to form the Mystical Body of this Christ, of this Head of the elect, of this Eternal Priest, of this King of the immortal Kingdom and the society of those who will eternally glorify Him.” L’enciclica del 8 dicembre by Matteo Liberatore, S.J. (La Civiltà Cattolica, VI, i, 1865, pp. 287-288)
Whether the Holy Spirit is impersonal or Personal is meaningless?
That you could be that ignorant of the Bible and presume to then try to convey much of worth from it is meaningless?
The problem with your analogy is that it is no analogy at all. We are not talking about “tri” aspects of Mary for there are none.
Sorry, stay focused if you're going to enter a conversation addressing a specific target: Review post #7 of yours: "Mary" was not where you entered the conversation; instead, the child was: Or do I have to remind you?
...it doesn’t physically gestate within us as a child. -- and then you added -- also focusing on the Holy Spirit and the internal womb: "The Holy Spirit has never been PHYSICALLY carried by a woman in her womb...
So the greater focus of my response to you was to use an analogy addressing where you entered the conversation -- and that was to zero on who was being enfleshed.
Flowing water, vapor and ice are all water...
Yes, as the Holy Spirit, the Father, and the Son are all divine...
And NONE of that has anything to do with Mary’s motherhood.
Again, stay focused upon where you initially entered the convo. You didn't come out talkin' 'bout Mary; you addressed the "gestated child," one being "carried," and the residency of a child (womb).
Your analogy fails again, because vapor is still matter, not Spirit. Vapor molecules are still MOLECULES. That’s physical matter. Spirit is not matter.
It wasn't meant to be a molecule-for-molecule perfect analogy! (You would be the type to take issue with Jesus parables or hyperboles, and would get wrapped up in lecturing Jesus that a camel just wouldn't be able to physically trudge molecule-for-molecule thru the eye of a needle!)
Not His physical body. His mystical body, yes.
(Except His mystical body is made up of physical people. So I guess given what you've said in the post, I have to remind you that this "mystical body" is stretch with billions & billions & billions of molecules!)