Posted on 05/24/2016 6:49:46 AM PDT by Salvation
Many of you know that I write the Question and Answer column for Our Sunday Visitor. Given the celebration of Trinity Sunday this past Sunday, I thought I might reproduce here on the blog a question/answer regarding the Trinity. It is a fairly common question; perhaps you have it, too. Remember that my answers in the column are required to be brief.
We read in a recent Sunday Gospel (May 1, 2016) that Jesus says that the Father is greater than He (Jn 14:28). Since we are all taught that each Divine Person of the Blessed Trinity fully possesses the nature of God, equally to be adored and glorified, what did Jesus mean by such a statement?” – Dick Smith, Carrolton, TX.
Theologically, Jesus means that the Father is the eternal source in the Trinity. All three persons of the Trinity are co-eternal, co-equal, and equally divine. But the Father is the Principium Deitatis (the Source in the Deity).
Hence, Jesus proceeds from the Father from all eternity. He is eternally begotten of the Father. In effect, Jesus is saying, “I delight that the Father is the eternal principle or source of my being, even though I have no origin in time.”
Devotionally, Jesus is saying that He always does what pleases His Father. Jesus loves His Father; He’s crazy about Him. He is always talking about Him and pointing to Him. By calling the Father greater, He says (in effect), “I look to my Father for everything. I do what I see Him doing (Jn 5:19) and what I know pleases Him (Jn 5:30). His will and mine are one. What I will to do proceeds from Him. I do what I know accords with His will.”
So although the members of the Trinity are all equal in dignity, there are processions in the Trinity, such that the Father is the source, the Son eternally proceeds from Him (Jn 8:42), and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son as from one principal (Jn 15:26).
St Thomas speaks poetically of the Trinity as follows:
Genitori, Genitoque … Procedenti ab utroque … compar sit laudautio
(To the One Who Begets, and to the Begotton One, and to the One who proceeds from them both, be equal praise.)
The Athanasian Creed says the following regarding these processions:
The Father is made by none, neither created nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone, neither made nor created, but begotten.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, not made, nor created, nor begotten, but he proceeds from them.
So although equal, processions do have an order. The Father is “greater” (as source), but is equal in dignity to Son and Holy Spirit.
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“...allowing us to participate in the sacrifice of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
You and evey other sinner has already participated in Jesus on the cross.
It was all of our sins that scarred His body.
We don’t have to re sacrifice Jesus over and over again.
He tells us to come boldly to the throne of Grace to communicate with Him
This can be done by dedicated born again Christian followers of Jesus any time of the day or night, 24/7
They do not have to go to a building and participate in a ritual to become ‘closer’ to Jesus.
Jesus lives in us and we live in Him.
Jesus said it, I believe it, that settles it.
No fancy ritual and descriptive name (eucharist) necessary.
Ah yes....the catholic re-sacrifice of Christ over and over again.Oh my, break out of your box and stop with the mind reading.See? You don't have the faintest glimmer of what eternity means.
You have no idea. Period.
Sort of like Oh Own.
“If you understand eternity, it’s not a “resacrifice” — it’s participation in the eternal sacrifice of the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.”
The sacrifice of which Jesus said was done once and for all?
Jesus came down from the cross and is seated on His throne in heaven as well as living in all born again Christians and they are living in Him.
Jesus transcends time and space and is omnipotent omniscient and omnipresent
Just change the little brass snakes to the icons and statues bowed down to many times a day by adherents to Catholicism
Perhaps God will send Hezekiah back to clear out the darkness again.
Does cement melt?
Mother Teresa would lead people to the Christ of the Bible and then tell them to continue on in their own religion as it will take them to that relationship with God.
Most of them were Hindu
Today is Monday.
Yes, stop fighting with born again followers of Jesus, it will lift a great weight.
“My yoke is easy, my burden is light”-Jesus
Then she was advancing a different Gospel.
On an internet forum, WORDS are all we have. I'd like to know how you think you can discern Ealgeone's "awareness"? He's so far done a much better job here of explaining the pre-existence of God than a few of your RCC peers have.
Yes she was, and now Catholicism wishes to make her a Catholic saint.
Or maybe already have.
Mea culpa, my post wasn’t meant to be aimed directly at you, but was meant to be a generalization.
Some fight, some debate. I prefer debate and it seems you do to.
MY bad...
Since we were talking about creeds, I meant the written word.
The written word is Scripture, which Jesus says cannot be broken.
It is Truth as it is God breathed, therefore is true.
Creeds are man's creation. Hold to them if you wish. I'll stick with the written word, which is written expression of Christ and is the special revelation by which we know Him.
The limiting factor is not the denominational affiliation one has but the mortal body we inhabit.
Catholicism nor Catholics has no special understanding of eternity beyond which anyone else has by virtue of the fact that they are Catholic. Being Catholic does no bestow that on any person.
One word: Creeds.
The irony is rich in your comment.
Booyah!
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