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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Still waiting on that info you claim from Nicea that supports your claim God came into existence.
WOW....a compliment and recognition at the same time....impressive!!!
chuckle, you aren't really challenging Verga are you??? snort!!
oh, good grief, you of all people demanding originality, first, get your identity straight and then, MAYBE, your posts would be credible.
It isn’t very hard to do. Trust me.
Maybe that’s what catholics are taught. After all, since it is not Christianity, catholiciism can teach the adherents anything the magicsteeringthem approves.
I? “Promoting” von Balthasar? Not at all! But I have read his actual works (which are pivotal for the Church whether we like it or not) and I don’t quote him out of context from some blog by Hillary White or Ann Barnhardt, who would be fortunate to understand a single thought of von Balthasar’s or any other esteemed theologian. But theologians, despite their sometimes believing it so, do not define God; they may be in for a few surprises when entering the pearly gates.
And it is comments like this that proves the ignorance of Protestantism and why we don't take you (all) seriously . Keep keeping it classy.
The precious little snowflake doesn’t like to be questioned? Maybe it’s because her position is indefensible.
And maybe it's not.
HMMMmmm...
"One indeed is the universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved, in which the priest himself is the sacrifice, Jesus Christ, whose body and blood are truly contained in the sacrament of the altar under the species of bread and wine; the bread (changed) into His body by the divine power of transubstantiation, and the wine into the blood, so that to accomplish the mystery of unity we ourselves receive from His (nature) what He Himself received from ours."
--Pope Innocent III and Lateran Council IV (A.D. 1215)
You mean like this:
When God came into existence there was nothing else all was void. His first thought must have been self awareness. The only possible outcome of an omnipotent being becoming self aware would be for that awareness to be a mirrored reflection or that omnipotent perfection.
When the second being instantly became sentient there was no longer the void, There was only the "Father."
And then the statement the Council of Nicea taught that God came into existence.
This sounds more like Jehovah Witness theology.
When God came into existence there was nothing else all was void. His first thought must have been self awareness. The only possible outcome of an omnipotent being becoming self aware would be for that awareness to be a mirrored reflection or that omnipotent perfection.
When the second being instantly became sentient there was no longer the void, There was only the "Father."
And then the statement the Council of Nicea taught that God came into existence.
You’re a girl?
I had no idea.....
Not the last time Mrs. Miletus checked. Are you functionally illiterate?
LOL
I get this all the time.
I questioned this, too. I wonder if this was copied and pasted from somewhere? I didn't see a link. Whoever wrote it has a weird, unchristian view of the eternal Almighty God. In their attempt to sound deeply philosophical, they have instead made a huge heretical error.
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