Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Why Does Jesus Call the Father Greater If We Teach That the Members of the Trinity Are Equal?
Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 05-23-16 | Msgr. Charles Pope

Posted on 05/24/2016 6:49:46 AM PDT by Salvation

Why Does Jesus Call the Father Greater If We Teach That the Members of the Trinity Are Equal?

May 23, 2016

blog5-23-2016

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.

Please consider subscribing to Our Sunday Visitor. I also write for the National Catholic Register. These are two great publications that deserve your support.

And while I am pointing out my “extra-blogical” activities, I also ask you to consider coming to the Holy Land in March of 2017 with me and Patrick Coffin of Catholic Answers.


TOPICS: Catholic; Charismatic Christian; Evangelical Christian; History; Mainline Protestant; Other Christian
KEYWORDS: catholic; msgrcharlespope
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 621-640641-660661-680 ... 1,141-1,154 next last
To: verga

Okay...you know the difference between “if” and “when”, right?


641 posted on 06/05/2016 11:35:17 AM PDT by boatbums (God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 632 | View Replies]

To: Thales Miletus; Iscool; metmom; boatbums; ealgeone; MHGinTN

I love how the “Christians keep trying to bring it around to me instead of actually answering your question. Heck one of them is not even sure “If” God exists.


642 posted on 06/05/2016 12:05:46 PM PDT by verga (In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 627 | View Replies]

To: verga; Iscool

Your post 160 is what got this going. You said God came into existence. If you can’t see the difference between what you posted and Iscool posted......well. BTW still waiting on your proof regarding your claim on Nicea.


643 posted on 06/05/2016 12:15:22 PM PDT by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 642 | View Replies]

To: verga

Are you now saying you are not a Christian????


644 posted on 06/05/2016 12:18:01 PM PDT by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 642 | View Replies]

To: verga

Was it you a few months ago who posted that ‘just because a fool asks a Catholic a question doesn’t mean we have to answer it?’


645 posted on 06/05/2016 12:18:46 PM PDT by MHGinTN (Democrats bait then switch; their fishy voters buy it every time.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 642 | View Replies]

To: boatbums

*snicker*


646 posted on 06/05/2016 12:35:42 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 640 | View Replies]

To: verga; ealgeone; MHGinTN; boatbums; Iscool
I love how the “Christians keep trying to bring it around to me instead of actually answering your question.

And your answer about post 160 is where exactly?

647 posted on 06/05/2016 12:36:59 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 642 | View Replies]

To: verga
Do you deny that you said this in post 604 If ever there was a beginning, they (He) began all at the same time...

Of course I don't deny it...I wasn't suggesting there was a beginning...I was just putting things in terms where they could easily be grasped...

God didn't create a son in eternity...The Son was always there as part of the Trinity...

648 posted on 06/05/2016 12:42:29 PM PDT by Iscool
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 632 | View Replies]

To: Iscool

Only two posters didn’t understand.


649 posted on 06/05/2016 12:54:48 PM PDT by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 648 | View Replies]

To: Thales Miletus
No where does this describe how you can have two (or three) non generated eternal infinite beings.

There are a lot of things that the bible does not describe.

650 posted on 06/05/2016 2:07:54 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 626 | View Replies]

To: Thales Miletus
A protestant is offering the possibility of God having a beginning. He is saying it is possible that God is not eternal.

He IS?

651 posted on 06/05/2016 2:08:46 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 627 | View Replies]

To: Thales Miletus
I ask sincere question and all yhou do is spew venom.

Do you still beat your wife?

652 posted on 06/05/2016 2:09:28 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 628 | View Replies]

To: verga

You having trouble actually seeing the word IF in one statement?


653 posted on 06/05/2016 2:10:53 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 632 | View Replies]

To: verga
If it weren't for double standards, the non-Catholics wouldn't have any at all.

Quite Hillary-like.

654 posted on 06/05/2016 2:11:27 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 632 | View Replies]

To: MHGinTN; Normandy; teppe; StormPrepper
Was it you a few months ago who posted that ‘just because a fool asks a Catholic a question doesn’t mean we have to answer it?’

A well known MORMON professor said something on this order...


 
 
Professor Robert Millet        teaching at the Mission Prep Club in 2004  http://newsnet.byu.edu/video/18773/  <-- Complete and uneditted
 

If the above link does NOT function; try THIS one.   Click on the second image.
 
http://mormontruthnews.blogspot.com/2006/10/robert-millet-former-dean-of-religious_01.html

 
 
Timeline...    Subject...
 
0:59           "Anti-Mormons..."
1:16           "ATTACK the faith you have..."
2:02           "We really aren't obligated to answer everyone's questions..."
3:57           "You already know MORE about God and Christ and the plan of salvation than any who would ATTACK you."

 
 
 
 
 

655 posted on 06/05/2016 2:14:45 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 645 | View Replies]

To: metmom
And your answer about post 160 is where exactly?

Flares and chaff is blown out the back of a plane; hoping to break the lock on an incoming missile homing it's exhaustpipe.



656 posted on 06/05/2016 2:24:36 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 647 | View Replies]

To: Elsie

I like that one.


657 posted on 06/05/2016 2:42:16 PM PDT by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 656 | View Replies]

To: Elsie

Pretty accurate assessment of the situation.


658 posted on 06/05/2016 2:54:22 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 656 | View Replies]

To: TruthInThoughtWordAndDeed

.
If we took him at his word, we wouldn’t be talking about trinities in the first place.


659 posted on 06/05/2016 3:28:59 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: ealgeone
Only two posters didn’t understand.

The two who admit to NOT being born again...

660 posted on 06/05/2016 5:45:01 PM PDT by Iscool
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 649 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 621-640641-660661-680 ... 1,141-1,154 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson