MEDITATIONS ON CHRISTIAN DOGMA. TREATISE II. 12. THE THIRD PERSON.
St. Dionysius, Bp & Comp., Mm
TREATISE II.
12. THE THIRD PERSON.
I. In a spiritual being the fundamental fact is its existence, and from this proceeds a double activity, inseparable
from the being but different from it. The first activity is
the intellect, which exercises itself on objects as being true,
and its exercise is knowledge, reason, wisdom. The next is
the will, which exercises itself in love, or a propension
towards objects as being good. These are two distinct
operations, and are essential to completeness and to one
another. The intelligence is the basis ; the propension of
the will proceeds from this, and constitutes its efficacy. The
intelligence brings the object, in a manner, into itself by
conceiving its image : love is a going forth and bestowal of
self upon the object. Here we have plurality of operations
in the unity of one being ; they cannot be separated from it
or from one another ; and they embrace the whole activity
of a spiritual being. These faculties represent two great
classes of duties in man, the knowledge and love of God, the
service of mind and heart. Exercise them both on the only
object that can elicit and satisfy all their activity, i.e., on
God.
II. These spiritual faculties and actions exist in God and
correspond to ours, but they are infinite. The action of the
divine will is in several respects similar to the action of the
intellect which produces the Second Person, or the Word.
1. It is not transient or arbitrary, but is a necessity of the
divine nature and is eternal ; it never begins, it never took
place, it is always in progress. 2. As it is an action in God,
and as there is nothing in God that is not God, so this
action or love is God. Otherwise, it is God acting in that
way, for God is pure activity. 3. As the Divine Essence
with the relations engendered in it by the action of the
intellect is Father and Son, so the Divine Essence with the
relations engendered in it by the action of the will is the
Holy Ghost. 4. As it is with the action of the intellect producing the Son, so with the action of the will there must be
two terms, that from which it proceeds and that towards
which it moves. The Father and Son jointly are the term
producing, the Holy Ghost is the term produced. 5. Like
the intellect, the will of God has an infinite activity; it
communicates the totality of the Divine Essence ; and this
so perfectly as to produce a conscious personality which is
God. 6. As the Son is the fulness of the divine intelligence
and the object produced by its action, so the Holy Ghost is
the fulness of the divine love of Father and Son, produced
by the action of Their reciprocal love. This completes the
interior action of the Godhead ; nothing more remains to be
done, no other Person to be produced. There can be no
more than the personified thought equal to the Godhead,
and the personified love equal to the Godhead. Take care
that the action of your will corresponds with your intelligence. You know God well. Do you love Him as well ? Is
your life as divine as your faith ?
III. This mysterious productive action has no exact
counterpart in creation. While the procession of the
Second Person bears the specific name of Generation and
its terms are Father and Son, we have to use the generic
term Procession for the production of the Third Person, and
the general term Holy Spirit for Him. The word Spiration
is also used. There is an analogy between the eternal and
temporal processions of the Divine Persons. The Son of
God was born on earth and became the Son of the Holy
Virgin ; and He communicated the Holy Ghost by spiration
or breathing on the Apostles, and sent Him on the day of
Pentecost in the form of a mighty wind (spiritus) as well as
of fiery tongues. The Apostle assures you that you are the
temple of the Holy Ghost. How great are the privileges
and honours heaped upon those who have submitted to the
obedience of faith, who strive to live the life of God, and
make use of the Holy Sacraments!
MEDITATIONS ON CHRISTIAN DOGMA BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES BELLORD, D.D
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