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Can we share a part of the second person of the Trinity, becoming the Lover's Beloved along with Jesus?
Can we be sharers of God's divinity after receiving our Savior?
Peace,
Hector
{ Can we share a part of the Second Person of the Trinity, becoming the Lover's Beloved and can we be sharers in God's divinity? }
John replied:
Hector,
From the Second Letter of St. Peter:
1 1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
This is a process we believe in, called theosis, deification, or divinization. We become by grace what Christ is by nature.
"After this, as the climax of everything, comes the distribution of the sacrament, which transforms into itself and renders similar to the causal good by grace and participation those who worthily share in it. To them is there lacking nothing of this good that is possible and attainable for men, so that they also can be and be called gods by adoption through grace because all of God entirely fills them and leaves no part of them empty of his presence."
460 The Word became flesh to make us partakers of the divine nature: (2 Peter 1:4)
For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.
"An iron poker left in a roaring fire will eventually become red hot. While remaining iron, it takes on heat and light, key qualities of fire. It is transformed by being in the fire. The same will be true of human beings who open their hearts to God in prayer, as they are filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and as they show Christ's love to their neighbors. As people find healing from the wounds of sin in their lives and grow as Christians, they share more fully in God's salvation. Our Savior said that his followers are to be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect, so we all have a long way to go (Matthew 5:48)."
I think between what Eric wrote and this scriptural text, you have a start.
God humbled Himself, indeed emptied Himself to become man. In so doing He elevated man. The process of Theosis or Deification that Eric described in his reply is actually what Salvation ultimately is.
St. Athanasius(who is in great part responsible for the Nicene Creed) wrote in the 54th Chapter of his work "On the Incarnation": God became man so that man might become God. Now, he clearly meant this was the work of Grace. And it's not to say we become part of the Godhead by nature. But rather we gain the life of God. We will be perfected and partake in His Nature. So Salvation is far more than being saved from eternal punishment for sins. That would be great by itself but God goes much further. As His Children, we become His Heirs, Co-heirs with Christ and hence we don't just share His Inheritance. We truly are the Body of Christ.
John
Eric replied:
Hector,
Are you trying to defend this idea to someone else, or merely understand it for yourself?
Another verse is Ephesians 3:19; compare it to Colossians 1:19. The latter says that Christ was filled with the fullness [of God], and the former says we will be, too.
Eric
Hector replied:
Thank you, Gentlemen,
This is awesome to read, and I wholeheartedly concur, but I wonder why our facilitator for the Trinity course at Notre Dame said:
"We are not Divine".
The dictionary for the Catechism of the Catholic Church also includes in its definition for Theosis:
"It does not mean that the creature ceases to be a creature and becomes divine in his being".
Is this mysticism vs dialectics?
Peace,
Hector
Hector replied:
Hi Eric,
You said:
Are you trying to defend this idea to someone else, or merely understand it for yourself?
As a Catechist, It is necessary for me to understand what I am teaching.
I believe we can be part of the second person of the Trinity together with Jesus. I just haven't found clear concurrence.
Hector
Eric replied:
Oh, OK,
Thanks for clarifying the context. Apologies if I missed this from earlier exchanges you had with my colleagues.
We don't become divine *in our beings*, as if we were new "trinities". We become divine *by grace* and *by adoption* and *in Christ*. We become incorporated into the Holy Trinity in such a way as to share in It's characteristics.
Also, theosis is a process. I wouldn't flat-out state that "we are divine" because:
one, it would confuse what we teach with the New Age movement, and
two, it would be somewhat presumptuous to say (much like we tend to avoid calling ourselves "saints").
That is our hoped-for ultimate destiny, and we begin to share in it at Baptism, but it won't culminate until the life to come, and it is predicated on being in a state of grace.
Eric
Hector replied:
Thank you, Eric —
This makes complete sense and is extremely clear and helpful.
Peace,
Hector
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