CHAPTER SIX
EARNEST DESIRE OF DIVINE WISDOM TO GIVE HIMSELF TO MEN
64. The bond of friendship between eternal Wisdom and man is
so close as to be beyond our understanding. Wisdom is for man
and man is for Wisdom. "He is an infinite treasure for man,"
(Wisd. 7:14) and not for angels or any other creatures.
Wisdom's friendship for man arises from man's place in
creation, from his being an abridgement of eternal Wisdom's
marvels, his small yet ever so great world, his living image
and representative on earth (cf. Nos. 35-38). Since Wisdom,
out of an excess of love, gave himself up to death to save
man, he loves man as a brother, a friend, a disciple, a pupil,
the price of his own blood and co-heir of his kingdom. For
man to withhold his heart from Wisdom or to wrench it away
from him would constitute an outrage.
[1. Eternal Wisdom's letter of love]
65. This eternal beauty, ever supremely loving, is so intent
on winning man's friendship that for this very purpose he has
written a book in which he describes his own excellence and
his desire for man's friendship. This book reads like a
letter written by a lover to win the affections of his loved
one, for in it he expresses such ardent desires for the heart
of man, such tender longings for man's friendship, such loving
invitations and promises, that you would say he could not
possibly be the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth and at the
same time need the friendship of man to be happy.
66. In his pursuit of man, he hastens along the highways, or
scales the loftiest mountain peaks, or waits at the city
gates, or goes into the public squares and among the
gatherings of people, proclaiming at the top of his voice,
"You children of men, it is you I have been calling so
persistently; it is you I am addressing; it is you I desire
and seek; it is you I am claiming. Listen, draw close to me,
for I want to make you happy" (Prov. 8:4).
And the better to attract men, Wisdom says to them, "It
is through me and through my grace that kings reign, princes
rule, monarchs and sovereigns bear the sceptre and crown, I
inspire legislators with the ability to enact just laws for
the good of their people. I give magistrates the courage to
administer justice fairly and fearlessly."
67. "I love those who love me and those who seek me
diligently find me," and in finding me they will find good
things in abundance. "For riches, glory, honours, dignities,
real pleasure and true virtue are found in me; and it is far
better for a man to possess me than to possess all the gold
and silver, all the precious stones, and all the wealth of the
whole universe. Those who come to me, I will lead along the
paths of justice and prudence. I will enrich them with the
inheritance due to rightful children and fulfil their greatest
desires (cf. Prov. 8:15-21). Rest assured, it is my greatest
pleasure and purest delight to converse and to abide with the
children of men" (cf. Prov. 8:31).
68. "And now, my children, listen to me. Happy are those who
keep my ways. Hear my instructions, be wise and do not ignore
them. Happy is the man who listens to me, watching at my
gates every day, waiting beside my door. He who finds me
finds life and obtains salvation from the Lord, but he who
sins against me, wounds his own soul. All who hate me love
death" (Prov. 8:32-36).
69. Even though eternal Wisdom has spoken so kindly and so
reassuringly to win the friendship of men, he still fears that
they, filled with awe at his glorious state and sovereign
majesty, will not dare approach him. That is why he tells
them that "he is easily accessible, is quickly recognised by
those who love him and is found by those who seek him; that he
hastens to meet those who desire him and that anyone who rises
early to look for him will have no trouble, for he will find
him sitting at his door, waiting for him" (Wisd. 6:13b-15).
[2. Incarnation, Death and the Eucharist]
70. Finally, in order to draw closer to men and give them a
more convincing proof of his love, eternal Wisdom went so far
as to become man, even to become a little child, to embrace
poverty and to die upon a cross for them.
How many times while here on earth could he be heard
pleading, "Come to me, come to me, all of you. Do not be
afraid, it is I. Why are you afraid? I am just like you; I
love you. Are you afraid because you are sinners? But they
are the very ones I am looking for; I am the friend of
sinners. If it is because you have strayed from the fold
through your own fault, then I am the good shepherd. If it is
because you are weighted down with sin, covered with grime and
utterly dejected, then that is just why you should come to me
for I will unburden you, purify you and console you."
71. Eternal Wisdom, on the one hand, wished to prove his love
for man by dying in his place in order to save him, but on the
other hand, he could not bear the thought of leaving him. So
he devised a marvellous way of dying and living at the same
time, and of abiding with man until the end of time. So, in
order fully to satisfy his love, he instituted the sacrament
of Holy Eucharist and went to the extent of changing and
overturning nature itself.
He does not conceal himself under a sparkling diamond or
some other precious stone, because he does not want to abide
with man in an ostentatious manner. But he hides himself
under the appearance of a small piece of bread - man's
ordinary nourishment - so that when received he might enter
the heart of man and there take his delight. Ardenter
amantium hoc est - Those who love ardently act in this way.
"O eternal Wisdom," says a saint, "O God who is truly lavish
with himself in his desire to be with man."
[3. The ingratitude of those who refuse]
72. How ungrateful and insensitive we would be if we were not
moved by the earnest desire of eternal Wisdom, his eagerness
to seek us out and the proofs he gives us of his friendship!
How cruel we would be, what punishment would we not
deserve even in this world, if, instead of listening to him,
we turn a deaf ear; if, instead of loving him, we spurn and
offend him. The Holy Spirit tells us, "Those who neglected to
acquire Wisdom not only inherited ignorance of what is good,
but they actually left in the world a memorial of their folly
in that their sins could not go unnoticed" (Wisd. 10:8).
Those who during their lifetime do not strive to acquire
Wisdom suffer a triple misfortune. They fall (a) into
ignorance and blindness, (b) into folly, (c) into sin and
scandal.
But how unhappy they will be at the door of death when,
despite themselves, they hear Wisdom reproach them, "I called
you and you did not answer (Prov. 1:24). All the day long I
held out my hands to you and you spurned me. Sitting at your
door, I waited for you but you did not come to me. Now it is
my turn to deride you (Prov. 1:26). No longer do I have ears
to hear you weeping, eyes to see your tears, a heart to be
moved by your sobs, or hands to help you."
How great will be their misery in hell! Read what the
Holy Spirit himself has to say about the miseries, the
wailings, the regrets and the despair of the fools in hell
who, all too late, realise their folly and misfortune in
rejecting the eternal Wisdom of God. "They are now beginning
to speak sensibly - but they are in hell" (Wisd. 5:14).
[4. Conclusion]
73. Above all else let us seek and long for divine Wisdom.
"All other things that are desired are not to be compared with
Wisdom" (Prov. 3:15). And again, "Nothing that you desire can
be compared with him" (Prov. 8:11). You may desire the gifts
of God and even heavenly treasures, but if you do not desire
Wisdom you desire always something of far less worth.
If only we could realise what Wisdom actually is, i.e. an
infinite treasure made for man - and I must confess that what
I have said about him really amounts to nothing at all - we
would be longing for him night and day. We would fly as fast
as we could to the ends of the earth, we would cheerfully
endure fire and sword, if need be, to merit this infinite
treasure.
But we must beware of choosing a wrong wisdom, because
there is more than one kind.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT - CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER FIVE
MARVELLOUS EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM
52. In the eighth chapter of the Book of Wisdom, the Holy
Spirit shows the excellence of eternal Wisdom in terms so
sublime and yet so clear that we need only quote them here,
adding a few reflections.
53. 1. "Wisdom reaches mightily from one end of the earth to
the other and orders all things graciously."
Nothing is so gracious as eternal Wisdom. Of his very
nature he is gracious without bitterness; gracious to those
who love him, never showing displeasure; gracious in his
conduct, never showing severity. He is so gentle and
unobtrusive that you might often think that he is not present
when you meet with accidents and contradictions. But,
possessed of invincible power, he quietly but effectively
brings all things to a happy issue in ways unknown to men.
After his example, the wise man should be graciously firm and
firmly gracious - suaviter fortis et fortiter suavis.
54. 2. "From my youth I have loved and sought him and desired
to take him for my inseparable companion."
Whoever wishes to find this precious treasure of Wisdom
should, like Solomon, search for him (a) early and, if
possible, while still young; (b) purely and spiritually as a
chaste young man seeks a bride; (c) unceasingly, to the very
end, until he has found him. It is certain that eternal
Wisdom loves souls so much that he even espouses them,
contracting with them a true, spiritual marriage which the
world cannot understand. History furnishes us with examples
of this.
55. 3. "Wisdom shows his glorious origin by being so
intimately in union with God and by being loved by him who is
Lord of all."
Wisdom is God himself - such is his glorious origin. God
the Father has testified that he is pleased with him proving
how much Wisdom is loved (Cf. Chapter One and No. 98).
56. 4. "Wisdom is the teacher of the knowledge of God and
director of all his works."
Eternal Wisdom alone enlightens every man that comes into
this world (Jn. 1:9). He alone came from heaven to teach the
secrets of God (Cf. Jn. 1:18; Mt. 11:27; 1 Cor. 2:10). We
have no real teacher (Mt. 23:8,10) except the incarnate
Wisdom, whose name is Jesus Christ. He alone brings all the
works of God to perfection, especially the saints, for he
shows them what they must do and teaches them to appreciate
and put into practice all he has taught them.
57. 5. "If it is riches we seek in this life, who is richer
than divine Wisdom who created all things?"
6. "If the mind of man can produce things, who is more
able than the fashioner of everything that exists?"
7. "If someone loves holiness, again the great virtues
are the handiwork of Wisdom, for he teaches temperance and
prudence, justice and fortitude, and nothing in this life is
more useful than these."
Solomon clearly shows that since we should love Wisdom
alone, then from Wisdom alone we should expect all things -
material goods, knowledge of nature's secrets, all spiritual
good, the theological and cardinal virtues.
58. 8. "If anyone desires knowledge, eternal Wisdom knows the
past and can forecast the future. He understands the
subtleties of speech and the lessons of parables. He
recognises signs and wonders and knows all that is going to
happen as seasons and ages pass by."
If anyone desires to possess a deep, holy and special
knowledge of the treasures of grace and nature, and not merely
dry, common and superficial knowledge, he must make every
effort to acquire Wisdom. Without him, man is nothing in the
sight of God, no matter how learned he may appear in the eyes
of men. "He will count for nothing" (Wisd. 3:17).
59. 9. "I therefore resolved to take him as my companion in
life, knowing that he would share his goods with me and be my
consolation in my cares and sorrows."
Eternal Wisdom is so rich and generous; how can anyone
who possesses him be poor? He is so gentle, attractive and
tender; how can anyone who possesses him be unhappy? But
among all those who seek eternal Wisdom how many can honestly
say with Solomon, "I have resolved to possess him"? The
majority of men do not make such a resolution with real
sincerity. Their decisions are mere wishful thinking or at
best weak and wavering resolves. That is why they never find
eternal Wisdom.
60. 10. "Through him, I shall be acclaimed among the people
and, although still a youth, honoured by the elders."
11. "I shall be considered shrewd when I sit in
judgement. The most powerful will be surprised when they see
me and princes will show their admiration for me."
12. "When I am silent, they will wait for me to speak;
when I speak, they will pay attention to what I say. If I
speak at some length, they will place their hands on their
lips."
13. "He it is who will give me immortality, and through
him I shall leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come
after me."
14. "I shall govern people through him and nations shall
be my subjects."
St Gregory has this comment to make on Solomon's self-
praise, " Those whom God has chosen to write his sacred words
are filled with the Holy Spirit. In a way, they seem to rise
above themselves and enter into the very one who possesses
them. Thus they become mouthpieces of God himself, for they
are concerned with God alone in everything they say, and they
speak of themselves as though speaking of someone else."
61. 15. "The most formidable kings shall be afraid when they
hear of me. I shall show myself kind to my people and valiant
in war."
16. "When I go home, I shall be at my ease with Wisdom,
for his conversation is never disagreeable nor his company
unpleasant. With him there is only contentment and joy."
17. "I thought about these things and I reflected in my
heart that immortality is found in union with Wisdom."
18. "I found pure contentment in his friendship,
inexhaustible wealth in his accomplishments, understanding in
his teaching and conversation, and great joy listening to his
counsels; and so I went about seeking him everywhere to make
him my companion."
After summing up his previous commentary, Solomon draws
this conclusion: "I went about seeking for eternal Wisdom in
all directions." To possess him we must seek ardently; in
other words, we must be ready to give up everything, to suffer
everything, in order to obtain possession of him. Only a few
find him because only a few look for him in a manner worthy of
him.
62. In the seventh chapter of the Book of Wisdom, the Holy
Spirit speaks of the excellence of eternal Wisdom in these
terms: "In Wisdom there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
unique, fruitful, subtle, eloquent, active, unsullied, lucid,
gentle, benevolent, keen, irresistible, beneficent, kindly,
firm, unfailing, unperturbed, all-powerful, all-seeing,
possessing every spirit, understandable, pure and subtle. For
Wisdom is more active than any active thing. He is so pure he
penetrates all things" (Wisd. 7:22-24).
"Wisdom is an infinite treasure for men. Those who have
utilised this treasure have become God's friends, and
praiseworthy for their gifts of knowledge".
63 After reading such powerful but tender words which the
Holy Spirit uses to show the beauty, the excellence and the
treasures of eternal Wisdom, we cannot but love him and search
for him with all our strength. All the more so since he is an
inexhaustible source of riches for man who was made for him
and infinitely eager to give himself to man.
MARVELLOUS EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM
52. In the eighth chapter of the Book of Wisdom, the Holy
Spirit shows the excellence of eternal Wisdom in terms so
sublime and yet so clear that we need only quote them here,
adding a few reflections.
53. 1. "Wisdom reaches mightily from one end of the earth to
the other and orders all things graciously."
Nothing is so gracious as eternal Wisdom. Of his very
nature he is gracious without bitterness; gracious to those
who love him, never showing displeasure; gracious in his
conduct, never showing severity. He is so gentle and
unobtrusive that you might often think that he is not present
when you meet with accidents and contradictions. But,
possessed of invincible power, he quietly but effectively
brings all things to a happy issue in ways unknown to men.
After his example, the wise man should be graciously firm and
firmly gracious - suaviter fortis et fortiter suavis.
54. 2. "From my youth I have loved and sought him and desired
to take him for my inseparable companion."
Whoever wishes to find this precious treasure of Wisdom
should, like Solomon, search for him (a) early and, if
possible, while still young; (b) purely and spiritually as a
chaste young man seeks a bride; (c) unceasingly, to the very
end, until he has found him. It is certain that eternal
Wisdom loves souls so much that he even espouses them,
contracting with them a true, spiritual marriage which the
world cannot understand. History furnishes us with examples
of this.
55. 3. "Wisdom shows his glorious origin by being so
intimately in union with God and by being loved by him who is
Lord of all."
Wisdom is God himself - such is his glorious origin. God
the Father has testified that he is pleased with him proving
how much Wisdom is loved (Cf. Chapter One and No. 98).
56. 4. "Wisdom is the teacher of the knowledge of God and
director of all his works."
Eternal Wisdom alone enlightens every man that comes into
this world (Jn. 1:9). He alone came from heaven to teach the
secrets of God (Cf. Jn. 1:18; Mt. 11:27; 1 Cor. 2:10). We
have no real teacher (Mt. 23:8,10) except the incarnate
Wisdom, whose name is Jesus Christ. He alone brings all the
works of God to perfection, especially the saints, for he
shows them what they must do and teaches them to appreciate
and put into practice all he has taught them.
57. 5. "If it is riches we seek in this life, who is richer
than divine Wisdom who created all things?"
6. "If the mind of man can produce things, who is more
able than the fashioner of everything that exists?"
7. "If someone loves holiness, again the great virtues
are the handiwork of Wisdom, for he teaches temperance and
prudence, justice and fortitude, and nothing in this life is
more useful than these."
Solomon clearly shows that since we should love Wisdom
alone, then from Wisdom alone we should expect all things -
material goods, knowledge of nature's secrets, all spiritual
good, the theological and cardinal virtues.
58. 8. "If anyone desires knowledge, eternal Wisdom knows the
past and can forecast the future. He understands the
subtleties of speech and the lessons of parables. He
recognises signs and wonders and knows all that is going to
happen as seasons and ages pass by."
If anyone desires to possess a deep, holy and special
knowledge of the treasures of grace and nature, and not merely
dry, common and superficial knowledge, he must make every
effort to acquire Wisdom. Without him, man is nothing in the
sight of God, no matter how learned he may appear in the eyes
of men. "He will count for nothing" (Wisd. 3:17).
59. 9. "I therefore resolved to take him as my companion in
life, knowing that he would share his goods with me and be my
consolation in my cares and sorrows."
Eternal Wisdom is so rich and generous; how can anyone
who possesses him be poor? He is so gentle, attractive and
tender; how can anyone who possesses him be unhappy? But
among all those who seek eternal Wisdom how many can honestly
say with Solomon, "I have resolved to possess him"? The
majority of men do not make such a resolution with real
sincerity. Their decisions are mere wishful thinking or at
best weak and wavering resolves. That is why they never find
eternal Wisdom.
60. 10. "Through him, I shall be acclaimed among the people
and, although still a youth, honoured by the elders."
11. "I shall be considered shrewd when I sit in
judgement. The most powerful will be surprised when they see
me and princes will show their admiration for me."
12. "When I am silent, they will wait for me to speak;
when I speak, they will pay attention to what I say. If I
speak at some length, they will place their hands on their
lips."
13. "He it is who will give me immortality, and through
him I shall leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come
after me."
14. "I shall govern people through him and nations shall
be my subjects."
St Gregory has this comment to make on Solomon's self-
praise, " Those whom God has chosen to write his sacred words
are filled with the Holy Spirit. In a way, they seem to rise
above themselves and enter into the very one who possesses
them. Thus they become mouthpieces of God himself, for they
are concerned with God alone in everything they say, and they
speak of themselves as though speaking of someone else."
61. 15. "The most formidable kings shall be afraid when they
hear of me. I shall show myself kind to my people and valiant
in war."
16. "When I go home, I shall be at my ease with Wisdom,
for his conversation is never disagreeable nor his company
unpleasant. With him there is only contentment and joy."
17. "I thought about these things and I reflected in my
heart that immortality is found in union with Wisdom."
18. "I found pure contentment in his friendship,
inexhaustible wealth in his accomplishments, understanding in
his teaching and conversation, and great joy listening to his
counsels; and so I went about seeking him everywhere to make
him my companion."
After summing up his previous commentary, Solomon draws
this conclusion: "I went about seeking for eternal Wisdom in
all directions." To possess him we must seek ardently; in
other words, we must be ready to give up everything, to suffer
everything, in order to obtain possession of him. Only a few
find him because only a few look for him in a manner worthy of
him.
62. In the seventh chapter of the Book of Wisdom, the Holy
Spirit speaks of the excellence of eternal Wisdom in these
terms: "In Wisdom there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
unique, fruitful, subtle, eloquent, active, unsullied, lucid,
gentle, benevolent, keen, irresistible, beneficent, kindly,
firm, unfailing, unperturbed, all-powerful, all-seeing,
possessing every spirit, understandable, pure and subtle. For
Wisdom is more active than any active thing. He is so pure he
penetrates all things" (Wisd. 7:22-24).
"Wisdom is an infinite treasure for men. Those who have
utilised this treasure have become God's friends, and
praiseworthy for their gifts of knowledge".
63 After reading such powerful but tender words which the
Holy Spirit uses to show the beauty, the excellence and the
treasures of eternal Wisdom, we cannot but love him and search
for him with all our strength. All the more so since he is an
inexhaustible source of riches for man who was made for him
and infinitely eager to give himself to man.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT - CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER FOUR
MARVELS OF WISDOM'S GOODNESS AND MERCY BEFORE HIS INCARNATION
41. Eternal Wisdom was deeply moved by the plight of Adam and all his descendants. He was profoundly distressed at seeing his vessel of honor shattered, his image torn to pieces, his masterpiece destroyed, his representative in this world overthrown.
He listened tenderly to man's sighs and entreaties and he was moved with compassion when he saw the sweat of his brow, the tears in his eyes, the fatigue of his arms, his sadness of heart, his affliction of soul.
The Incarnation is decreed
42. I seem to see this lovable Sovereign convoking and assembling the most holy Trinity, a second time, so to speak, for the purpose of rehabilitating man in the state he formerly created him (cf. Gen. 1:26). We can picture a kind of contest going on in this grand council between eternal Wisdom and God's justice.
43. I seem to hear eternal Wisdom, in his plea on behalf of man, admit that because of his sin man and all his descendants deserve to be condemned and to spend all eternity with the rebel angels. Still, man should be pitied because he sinned more through ignorance and weakness than through malice. He points out that it would be a pity if such an exquisite masterpiece were to become the slave of the devil for ever, and millions upon millions of men were to be lost eternally, through the sin of only one man. Besides, eternal Wisdom draws attention to the places left vacant by the fall of the apostate angels. Would it not be fitting to fill these places? And would not God receive great glory in time and in eternity if man were saved?
44. It seems to me that I hear the God of justice replying that the sentence of death and eternal damnation has been pronounced against man and his descendants, and it must be carried out without pardon or mercy, just as happened in the case of Lucifer and his followers. Man has shown himself ungrateful for the gifts he received, has followed the devil in pride and disobedience and should therefore follow him in his punishment, for sin must necessarily be punished.
45. Eternal Wisdom seeing that nothing on earth can expiate man's sin, that nothing can satisfy divine justice and appease God's anger and still, wishing to save unfortunate man whom he cannot help loving, finds a wonderful way of accomplishing this.
Wonder of wonders! With boundless and incomprehensible love, this tender-hearted Lord offers to comply with his justice, to calm the divine anger, to rescue us from the slavery of the devil and from the flames of hell, and to merit for us eternal happiness.
46. His offer is accepted; a decision is reached and made. Eternal Wisdom, the Son of God, will become man at a suitable time and in determined circumstances. For about four thousand years - from the creation of the world and Adam's sin until the Incarnation of divine Wisdom - Adam and his descendants were subject to death, just as God had decreed. But in view of the Incarnation of the Son of God, they received the graces they needed to obey his commandments and do salutary penance for any they might have transgressed. If they died in the state of grace and in God's friendship, their souls went to Limbo, there to await their Savior and Deliverer who would open the gates of heaven for them.
The time before the Incarnation
47. During the whole time preceding his Incarnation, eternal Wisdom proved in a thousand ways his friendship for men and his great desire to bestow his favors on them and to converse with them. "My delight is to be with the children of men" (Prov. 8:31). He went about seeking those worthy of him (Wisd. 6:16), that is those worthy of his friendship, his precious gifts, his very person. He passed through different nations, making them prophets and friends of God (Wisd. 7:27; cf. 7:14). He it was who instructed all the holy patriarchs, all the friends of God, all the saints and prophets of the old and new testaments (Wisd. 7).
This same Wisdom inspired men of God and spoke by the mouths of the prophets. He directed their ways and enlightened them in their doubts. He upheld them in their weakness and freed them from all harm.
48. This is how the Holy Spirit tells it in the tenth chapter of the Book of Wisdom (Wisd. 10:1-21).
1. It was Wisdom who safeguarded Adam, the first man, created alone to be the father of all men.
2. He rescued him from his sin and gave him power to control and rule over all things.
3. When the sinful Cain in anger withdrew from Wisdom, he perished because through his fury he became the murderer of his brother.
4. When the Deluge flooded the earth, because of him, it was Wisdom again who saved it, piloting the just man Noah in a frail wooden ark.
5. When the nations conspired together to do evil, Wisdom discerned the just man, Abraham, preserved him in innocence before God and kept him resolute in overcoming the pity he felt for his son, Isaac.
6. Wisdom rescued the righteous man, Lot, when he fled from the company of wicked men who perished as fire descended upon the Five Cities.
7. Evidence of their wickedness still remains - a smoking wasteland, plants bearing fruit that never ripen, and a pillar of salt standing as a monument to an unbelieving soul.
8. For those who neglected to see Wisdom were not only kept from knowledge of good, but they also left to mankind a memorial of their folly, and so their crime could never remain hidden.
49.9. But Wisdom delivered those who served him from all evils.
10. When the just man Jacob fled from the wrath of his brother Esau, Wisdom guided him along straight paths and showed him the kingdom of God. God gave him knowledge of holy things, prospered him in his labors and increased the fruits of his work.
11. He stood by him against the greed of defrauders and made him rich.
12. He protected him from his enemies and saved him from seducers. He gave him victory in his arduous struggle so that he might know that Wisdom is mightier than anything.
13. He did not abandon Joseph, the just man, when he was old, but delivered him from the hands of sinners and went down with him into the well.
14. He did not desert him in his chains until he brought him the scepter of royalty and authority over his oppressors. He showed those who had defamed him to be liars and gave him an eternal renown.
15. He liberated a holy people and a blameless race, the Hebrews, from a nation of oppressors.
16. He entered the soul of God's servant, Moses, and withstood fearsome kings with signs and wonders.
17. He gave the holy ones the reward of their labors, led them along a perfect way, and became a shelter for them by day and shed a starry light upon them by night.
18. He brought them across the Red Sea and led them through the deep waters.
19. He submerged their enemies in the sea and gathered his own people up from the depths of the sea. Thus he carried off the spoils of the wicked.
20. They extolled you in their songs, O Lord, and together praised your conquering hand.
21. For Wisdom opened the mouths of the dumb and made the tongues of the babes speak with fluency.
50. In the next chapter of the Book of Wisdom (Wisd. 11) the Holy Spirit describes the various evils from which eternal Wisdom delivered Moses and the Israelites during the time they lived in the desert. To this we may add those who were delivered from great dangers by eternal Wisdom in the Old and New Testaments. Among them were Daniel who was freed from the lions' den, Susanna from the false crime she was accused of, the three young men from the furnace in Babylon, St Peter from prison, St John from the cauldron of boiling oil and numberless martyrs and confessors from the physical torments they were made to suffer and the calumnies which blackened their good name. All these were delivered and healed by eternal Wisdom. "O Lord, those who have pleased you from the beginning were healed by Wisdom (Wisd. 9:19).
Conclusion
51. And now let us proclaim: "A thousand times happy is the man into whose soul Wisdom has entered to have his abode! No matter what battles he has to wage, he will emerge victorious. No matter what dangers threaten him, he will escape unharmed. No matter what sorrows afflict him, he will find joy and consolation. No matter what humiliations are heaped upon him, he will be exalted and glorified in time and throughout eternity."
MARVELS OF WISDOM'S GOODNESS AND MERCY BEFORE HIS INCARNATION
41. Eternal Wisdom was deeply moved by the plight of Adam and all his descendants. He was profoundly distressed at seeing his vessel of honor shattered, his image torn to pieces, his masterpiece destroyed, his representative in this world overthrown.
He listened tenderly to man's sighs and entreaties and he was moved with compassion when he saw the sweat of his brow, the tears in his eyes, the fatigue of his arms, his sadness of heart, his affliction of soul.
The Incarnation is decreed
42. I seem to see this lovable Sovereign convoking and assembling the most holy Trinity, a second time, so to speak, for the purpose of rehabilitating man in the state he formerly created him (cf. Gen. 1:26). We can picture a kind of contest going on in this grand council between eternal Wisdom and God's justice.
43. I seem to hear eternal Wisdom, in his plea on behalf of man, admit that because of his sin man and all his descendants deserve to be condemned and to spend all eternity with the rebel angels. Still, man should be pitied because he sinned more through ignorance and weakness than through malice. He points out that it would be a pity if such an exquisite masterpiece were to become the slave of the devil for ever, and millions upon millions of men were to be lost eternally, through the sin of only one man. Besides, eternal Wisdom draws attention to the places left vacant by the fall of the apostate angels. Would it not be fitting to fill these places? And would not God receive great glory in time and in eternity if man were saved?
44. It seems to me that I hear the God of justice replying that the sentence of death and eternal damnation has been pronounced against man and his descendants, and it must be carried out without pardon or mercy, just as happened in the case of Lucifer and his followers. Man has shown himself ungrateful for the gifts he received, has followed the devil in pride and disobedience and should therefore follow him in his punishment, for sin must necessarily be punished.
45. Eternal Wisdom seeing that nothing on earth can expiate man's sin, that nothing can satisfy divine justice and appease God's anger and still, wishing to save unfortunate man whom he cannot help loving, finds a wonderful way of accomplishing this.
Wonder of wonders! With boundless and incomprehensible love, this tender-hearted Lord offers to comply with his justice, to calm the divine anger, to rescue us from the slavery of the devil and from the flames of hell, and to merit for us eternal happiness.
46. His offer is accepted; a decision is reached and made. Eternal Wisdom, the Son of God, will become man at a suitable time and in determined circumstances. For about four thousand years - from the creation of the world and Adam's sin until the Incarnation of divine Wisdom - Adam and his descendants were subject to death, just as God had decreed. But in view of the Incarnation of the Son of God, they received the graces they needed to obey his commandments and do salutary penance for any they might have transgressed. If they died in the state of grace and in God's friendship, their souls went to Limbo, there to await their Savior and Deliverer who would open the gates of heaven for them.
The time before the Incarnation
47. During the whole time preceding his Incarnation, eternal Wisdom proved in a thousand ways his friendship for men and his great desire to bestow his favors on them and to converse with them. "My delight is to be with the children of men" (Prov. 8:31). He went about seeking those worthy of him (Wisd. 6:16), that is those worthy of his friendship, his precious gifts, his very person. He passed through different nations, making them prophets and friends of God (Wisd. 7:27; cf. 7:14). He it was who instructed all the holy patriarchs, all the friends of God, all the saints and prophets of the old and new testaments (Wisd. 7).
This same Wisdom inspired men of God and spoke by the mouths of the prophets. He directed their ways and enlightened them in their doubts. He upheld them in their weakness and freed them from all harm.
48. This is how the Holy Spirit tells it in the tenth chapter of the Book of Wisdom (Wisd. 10:1-21).
1. It was Wisdom who safeguarded Adam, the first man, created alone to be the father of all men.
2. He rescued him from his sin and gave him power to control and rule over all things.
3. When the sinful Cain in anger withdrew from Wisdom, he perished because through his fury he became the murderer of his brother.
4. When the Deluge flooded the earth, because of him, it was Wisdom again who saved it, piloting the just man Noah in a frail wooden ark.
5. When the nations conspired together to do evil, Wisdom discerned the just man, Abraham, preserved him in innocence before God and kept him resolute in overcoming the pity he felt for his son, Isaac.
6. Wisdom rescued the righteous man, Lot, when he fled from the company of wicked men who perished as fire descended upon the Five Cities.
7. Evidence of their wickedness still remains - a smoking wasteland, plants bearing fruit that never ripen, and a pillar of salt standing as a monument to an unbelieving soul.
8. For those who neglected to see Wisdom were not only kept from knowledge of good, but they also left to mankind a memorial of their folly, and so their crime could never remain hidden.
49.9. But Wisdom delivered those who served him from all evils.
10. When the just man Jacob fled from the wrath of his brother Esau, Wisdom guided him along straight paths and showed him the kingdom of God. God gave him knowledge of holy things, prospered him in his labors and increased the fruits of his work.
11. He stood by him against the greed of defrauders and made him rich.
12. He protected him from his enemies and saved him from seducers. He gave him victory in his arduous struggle so that he might know that Wisdom is mightier than anything.
13. He did not abandon Joseph, the just man, when he was old, but delivered him from the hands of sinners and went down with him into the well.
14. He did not desert him in his chains until he brought him the scepter of royalty and authority over his oppressors. He showed those who had defamed him to be liars and gave him an eternal renown.
15. He liberated a holy people and a blameless race, the Hebrews, from a nation of oppressors.
16. He entered the soul of God's servant, Moses, and withstood fearsome kings with signs and wonders.
17. He gave the holy ones the reward of their labors, led them along a perfect way, and became a shelter for them by day and shed a starry light upon them by night.
18. He brought them across the Red Sea and led them through the deep waters.
19. He submerged their enemies in the sea and gathered his own people up from the depths of the sea. Thus he carried off the spoils of the wicked.
20. They extolled you in their songs, O Lord, and together praised your conquering hand.
21. For Wisdom opened the mouths of the dumb and made the tongues of the babes speak with fluency.
50. In the next chapter of the Book of Wisdom (Wisd. 11) the Holy Spirit describes the various evils from which eternal Wisdom delivered Moses and the Israelites during the time they lived in the desert. To this we may add those who were delivered from great dangers by eternal Wisdom in the Old and New Testaments. Among them were Daniel who was freed from the lions' den, Susanna from the false crime she was accused of, the three young men from the furnace in Babylon, St Peter from prison, St John from the cauldron of boiling oil and numberless martyrs and confessors from the physical torments they were made to suffer and the calumnies which blackened their good name. All these were delivered and healed by eternal Wisdom. "O Lord, those who have pleased you from the beginning were healed by Wisdom (Wisd. 9:19).
Conclusion
51. And now let us proclaim: "A thousand times happy is the man into whose soul Wisdom has entered to have his abode! No matter what battles he has to wage, he will emerge victorious. No matter what dangers threaten him, he will escape unharmed. No matter what sorrows afflict him, he will find joy and consolation. No matter what humiliations are heaped upon him, he will be exalted and glorified in time and throughout eternity."
Sunday, October 16, 2011
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT - CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER THREE
THE MARVELLOUS POWER OF DIVINE WISDOM SHOWN IN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND MAN
[1. In the creation of the world]
31. Eternal Wisdom began to manifest himself outside the
bosom of God the Father when, after a whole eternity, he made
light, heaven and earth. St John tells us that everything was
made through the Word, that is eternal Wisdom: "All things
were made by him" (Jn. 1:3; cf. Heb. 1:2; Col. 1:16-17).
Solomon says that eternal Wisdom is the mother and maker
of all things. Notice that Solomon does not call him simply
the maker of the universe but also its mother because the
maker does not love and care for the work of his hands like a
mother does for her child (Wisd. 7: 12,21).
32. After creating all things, eternal Wisdom abides in them
to contain, maintain and renew them (Wisd. 1:7; 7:27). It was
this supremely perfect beauty who, after creating the
universe, established the magnificent order we find there. He
it was who separated, arranged, evaluated, augmented and
calculated everything.
He spread out the skies; he set the sun, the moon, the
stars and the planets in perfect order. He laid the
foundations of the earth and assigned limits and laws to the
sea and depths to the ocean. He raised mountains and gave
moderation to all things even to the springs of water.
Finally, he says, "I was with God and I disposed everything
with such perfect precision and such pleasing variety that it
was like playing a game to entertain my Father and myself"
(Prov. 8:30-31).
33. This mysterious game of divine Wisdom is clearly seen in
the great variety of all he created. Apart from considering
the different species of angels whose number is well-nigh
infinite, and the varied brightness of the stars and the
different temperaments of men, we are filled with wonderment
at the changes we see in the seasons and the weather, at the
variety of instincts in animals, at the different species of
plants, at the diversified beauty of the flowers and the
different tastes of the fruits. "Let him who is wise
understand these things" (Hos. 14:10; cf. Jer. 9:12; Ps.
106:43). Who is the one to whom eternal Wisdom has
communicated his wisdom? That person alone will understand
these mysteries of nature.
34. Eternal Wisdom has revealed these things to the saints,
as we learn from their biographies. At times they were so
astonished at the beauty, the harmony and the order that God
has put into the smallest things, such as a bee, an ant, an
ear of corn, a flower, a worm, that they were carried away in
rapture and ecstasy.
[2. In the creation of man]
35. If the power and gentleness of eternal Wisdom were so
luminously evident in the creation, the beauty and order of
the universe, they shone forth far more brilliantly in the
creation of man. For man is his supreme masterpiece, the
living image of his beauty and his perfection, the great
vessel of his graces, the wonderful treasury of his wealth and
in a unique way his representative on earth. "By your wisdom
you appointed man to have dominion over every creature you
made" (Wisd. 9:2).
36. For the glory of this magnificent and powerful Worker I
must describe the original beauty and excellence of man as
created by divine Wisdom. But the state of man's grievous sin
has fallen upon me, poor miserable child of Eve, dulling my
understanding to the point that I can describe only very
imperfectly the work of man's creation.
37. We might say that eternal Wisdom made copies, that is,
shining likenesses of his own intelligence, memory, and will,
and infused them into the soul of man so that he might become
the living image of the Godhead. In man's heart he enkindled
the fire of the pure love of God. He gave him a radiant body
and virtually enshrined within him a compendium of all the
various perfections of angels, animals, and other created
things.
38. Man's entire being was bright without shadow, beautiful
without blemish, pure without stain, perfectly proportioned
without deformity, flaw, or imperfection. His mind, gifted
with the light of wisdom, understood perfectly both Creator
and creature. The grace of God was in his soul making him
innocent and pleasing to the most High God. His body was
endowed with immortality. He had the pure love of God in his
heart without any fear of death, for he loved God ceaselessly,
without wavering and purely for God himself. In short, man
was so godlike, so absorbed and rapt in God that he had no
unruly passions to subdue and no enemies to overcome.
Such was the generosity shown to man by eternal Wisdom
and such was the happiness that man enjoyed in his state of
innocence.
39. But, alas, the vessel of the Godhead was shattered into a
thousand pieces. This beautiful star fell from the skies.
This brilliant sun lost its light. Man sinned, and by his sin
lost his wisdom, his innocence, his beauty, his immortality.
In a word, he lost all the good things he was given and found
himself burdened with a host of evils. His mind was darkened
and impaired. His heart turned cold towards the God he no
longer loved. His sin-stained soul resembled Satan himself.
The passions were in disorder; he was no longer master of
himself. His only companions are the devils who have made him
their slave and their abode. Even creatures have risen up in
warfare against him.
In a single instant, man became the slave of demons, the
object of God's anger (Cf. Eph. 2:3), the prey of the powers
of hell.
He became so hideous in his own sight that he hid himself
for shame. He was cursed and condemned to death. He was
driven from the earthly paradise and excluded from heaven.
With no hope of future happiness, he was doomed to eke out a
pitiable life upon an earth under curse (cf. Gen. 3:10; 17:23;
4:11,12). He would eventually die like a criminal and after
death, together with all his posterity, share the devil's
damnation in body and soul.
Such was the frightful calamity which befell man when he
sinned. Such was the well-deserved sentence God in his
justice pronounced against him.
40. Seeing himself in such a plight, Adam came close to
despair. He could not hope for help from angels or any of
God's creatures. Nothing could restore his privileges because
he had been so eminently fair, so very magnificently fashioned
when he was created, and now by his sin he had become so
hideous, so repulsive. He saw himself banished from Paradise
and from the presence of God. He could see God's justice
pursuing him in all his descendants. He saw heaven closed and
no one to open it; he saw hell open and no one to close it.
THE MARVELLOUS POWER OF DIVINE WISDOM SHOWN IN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND MAN
[1. In the creation of the world]
31. Eternal Wisdom began to manifest himself outside the
bosom of God the Father when, after a whole eternity, he made
light, heaven and earth. St John tells us that everything was
made through the Word, that is eternal Wisdom: "All things
were made by him" (Jn. 1:3; cf. Heb. 1:2; Col. 1:16-17).
Solomon says that eternal Wisdom is the mother and maker
of all things. Notice that Solomon does not call him simply
the maker of the universe but also its mother because the
maker does not love and care for the work of his hands like a
mother does for her child (Wisd. 7: 12,21).
32. After creating all things, eternal Wisdom abides in them
to contain, maintain and renew them (Wisd. 1:7; 7:27). It was
this supremely perfect beauty who, after creating the
universe, established the magnificent order we find there. He
it was who separated, arranged, evaluated, augmented and
calculated everything.
He spread out the skies; he set the sun, the moon, the
stars and the planets in perfect order. He laid the
foundations of the earth and assigned limits and laws to the
sea and depths to the ocean. He raised mountains and gave
moderation to all things even to the springs of water.
Finally, he says, "I was with God and I disposed everything
with such perfect precision and such pleasing variety that it
was like playing a game to entertain my Father and myself"
(Prov. 8:30-31).
33. This mysterious game of divine Wisdom is clearly seen in
the great variety of all he created. Apart from considering
the different species of angels whose number is well-nigh
infinite, and the varied brightness of the stars and the
different temperaments of men, we are filled with wonderment
at the changes we see in the seasons and the weather, at the
variety of instincts in animals, at the different species of
plants, at the diversified beauty of the flowers and the
different tastes of the fruits. "Let him who is wise
understand these things" (Hos. 14:10; cf. Jer. 9:12; Ps.
106:43). Who is the one to whom eternal Wisdom has
communicated his wisdom? That person alone will understand
these mysteries of nature.
34. Eternal Wisdom has revealed these things to the saints,
as we learn from their biographies. At times they were so
astonished at the beauty, the harmony and the order that God
has put into the smallest things, such as a bee, an ant, an
ear of corn, a flower, a worm, that they were carried away in
rapture and ecstasy.
[2. In the creation of man]
35. If the power and gentleness of eternal Wisdom were so
luminously evident in the creation, the beauty and order of
the universe, they shone forth far more brilliantly in the
creation of man. For man is his supreme masterpiece, the
living image of his beauty and his perfection, the great
vessel of his graces, the wonderful treasury of his wealth and
in a unique way his representative on earth. "By your wisdom
you appointed man to have dominion over every creature you
made" (Wisd. 9:2).
36. For the glory of this magnificent and powerful Worker I
must describe the original beauty and excellence of man as
created by divine Wisdom. But the state of man's grievous sin
has fallen upon me, poor miserable child of Eve, dulling my
understanding to the point that I can describe only very
imperfectly the work of man's creation.
37. We might say that eternal Wisdom made copies, that is,
shining likenesses of his own intelligence, memory, and will,
and infused them into the soul of man so that he might become
the living image of the Godhead. In man's heart he enkindled
the fire of the pure love of God. He gave him a radiant body
and virtually enshrined within him a compendium of all the
various perfections of angels, animals, and other created
things.
38. Man's entire being was bright without shadow, beautiful
without blemish, pure without stain, perfectly proportioned
without deformity, flaw, or imperfection. His mind, gifted
with the light of wisdom, understood perfectly both Creator
and creature. The grace of God was in his soul making him
innocent and pleasing to the most High God. His body was
endowed with immortality. He had the pure love of God in his
heart without any fear of death, for he loved God ceaselessly,
without wavering and purely for God himself. In short, man
was so godlike, so absorbed and rapt in God that he had no
unruly passions to subdue and no enemies to overcome.
Such was the generosity shown to man by eternal Wisdom
and such was the happiness that man enjoyed in his state of
innocence.
39. But, alas, the vessel of the Godhead was shattered into a
thousand pieces. This beautiful star fell from the skies.
This brilliant sun lost its light. Man sinned, and by his sin
lost his wisdom, his innocence, his beauty, his immortality.
In a word, he lost all the good things he was given and found
himself burdened with a host of evils. His mind was darkened
and impaired. His heart turned cold towards the God he no
longer loved. His sin-stained soul resembled Satan himself.
The passions were in disorder; he was no longer master of
himself. His only companions are the devils who have made him
their slave and their abode. Even creatures have risen up in
warfare against him.
In a single instant, man became the slave of demons, the
object of God's anger (Cf. Eph. 2:3), the prey of the powers
of hell.
He became so hideous in his own sight that he hid himself
for shame. He was cursed and condemned to death. He was
driven from the earthly paradise and excluded from heaven.
With no hope of future happiness, he was doomed to eke out a
pitiable life upon an earth under curse (cf. Gen. 3:10; 17:23;
4:11,12). He would eventually die like a criminal and after
death, together with all his posterity, share the devil's
damnation in body and soul.
Such was the frightful calamity which befell man when he
sinned. Such was the well-deserved sentence God in his
justice pronounced against him.
40. Seeing himself in such a plight, Adam came close to
despair. He could not hope for help from angels or any of
God's creatures. Nothing could restore his privileges because
he had been so eminently fair, so very magnificently fashioned
when he was created, and now by his sin he had become so
hideous, so repulsive. He saw himself banished from Paradise
and from the presence of God. He could see God's justice
pursuing him in all his descendants. He saw heaven closed and
no one to open it; he saw hell open and no one to close it.
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT - CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER TWO
ORIGIN AND EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM
15. Here, with St. Paul, we must declare, "O the depth, the
immensity and the incomprehensibility of the Wisdom of God"
(Rom. 11:33) : Generationem ejus quis enarrabit? (Is. 53:8;
Acts 8:33). Who is the angel so enlightened, who is the man
rash enough as to attempt to give us an adequate explanation
of the origin of eternal Wisdom? For here all human beings
must close their eyes so as not to be blinded by the vivid
brightness of his light.
All should be silent for fear of tarnishing his perfect
beauty by attempting to portray him.
Every mind should realise its inadequacy and adore, lest
in striving to fathom him, it be crushed by the tremendous
weight of his glory.
[1. Wisdom in reference to the Father]
16. Adapting himself to our weakness, the Holy Spirit offers
this description of eternal Wisdom in the Book of Wisdom which
he composed just for us.
"Eternal Wisdom is a breath of the power of God, a pure
emanation of the glory of the Almighty. Hence nothing defiled
gains entrance into him. He is the reflection of eternal
light, the spotless mirror of God's majesty, the image of his
goodness" (Wisd. 7:25,26).
17. He is the substantial and eternal idea of divine beauty
which was shown to St. John the Evangelist in his ecstatic
vision on the island of Patmos, when he exclaimed, "In the
beginning was the Word - the Son of God, or eternal Wisdom -
and the Word was in God and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1).
18. This is the eternal Wisdom of which Solomon often speaks
in his book (cf. Sir. 1:4,8; 24:14) when he says that Wisdom
was created - that is, produced - from the very beginning
before anything was made or even before the beginning of time.
Speaking of himself, Wisdom says, "I was begotten from
eternity, before the creation of the world. The depths did
not exist as yet and I was already conceived" (Prov. 8:23,24).
19. God the Father was well pleased with the sovereign beauty
of eternal Wisdom, his Son, throughout time and eternity, as
he himself explicitly testified on the day of his Son's
baptism and his transfiguration, "This is my beloved Son with
whom I am well pleased" (Mt. 17:5; cf. Mt. 3:17. Cf. Nos. 55,
98).
This splendour of dazzling and incomprehensible light of
which the apostles caught a glimpse in the Transfiguration,
filled them with delight and lifted them to the heights of
ecstasy:
Illustre quiddam (cernimus)
Sublime, celsum, interminum,
Antiquius caelo et chao:
This eternal Wisdom is -
Something resplendent,
Sublime, immense, and infinite,
More ancient than the universe.
My words fail to give even the faintest idea of his
beauty and supreme gentleness, and fall infinitely short of
his excellence: for who can ever form an adequate idea of him?
Who could ever portray him faithfully? You alone, great God,
know who he is and can reveal him to all you wish (cf. Mt.
11:27; Lk. 10:22).
[2. The activity of eternal Wisdom in souls]
20. This is how divine Wisdom himself describes in the
twenty-fourth chapter of Ecclesiasticus the effects of his
activity in souls. I shall not mingle my poor words with his
for fear of diminishing their clarity and sublime meaning.
1. Wisdom will sing her own praises. She will be honoured
in the Lord and will proclaim his glory before his own
people.
2. In the assembly of the Most High she will open her
mouth; she will glorify herself in the armies of the
Lord.
3. She will be raised up in the midst of her own people
and will be admired in the assembly of all the saints.
4. In the multitude of the elect she will be praised and
will be blessed by those who are blessed by God. She will
say:
21. 5. I came forth from the mouth of the Most High; I was
born before all creatures.
6. I made an unquenchable light appear in the sky and I
covered the whole earth like a mist.
7. I had my dwelling in the heights and my throne was in
a pillar of cloud.
8. Alone I compassed the vault of heaven; I penetrated
into the depths of the abyss; I walked on the waves of
the sea,
9. and travelled all over the earth.
22. 10. I held sway over every people and every nation.
11. By my power I have trodden underfoot the hearts of
all men, great and small;
and among all these things I searched for a resting-place
and a dwelling in the heritage of the Lord.
23. 12. Then the Creator of the universe commanded me and
spoke to me: he who created me rested in my tent.
13. And he said to me: "Dwell in Jacob, let Israel be
your heritage, and take root in my elect."
24. 14. In the beginning, before all ages, he created me and
through the ages I shall never cease to be,
and in the holy tabernacle I ministered before him.
15. I fixed my abode in Sion;
I found rest in the holy City, and Jerusalem became my
domain.
25. 16. I took root in the people whom the Lord had honoured,
whose heritage is the portion of the Lord.
I fixed my abode in the assembly of all the saints.
17. Like a cedar on Lebanon and like a cypress on Mount
Sion I have grown tall.
18. I raised my branches high like a palm-tree in Engedi
and like the rose-bushes of Jericho.
19. I grew tall like a beautiful olive-tree in the
field,like a plane-tree planted along the road near the
water.
20. I gave forth fragrance like cinnamon or the most
precious balm;
I gave forth perfume like the most exquisite myrrh.
21. I have filled my house with sweet fragrance as of
galbanum, onycha, myrrh and with the sweet smell of
incense;
I exude the scent of the purest balm.
22. I spread out my branches like a terebinth and my
branches are glorious and graceful.
23. I have grown sweet-smelling flowers like the vine; my
blossoms are the fruits of glory and wealth.
26. 24. I am the mother of pure love, of fear, of knowledge
and of holy hope.
25. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth; in me
is all hope of life and strength.
27. 26. Come to me, all you who desire for me, and be filled
with my fruits.
27. For my spirit is sweeter than honey and my
inheritance more delightful than the sweetest honeycomb.
28. My renown will endure down through the ages.
28. 29. Those who eat of me will hunger for more; those who
drink of me will thirst for more.
30. Those who listen to me will not be put to shame;
those who work with me will not sin.
31. Those who make me known will possess eternal life.
32. All this is the book of life, the covenant of the
Most High, and the knowledge of the truth."
29. Eternal Wisdom compares himself to all these trees and
plants, characterised by their varied fruits and qualities
which illustrate the great variety of states, functions and
virtues of privileged souls. These resemble cedars by the
loftiness of their hearts raised up towards heaven, or cypress
trees by their constant meditation on death. They resemble
palm-trees by their humble endurance of labour, or rose-bushes
by martyrdom and the shedding of their blood. They resemble
plane-trees planted along river banks, or terebinths with
their branches spread out wide, signifying their great love
for their fellow-men. They resemble all the other less
noticeable but fragrant plants like balm, myrrh and others
which symbolise all those retiring souls who prefer to be
known by God more than by man.
30. Divine Wisdom shows himself to be the mother and source
of all good and he exhorts all men to give up everything and
desire him alone. Because, as St Augustine says, "he gives
himself only to those who desire him and seek him with all the
zeal such a lofty aim deserves."
In verses 30 and 31 divine Wisdom lists three degrees in
holy living, the last of which constitutes perfection:
(1) Listen to God with humble submission;
(2) Act in him and through him with persevering fidelity;
(3) Seek to acquire the light and unction you need to
inspire others with that love for Wisdom which will lead them
to eternal life.
ORIGIN AND EXCELLENCE OF ETERNAL WISDOM
15. Here, with St. Paul, we must declare, "O the depth, the
immensity and the incomprehensibility of the Wisdom of God"
(Rom. 11:33) : Generationem ejus quis enarrabit? (Is. 53:8;
Acts 8:33). Who is the angel so enlightened, who is the man
rash enough as to attempt to give us an adequate explanation
of the origin of eternal Wisdom? For here all human beings
must close their eyes so as not to be blinded by the vivid
brightness of his light.
All should be silent for fear of tarnishing his perfect
beauty by attempting to portray him.
Every mind should realise its inadequacy and adore, lest
in striving to fathom him, it be crushed by the tremendous
weight of his glory.
[1. Wisdom in reference to the Father]
16. Adapting himself to our weakness, the Holy Spirit offers
this description of eternal Wisdom in the Book of Wisdom which
he composed just for us.
"Eternal Wisdom is a breath of the power of God, a pure
emanation of the glory of the Almighty. Hence nothing defiled
gains entrance into him. He is the reflection of eternal
light, the spotless mirror of God's majesty, the image of his
goodness" (Wisd. 7:25,26).
17. He is the substantial and eternal idea of divine beauty
which was shown to St. John the Evangelist in his ecstatic
vision on the island of Patmos, when he exclaimed, "In the
beginning was the Word - the Son of God, or eternal Wisdom -
and the Word was in God and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1).
18. This is the eternal Wisdom of which Solomon often speaks
in his book (cf. Sir. 1:4,8; 24:14) when he says that Wisdom
was created - that is, produced - from the very beginning
before anything was made or even before the beginning of time.
Speaking of himself, Wisdom says, "I was begotten from
eternity, before the creation of the world. The depths did
not exist as yet and I was already conceived" (Prov. 8:23,24).
19. God the Father was well pleased with the sovereign beauty
of eternal Wisdom, his Son, throughout time and eternity, as
he himself explicitly testified on the day of his Son's
baptism and his transfiguration, "This is my beloved Son with
whom I am well pleased" (Mt. 17:5; cf. Mt. 3:17. Cf. Nos. 55,
98).
This splendour of dazzling and incomprehensible light of
which the apostles caught a glimpse in the Transfiguration,
filled them with delight and lifted them to the heights of
ecstasy:
Illustre quiddam (cernimus)
Sublime, celsum, interminum,
Antiquius caelo et chao:
This eternal Wisdom is -
Something resplendent,
Sublime, immense, and infinite,
More ancient than the universe.
My words fail to give even the faintest idea of his
beauty and supreme gentleness, and fall infinitely short of
his excellence: for who can ever form an adequate idea of him?
Who could ever portray him faithfully? You alone, great God,
know who he is and can reveal him to all you wish (cf. Mt.
11:27; Lk. 10:22).
[2. The activity of eternal Wisdom in souls]
20. This is how divine Wisdom himself describes in the
twenty-fourth chapter of Ecclesiasticus the effects of his
activity in souls. I shall not mingle my poor words with his
for fear of diminishing their clarity and sublime meaning.
1. Wisdom will sing her own praises. She will be honoured
in the Lord and will proclaim his glory before his own
people.
2. In the assembly of the Most High she will open her
mouth; she will glorify herself in the armies of the
Lord.
3. She will be raised up in the midst of her own people
and will be admired in the assembly of all the saints.
4. In the multitude of the elect she will be praised and
will be blessed by those who are blessed by God. She will
say:
21. 5. I came forth from the mouth of the Most High; I was
born before all creatures.
6. I made an unquenchable light appear in the sky and I
covered the whole earth like a mist.
7. I had my dwelling in the heights and my throne was in
a pillar of cloud.
8. Alone I compassed the vault of heaven; I penetrated
into the depths of the abyss; I walked on the waves of
the sea,
9. and travelled all over the earth.
22. 10. I held sway over every people and every nation.
11. By my power I have trodden underfoot the hearts of
all men, great and small;
and among all these things I searched for a resting-place
and a dwelling in the heritage of the Lord.
23. 12. Then the Creator of the universe commanded me and
spoke to me: he who created me rested in my tent.
13. And he said to me: "Dwell in Jacob, let Israel be
your heritage, and take root in my elect."
24. 14. In the beginning, before all ages, he created me and
through the ages I shall never cease to be,
and in the holy tabernacle I ministered before him.
15. I fixed my abode in Sion;
I found rest in the holy City, and Jerusalem became my
domain.
25. 16. I took root in the people whom the Lord had honoured,
whose heritage is the portion of the Lord.
I fixed my abode in the assembly of all the saints.
17. Like a cedar on Lebanon and like a cypress on Mount
Sion I have grown tall.
18. I raised my branches high like a palm-tree in Engedi
and like the rose-bushes of Jericho.
19. I grew tall like a beautiful olive-tree in the
field,like a plane-tree planted along the road near the
water.
20. I gave forth fragrance like cinnamon or the most
precious balm;
I gave forth perfume like the most exquisite myrrh.
21. I have filled my house with sweet fragrance as of
galbanum, onycha, myrrh and with the sweet smell of
incense;
I exude the scent of the purest balm.
22. I spread out my branches like a terebinth and my
branches are glorious and graceful.
23. I have grown sweet-smelling flowers like the vine; my
blossoms are the fruits of glory and wealth.
26. 24. I am the mother of pure love, of fear, of knowledge
and of holy hope.
25. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth; in me
is all hope of life and strength.
27. 26. Come to me, all you who desire for me, and be filled
with my fruits.
27. For my spirit is sweeter than honey and my
inheritance more delightful than the sweetest honeycomb.
28. My renown will endure down through the ages.
28. 29. Those who eat of me will hunger for more; those who
drink of me will thirst for more.
30. Those who listen to me will not be put to shame;
those who work with me will not sin.
31. Those who make me known will possess eternal life.
32. All this is the book of life, the covenant of the
Most High, and the knowledge of the truth."
29. Eternal Wisdom compares himself to all these trees and
plants, characterised by their varied fruits and qualities
which illustrate the great variety of states, functions and
virtues of privileged souls. These resemble cedars by the
loftiness of their hearts raised up towards heaven, or cypress
trees by their constant meditation on death. They resemble
palm-trees by their humble endurance of labour, or rose-bushes
by martyrdom and the shedding of their blood. They resemble
plane-trees planted along river banks, or terebinths with
their branches spread out wide, signifying their great love
for their fellow-men. They resemble all the other less
noticeable but fragrant plants like balm, myrrh and others
which symbolise all those retiring souls who prefer to be
known by God more than by man.
30. Divine Wisdom shows himself to be the mother and source
of all good and he exhorts all men to give up everything and
desire him alone. Because, as St Augustine says, "he gives
himself only to those who desire him and seek him with all the
zeal such a lofty aim deserves."
In verses 30 and 31 divine Wisdom lists three degrees in
holy living, the last of which constitutes perfection:
(1) Listen to God with humble submission;
(2) Act in him and through him with persevering fidelity;
(3) Seek to acquire the light and unction you need to
inspire others with that love for Wisdom which will lead them
to eternal life.
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT - CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER ONE
TO LOVE AND SEEK DIVINE WISDOM WE NEED TO KNOW HIM
[1. Our need to acquire knowledge of divine Wisdom]
8. Can we love someone we do not even know? Can we love
deeply someone we know only vaguely? Why is Jesus, the
adorable, eternal and incarnate Wisdom loved so little if not
because he is either too little known or not known at all?
Hardly anyone studies the supreme science of Jesus, as
did St. Paul (Eph. 3:19). And yet this is the most noble, the
most consoling, the most useful and the most vital of all
sciences and subjects in heaven and on earth.
9. 1. First, it is the most noble of all sciences because
its subject is the most noble and the most sublime: Wisdom
uncreated and incarnate. He possesses in himself the fulness
of divinity and humanity alike and all that is great in heaven
and on earth, namely, all creatures visible and invisible,
spiritual and corporal.
St. John Chrysostom says that our Lord is the summary of
all God's works, the epitome of all the perfections to be
found in God and in his creatures (cf. Col. 1:16; 2:9).
"Jesus Christ is everything that you can and should wish
for. Long for him, seek for him, because he is that unique
and precious pearl for which you should be ready to sell
everything you possess."
"Let the wise man boast no more of his wisdom nor the
strong man of his strength, nor the rich man of his wealth.
But if anyone wants to boast, let him boast only of
understanding and knowing me and nothing else (Jer. 9:23-24)."
10. 2. Nothing is more consoling than to know divine Wisdom.
Happy are those who listen to him; happier still are those who
desire him and seek him; but happiest of all are those who
keep his laws. Their hearts will be filled with that infinite
consolation which is the joy and happiness of the eternal
Father and the glory of the angels (cf. Prov. 2:1-9).
If only we knew the joy of a soul that perceives the
beauty of divine Wisdom and is nourished with the milk of
divine kindness, we would cry out with the bride in the Song
of Songs: "Your love is better than wine" (Song 1:3) better by
far than all created delights. This is especially true when
divine Wisdom says to those who contemplate him, "Taste and
see" (Ps. 33:9) eat and drink, be filled with my eternal
sweetness (Song 5:1), for you will discover that conversing
with me is in no way distasteful, that my companionship is
never tedious and in me only will you find joy and contentment
(Wisd. 8:16).
11. 3. This knowledge of eternal Wisdom is not only the most
noble and the most consoling of all, it is also the most
useful and the most necessary since eternal life consists in
knowing God and Jesus Christ, his Son (Jn. 17:3).
Speaking to eternal Wisdom, the Wise man exclaims, "To know
you is perfect righteousness and to know your justice and your
power is the root of immortality" (Wisd. 15:3). If we really
want to have eternal life let us learn all there is to know
about eternal Wisdom.
If we wish to have roots of immortality deeply embedded
in our heart we must have in our mind knowledge of eternal
Wisdom. To know Jesus Christ incarnate Wisdom, is to know all
we need. To presume to know everything and not know him is to
know nothing at all.
12. Of what use is it for an archer to hit the outer part of
a target if he cannot hit the centre? What good will it do us
to know all the other branches of knowledge necessary for
salvation if we do not learn the only essential one, the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, the centre towards which
all the other branches of knowledge must tend? Although the
great Apostle St. Paul was a man of such extensive knowledge
and so well versed in human learning, still he said that he
did not know anything except Jesus Christ and him nailed to a
cross (1 Cor. 2:2).
Let us then say with him, "I count as loss all the
knowledge I have prized so highly until now when I compare it
to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Saviour" (Phil. 3:7-8).
Now I see and understand that this knowledge is so excellent,
so captivating, so profitable, so admirable that I no longer
take any interest in other branches of knowledge that I used
to like so much. Everything else is so meaningless, so absurd
and a foolish waste of time. "I say this to make sure that no
one deceives you with beguiling words. Make sure that no one
ensnares you with empty, rational philosophy" (Col. 2:4,8). I
state that Jesus is the abyss of all knowledge so that you do
not let yourself be deceived by the fine, glowing words of
orators or by the specious subtleties of philosophers. "Grow
in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).
That we may all grow in the knowledge and grace of our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, incarnate Wisdom, we are going
to speak of him in the following chapters. But first, let us
consider the different kinds of wisdom.
[2. Definition and division of the subject]
13. In the general sense of the term wisdom means a
delectable knowledge, a taste for God and his truth.
There are several kinds of wisdom.
First, true and false wisdom. True wisdom is a taste for
truth without falsehood or deception. False wisdom is a taste
for falsehood disguised as truth.
This false wisdom is the wisdom or the prudence of the
world, which the Holy Spirit divides into three classes:
earthly, sensual, and diabolical.
True wisdom may be divided into natural and supernatural
wisdom.
Natural wisdom is the knowledge, in an outstanding
degree, of natural things in their principles. Supernatural
wisdom is knowledge of supernatural and divine things in their
origin.
This supernatural wisdom is divided into substantial or
uncreated Wisdom, and accidental or created wisdom.
Accidental or created wisdom is the communication that
uncreated Wisdom makes of himself to mankind. In other words,
it is the gift of wisdom. Substantial or uncreated Wisdom is
the Son of God, the second person of the most Blessed Trinity.
In other words, it is eternal Wisdom in eternity or Jesus
Christ in time.
It is precisely about this eternal Wisdom that we are
going to speak.
14. Starting with his very origin, we shall consider Wisdom
in eternity, dwelling in his Father's bosom and object of his
Father's love.
Next, we shall see him in time, shining forth in the
creation of the universe.
Then we shall consider him in the deep abasement of his
incarnation and his mortal life; and then we shall see him
glorious and triumphant in heaven.
Finally we shall propose the means to acquire and keep
him.
I leave to philosophers their useless philosophical
arguments and to scientists the secrets of their worldly
wisdom.
Let us now speak to chosen souls seeking perfection (1
Cor. 2:6) of true wisdom, eternal Wisdom, Wisdom uncreated and
incarnate.
TO LOVE AND SEEK DIVINE WISDOM WE NEED TO KNOW HIM
[1. Our need to acquire knowledge of divine Wisdom]
8. Can we love someone we do not even know? Can we love
deeply someone we know only vaguely? Why is Jesus, the
adorable, eternal and incarnate Wisdom loved so little if not
because he is either too little known or not known at all?
Hardly anyone studies the supreme science of Jesus, as
did St. Paul (Eph. 3:19). And yet this is the most noble, the
most consoling, the most useful and the most vital of all
sciences and subjects in heaven and on earth.
9. 1. First, it is the most noble of all sciences because
its subject is the most noble and the most sublime: Wisdom
uncreated and incarnate. He possesses in himself the fulness
of divinity and humanity alike and all that is great in heaven
and on earth, namely, all creatures visible and invisible,
spiritual and corporal.
St. John Chrysostom says that our Lord is the summary of
all God's works, the epitome of all the perfections to be
found in God and in his creatures (cf. Col. 1:16; 2:9).
"Jesus Christ is everything that you can and should wish
for. Long for him, seek for him, because he is that unique
and precious pearl for which you should be ready to sell
everything you possess."
"Let the wise man boast no more of his wisdom nor the
strong man of his strength, nor the rich man of his wealth.
But if anyone wants to boast, let him boast only of
understanding and knowing me and nothing else (Jer. 9:23-24)."
10. 2. Nothing is more consoling than to know divine Wisdom.
Happy are those who listen to him; happier still are those who
desire him and seek him; but happiest of all are those who
keep his laws. Their hearts will be filled with that infinite
consolation which is the joy and happiness of the eternal
Father and the glory of the angels (cf. Prov. 2:1-9).
If only we knew the joy of a soul that perceives the
beauty of divine Wisdom and is nourished with the milk of
divine kindness, we would cry out with the bride in the Song
of Songs: "Your love is better than wine" (Song 1:3) better by
far than all created delights. This is especially true when
divine Wisdom says to those who contemplate him, "Taste and
see" (Ps. 33:9) eat and drink, be filled with my eternal
sweetness (Song 5:1), for you will discover that conversing
with me is in no way distasteful, that my companionship is
never tedious and in me only will you find joy and contentment
(Wisd. 8:16).
11. 3. This knowledge of eternal Wisdom is not only the most
noble and the most consoling of all, it is also the most
useful and the most necessary since eternal life consists in
knowing God and Jesus Christ, his Son (Jn. 17:3).
Speaking to eternal Wisdom, the Wise man exclaims, "To know
you is perfect righteousness and to know your justice and your
power is the root of immortality" (Wisd. 15:3). If we really
want to have eternal life let us learn all there is to know
about eternal Wisdom.
If we wish to have roots of immortality deeply embedded
in our heart we must have in our mind knowledge of eternal
Wisdom. To know Jesus Christ incarnate Wisdom, is to know all
we need. To presume to know everything and not know him is to
know nothing at all.
12. Of what use is it for an archer to hit the outer part of
a target if he cannot hit the centre? What good will it do us
to know all the other branches of knowledge necessary for
salvation if we do not learn the only essential one, the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, the centre towards which
all the other branches of knowledge must tend? Although the
great Apostle St. Paul was a man of such extensive knowledge
and so well versed in human learning, still he said that he
did not know anything except Jesus Christ and him nailed to a
cross (1 Cor. 2:2).
Let us then say with him, "I count as loss all the
knowledge I have prized so highly until now when I compare it
to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Saviour" (Phil. 3:7-8).
Now I see and understand that this knowledge is so excellent,
so captivating, so profitable, so admirable that I no longer
take any interest in other branches of knowledge that I used
to like so much. Everything else is so meaningless, so absurd
and a foolish waste of time. "I say this to make sure that no
one deceives you with beguiling words. Make sure that no one
ensnares you with empty, rational philosophy" (Col. 2:4,8). I
state that Jesus is the abyss of all knowledge so that you do
not let yourself be deceived by the fine, glowing words of
orators or by the specious subtleties of philosophers. "Grow
in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).
That we may all grow in the knowledge and grace of our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, incarnate Wisdom, we are going
to speak of him in the following chapters. But first, let us
consider the different kinds of wisdom.
[2. Definition and division of the subject]
13. In the general sense of the term wisdom means a
delectable knowledge, a taste for God and his truth.
There are several kinds of wisdom.
First, true and false wisdom. True wisdom is a taste for
truth without falsehood or deception. False wisdom is a taste
for falsehood disguised as truth.
This false wisdom is the wisdom or the prudence of the
world, which the Holy Spirit divides into three classes:
earthly, sensual, and diabolical.
True wisdom may be divided into natural and supernatural
wisdom.
Natural wisdom is the knowledge, in an outstanding
degree, of natural things in their principles. Supernatural
wisdom is knowledge of supernatural and divine things in their
origin.
This supernatural wisdom is divided into substantial or
uncreated Wisdom, and accidental or created wisdom.
Accidental or created wisdom is the communication that
uncreated Wisdom makes of himself to mankind. In other words,
it is the gift of wisdom. Substantial or uncreated Wisdom is
the Son of God, the second person of the most Blessed Trinity.
In other words, it is eternal Wisdom in eternity or Jesus
Christ in time.
It is precisely about this eternal Wisdom that we are
going to speak.
14. Starting with his very origin, we shall consider Wisdom
in eternity, dwelling in his Father's bosom and object of his
Father's love.
Next, we shall see him in time, shining forth in the
creation of the universe.
Then we shall consider him in the deep abasement of his
incarnation and his mortal life; and then we shall see him
glorious and triumphant in heaven.
Finally we shall propose the means to acquire and keep
him.
I leave to philosophers their useless philosophical
arguments and to scientists the secrets of their worldly
wisdom.
Let us now speak to chosen souls seeking perfection (1
Cor. 2:6) of true wisdom, eternal Wisdom, Wisdom uncreated and
incarnate.
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT - PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS
[3. Preliminary observations]
5. I did not want, my dear reader, to mingle my poor words
with the inspired words of the Holy Spirit. Yet I make bold
to offer a few comments:
1. How gentle, attractive and approachable is eternal
Wisdom who possesses such splendour, excellence and grandeur.
He invites men to come to him because he wants to teach them
the way to happiness. He is for ever searching for them and
always greets them with a smile. He bestows blessings on them
many times over and forestalls their needs in a thousand
different ways, and even goes as far as to wait at their very
doorstep to give them proofs of his friendship.
Who could be so heartless as to refuse to love this
gentle conqueror?
6. 2. How unfortunate are the rich and powerful if they do
not love eternal Wisdom. How terrifying are the warnings he
gives them, so terrifying that they cannot be expressed in
human terms: "He will appear to you terribly and swiftly ...
those who rule will be judged severely ... the mighty will be
punished mightily ... the great are threatened with greater
punishment" (Wisd. 6:6,7,9).
To these words can be added those he uttered after he
became man: "Woe to you who are rich (Lk. 6:24) ... it is
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mat. 19; Mk.
10; Lk. 18).
So often were these last words repeated by divine Wisdom
while on earth that the three evangelists handed them down
without the least variation. They ought to make the rich weep
and lament: "And now, you rich people, weep and wail over the
miseries that are coming upon you" (Jas. 5:1).
But alas! they find their consolation (Lk. 6:24) here on
earth; they are as though captivated by the riches and
pleasures they enjoy and are blind to the evils that hang over
their heads.
7. 3. Solomon promises that he will give a faithful and
exact description of divine Wisdom and that neither envy nor
pride - both contrary to love - can prevent him from making
known this heaven-sent knowledge, and he has not the least
fear that anyone will surpass him or equal him in knowledge
(cf. Wisd. 6:24-26).
Following the example of this great man, I am going, in
my simple way, to portray eternal Wisdom before, during and
after his incarnation and show by what means we can possess
and keep him.
But as I do not have Solomon's profound learning or his
insights I have less to fear from pride and envy than from my
incompetence and ignorance, which I trust, in your kindness,
you will overlook.
5. I did not want, my dear reader, to mingle my poor words
with the inspired words of the Holy Spirit. Yet I make bold
to offer a few comments:
1. How gentle, attractive and approachable is eternal
Wisdom who possesses such splendour, excellence and grandeur.
He invites men to come to him because he wants to teach them
the way to happiness. He is for ever searching for them and
always greets them with a smile. He bestows blessings on them
many times over and forestalls their needs in a thousand
different ways, and even goes as far as to wait at their very
doorstep to give them proofs of his friendship.
Who could be so heartless as to refuse to love this
gentle conqueror?
6. 2. How unfortunate are the rich and powerful if they do
not love eternal Wisdom. How terrifying are the warnings he
gives them, so terrifying that they cannot be expressed in
human terms: "He will appear to you terribly and swiftly ...
those who rule will be judged severely ... the mighty will be
punished mightily ... the great are threatened with greater
punishment" (Wisd. 6:6,7,9).
To these words can be added those he uttered after he
became man: "Woe to you who are rich (Lk. 6:24) ... it is
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mat. 19; Mk.
10; Lk. 18).
So often were these last words repeated by divine Wisdom
while on earth that the three evangelists handed them down
without the least variation. They ought to make the rich weep
and lament: "And now, you rich people, weep and wail over the
miseries that are coming upon you" (Jas. 5:1).
But alas! they find their consolation (Lk. 6:24) here on
earth; they are as though captivated by the riches and
pleasures they enjoy and are blind to the evils that hang over
their heads.
7. 3. Solomon promises that he will give a faithful and
exact description of divine Wisdom and that neither envy nor
pride - both contrary to love - can prevent him from making
known this heaven-sent knowledge, and he has not the least
fear that anyone will surpass him or equal him in knowledge
(cf. Wisd. 6:24-26).
Following the example of this great man, I am going, in
my simple way, to portray eternal Wisdom before, during and
after his incarnation and show by what means we can possess
and keep him.
But as I do not have Solomon's profound learning or his
insights I have less to fear from pride and envy than from my
incompetence and ignorance, which I trust, in your kindness,
you will overlook.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT - ADMONITIONS OF DIVINE WISDOM
2. Admonitions of divine Wisdom to the rulers of this world given in the sixth chapter of the "Book of Wisdom"
3. 1. Wisdom is better than strength and prudence is better
than courage.
2. Listen, therefore, kings, and understand. Learn, you
judges of the nations.
3. Hear this, you who rule the people and boast of the
large number of nations subject to you.
4. Remember you have received your power from the Lord
and your authority from the Most High, who will examine your
works and scrutinise your thoughts.
5. For, though ministers of his kingdom, you have not
judged fairly, nor observed the law of justice, nor walked
according to his will.
6. He will appear to you terribly and swiftly, because
those who rule others will be judged severely.
7. For God has more compassion for the lowly and they are
forgiven more easily, but the mighty will be punished
mightily.
8. God shows no partiality; he does not stand in awe of
anyone's greatness, because he himself made both the lowly and
the great and he is concerned for all alike.
9. But the great are threatened with greater punishment.
10. To you then, rulers, my words are directed so that
you may learn wisdom and may not go astray.
11. For they who perform just deeds will be considered
just and those who have understood what I teach will have a
valid defence.
12. Therefore, desire ardently to know my words, love
them and you will find instruction in them.
4. 13. Wisdom is resplendent and her beauty never fades.
Those who love her will have no trouble in recognising her;
and those who seek her will find her.
14. She anticipates those who desire her and makes
herself known first to them.
15. He who rises early to look for her will not be
disappointed, for she will be found sitting at his gate.
16. To reflect on Wisdom is the highest prudence and he
who foregoes sleep to possess her will soon be given repose.
17. For she goes around seeking those worthy of her,
graciously shows her ways to them, guides them and provides
for them with loving care.
18. The first step, then, towards acquiring Wisdom is a
sincere desire for instruction; the desire for instruction is
love; and love is the keeping of her laws.
19. Assiduous obedience to her laws assures a perfect
purity of soul.
20. And perfect purity brings one close to God.
21. Thus the desire for Wisdom leads to the everlasting
kingdom.
22. If then, rulers of nations, you delight in thrones
and sceptres, love Wisdom and you will reign eternally.
23. All you who rule over the peoples of the world,
love the insight given by Wisdom.
24. I will tell you now what Wisdom is and how she came
to be. I will not hide the secrets of God from you but I will
trace her right from the beginning. I will throw light upon
her and make her known and not hide the truth.
25. I will not imitate the man consumed with envy, for
the envious have nothing in common with Wisdom.
26. Multitudes of wise men will bring salvation to the
world, and a prudent king is a strong support for his people.
27. Accept, then, instruction from my words and you will
draw profit from them.
3. 1. Wisdom is better than strength and prudence is better
than courage.
2. Listen, therefore, kings, and understand. Learn, you
judges of the nations.
3. Hear this, you who rule the people and boast of the
large number of nations subject to you.
4. Remember you have received your power from the Lord
and your authority from the Most High, who will examine your
works and scrutinise your thoughts.
5. For, though ministers of his kingdom, you have not
judged fairly, nor observed the law of justice, nor walked
according to his will.
6. He will appear to you terribly and swiftly, because
those who rule others will be judged severely.
7. For God has more compassion for the lowly and they are
forgiven more easily, but the mighty will be punished
mightily.
8. God shows no partiality; he does not stand in awe of
anyone's greatness, because he himself made both the lowly and
the great and he is concerned for all alike.
9. But the great are threatened with greater punishment.
10. To you then, rulers, my words are directed so that
you may learn wisdom and may not go astray.
11. For they who perform just deeds will be considered
just and those who have understood what I teach will have a
valid defence.
12. Therefore, desire ardently to know my words, love
them and you will find instruction in them.
4. 13. Wisdom is resplendent and her beauty never fades.
Those who love her will have no trouble in recognising her;
and those who seek her will find her.
14. She anticipates those who desire her and makes
herself known first to them.
15. He who rises early to look for her will not be
disappointed, for she will be found sitting at his gate.
16. To reflect on Wisdom is the highest prudence and he
who foregoes sleep to possess her will soon be given repose.
17. For she goes around seeking those worthy of her,
graciously shows her ways to them, guides them and provides
for them with loving care.
18. The first step, then, towards acquiring Wisdom is a
sincere desire for instruction; the desire for instruction is
love; and love is the keeping of her laws.
19. Assiduous obedience to her laws assures a perfect
purity of soul.
20. And perfect purity brings one close to God.
21. Thus the desire for Wisdom leads to the everlasting
kingdom.
22. If then, rulers of nations, you delight in thrones
and sceptres, love Wisdom and you will reign eternally.
23. All you who rule over the peoples of the world,
love the insight given by Wisdom.
24. I will tell you now what Wisdom is and how she came
to be. I will not hide the secrets of God from you but I will
trace her right from the beginning. I will throw light upon
her and make her known and not hide the truth.
25. I will not imitate the man consumed with envy, for
the envious have nothing in common with Wisdom.
26. Multitudes of wise men will bring salvation to the
world, and a prudent king is a strong support for his people.
27. Accept, then, instruction from my words and you will
draw profit from them.
Friday, October 14, 2011
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM by St. Louis De Montfort
1. Prayer to eternal Wisdom
1. O divine Wisdom, Lord of heaven and earth, I humbly beg
pardon for my audacity in attempting to speak of your
perfections, ignorant and sinful as I am. I beg you not to
consider the darkness of my mind or the uncleanness of my lips
unless it be to take them away with a glance of your eyes and
a breath of your mouth.
There is in you so much beauty and delight; you have
shielded me from so many evils and showered on me so many
favours, and you are moreover so little known and so much
slighted. How can I remain silent? Not only justice and
gratitude, but my own interests urge me to speak about you,
even though it be so imperfectly. It is true, I can only lisp
like a child, but then I am only a child, anxious to learn how
to speak properly through my lisping, once I have attained the
fullness of your age (cf. Eph. 4:13).
2. I know there seems to be neither order nor sense in what
I write, but because I long so dearly to possess you, I am
looking for you everywhere, like Solomon, wandering in all
directions (Wisd. 8:18). If I am striving to make you known
in this world, it is because you yourself have promised that
all who explain you and make you known will have eternal life
(cf. Sir. 8:18).
Accept, then, my loving Lord, these humble words of mine
as though they were a masterly discourse. Look upon the
strokes of my pen as so many steps to find you and from your
throne above bestow your blessings and your enlightenment on
what I mean to say about you, so that those who read it may be
filled with a fresh desire to love you and possess you, on
earth as well as in heaven.
1. Prayer to eternal Wisdom
1. O divine Wisdom, Lord of heaven and earth, I humbly beg
pardon for my audacity in attempting to speak of your
perfections, ignorant and sinful as I am. I beg you not to
consider the darkness of my mind or the uncleanness of my lips
unless it be to take them away with a glance of your eyes and
a breath of your mouth.
There is in you so much beauty and delight; you have
shielded me from so many evils and showered on me so many
favours, and you are moreover so little known and so much
slighted. How can I remain silent? Not only justice and
gratitude, but my own interests urge me to speak about you,
even though it be so imperfectly. It is true, I can only lisp
like a child, but then I am only a child, anxious to learn how
to speak properly through my lisping, once I have attained the
fullness of your age (cf. Eph. 4:13).
2. I know there seems to be neither order nor sense in what
I write, but because I long so dearly to possess you, I am
looking for you everywhere, like Solomon, wandering in all
directions (Wisd. 8:18). If I am striving to make you known
in this world, it is because you yourself have promised that
all who explain you and make you known will have eternal life
(cf. Sir. 8:18).
Accept, then, my loving Lord, these humble words of mine
as though they were a masterly discourse. Look upon the
strokes of my pen as so many steps to find you and from your
throne above bestow your blessings and your enlightenment on
what I mean to say about you, so that those who read it may be
filled with a fresh desire to love you and possess you, on
earth as well as in heaven.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
DOMINUS JESUS - REMAINDER OF DOCUMENT
V. THE CHURCH: KINGDOM OF GOD AND KINGDOM OF CHRIST
18. The mission of the Church is “to proclaim and establish among all peoples the kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is on earth, the seed and the beginning of that kingdom”.68 On the one hand, the Church is “a sacrament — that is, sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of unity of the entire human race”.69 She is therefore the sign and instrument of the kingdom; she is called to announce and to establish the kingdom. On the other hand, the Church is the “people gathered by the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”;70 she is therefore “the kingdom of Christ already present in mystery”71 and constitutes its seed and beginning. The kingdom of God, in fact, has an eschatological dimension: it is a reality present in time, but its full realization will arrive only with the completion or fulfilment of history.72
The meaning of the expressions kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God, and kingdom of Christ in Sacred Scripture and the Fathers of the Church, as well as in the documents of the Magisterium, is not always exactly the same, nor is their relationship to the Church, which is a mystery that cannot be totally contained by a human concept. Therefore, there can be various theological explanations of these terms. However, none of these possible explanations can deny or empty in any way the intimate connection between Christ, the kingdom, and the Church. In fact, the kingdom of God which we know from revelation, “cannot be detached either from Christ or from the Church... If the kingdom is separated from Jesus, it is no longer the kingdom of God which he revealed. The result is a distortion of the meaning of the kingdom, which runs the risk of being transformed into a purely human or ideological goal and a distortion of the identity of Christ, who no longer appears as the Lord to whom everything must one day be subjected (cf. 1 Cor 15:27). Likewise, one may not separate the kingdom from the Church. It is true that the Church is not an end unto herself, since she is ordered toward the kingdom of God, of which she is the seed, sign and instrument. Yet, while remaining distinct from Christ and the kingdom, the Church is indissolubly united to both”.73
19. To state the inseparable relationship between Christ and the kingdom is not to overlook the fact that the kingdom of God — even if considered in its historical phase — is not identified with the Church in her visible and social reality. In fact, “the action of Christ and the Spirit outside the Church's visible boundaries” must not be excluded.74 Therefore, one must also bear in mind that “the kingdom is the concern of everyone: individuals, society and the world. Working for the kingdom means acknowledging and promoting God's activity, which is present in human history and transforms it. Building the kingdom means working for liberation from evil in all its forms. In a word, the kingdom of God is the manifestation and the realization of God's plan of salvation in all its fullness”.75
In considering the relationship between the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Christ, and the Church, it is necessary to avoid one-sided accentuations, as is the case with those “conceptions which deliberately emphasize the kingdom and which describe themselves as ‘kingdom centred.' They stress the image of a Church which is not concerned about herself, but which is totally concerned with bearing witness to and serving the kingdom. It is a ‘Church for others,' just as Christ is the ‘man for others'... Together with positive aspects, these conceptions often reveal negative aspects as well. First, they are silent about Christ: the kingdom of which they speak is ‘theocentrically' based, since, according to them, Christ cannot be understood by those who lack Christian faith, whereas different peoples, cultures, and religions are capable of finding common ground in the one divine reality, by whatever name it is called. For the same reason, they put great stress on the mystery of creation, which is reflected in the diversity of cultures and beliefs, but they keep silent about the mystery of redemption. Furthermore, the kingdom, as they understand it, ends up either leaving very little room for the Church or undervaluing the Church in reaction to a presumed ‘ecclesiocentrism' of the past and because they consider the Church herself only a sign, for that matter a sign not without ambiguity”.76 These theses are contrary to Catholic faith because they deny the unicity of the relationship which Christ and the Church have with the kingdom of God.
VI. THE CHURCH AND THE OTHER RELIGIONS IN RELATION TO SALVATION
20. From what has been stated above, some points follow that are necessary for theological reflection as it explores the relationship of the Church and the other religions to salvation.
Above all else, it must be firmly believed that “the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door”.77 This doctrine must not be set against the universal salvific will of God (cf. 1 Tim 2:4); “it is necessary to keep these two truths together, namely, the real possibility of salvation in Christ for all mankind and the necessity of the Church for this salvation”.78
The Church is the “universal sacrament of salvation”,79 since, united always in a mysterious way to the Saviour Jesus Christ, her Head, and subordinated to him, she has, in God's plan, an indispensable relationship with the salvation of every human being.80 For those who are not formally and visibly members of the Church, “salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a mysterious relationship to the Church, does not make them formally part of the Church, but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation. This grace comes from Christ; it is the result of his sacrifice and is communicated by the Holy Spirit”;81 it has a relationship with the Church, which “according to the plan of the Father, has her origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit”.82
21. With respect to the way in which the salvific grace of God — which is always given by means of Christ in the Spirit and has a mysterious relationship to the Church — comes to individual non-Christians, the Second Vatican Council limited itself to the statement that God bestows it “in ways known to himself”.83 Theologians are seeking to understand this question more fully. Their work is to be encouraged, since it is certainly useful for understanding better God's salvific plan and the ways in which it is accomplished. However, from what has been stated above about the mediation of Jesus Christ and the “unique and special relationship”84 which the Church has with the kingdom of God among men — which in substance is the universal kingdom of Christ the Saviour — it is clear that it would be contrary to the faith to consider the Church as one way of salvation alongside those constituted by the other religions, seen as complementary to the Church or substantially equivalent to her, even if these are said to be converging with the Church toward the eschatological kingdom of God.
Certainly, the various religious traditions contain and offer religious elements which come from God,85 and which are part of what “the Spirit brings about in human hearts and in the history of peoples, in cultures, and religions”.86 Indeed, some prayers and rituals of the other religions may assume a role of preparation for the Gospel, in that they are occasions or pedagogical helps in which the human heart is prompted to be open to the action of God.87 One cannot attribute to these, however, a divine origin or an ex opere operato salvific efficacy, which is proper to the Christian sacraments.88 Furthermore, it cannot be overlooked that other rituals, insofar as they depend on superstitions or other errors (cf. 1 Cor 10:20-21), constitute an obstacle to salvation.89
22. With the coming of the Saviour Jesus Christ, God has willed that the Church founded by him be the instrument for the salvation of all humanity (cf. Acts 17:30-31).90 This truth of faith does not lessen the sincere respect which the Church has for the religions of the world, but at the same time, it rules out, in a radical way, that mentality of indifferentism “characterized by a religious relativism which leads to the belief that ‘one religion is as good as another'”.91 If it is true that the followers of other religions can receive divine grace, it is also certain that objectively speaking they are in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the Church, have the fullness of the means of salvation.92 However, “all the children of the Church should nevertheless remember that their exalted condition results, not from their own merits, but from the grace of Christ. If they fail to respond in thought, word, and deed to that grace, not only shall they not be saved, but they shall be more severely judged”.93 One understands then that, following the Lord's command (cf. Mt 28:19-20) and as a requirement of her love for all people, the Church “proclaims and is in duty bound to proclaim without fail, Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). In him, in whom God reconciled all things to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:18-19), men find the fullness of their religious life”.94
In inter-religious dialogue as well, the mission ad gentes “today as always retains its full force and necessity”.95 “Indeed, God ‘desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth' (1 Tim 2:4); that is, God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge of the truth. Salvation is found in the truth. Those who obey the promptings of the Spirit of truth are already on the way of salvation. But the Church, to whom this truth has been entrusted, must go out to meet their desire, so as to bring them the truth. Because she believes in God's universal plan of salvation, the Church must be missionary”.96 Inter-religious dialogue, therefore, as part of her evangelizing mission, is just one of the actions of the Church in her mission ad gentes.97 Equality, which is a presupposition of inter-religious dialogue, refers to the equal personal dignity of the parties in dialogue, not to doctrinal content, nor even less to the position of Jesus Christ — who is God himself made man — in relation to the founders of the other religions. Indeed, the Church, guided by charity and respect for freedom,98 must be primarily committed to proclaiming to all people the truth definitively revealed by the Lord, and to announcing the necessity of conversion to Jesus Christ and of adherence to the Church through Baptism and the other sacraments, in order to participate fully in communion with God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thus, the certainty of the universal salvific will of God does not diminish, but rather increases the duty and urgency of the proclamation of salvation and of conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
23. The intention of the present Declaration, in reiterating and clarifying certain truths of the faith, has been to follow the example of the Apostle Paul, who wrote to the faithful of Corinth: “I handed on to you as of first importance what I myself received” (1 Cor 15:3). Faced with certain problematic and even erroneous propositions, theological reflection is called to reconfirm the Church's faith and to give reasons for her hope in a way that is convincing and effective.
In treating the question of the true religion, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught: “We believe that this one true religion continues to exist in the Catholic and Apostolic Church, to which the Lord Jesus entrusted the task of spreading it among all people. Thus, he said to the Apostles: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you' (Mt 28: 19-20). Especially in those things that concern God and his Church, all persons are required to seek the truth, and when they come to know it, to embrace it and hold fast to it”.99
The revelation of Christ will continue to be “the true lodestar” 100 in history for all humanity: “The truth, which is Christ, imposes itself as an all-embracing authority”. 101 The Christian mystery, in fact, overcomes all barriers of time and space, and accomplishes the unity of the human family: “From their different locations and traditions all are called in Christ to share in the unity of the family of God's children... Jesus destroys the walls of division and creates unity in a new and unsurpassed way through our sharing in his mystery. This unity is so deep that the Church can say with Saint Paul: ‘You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are saints and members of the household of God' (Eph 2:19)”. 102
The Sovereign Pontiff John Paul II, at the Audience of June 16, 2000, granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with sure knowledge and by his apostolic authority, ratified and confirmed this Declaration, adopted in Plenary Session and ordered its publication.
Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, August 6, 2000, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Joseph Card. Ratzinger
Prefect
Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B.
Archbishop Emeritus of Vercelli
Secretary
(68) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 5.
(69) Ibid., 1.
(70) Ibid., 4. Cf. St. Cyprian, De Dominica oratione 23: CCSL 3A, 105.
(71) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 3.
(72) Cf. ibid., 9; cf. also the prayer addressed to God found in the Didache 9,4: SC 248, 176: “May the Church be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom” and ibid. 10, 5: SC 248, 180: “Remember, Lord, your Church... and, made holy, gather her together from the four winds into your kingdom which you have prepared for her”.
(73) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 18; cf. Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, 17: L'Osservatore Romano (November 7, 1999). The kingdom is so inseparable from Christ that, in a certain sense, it is identified with him (cf. Origen, In Mt. Hom., 14, 7: PG 13, 1197; Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem, IV, 33,8: CCSL 1, 634.
(74) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 18.
(75) Ibid., 15.
(76) Ibid., 17.
(77) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 14; cf. Decree Ad gentes, 7; Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(78) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 9; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 846-847.
(79) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 48.
(80) Cf. St. Cyprian, De catholicae ecclesiae unitate, 6: CCSL 3, 253-254; St. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, III, 24, 1: SC 211, 472-474.
(81) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 10.
(82) Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes, 2. The famous formula extra Ecclesiam nullus omnino salvatur is to be interpreted in this sense (cf. Fourth Lateran Council, Cap. 1. De fide catholica: DS 802). Cf. also the Letter of the Holy Office to the Archbishop of Boston: DS 3866-3872.
(83) Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes, 7.
(84) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 18.
(85) These are the seeds of the divine Word (semina Verbi), which the Church recognizes with joy and respect (cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes, 11; Declaration Nostra aetate, 2).
(86) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 29.
(87) Cf. ibid.; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 843.
(88) Cf. Council of Trent, Decretum de sacramentis, can. 8, de sacramentis in genere: DS 1608.
(89) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 55.
(90) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 17; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 11.
(91) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 36.
(92) Cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Mystici corporis: DS 3821.
(93) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 14.
(94) Second Vatican Council, Declaration Nostra aetate, 2.
(95) Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes, 7.
(96) Catechism of the Catholic Church, 851; cf. also 849-856.
(97) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 55; Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, 31.
(98) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Declaration Dignitatis humanae, 1.
(99) Ibid.
(100) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio, 15.
(101) Ibid., 92.
(102) Ibid., 70.
18. The mission of the Church is “to proclaim and establish among all peoples the kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is on earth, the seed and the beginning of that kingdom”.68 On the one hand, the Church is “a sacrament — that is, sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of unity of the entire human race”.69 She is therefore the sign and instrument of the kingdom; she is called to announce and to establish the kingdom. On the other hand, the Church is the “people gathered by the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”;70 she is therefore “the kingdom of Christ already present in mystery”71 and constitutes its seed and beginning. The kingdom of God, in fact, has an eschatological dimension: it is a reality present in time, but its full realization will arrive only with the completion or fulfilment of history.72
The meaning of the expressions kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God, and kingdom of Christ in Sacred Scripture and the Fathers of the Church, as well as in the documents of the Magisterium, is not always exactly the same, nor is their relationship to the Church, which is a mystery that cannot be totally contained by a human concept. Therefore, there can be various theological explanations of these terms. However, none of these possible explanations can deny or empty in any way the intimate connection between Christ, the kingdom, and the Church. In fact, the kingdom of God which we know from revelation, “cannot be detached either from Christ or from the Church... If the kingdom is separated from Jesus, it is no longer the kingdom of God which he revealed. The result is a distortion of the meaning of the kingdom, which runs the risk of being transformed into a purely human or ideological goal and a distortion of the identity of Christ, who no longer appears as the Lord to whom everything must one day be subjected (cf. 1 Cor 15:27). Likewise, one may not separate the kingdom from the Church. It is true that the Church is not an end unto herself, since she is ordered toward the kingdom of God, of which she is the seed, sign and instrument. Yet, while remaining distinct from Christ and the kingdom, the Church is indissolubly united to both”.73
19. To state the inseparable relationship between Christ and the kingdom is not to overlook the fact that the kingdom of God — even if considered in its historical phase — is not identified with the Church in her visible and social reality. In fact, “the action of Christ and the Spirit outside the Church's visible boundaries” must not be excluded.74 Therefore, one must also bear in mind that “the kingdom is the concern of everyone: individuals, society and the world. Working for the kingdom means acknowledging and promoting God's activity, which is present in human history and transforms it. Building the kingdom means working for liberation from evil in all its forms. In a word, the kingdom of God is the manifestation and the realization of God's plan of salvation in all its fullness”.75
In considering the relationship between the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Christ, and the Church, it is necessary to avoid one-sided accentuations, as is the case with those “conceptions which deliberately emphasize the kingdom and which describe themselves as ‘kingdom centred.' They stress the image of a Church which is not concerned about herself, but which is totally concerned with bearing witness to and serving the kingdom. It is a ‘Church for others,' just as Christ is the ‘man for others'... Together with positive aspects, these conceptions often reveal negative aspects as well. First, they are silent about Christ: the kingdom of which they speak is ‘theocentrically' based, since, according to them, Christ cannot be understood by those who lack Christian faith, whereas different peoples, cultures, and religions are capable of finding common ground in the one divine reality, by whatever name it is called. For the same reason, they put great stress on the mystery of creation, which is reflected in the diversity of cultures and beliefs, but they keep silent about the mystery of redemption. Furthermore, the kingdom, as they understand it, ends up either leaving very little room for the Church or undervaluing the Church in reaction to a presumed ‘ecclesiocentrism' of the past and because they consider the Church herself only a sign, for that matter a sign not without ambiguity”.76 These theses are contrary to Catholic faith because they deny the unicity of the relationship which Christ and the Church have with the kingdom of God.
VI. THE CHURCH AND THE OTHER RELIGIONS IN RELATION TO SALVATION
20. From what has been stated above, some points follow that are necessary for theological reflection as it explores the relationship of the Church and the other religions to salvation.
Above all else, it must be firmly believed that “the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door”.77 This doctrine must not be set against the universal salvific will of God (cf. 1 Tim 2:4); “it is necessary to keep these two truths together, namely, the real possibility of salvation in Christ for all mankind and the necessity of the Church for this salvation”.78
The Church is the “universal sacrament of salvation”,79 since, united always in a mysterious way to the Saviour Jesus Christ, her Head, and subordinated to him, she has, in God's plan, an indispensable relationship with the salvation of every human being.80 For those who are not formally and visibly members of the Church, “salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a mysterious relationship to the Church, does not make them formally part of the Church, but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation. This grace comes from Christ; it is the result of his sacrifice and is communicated by the Holy Spirit”;81 it has a relationship with the Church, which “according to the plan of the Father, has her origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit”.82
21. With respect to the way in which the salvific grace of God — which is always given by means of Christ in the Spirit and has a mysterious relationship to the Church — comes to individual non-Christians, the Second Vatican Council limited itself to the statement that God bestows it “in ways known to himself”.83 Theologians are seeking to understand this question more fully. Their work is to be encouraged, since it is certainly useful for understanding better God's salvific plan and the ways in which it is accomplished. However, from what has been stated above about the mediation of Jesus Christ and the “unique and special relationship”84 which the Church has with the kingdom of God among men — which in substance is the universal kingdom of Christ the Saviour — it is clear that it would be contrary to the faith to consider the Church as one way of salvation alongside those constituted by the other religions, seen as complementary to the Church or substantially equivalent to her, even if these are said to be converging with the Church toward the eschatological kingdom of God.
Certainly, the various religious traditions contain and offer religious elements which come from God,85 and which are part of what “the Spirit brings about in human hearts and in the history of peoples, in cultures, and religions”.86 Indeed, some prayers and rituals of the other religions may assume a role of preparation for the Gospel, in that they are occasions or pedagogical helps in which the human heart is prompted to be open to the action of God.87 One cannot attribute to these, however, a divine origin or an ex opere operato salvific efficacy, which is proper to the Christian sacraments.88 Furthermore, it cannot be overlooked that other rituals, insofar as they depend on superstitions or other errors (cf. 1 Cor 10:20-21), constitute an obstacle to salvation.89
22. With the coming of the Saviour Jesus Christ, God has willed that the Church founded by him be the instrument for the salvation of all humanity (cf. Acts 17:30-31).90 This truth of faith does not lessen the sincere respect which the Church has for the religions of the world, but at the same time, it rules out, in a radical way, that mentality of indifferentism “characterized by a religious relativism which leads to the belief that ‘one religion is as good as another'”.91 If it is true that the followers of other religions can receive divine grace, it is also certain that objectively speaking they are in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the Church, have the fullness of the means of salvation.92 However, “all the children of the Church should nevertheless remember that their exalted condition results, not from their own merits, but from the grace of Christ. If they fail to respond in thought, word, and deed to that grace, not only shall they not be saved, but they shall be more severely judged”.93 One understands then that, following the Lord's command (cf. Mt 28:19-20) and as a requirement of her love for all people, the Church “proclaims and is in duty bound to proclaim without fail, Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). In him, in whom God reconciled all things to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:18-19), men find the fullness of their religious life”.94
In inter-religious dialogue as well, the mission ad gentes “today as always retains its full force and necessity”.95 “Indeed, God ‘desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth' (1 Tim 2:4); that is, God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge of the truth. Salvation is found in the truth. Those who obey the promptings of the Spirit of truth are already on the way of salvation. But the Church, to whom this truth has been entrusted, must go out to meet their desire, so as to bring them the truth. Because she believes in God's universal plan of salvation, the Church must be missionary”.96 Inter-religious dialogue, therefore, as part of her evangelizing mission, is just one of the actions of the Church in her mission ad gentes.97 Equality, which is a presupposition of inter-religious dialogue, refers to the equal personal dignity of the parties in dialogue, not to doctrinal content, nor even less to the position of Jesus Christ — who is God himself made man — in relation to the founders of the other religions. Indeed, the Church, guided by charity and respect for freedom,98 must be primarily committed to proclaiming to all people the truth definitively revealed by the Lord, and to announcing the necessity of conversion to Jesus Christ and of adherence to the Church through Baptism and the other sacraments, in order to participate fully in communion with God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thus, the certainty of the universal salvific will of God does not diminish, but rather increases the duty and urgency of the proclamation of salvation and of conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
23. The intention of the present Declaration, in reiterating and clarifying certain truths of the faith, has been to follow the example of the Apostle Paul, who wrote to the faithful of Corinth: “I handed on to you as of first importance what I myself received” (1 Cor 15:3). Faced with certain problematic and even erroneous propositions, theological reflection is called to reconfirm the Church's faith and to give reasons for her hope in a way that is convincing and effective.
In treating the question of the true religion, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught: “We believe that this one true religion continues to exist in the Catholic and Apostolic Church, to which the Lord Jesus entrusted the task of spreading it among all people. Thus, he said to the Apostles: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you' (Mt 28: 19-20). Especially in those things that concern God and his Church, all persons are required to seek the truth, and when they come to know it, to embrace it and hold fast to it”.99
The revelation of Christ will continue to be “the true lodestar” 100 in history for all humanity: “The truth, which is Christ, imposes itself as an all-embracing authority”. 101 The Christian mystery, in fact, overcomes all barriers of time and space, and accomplishes the unity of the human family: “From their different locations and traditions all are called in Christ to share in the unity of the family of God's children... Jesus destroys the walls of division and creates unity in a new and unsurpassed way through our sharing in his mystery. This unity is so deep that the Church can say with Saint Paul: ‘You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are saints and members of the household of God' (Eph 2:19)”. 102
The Sovereign Pontiff John Paul II, at the Audience of June 16, 2000, granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with sure knowledge and by his apostolic authority, ratified and confirmed this Declaration, adopted in Plenary Session and ordered its publication.
Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, August 6, 2000, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Joseph Card. Ratzinger
Prefect
Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B.
Archbishop Emeritus of Vercelli
Secretary
(68) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 5.
(69) Ibid., 1.
(70) Ibid., 4. Cf. St. Cyprian, De Dominica oratione 23: CCSL 3A, 105.
(71) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 3.
(72) Cf. ibid., 9; cf. also the prayer addressed to God found in the Didache 9,4: SC 248, 176: “May the Church be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom” and ibid. 10, 5: SC 248, 180: “Remember, Lord, your Church... and, made holy, gather her together from the four winds into your kingdom which you have prepared for her”.
(73) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 18; cf. Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, 17: L'Osservatore Romano (November 7, 1999). The kingdom is so inseparable from Christ that, in a certain sense, it is identified with him (cf. Origen, In Mt. Hom., 14, 7: PG 13, 1197; Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem, IV, 33,8: CCSL 1, 634.
(74) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 18.
(75) Ibid., 15.
(76) Ibid., 17.
(77) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 14; cf. Decree Ad gentes, 7; Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(78) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 9; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 846-847.
(79) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 48.
(80) Cf. St. Cyprian, De catholicae ecclesiae unitate, 6: CCSL 3, 253-254; St. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, III, 24, 1: SC 211, 472-474.
(81) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 10.
(82) Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes, 2. The famous formula extra Ecclesiam nullus omnino salvatur is to be interpreted in this sense (cf. Fourth Lateran Council, Cap. 1. De fide catholica: DS 802). Cf. also the Letter of the Holy Office to the Archbishop of Boston: DS 3866-3872.
(83) Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes, 7.
(84) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 18.
(85) These are the seeds of the divine Word (semina Verbi), which the Church recognizes with joy and respect (cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes, 11; Declaration Nostra aetate, 2).
(86) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 29.
(87) Cf. ibid.; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 843.
(88) Cf. Council of Trent, Decretum de sacramentis, can. 8, de sacramentis in genere: DS 1608.
(89) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 55.
(90) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 17; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 11.
(91) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 36.
(92) Cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Mystici corporis: DS 3821.
(93) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 14.
(94) Second Vatican Council, Declaration Nostra aetate, 2.
(95) Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes, 7.
(96) Catechism of the Catholic Church, 851; cf. also 849-856.
(97) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 55; Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, 31.
(98) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Declaration Dignitatis humanae, 1.
(99) Ibid.
(100) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio, 15.
(101) Ibid., 92.
(102) Ibid., 70.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
DOMINUS JESUS - UNICITY AND UNITY OF THE CHURCH
IV. UNICITY AND UNITY OF THE CHURCH
16. The Lord Jesus, the only Saviour, did not only establish a simple community of disciples, but constituted the Church as a salvific mystery: he himself is in the Church and the Church is in him (cf. Jn 15:1ff.; Gal 3:28; Eph 4:15-16; Acts 9:5). Therefore, the fullness of Christ's salvific mystery belongs also to the Church, inseparably united to her Lord. Indeed, Jesus Christ continues his presence and his work of salvation in the Church and by means of the Church (cf. Col 1:24-27),47 which is his body (cf. 1 Cor 12:12-13, 27; Col 1:18).48 And thus, just as the head and members of a living body, though not identical, are inseparable, so too Christ and the Church can neither be confused nor separated, and constitute a single “whole Christ”.49 This same inseparability is also expressed in the New Testament by the analogy of the Church as the Bride of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25-29; Rev 21:2,9).50
Therefore, in connection with the unicity and universality of the salvific mediation of Jesus Christ, the unicity of the Church founded by him must be firmly believed as a truth of Catholic faith. Just as there is one Christ, so there exists a single body of Christ, a single Bride of Christ: “a single Catholic and apostolic Church”.51 Furthermore, the promises of the Lord that he would not abandon his Church (cf. Mt 16:18; 28:20) and that he would guide her by his Spirit (cf. Jn 16:13) mean, according to Catholic faith, that the unicity and the unity of the Church — like everything that belongs to the Church's integrity — will never be lacking.52
The Catholic faithful are required to profess that there is an historical continuity — rooted in the apostolic succession53 — between the Church founded by Christ and the Catholic Church: “This is the single Church of Christ... which our Saviour, after his resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care (cf. Jn 21:17), commissioning him and the other Apostles to extend and rule her (cf. Mt 28:18ff.), erected for all ages as ‘the pillar and mainstay of the truth' (1 Tim 3:15). This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in [subsistit in] the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him”.54 With the expression subsistit in, the Second Vatican Council sought to harmonize two doctrinal statements: on the one hand, that the Church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that “outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification and truth”,55 that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church.56 But with respect to these, it needs to be stated that “they derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”.57
17. Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him.58 The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches.59 Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the Catholic Church, since they do not accept the Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the will of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the entire Church.60
On the other hand, the ecclesial communities which have not preserved the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic mystery,61 are not Churches in the proper sense; however, those who are baptized in these communities are, by Baptism, incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church.62 Baptism in fact tends per se toward the full development of life in Christ, through the integral profession of faith, the Eucharist, and full communion in the Church.63
“The Christian faithful are therefore not permitted to imagine that the Church of Christ is nothing more than a collection — divided, yet in some way one — of Churches and ecclesial communities; nor are they free to hold that today the Church of Christ nowhere really exists, and must be considered only as a goal which all Churches and ecclesial communities must strive to reach”.64 In fact, “the elements of this already-given Church exist, joined together in their fullness in the Catholic Church and, without this fullness, in the other communities”.65 “Therefore, these separated Churches and communities as such, though we believe they suffer from defects, have by no means been deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”.66
The lack of unity among Christians is certainly a wound for the Church; not in the sense that she is deprived of her unity, but “in that it hinders the complete fulfilment of her universality in history”.67
47) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 14.
(48) Cf. ibid., 7.
(49) Cf. St. Augustine, Enarratio in Psalmos, Ps. 90, Sermo 2,1: CCSL 39, 1266; St. Gregory the Great, Moralia in Iob, Praefatio, 6, 14: PL 75, 525; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 48, a. 2 ad 1.
(50) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 6.
(51) Symbolum maius Ecclesiae Armeniacae: DS 48. Cf. Boniface VIII, Unam sanctam: DS 870-872; Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.
(52) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 4; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 11: AAS 87 (1995), 927.
(53) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 20; cf. also St. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, III, 3, 1-3: SC 211, 20-44; St. Cyprian, Epist. 33, 1: CCSL 3B, 164-165; St. Augustine, Contra adver. legis et prophet., 1, 20, 39: CCSL 49, 70.
(54) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.
(55) Ibid.; cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 13. Cf. also Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 15 and the Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(56) The interpretation of those who would derive from the formula subsistit in the thesis that the one Church of Christ could subsist also in non-Catholic Churches and ecclesial communities is therefore contrary to the authentic meaning of Lumen gentium. “The Council instead chose the word subsistit precisely to clarify that there exists only one ‘subsistence' of the true Church, while outside her visible structure there only exist elementa Ecclesiae, which — being elements of that same Church — tend and lead toward the Catholic Church” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Notification on the Book “Church: Charism and Power” by Father Leonardo Boff: AAS 77 [1985], 756-762).
(57) Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(58) Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae, 1: AAS 65 (1973), 396-398.
(59) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 14 and 15; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Communionis notio, 17: AAS 85 (1993), 848.
(60) Cf. First Vatican Council, Constitution Pastor aeternus: DS 3053-3064; Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 22.
(61) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 22.
(62) Cf. ibid., 3.
(63) Cf. ibid., 22.
(64) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae, 1.
(65) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 14.
(66) Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(67) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Communionis notio, 17; cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 4.
16. The Lord Jesus, the only Saviour, did not only establish a simple community of disciples, but constituted the Church as a salvific mystery: he himself is in the Church and the Church is in him (cf. Jn 15:1ff.; Gal 3:28; Eph 4:15-16; Acts 9:5). Therefore, the fullness of Christ's salvific mystery belongs also to the Church, inseparably united to her Lord. Indeed, Jesus Christ continues his presence and his work of salvation in the Church and by means of the Church (cf. Col 1:24-27),47 which is his body (cf. 1 Cor 12:12-13, 27; Col 1:18).48 And thus, just as the head and members of a living body, though not identical, are inseparable, so too Christ and the Church can neither be confused nor separated, and constitute a single “whole Christ”.49 This same inseparability is also expressed in the New Testament by the analogy of the Church as the Bride of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25-29; Rev 21:2,9).50
Therefore, in connection with the unicity and universality of the salvific mediation of Jesus Christ, the unicity of the Church founded by him must be firmly believed as a truth of Catholic faith. Just as there is one Christ, so there exists a single body of Christ, a single Bride of Christ: “a single Catholic and apostolic Church”.51 Furthermore, the promises of the Lord that he would not abandon his Church (cf. Mt 16:18; 28:20) and that he would guide her by his Spirit (cf. Jn 16:13) mean, according to Catholic faith, that the unicity and the unity of the Church — like everything that belongs to the Church's integrity — will never be lacking.52
The Catholic faithful are required to profess that there is an historical continuity — rooted in the apostolic succession53 — between the Church founded by Christ and the Catholic Church: “This is the single Church of Christ... which our Saviour, after his resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care (cf. Jn 21:17), commissioning him and the other Apostles to extend and rule her (cf. Mt 28:18ff.), erected for all ages as ‘the pillar and mainstay of the truth' (1 Tim 3:15). This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in [subsistit in] the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him”.54 With the expression subsistit in, the Second Vatican Council sought to harmonize two doctrinal statements: on the one hand, that the Church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that “outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification and truth”,55 that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church.56 But with respect to these, it needs to be stated that “they derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”.57
17. Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him.58 The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches.59 Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the Catholic Church, since they do not accept the Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the will of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the entire Church.60
On the other hand, the ecclesial communities which have not preserved the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic mystery,61 are not Churches in the proper sense; however, those who are baptized in these communities are, by Baptism, incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church.62 Baptism in fact tends per se toward the full development of life in Christ, through the integral profession of faith, the Eucharist, and full communion in the Church.63
“The Christian faithful are therefore not permitted to imagine that the Church of Christ is nothing more than a collection — divided, yet in some way one — of Churches and ecclesial communities; nor are they free to hold that today the Church of Christ nowhere really exists, and must be considered only as a goal which all Churches and ecclesial communities must strive to reach”.64 In fact, “the elements of this already-given Church exist, joined together in their fullness in the Catholic Church and, without this fullness, in the other communities”.65 “Therefore, these separated Churches and communities as such, though we believe they suffer from defects, have by no means been deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”.66
The lack of unity among Christians is certainly a wound for the Church; not in the sense that she is deprived of her unity, but “in that it hinders the complete fulfilment of her universality in history”.67
47) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 14.
(48) Cf. ibid., 7.
(49) Cf. St. Augustine, Enarratio in Psalmos, Ps. 90, Sermo 2,1: CCSL 39, 1266; St. Gregory the Great, Moralia in Iob, Praefatio, 6, 14: PL 75, 525; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 48, a. 2 ad 1.
(50) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 6.
(51) Symbolum maius Ecclesiae Armeniacae: DS 48. Cf. Boniface VIII, Unam sanctam: DS 870-872; Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.
(52) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 4; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 11: AAS 87 (1995), 927.
(53) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 20; cf. also St. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, III, 3, 1-3: SC 211, 20-44; St. Cyprian, Epist. 33, 1: CCSL 3B, 164-165; St. Augustine, Contra adver. legis et prophet., 1, 20, 39: CCSL 49, 70.
(54) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.
(55) Ibid.; cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 13. Cf. also Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 15 and the Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(56) The interpretation of those who would derive from the formula subsistit in the thesis that the one Church of Christ could subsist also in non-Catholic Churches and ecclesial communities is therefore contrary to the authentic meaning of Lumen gentium. “The Council instead chose the word subsistit precisely to clarify that there exists only one ‘subsistence' of the true Church, while outside her visible structure there only exist elementa Ecclesiae, which — being elements of that same Church — tend and lead toward the Catholic Church” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Notification on the Book “Church: Charism and Power” by Father Leonardo Boff: AAS 77 [1985], 756-762).
(57) Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(58) Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae, 1: AAS 65 (1973), 396-398.
(59) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 14 and 15; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Communionis notio, 17: AAS 85 (1993), 848.
(60) Cf. First Vatican Council, Constitution Pastor aeternus: DS 3053-3064; Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 22.
(61) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 22.
(62) Cf. ibid., 3.
(63) Cf. ibid., 22.
(64) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae, 1.
(65) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 14.
(66) Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(67) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Communionis notio, 17; cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 4.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
DOMINUS JESUS - UNICITY AND UNIVERSALITY OF THE SALVIFIC MYSTERY OF JESUS CHRIST
III. UNICITY AND UNIVERSALITY OF THE SALVIFIC MYSTERY OF JESUS CHRIST
13. The thesis which denies the unicity and salvific universality of the mystery of Jesus Christ is also put forward. Such a position has no biblical foundation. In fact, the truth of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Lord and only Saviour, who through the event of his incarnation, death and resurrection has brought the history of salvation to fulfilment, and which has in him its fullness and centre, must be firmly believed as a constant element of the Church's faith.
The New Testament attests to this fact with clarity: “The Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world” (1 Jn 4:14); “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). In his discourse before the Sanhedrin, Peter, in order to justify the healing of a man who was crippled from birth, which was done in the name of Jesus (cf. Acts 3:1-8), proclaims: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). St. Paul adds, moreover, that Jesus Christ “is Lord of all”, “judge of the living and the dead”, and thus “whoever believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10: 36,42,43).
Paul, addressing himself to the community of Corinth, writes: “Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as in fact there are many gods and many lords — yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Cor 8:5-6). Furthermore, John the Apostle states: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16-17). In the New Testament, the universal salvific will of God is closely connected to the sole mediation of Christ: “[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:4-6).
It was in the awareness of the one universal gift of salvation offered by the Father through Jesus Christ in the Spirit (cf. Eph 1:3-14), that the first Christians encountered the Jewish people, showing them the fulfilment of salvation that went beyond the Law and, in the same awareness, they confronted the pagan world of their time, which aspired to salvation through a plurality of saviours. This inheritance of faith has been recalled recently by the Church's Magisterium: “The Church believes that Christ, who died and was raised for the sake of all (cf. 2 Cor 5:15) can, through his Spirit, give man the light and the strength to be able to respond to his highest calling, nor is there any other name under heaven given among men by which they can be saved (cf. Acts 4:12). The Church likewise believes that the key, the centre, and the purpose of the whole of man's history is to be found in its Lord and Master”.42
14. It must therefore be firmly believed as a truth of Catholic faith that the universal salvific will of the One and Triune God is offered and accomplished once for all in the mystery of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Son of God.
Bearing in mind this article of faith, theology today, in its reflection on the existence of other religious experiences and on their meaning in God's salvific plan, is invited to explore if and in what way the historical figures and positive elements of these religions may fall within the divine plan of salvation. In this undertaking, theological research has a vast field of work under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium. The Second Vatican Council, in fact, has stated that: “the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude, but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a participation in this one source”.43 The content of this participated mediation should be explored more deeply, but must remain always consistent with the principle of Christ's unique mediation: “Although participated forms of mediation of different kinds and degrees are not excluded, they acquire meaning and value only from Christ's own mediation, and they cannot be understood as parallel or complementary to his”.44 Hence, those solutions that propose a salvific action of God beyond the unique mediation of Christ would be contrary to Christian and Catholic faith.
15. Not infrequently it is proposed that theology should avoid the use of terms like “unicity”, “universality”, and “absoluteness”, which give the impression of excessive emphasis on the significance and value of the salvific event of Jesus Christ in relation to other religions. In reality, however, such language is simply being faithful to revelation, since it represents a development of the sources of the faith themselves. From the beginning, the community of believers has recognized in Jesus a salvific value such that he alone, as Son of God made man, crucified and risen, by the mission received from the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit, bestows revelation (cf. Mt 11:27) and divine life (cf. Jn 1:12; 5:25-26; 17:2) to all humanity and to every person.
In this sense, one can and must say that Jesus Christ has a significance and a value for the human race and its history, which are unique and singular, proper to him alone, exclusive, universal, and absolute. Jesus is, in fact, the Word of God made man for the salvation of all. In expressing this consciousness of faith, the Second Vatican Council teaches: “The Word of God, through whom all things were made, was made flesh, so that as perfect man he could save all men and sum up all things in himself. The Lord is the goal of human history, the focal point of the desires of history and civilization, the centre of mankind, the joy of all hearts, and the fulfilment of all aspirations. It is he whom the Father raised from the dead, exalted and placed at his right hand, constituting him judge of the living and the dead”.45 “It is precisely this uniqueness of Christ which gives him an absolute and universal significance whereby, while belonging to history, he remains history's centre and goal: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end' (Rev 22:13)”.46
(42) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 10. Cf. St. Augustine, who wrote that Christ is the way, which “has never been lacking to mankind... and apart from this way no one has been set free, no one is being set free, no one will be set free” De civitate Dei 10, 32, 2: CCSL 47, 312.
(43) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 62.
(44) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 5.
(45) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 45. The necessary and absolute singularity of Christ in human history is well expressed by St. Irenaeus in contemplating the preeminence of Jesus as firstborn Son: “In the heavens, as firstborn of the Father's counsel, the perfect Word governs and legislates all things; on the earth, as firstborn of the Virgin, a man just and holy, reverencing God and pleasing to God, good and perfect in every way, he saves from hell all those who follow him since he is the firstborn from the dead and Author of the life of God” (Demonstratio apostolica, 39: SC 406, 138).
(46) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 6.
13. The thesis which denies the unicity and salvific universality of the mystery of Jesus Christ is also put forward. Such a position has no biblical foundation. In fact, the truth of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Lord and only Saviour, who through the event of his incarnation, death and resurrection has brought the history of salvation to fulfilment, and which has in him its fullness and centre, must be firmly believed as a constant element of the Church's faith.
The New Testament attests to this fact with clarity: “The Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world” (1 Jn 4:14); “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). In his discourse before the Sanhedrin, Peter, in order to justify the healing of a man who was crippled from birth, which was done in the name of Jesus (cf. Acts 3:1-8), proclaims: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). St. Paul adds, moreover, that Jesus Christ “is Lord of all”, “judge of the living and the dead”, and thus “whoever believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10: 36,42,43).
Paul, addressing himself to the community of Corinth, writes: “Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as in fact there are many gods and many lords — yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Cor 8:5-6). Furthermore, John the Apostle states: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16-17). In the New Testament, the universal salvific will of God is closely connected to the sole mediation of Christ: “[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:4-6).
It was in the awareness of the one universal gift of salvation offered by the Father through Jesus Christ in the Spirit (cf. Eph 1:3-14), that the first Christians encountered the Jewish people, showing them the fulfilment of salvation that went beyond the Law and, in the same awareness, they confronted the pagan world of their time, which aspired to salvation through a plurality of saviours. This inheritance of faith has been recalled recently by the Church's Magisterium: “The Church believes that Christ, who died and was raised for the sake of all (cf. 2 Cor 5:15) can, through his Spirit, give man the light and the strength to be able to respond to his highest calling, nor is there any other name under heaven given among men by which they can be saved (cf. Acts 4:12). The Church likewise believes that the key, the centre, and the purpose of the whole of man's history is to be found in its Lord and Master”.42
14. It must therefore be firmly believed as a truth of Catholic faith that the universal salvific will of the One and Triune God is offered and accomplished once for all in the mystery of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Son of God.
Bearing in mind this article of faith, theology today, in its reflection on the existence of other religious experiences and on their meaning in God's salvific plan, is invited to explore if and in what way the historical figures and positive elements of these religions may fall within the divine plan of salvation. In this undertaking, theological research has a vast field of work under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium. The Second Vatican Council, in fact, has stated that: “the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude, but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a participation in this one source”.43 The content of this participated mediation should be explored more deeply, but must remain always consistent with the principle of Christ's unique mediation: “Although participated forms of mediation of different kinds and degrees are not excluded, they acquire meaning and value only from Christ's own mediation, and they cannot be understood as parallel or complementary to his”.44 Hence, those solutions that propose a salvific action of God beyond the unique mediation of Christ would be contrary to Christian and Catholic faith.
15. Not infrequently it is proposed that theology should avoid the use of terms like “unicity”, “universality”, and “absoluteness”, which give the impression of excessive emphasis on the significance and value of the salvific event of Jesus Christ in relation to other religions. In reality, however, such language is simply being faithful to revelation, since it represents a development of the sources of the faith themselves. From the beginning, the community of believers has recognized in Jesus a salvific value such that he alone, as Son of God made man, crucified and risen, by the mission received from the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit, bestows revelation (cf. Mt 11:27) and divine life (cf. Jn 1:12; 5:25-26; 17:2) to all humanity and to every person.
In this sense, one can and must say that Jesus Christ has a significance and a value for the human race and its history, which are unique and singular, proper to him alone, exclusive, universal, and absolute. Jesus is, in fact, the Word of God made man for the salvation of all. In expressing this consciousness of faith, the Second Vatican Council teaches: “The Word of God, through whom all things were made, was made flesh, so that as perfect man he could save all men and sum up all things in himself. The Lord is the goal of human history, the focal point of the desires of history and civilization, the centre of mankind, the joy of all hearts, and the fulfilment of all aspirations. It is he whom the Father raised from the dead, exalted and placed at his right hand, constituting him judge of the living and the dead”.45 “It is precisely this uniqueness of Christ which gives him an absolute and universal significance whereby, while belonging to history, he remains history's centre and goal: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end' (Rev 22:13)”.46
(42) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 10. Cf. St. Augustine, who wrote that Christ is the way, which “has never been lacking to mankind... and apart from this way no one has been set free, no one is being set free, no one will be set free” De civitate Dei 10, 32, 2: CCSL 47, 312.
(43) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 62.
(44) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 5.
(45) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 45. The necessary and absolute singularity of Christ in human history is well expressed by St. Irenaeus in contemplating the preeminence of Jesus as firstborn Son: “In the heavens, as firstborn of the Father's counsel, the perfect Word governs and legislates all things; on the earth, as firstborn of the Virgin, a man just and holy, reverencing God and pleasing to God, good and perfect in every way, he saves from hell all those who follow him since he is the firstborn from the dead and Author of the life of God” (Demonstratio apostolica, 39: SC 406, 138).
(46) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 6.
Monday, October 10, 2011
DOMINUS JESUS - THE INCARNATE LOGOS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WORK OF SALVATION
II. THE INCARNATE LOGOS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WORK OF SALVATION
9. In contemporary theological reflection there often emerges an approach to Jesus of Nazareth that considers him a particular, finite, historical figure, who reveals the divine not in an exclusive way, but in a way complementary with other revelatory and salvific figures. The Infinite, the Absolute, the Ultimate Mystery of God would thus manifest itself to humanity in many ways and in many historical figures: Jesus of Nazareth would be one of these. More concretely, for some, Jesus would be one of the many faces which the Logos has assumed in the course of time to communicate with humanity in a salvific way.
Furthermore, to justify the universality of Christian salvation as well as the fact of religious pluralism, it has been proposed that there is an economy of the eternal Word that is valid also outside the Church and is unrelated to her, in addition to an economy of the incarnate Word. The first would have a greater universal value than the second, which is limited to Christians, though God's presence would be more full in the second.
10. These theses are in profound conflict with the Christian faith. The doctrine of faith must be firmly believed which proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, and he alone, is the Son and the Word of the Father. The Word, which “was in the beginning with God” (Jn 1:2) is the same as he who “became flesh” (Jn 1:14). In Jesus, “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16), “the whole fullness of divinity dwells in bodily form” (Col 2:9). He is the “only begotten Son of the Father, who is in the bosom of the Father” (Jn 1:18), his “beloved Son, in whom we have redemption... In him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him, God was pleased to reconcile all things to himself, on earth and in the heavens, making peace by the blood of his Cross” (Col 1:13-14; 19-20).
Faithful to Sacred Scripture and refuting erroneous and reductive interpretations, the First Council of Nicaea solemnly defined its faith in: “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten generated from the Father, that is, from the being of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father, through whom all things were made, those in heaven and those on earth. For us men and for our salvation, he came down and became incarnate, was made man, suffered, and rose again on the third day. He ascended to the heavens and shall come again to judge the living and the dead”.28 Following the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, the Council of Chalcedon also professed: “the one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly man..., one in being with the Father according to the divinity and one in being with us according to the humanity..., begotten of the Father before the ages according to the divinity and, in these last days, for us and our salvation, of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, according to the humanity”.29
For this reason, the Second Vatican Council states that Christ “the new Adam...‘image of the invisible God' (Col 1:15) is himself the perfect man who has restored that likeness to God in the children of Adam which had been disfigured since the first sin... As an innocent lamb he merited life for us by his blood which he freely shed. In him God reconciled us to himself and to one another, freeing us from the bondage of the devil and of sin, so that each one of us could say with the apostle: the Son of God ‘loved me and gave himself up for me' (Gal 2:20)”.30
In this regard, John Paul II has explicitly declared: “To introduce any sort of separation between the Word and Jesus Christ is contrary to the Christian faith... Jesus is the Incarnate Word — a single and indivisible person... Christ is none other than Jesus of Nazareth; he is the Word of God made man for the salvation of all... In the process of discovering and appreciating the manifold gifts — especially the spiritual treasures — that God has bestowed on every people, we cannot separate those gifts from Jesus Christ, who is at the centre of God's plan of salvation”.31
It is likewise contrary to the Catholic faith to introduce a separation between the salvific action of the Word as such and that of the Word made man. With the incarnation, all the salvific actions of the Word of God are always done in unity with the human nature that he has assumed for the salvation of all people. The one subject which operates in the two natures, human and divine, is the single person of the Word.32
Therefore, the theory which would attribute, after the incarnation as well, a salvific activity to the Logos as such in his divinity, exercised “in addition to” or “beyond” the humanity of Christ, is not compatible with the Catholic faith.33
11. Similarly, the doctrine of faith regarding the unicity of the salvific economy willed by the One and Triune God must be firmly believed, at the source and centre of which is the mystery of the incarnation of the Word, mediator of divine grace on the level of creation and redemption (cf. Col 1:15-20), he who recapitulates all things (cf. Eph 1:10), he “whom God has made our wisdom, our righteousness, and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor 1:30). In fact, the mystery of Christ has its own intrinsic unity, which extends from the eternal choice in God to the parousia: “he [the Father] chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love” (Eph 1:4); “In Christ we are heirs, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will” (Eph 1:11); “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom 8:29-30).
The Church's Magisterium, faithful to divine revelation, reasserts that Jesus Christ is the mediator and the universal redeemer: “The Word of God, through whom all things were made, was made flesh, so that as perfect man he could save all men and sum up all things in himself. The Lord...is he whom the Father raised from the dead, exalted and placed at his right hand, constituting him judge of the living and the dead”.34 This salvific mediation implies also the unicity of the redemptive sacrifice of Christ, eternal high priest (cf. Heb 6:20; 9:11; 10:12-14).
12. There are also those who propose the hypothesis of an economy of the Holy Spirit with a more universal breadth than that of the Incarnate Word, crucified and risen. This position also is contrary to the Catholic faith, which, on the contrary, considers the salvific incarnation of the Word as a trinitarian event. In the New Testament, the mystery of Jesus, the Incarnate Word, constitutes the place of the Holy Spirit's presence as well as the principle of the Spirit's effusion on humanity, not only in messianic times (cf. Acts 2:32-36; Jn 7:39, 20:22; 1 Cor 15:45), but also prior to his coming in history (cf. 1 Cor 10:4; 1 Pet 1:10-12).
The Second Vatican Council has recalled to the consciousness of the Church's faith this fundamental truth. In presenting the Father's salvific plan for all humanity, the Council closely links the mystery of Christ from its very beginnings with that of the Spirit.35 The entire work of building the Church by Jesus Christ the Head, in the course of the centuries, is seen as an action which he does in communion with his Spirit.36
Furthermore, the salvific action of Jesus Christ, with and through his Spirit, extends beyond the visible boundaries of the Church to all humanity. Speaking of the paschal mystery, in which Christ even now associates the believer to himself in a living manner in the Spirit and gives him the hope of resurrection, the Council states: “All this holds true not only for Christians but also for all men of good will in whose hearts grace is active invisibly. For since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery”.37
Hence, the connection is clear between the salvific mystery of the Incarnate Word and that of the Spirit, who actualizes the salvific efficacy of the Son made man in the lives of all people, called by God to a single goal, both those who historically preceded the Word made man, and those who live after his coming in history: the Spirit of the Father, bestowed abundantly by the Son, is the animator of all (cf. Jn 3:34).
Thus, the recent Magisterium of the Church has firmly and clearly recalled the truth of a single divine economy: “The Spirit's presence and activity affect not only individuals but also society and history, peoples, cultures and religions... The Risen Christ ‘is now at work in human hearts through the strength of his Spirit'... Again, it is the Spirit who sows the ‘seeds of the word' present in various customs and cultures, preparing them for full maturity in Christ”.38 While recognizing the historical-salvific function of the Spirit in the whole universe and in the entire history of humanity,39 the Magisterium states: “This is the same Spirit who was at work in the incarnation and in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and who is at work in the Church. He is therefore not an alternative to Christ nor does he fill a sort of void which is sometimes suggested as existing between Christ and the Logos. Whatever the Spirit brings about in human hearts and in the history of peoples, in cultures and religions, serves as a preparation for the Gospel and can only be understood in reference to Christ, the Word who took flesh by the power of the Spirit ‘so that as perfectly human he would save all human beings and sum up all things'”.40
In conclusion, the action of the Spirit is not outside or parallel to the action of Christ. There is only one salvific economy of the One and Triune God, realized in the mystery of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, actualized with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, and extended in its salvific value to all humanity and to the entire universe: “No one, therefore, can enter into communion with God except through Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit”.41
(28) First Council of Nicaea, Symbolum Nicaenum: DS 125.
(29) Council of Chalcedon, Symbolum Chalcedonense: DS 301.
(30) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 22.
(31) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 6.
(32) Cf. St. Leo the Great, Tomus ad Flavianum: DS 294.
(33) Cf. St. Leo the Great, Letter to the Emperor Leo I Promisisse me memini: DS 318: “...in tantam unitatem ab ipso conceptu Virginis deitate et humanitate conserta, ut nec sine homine divina, nec sine Deo agerentur humana”. Cf. also ibid. DS 317.
(34) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 45; cf. also Council of Trent, Decretum de peccato originali, 3: DS 1513.
(35) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 3-4.
(36) Cf. ibid., 7; cf. St. Irenaeus, who wrote that it is in the Church “that communion with Christ has been deposited, that is to say: the Holy Spirit” (Adversus haereses III, 24, 1: SC 211, 472).
(37) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 22.
(38) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 28. For the “seeds of the Word” cf. also St. Justin Martyr, Second Apology 8, 1-2; 10, 1-3; 13, 3-6: ed. E.J. Goodspeed, 84; 85; 88-89.
(39) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, Redemptoris missio, 28-29.
(40) Ibid., 29.
(41) Ibid., 5.
9. In contemporary theological reflection there often emerges an approach to Jesus of Nazareth that considers him a particular, finite, historical figure, who reveals the divine not in an exclusive way, but in a way complementary with other revelatory and salvific figures. The Infinite, the Absolute, the Ultimate Mystery of God would thus manifest itself to humanity in many ways and in many historical figures: Jesus of Nazareth would be one of these. More concretely, for some, Jesus would be one of the many faces which the Logos has assumed in the course of time to communicate with humanity in a salvific way.
Furthermore, to justify the universality of Christian salvation as well as the fact of religious pluralism, it has been proposed that there is an economy of the eternal Word that is valid also outside the Church and is unrelated to her, in addition to an economy of the incarnate Word. The first would have a greater universal value than the second, which is limited to Christians, though God's presence would be more full in the second.
10. These theses are in profound conflict with the Christian faith. The doctrine of faith must be firmly believed which proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, and he alone, is the Son and the Word of the Father. The Word, which “was in the beginning with God” (Jn 1:2) is the same as he who “became flesh” (Jn 1:14). In Jesus, “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16), “the whole fullness of divinity dwells in bodily form” (Col 2:9). He is the “only begotten Son of the Father, who is in the bosom of the Father” (Jn 1:18), his “beloved Son, in whom we have redemption... In him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him, God was pleased to reconcile all things to himself, on earth and in the heavens, making peace by the blood of his Cross” (Col 1:13-14; 19-20).
Faithful to Sacred Scripture and refuting erroneous and reductive interpretations, the First Council of Nicaea solemnly defined its faith in: “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten generated from the Father, that is, from the being of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father, through whom all things were made, those in heaven and those on earth. For us men and for our salvation, he came down and became incarnate, was made man, suffered, and rose again on the third day. He ascended to the heavens and shall come again to judge the living and the dead”.28 Following the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, the Council of Chalcedon also professed: “the one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly man..., one in being with the Father according to the divinity and one in being with us according to the humanity..., begotten of the Father before the ages according to the divinity and, in these last days, for us and our salvation, of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, according to the humanity”.29
For this reason, the Second Vatican Council states that Christ “the new Adam...‘image of the invisible God' (Col 1:15) is himself the perfect man who has restored that likeness to God in the children of Adam which had been disfigured since the first sin... As an innocent lamb he merited life for us by his blood which he freely shed. In him God reconciled us to himself and to one another, freeing us from the bondage of the devil and of sin, so that each one of us could say with the apostle: the Son of God ‘loved me and gave himself up for me' (Gal 2:20)”.30
In this regard, John Paul II has explicitly declared: “To introduce any sort of separation between the Word and Jesus Christ is contrary to the Christian faith... Jesus is the Incarnate Word — a single and indivisible person... Christ is none other than Jesus of Nazareth; he is the Word of God made man for the salvation of all... In the process of discovering and appreciating the manifold gifts — especially the spiritual treasures — that God has bestowed on every people, we cannot separate those gifts from Jesus Christ, who is at the centre of God's plan of salvation”.31
It is likewise contrary to the Catholic faith to introduce a separation between the salvific action of the Word as such and that of the Word made man. With the incarnation, all the salvific actions of the Word of God are always done in unity with the human nature that he has assumed for the salvation of all people. The one subject which operates in the two natures, human and divine, is the single person of the Word.32
Therefore, the theory which would attribute, after the incarnation as well, a salvific activity to the Logos as such in his divinity, exercised “in addition to” or “beyond” the humanity of Christ, is not compatible with the Catholic faith.33
11. Similarly, the doctrine of faith regarding the unicity of the salvific economy willed by the One and Triune God must be firmly believed, at the source and centre of which is the mystery of the incarnation of the Word, mediator of divine grace on the level of creation and redemption (cf. Col 1:15-20), he who recapitulates all things (cf. Eph 1:10), he “whom God has made our wisdom, our righteousness, and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor 1:30). In fact, the mystery of Christ has its own intrinsic unity, which extends from the eternal choice in God to the parousia: “he [the Father] chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love” (Eph 1:4); “In Christ we are heirs, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will” (Eph 1:11); “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom 8:29-30).
The Church's Magisterium, faithful to divine revelation, reasserts that Jesus Christ is the mediator and the universal redeemer: “The Word of God, through whom all things were made, was made flesh, so that as perfect man he could save all men and sum up all things in himself. The Lord...is he whom the Father raised from the dead, exalted and placed at his right hand, constituting him judge of the living and the dead”.34 This salvific mediation implies also the unicity of the redemptive sacrifice of Christ, eternal high priest (cf. Heb 6:20; 9:11; 10:12-14).
12. There are also those who propose the hypothesis of an economy of the Holy Spirit with a more universal breadth than that of the Incarnate Word, crucified and risen. This position also is contrary to the Catholic faith, which, on the contrary, considers the salvific incarnation of the Word as a trinitarian event. In the New Testament, the mystery of Jesus, the Incarnate Word, constitutes the place of the Holy Spirit's presence as well as the principle of the Spirit's effusion on humanity, not only in messianic times (cf. Acts 2:32-36; Jn 7:39, 20:22; 1 Cor 15:45), but also prior to his coming in history (cf. 1 Cor 10:4; 1 Pet 1:10-12).
The Second Vatican Council has recalled to the consciousness of the Church's faith this fundamental truth. In presenting the Father's salvific plan for all humanity, the Council closely links the mystery of Christ from its very beginnings with that of the Spirit.35 The entire work of building the Church by Jesus Christ the Head, in the course of the centuries, is seen as an action which he does in communion with his Spirit.36
Furthermore, the salvific action of Jesus Christ, with and through his Spirit, extends beyond the visible boundaries of the Church to all humanity. Speaking of the paschal mystery, in which Christ even now associates the believer to himself in a living manner in the Spirit and gives him the hope of resurrection, the Council states: “All this holds true not only for Christians but also for all men of good will in whose hearts grace is active invisibly. For since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery”.37
Hence, the connection is clear between the salvific mystery of the Incarnate Word and that of the Spirit, who actualizes the salvific efficacy of the Son made man in the lives of all people, called by God to a single goal, both those who historically preceded the Word made man, and those who live after his coming in history: the Spirit of the Father, bestowed abundantly by the Son, is the animator of all (cf. Jn 3:34).
Thus, the recent Magisterium of the Church has firmly and clearly recalled the truth of a single divine economy: “The Spirit's presence and activity affect not only individuals but also society and history, peoples, cultures and religions... The Risen Christ ‘is now at work in human hearts through the strength of his Spirit'... Again, it is the Spirit who sows the ‘seeds of the word' present in various customs and cultures, preparing them for full maturity in Christ”.38 While recognizing the historical-salvific function of the Spirit in the whole universe and in the entire history of humanity,39 the Magisterium states: “This is the same Spirit who was at work in the incarnation and in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and who is at work in the Church. He is therefore not an alternative to Christ nor does he fill a sort of void which is sometimes suggested as existing between Christ and the Logos. Whatever the Spirit brings about in human hearts and in the history of peoples, in cultures and religions, serves as a preparation for the Gospel and can only be understood in reference to Christ, the Word who took flesh by the power of the Spirit ‘so that as perfectly human he would save all human beings and sum up all things'”.40
In conclusion, the action of the Spirit is not outside or parallel to the action of Christ. There is only one salvific economy of the One and Triune God, realized in the mystery of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, actualized with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, and extended in its salvific value to all humanity and to the entire universe: “No one, therefore, can enter into communion with God except through Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit”.41
(28) First Council of Nicaea, Symbolum Nicaenum: DS 125.
(29) Council of Chalcedon, Symbolum Chalcedonense: DS 301.
(30) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 22.
(31) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 6.
(32) Cf. St. Leo the Great, Tomus ad Flavianum: DS 294.
(33) Cf. St. Leo the Great, Letter to the Emperor Leo I Promisisse me memini: DS 318: “...in tantam unitatem ab ipso conceptu Virginis deitate et humanitate conserta, ut nec sine homine divina, nec sine Deo agerentur humana”. Cf. also ibid. DS 317.
(34) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 45; cf. also Council of Trent, Decretum de peccato originali, 3: DS 1513.
(35) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 3-4.
(36) Cf. ibid., 7; cf. St. Irenaeus, who wrote that it is in the Church “that communion with Christ has been deposited, that is to say: the Holy Spirit” (Adversus haereses III, 24, 1: SC 211, 472).
(37) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 22.
(38) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 28. For the “seeds of the Word” cf. also St. Justin Martyr, Second Apology 8, 1-2; 10, 1-3; 13, 3-6: ed. E.J. Goodspeed, 84; 85; 88-89.
(39) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, Redemptoris missio, 28-29.
(40) Ibid., 29.
(41) Ibid., 5.
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