Jesus taught the Divinity to be an intimate shared Unity of Three Divine Persons in a relationship defined by their roles as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:18-19)
(In the beginning, God said, "Let US make man to OUR image" - and God created man to His
own image; to the image of
God He created him; male and female He created them; to increase and multiply and fill the whole earth."
(Genesis 2:26-28)
He made man in His own image to enable man to enter into, and to share in, the Life of His own Divine
Eternity.)
The Eternal 'Source' of the Divine Essence (John 5:26) is defined as 'Father' because it is the Father's 'eternal act of self-knowledge' which involves an eternal issuing within His Eternal Essence of a total 'Living Image' of Himself which matches him in every way, except being the Father-Source (John 14:7-9; 16:15; 17:10) but which, instead, is 'Son', because He is the 'eternally generated' Living image of the Father. (John 5:18)
And just as the Father-Source beholds and knows Himself in His Son-Image, so the Son knows Himself to be the living image of His Father, (John 10:15) such that "everything the Father does, He does too," (John 5:19,30) His life being integral with that of His Father. The two are one. They constitute the One Being just as Christ said, " The Father and I are One. Who sees Me, sees the Father, and henceforth you have seen Him. No-one knows the Son, but the Father; neither does anyone know the Father but the Son. " (Luke 10:22; John 10:30; 14:9 & Matthew 11:27) The two are absolutely separate in their Personages, but integral in the essence and operation of their Communal Being. (John 8:19; 10:30) One simply does not exist without the other. And as St Paul said, " There is but one God, the Father, OF Whom are all things,...and one Lord, Jesus Christ, BY Whom are all things, " (John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6)
Mirrored in each other, (John 14:11; 17:21; 10:38) the union of their Divine Hearts excites a great mystery of rapturous love which issues, the same, from both of their hearts, as one. This is the Uni-Spirit of the Divine Essence of both Father and Son. The Son issues from the Father, but the Spirit issues the same from both the Father and the Son. (John 15:26; 20:19-22 & Catechism of the Catholic Church: 246, 253) This is the great mystery of the Holy Spirit; Third Person of the Tri-une God Who is One God, One Spirit, Three Persons. And there are three Who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word (Christ) and the Holy Spirit. And these Three are One . (I John 5:7)
It was by the power of the Holy Spirit (the Uni-Spirit of both the Father and the Son) that the Son was incarnated in the immaculate womb of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:35) and it is by the out-pouring of His Holy Spirit upon mankind (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:1-41) that men are enabled to become one Spirit with Him (as sons) and to enter into the Eternal Life and Being of the Tri-une Divinity. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
Awesome God. Awesome wonder. Awesome reality!
As Jesus has also said: "The Son cannot do anything of Himself. He can only do as His Father does. What His Father does, He does in like manner. (John 5:19) As the Father raises up the dead, and gives life to them, so too, the Son also gives life to whom He will. (John 11:38-45; Luke 8:49-56) Neither does the Father judge any man. He has given all judgement to the Son, so that all men may honour the Son in the same way as they honour the Father." (John 5:21-23) "In very truth, who hears My Words and believes in Him Who sent Me, has life everlasting,"and "without coming to judgement - he/she has (already) passed from death to life." (John 5:24) "The Father (Who) has Life in Himself, has also given His Son to have Life in Himself with the power to do all judgement - because He is also the Son of man." (John 5:26-27) "Whoever believes in the Son, and is baptised, will be saved, and will not be judged; but who does not believe in the Son is judged already, and shall be condemned." (John 3:18; Mark 16:16) So, let us all cry out together to Our Awesome Father Who has made us in His love.
See also: Understanding The Holy Trinity
Alan Mitter
2nd November 2018