Prima Pars
150. Summa I, Q.43 a.7: Why the Holy Spirit Is Sent Visibly (the Dove and the Fire)
Class of 2008-07-10
https://berquistcourse.com/course/theology/10-prima-pars/150-summa-i-q-43-a-7-why-the-holy-spirit-is-sent-visibly-the/

[0:00] In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. God our enlightenment. Guardian angels strengthen the lights of our minds, hoard and illumine our images, and arouse us to consider more correctly. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelic Doctor. Amen. Help us to understand all that you've written. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. We're up to question Article Seven here, Question Forty-Three.

[0:31] Whether it belongs to the Holy Spirit or whether it's suitable to the Holy Spirit to be sent in a visible way. The first objection: the Son, according as he is sent visibly in the world, is said to be less than the Father. The Father is greater than I, he says. But never is it read that the Holy Spirit is less than the Father. Therefore, to the Holy Spirit it does not belong to be visibly sent.

[1:07] That objection obviously is based upon not realizing the distinction the way they're sent visibly, huh? Because the second person of the Trinity takes on human nature so that he is a man, right? Why the Holy Spirit doesn't become fire or become a dove or something, right? But these are just to signify his coming.

[1:37] Moreover, a visible mission is observed by some visible creature that is assumed. You got to be careful, about the word assumed, right? As the mission of the Son according to the flesh, but the Holy Spirit does not assume some what visible creature. Whence he cannot be said to be in some visible creatures in another way than he was in others, except perhaps as in a what sign.

[2:13] Just as is also true in the sacraments and in all the figures of the law there in the Old Testament. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is not sent visibly, or it would be necessary that according to all these things, right, sacraments and so on, and these figures in the Old Testament, that there would be a visible mission to be observed, to be noted.

[2:43] Moreover, every visible creature is in effect demonstrating the whole Trinity. Therefore, through those visible creatures, the Holy Spirit is not more sent than any other person.

[2:58] Because these these are effects of the whole Trinity. Just as the incarnation is what a work of just the Holy Spirit, no, it's a work of the whole Trinity, right? But it's what appropriated the Holy Spirit because of His love and so on, being gratuitous and so on.

[3:24] Moreover, the Son is visibly sent according to the most what worthy visible creatures. That's us. To it, according to human nature, huh? If therefore the Holy Spirit is sent visibly, he ought to be sent according to some rational creatures, and not according to the dove or fire or something like that, huh?

[3:50] Moreover, things that are sent what visibly, things which come about in visible way through divine dispensation, are dispensed through the what ministry of the angels, huh? As Augustine says in the third book about the Trinity. If therefore some visible species appear, this is made by the what? Yeah, done by the angels, and thus the angels are sent, not the Holy Spirit. I have to talk to my guardian angel about that.

[4:25] I'm sure he knows the answer to that question. If he had anything to do with this. Moreover, if the Holy Spirit is sent visibly, this is not except to make known an invisible mission, huh?

[4:44] Because invisible things are made manifest or made known through visible things. Therefore, to a one to whom an invisible mission was not made, neither should a what visible mission be made. And to all to whom some invisible mission takes place, whether in the New or the Old Testament, there ought to be a visible mission, right? Something to manifest it. And clearly, that isn't the case, huh? Is there a visible mission there when you were ordained or something?

[5:20] No. It should have been, though, right? According to this objection, right? Yeah. Therefore, the Holy Spirit should not be sent what visibly. But against all this is what is said in Matthew chapter three, verse sixteen, that the Holy Spirit descended, came down, right, upon the Lord, baptized, came down upon him in the form of a what dove, huh? A dove huh We did have one time during the lay-in that had to place as a helicopter?

[6:01] Helicopter. You say that happened here? Yeah. Oh, I remember that. A couple months ago, yeah. I remember that. I remember that. That's the word through the covering. So Tommy says, "As, "I answer it should be said that God provides for all according to the way of each. It is, however, natural to man that he be what led by the hand to visible things, to invisible things. If you have the Latin there, the Latin word there, it's a compound word, manuducatur.

[6:56] And I mentioned this term, manuductio which Augustine talked a lot about. But manuductio is especially from the what the sensible, the something that is not sensible, and therefore the invisible things of God ought to be made known to men through visible things.

[7:22] Thus, therefore, God Himself, and even the what eternal processions of the persons, shows them in a way to men, right, through visible creatures, according to some kind of what sign or indications. And thus it was suitable that also the invisible missions of the divine persons would be made known through some what visible creatures. Now that's common to the to both the Son and the Holy Spirit, but now Thomas goes on to a distinction between the two.

[8:06] But in another way, for the Son and the Holy Spirit, for to the Holy Spirit, in so far as he goes forward as love, it is suitable to be what a gift of sanctification.

[8:26] But to the Son, in so far as he is the beginning of the Holy Spirit, one from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds, it belongs to him to be the what author of sanctification.

[8:41] So does St. John say something like that, for grace and truth. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. So he's like the principal there, right?

[8:57] And therefore, the Son is sent in a visible way as the author of what sanctification, and therefore as a man. as he'll say in reply to the objections, but the Holy Spirit as as were a sign of the sanctification. That's kind of a subtle distinction to be seen there between the way in which the Son and the way in which the Holy Spirit should be sent visibly, right?

[9:31] Now, the first objection is: I won't touch upon that because the first objection says, "Why is the Son, by reason of his visible mission, said to be less than the Father?" And the Holy Spirit is not said to be less than the Father, even though he's visibly sent too. To the first, therefore, it should be said that the Son, the visible creature in which he appeared, he assumes that in the unity of his very what person, so that what is said of that creature is able to be said of the what son of God.

[10:11] So we can say the son of God is a man, right? The son of God died. Son of God rose from the dead, and so on. And then even call Mary the what mother of God,

[10:27] even though she's the mother of God according to his human nature, right? But because that human nature is joined to the very person, then she is the mother of God. That's quite a history in the history of the church there. Okay, and thus by reason of the nature assumed, the son is said to be less than the father, and sometimes we say he's less than himself. That

[10:56] he as man is less than himself is as God. But the Holy Spirit does not assume a visible creature in which he appears in the unity of his person, so that what belongs to that visible creature, right, would be said of him.

[11:17] So it'd be heretical to to deny that the son is what man, right? But would be heretical to deny that the Holy Spirit is fire or a dove.

[11:29] Whence he cannot be said to be less than the Father on account of the visible creature. That's very clear. That reason why the son is said to be less than the father, according to his visible appearance, right? And the Holy Spirit is not.

[11:54] It's a good objection to begin with, too, Thomas. Orders these objections. Smart, smart guy, you know. Sapientis est ordinare belongs to the wise man to order things, huh? To look before and after, to see the before and after.

[12:14] Let's look back at the second objection. That the visible mission is observed according to the what visible creature assumed as the mission of the son according to the flesh, but the Holy Spirit does not assume some what visible creature. Whence it cannot be said that in some visible creatures he is in another way than he is in others, except perhaps as in a sign. But this is also true in the sacraments, huh?

[12:43] They're signs, and all the legal figures of the Old Testament. Therefore, either the Holy Spirit should not be sent visibly, or according to all of these things, there would be a what visible mission, right?

[13:02] Now Thomas gets out of this, but by a long quote from Augustine. See, Thomas has no no false pride, right? Citing the the master, quote Aristotle, quote, you know, says he quotes Avicenna, right? Every time he talks about God being liberal, generous, he quotes Avicenna, right? And says God alone is generous, God alone is is you know gives us nothing back.

[13:32] The second, therefore, it should be said that the visible mission of the Holy Spirit is not to be noted according to a what imaginary vision, right? Which is the prophetic vision, right? Because, as Augustine says in the second book about the Trinity, that the prophetic vision is not shown to bodily eyes through bodily what forms, but in the spirit through spiritual images of bodies. And I use the word spiritual there for the imagination, because imagination is in between the seeing of the eyes.

[14:14] It's more immaterial and therefore more spiritual than the seeing of the eyes. But they say the seeing of the eyes seems to be the most, the least material. The senses it seems to be close, but the imaginary vision is even what more spiritual, and more material. and therefore it's the second meaning of the word to see before you get to the sense of to see and the sense of to understand, right?

[14:40] Okay. Notice how how the sun, being the thought, is called the image of God, imago Dei, but not image in the sense of imagination.

[14:58] So, what is formed in my imagination there? If I am a prophet, is not seen by the people around me. Some of these appearances of the Blessed Virgin, I guess you know, they're in the imagination that the people around don't see it.

[15:16] But he says that dove, which came down upon Christ in his baptism there, and that fire which came down, I guess, upon the apostles in the Pentecost, were seen by the eyes, right? Of whoever could see, right?

[15:39] So if you had been there, right, you would have seen the dove coming down, right? You'd been there when when Christ was baptized, right? And if you were there when they about to come on preach, you would have seen the fire coming down, and you would have been prepped to hear what they had to say.

[15:58] Okay. Now, so there Augustine see a distinction between an image. Formed right in the imagination of the prophet, along with illumination in his mind to understand the image, right? To see the more essential, and this exterior fire or dove, whatever it is. Now he's going to make a see a second distinction. Nor again does it have itself the Holy Spirit to this species or form as a sun to the rock, right?

[16:32] Because it is said the rock was Christ, huh? Okay. For that rock was already in creation, huh? In the creatures, and through its way of acting, it is named by the name of Christ, which it signifies. But that dove and that fire, only for signifying, right? Were all at once, right? Formed or given into existence, huh?

[17:06] But they seem to be like that flame which appeared, right, in the cloud there was it, to Moses and to that column. What? Blue ball is it? That's the bush. On the bush, yeah. Excuse me, yeah. And to that column, which the people followed in the what desert, huh? And to the what lightning and thunders, which by which came about when the law was given on the mountain, right?

[17:41] Um. For for this reason, huh? These species of these bodily things were formed that they might signify something, right? And then they what passed away, right?

[18:00] Thus, therefore, Thomas says. Now Thomas speaking his own person now. Thus, therefore, it is clear that the visible mission is neither to be observed according to prophetic visions, right, which take place in what second sense of vision, which were imaginary and not bodily. Nor according to what the sacramental signs of the old and the new testament, in which things already pre-existing are taken to what signify something.

[18:39] So bread already existed and wine already existed, right? Before our Lord used took these to institute sacraments, huh? And water already existed, right? Okay.

[18:54] But the Holy Spirit is said to be what sent in a visible way, in so far as he is shown in some creatures as in what signs certain attributes of him. But signs, what, specially made for this purpose, okay. So he gets gets out of all those difficulties. He he produced there, right? The objection, huh?

[19:26] You got all those differences down. So he's got a visible sign as opposed to imaginary sign, right? And notice it has in common with the imag. What's in imagination? It's what formed hic et nunc, right? Here and now, right? You know, for some purpose. But it differs from it because it's exterior and visible to other people, right? Who have eyes, okay. But and it differs from the what the signs of the sacraments. Like that, because those things already existed, right?

[20:04] And they're taken, you know, to signify something. But here you have something especially made, right, just to indicate the Holy Spirit being sent in a way you can't see, right? But to indicate that in an exterior way by something sensible, in accordance with the weakness of man who needs to be led by something sensible, right?

[20:32] Now, the third objection, right? I suppose is based upon the fact that the Holy Trinity works these signs. So why isn't the Trinity being manifested?

[20:47] So Thomas admits to the third. It should be said that although those visible creatures are worked or made by the Holy Trinity, right? Nevertheless, they are made to what demonstrate or to show to point out, especially this or that what person. Just as by diverse names, the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit are signified, right? So also they able to be what signified by diverse things, huh?

[21:22] Although among them there is no what separation or diversity, right? Thomas doesn't like to use the word separation or diversity. He'll admit the word distinction, right? The most the most general word. huh It's safe using these general words.

[21:53] Now the fourth objection. Why is the Son sent according to so noble a creature as man? And the Holy Spirit is sent with this inferior dove, and even an unliving thing like fire, right?

[22:15] Well, to the fourth, it should be said. He always touched upon this a bit in the second part of the body article, right? When he said other way for the the two of them, that the person of the Son should be declared as the what? Yeah. Grace and truth came through him. This has been said, and therefore it is necessary that the visible mission of the Son come about by a what rational nature, to whom it belongs to act, right?

[22:48] And to whom it belongs to what sanctify But a sign of sanctification, can be any other what creature. Nor was it necessary that a visible creature, being formed for this purpose, be assumed by the Holy Spirit in unity of a person, because it was not assumed ad aliquid agendum to doing something, right? But to indicate, right? Only to to signify only, you could say, right?

[23:28] I don't have to assume my words in my own person, do I? I put them forth just to signify, right? As soon as it's done. Yeah. And in count to this, also it was not necessary that it remain, but only so far as it's what it was doing its office, right? Its duty, huh? Officium De officiis Famous work of Cicero, right About duties. Those Romans, you know.

[24:03] Straight-laced guys, those Romans. The motto West Point: honor duty, country right. Always afraid they're going to get waylaid, you know. They'll they'll pick up what Kant, you know, Aristotle. Kant's always talking about duties, you know. I say, oh, maybe they're going to be carried away at the word there, you know. I'm very concerned about the my

[24:29] soldiers there. Isn't this the same idea about the Holy Spirit and the sign of sanctification? Because let's see, trying to figure this out. Because usually it seems like we speak of the Holy Spirit in a sense in terms of author of sanctification, or trying to be to do our sanctification. Yeah, but he's not going to he's not going to do anything, um, through that dove, right? Through that fire, right?

[24:59] Yeah. But why Christ is going to be doing something to his human nature? He's going to be touching us and sanctifying us. He's going to die in his human nature and redeem us, right? So he's going to do all kinds of things to the human nature. Why the Holy Spirit is not going to be doing things through those creatures that he. That the Holy Spirit is often referred to as the sanctifier.

[25:26] Yeah. That is the form. Is it? So I mean, that's kind of his question. He seems to be referred to as like the author of sanctification. No, it comes going back to the fact that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the what the Son, right? So like he he breathes upon the what apostles receive the Holy Spirit. See, so he's in that sense the the actor, the the author, the the origin, the beginning, right?

[25:56] Of the mission. Of the Holy Spirit's mission to sanctify us is through the humanity of Christ. Right. So his appearing in the mission, in the descent, is only—he's not going to act through that nature soon. I'm not denying that the Holy Spirit does something. But what he does, he does in virtue of the Son's redemption. Well, he he proceeds from the Son, yeah, yeah, but he doesn't do something through these creatures formed to signify his presence or his coming, right?

[26:41] But the but the Son, through assuming his own what person, human nature is going to do something through that human nature. That's kind of a self thing that Thomas is pointing out, but it fits everything fits together with that.

[27:04] Now the sixth objection is saying, why don't you have this? You know, why don't you have the fire when you're ordained or something like that? Why doesn't you know fire come down on top of your head? And I think it would be very impressive for the congregation, right? Yeah.

[27:20] We'll have to we'll have to make sure that that's the next time. Number five. You got punctured. You have a spot for this flame to land on. Oh, there you go. Over your hair. I got burned up on the

[27:34] flame. Do we still need to do number five, Oh, okay. Yeah, this is about the angels, okay? Why aren't they? Well, it's going to solve something like the the third objection, right? To the fifth, it should be said that those visible creatures formed by the ministry—they are formed, he says, by the ministry of the angels, right? But they're not formed by them to signify the person of the angel, but to signify the person of the what Holy Spirit.

[28:10] Because therefore the Holy Spirit was in those visible creatures as the signified and the sign, right? On account of that, by them the Holy Spirit is said to be sent in a visible way and not the what angel. Okay, so just like in the third objection, he's not denying that the Trinity had some to do, but they didn't form it to signify eternity, but to signify the Holy Spirit's mission in particular, right?

[28:40] That's why the fire was sent then, or formed by them. Okay, now the sixth objection is saying, why don't you have an invisible? I mean, an invisible mission. Always attending an invisible one, right? Of course, there's special importance in Christ, obviously, and in the apostles. Why there would be a what? Yeah, and and to even those standing around, right? Using their eyes would be able to see.

[29:09] To the sixth, it should be said, it is not of the necessity of the invisible mission, right, that it always be made known through some what exterior visible sign. But as is said in the First Epistle of the Corinthians, chapter twelve, verse seven, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to someone for usefulness of the whole what church.

[29:39] Which utility is this that through these visible what signs the faith is both confirmed and propagated? And this was done chiefly through Christ and through the apostles. They're pretty important guys, those apostles. Another one where it's the order. people. of the church, the apostles are kind of before everybody else, right? Except for Christ and Mary, Christ. According to that, in Hebrews chapter two, verse three, that when the beginning, what, what was narrated, right, by the Lord, by those who what heard, in us it was what Confirm?

[30:23] confirmed, and therefore especially there ought to be a visible mission of the Holy Spirit both to Christ and to the what apostles and to some primitive saints, right? Primitivos.

[30:41] What does that mean? Primitive. Some of the first saints, right? Because through them it's being propagated. In whom, in a certain way, the church is what founded, huh? So we say in this creed there we call the apostolic church, right?

[31:00] In some sense, it's founded on the apostles, right, and Christ. But now he's going to point out a distinction here, right, between Christ and the apostles. This is a subtle thing here. Thus, however, that the visible mission made to Christ shows an invisible mission to him, right? Not then at the same time, right? But in the beginning of his conception, it was made to him. Now, so when the Holy Spirit comes down in a dove, is that a sign of the sanctification of Christ's soul taking place at that moment?

[31:39] No, it's signifying back to what when he was conceived. Okay, March eighth or something, March twenty-fifth. Okay, You people celebrate the same time we do? Yeah, it's nine months ahead, right?

[32:06] And now he goes into a little bit of the signification of these things. There was made an invisible, a visible mission to Christ in baptism, under the form of a what dove, which is a what fertile fecundum animal, right? To showing in Christ the authority of giving grace to spiritual regeneration. It's very subtle what Thomas is pointing out here. Whence the voice or the yeah of the Father intones, in Matthew chapter three, verse seventeen.

[32:45] That's the one that's dealing with the baptism. This is my beloved Son, so that to the likeness of the only begotten, others might be what regenerated. Of course, they say that Christ is not being what sanctified by the water of the Jordan, right? But he's in a sense sanctifying the water. It's just the reverse of what happens to us in our baptism, where the water sanctifies us and washes us clean.

[33:13] But Christ is what establishing, in a sense, the the matter of of baptism, right? So it's just the reverse, in a sense, huh? Now, in the transfiguration, this is in chapter seventeen now of Matthew, right? The Holy Spirit is sent under the likeness of what a lucid cloud, right? Huh? Showing the exuberance, huh? The abundance of the teaching of Christ, right? Whence the Father says, "There, hear him, hear him."

[33:55] He doesn't say that in the baptism does he? He says, "This is my beloved son." Now that ties up nicely with what Saint John says that the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through what Jesus Christ. And so, in fact, corresponds to these two things here: the the the dove, right? The way Thomas explains it, and the what lucid cloud, right? Huh?

[34:30] Now, something like that for the apostles, but a little different creatures are used here. To the apostles, under the species of what wind breath, huh? I guess he's referring out to what He's breathing upon them. To showing the power of their ministry in the dispensation of the sacraments, huh? Whence it is said to them, "Who sins, you forgive; they are what Forgiven them. huh? They're remitted and sent back.

[35:04] interesting Latin word, huh? There are things like that. The sins are sent back. And that corresponds to the what the dove in the case of Christ, right?

[35:23] With the difference we're talking about, right? But under tongues of fire, right? And it's important that you say what tongues of fire, right? To showing the duty or office of what teaching, doctrine. Whence it is said, Acts two chapter chapter two verse four, that they begin to speak in various what tongues, huh? I suppose they're you know, charitably being motivated by charity, by the fire Talking about divine things.

[36:00] Fire is a good what? Metaphor for God, huh? For the Trinity too, huh? For God, huh? Okay. Now, what about the fathers though of the Old Testament? Because those guys are pretty important, huh? I mentioned how it sharked, you know, the four Gospels are being held up by the, you know, Isaiah is holding up Matthew and so on, Daniel holding up John, I guess, and so on.

[36:29] So it's kind of beautiful symbolism. He says to the fathers of the Old Testament, a visible mission of the Holy Spirit ought not to have been made, huh? Because their first ought to be perfected the visible mission of the Son, then what? Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit manifests the Son, just as the Son manifests the what? The Father, huh? But nevertheless, there were made what visible apparitions of the divine persons to the fathers of the Old Testament.

[37:06] You know what the three men who came to see Abraham? They thought he talked to God, huh? Which visible missions should not be called because they were not made according to Augustine anyway, to designating the indwelling of a divine person through grace, but to manifest something other than that, huh?

[37:36] So another good mouthful from Thomas here, huh? Yeah. Can you compare the the mission, mission of the Son, mission of the Holy Spirit? When you take the visible mission of the Son, it seems to be it's something proper to that person. It only belongs to him. Only, only the Son took on flesh. Yeah. But then you could look at the mission of the Holy Spirit. The invisible mission of grace.

[38:08] It doesn't seem to be proper just to that person, right? No, but I mean, in the case of the the dove, in the case of the the fires or the apostles, these are creatures made for that moment, right? To signify this. To signify this person. Yeah, yeah. It's like in the Gospels, you know, the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, right? You know, and you're referring to the the real full giving of Him on on Pentecost, right?

[38:38] But even on Pentecost, it's not just the Holy Spirit that's being given. It's not being sent in the sense of taking on a new existence in a new mode. In other words, the Son takes on an existence in a new mode. And it's just Yeah, yeah, but the Holy Spirit is being given to the apostles in the Pentecost in abundance that never before, right? But just the Holy, was it just the Holy Spirit was being given?

[39:08] Just the person of the Holy Spirit, or was it the whole Trinity that was being given in grace? Right. Well, you see, you've got to be sent, right? Which could only be proper to those persons who proceed from another. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I suppose because there's, there's,

[39:35] you know, appropriate to the Holy Spirit also grace, right? Because of so it's that's what it seems. It seems when you come to the one mission is like proper, but the other mission is like an appropriation. Well, no, no, because because the Holy Spirit is truly being sent to the apostles on Pentecost, right? He's being given to them, right? And and there is. There is a um uh we call it a visible sending because there is a what visible creature formed to signify his invisible coming, right?

[40:15] But when he is sent to them invisibly by grace, yeah, it's not just the Holy Spirit, right? But what I think St. Thomas says here about the way the two missions, the way the two missions differ, because the Holy Spirit, since he proceeds as love, it belongs to him to be, to be the gift of sanctification. Now, sanctification belongs to the whole Trinity, but it's appropriated to him.

[40:44] So the visible mission gives a sign of what he's being sent for sanctification, right? The Son belongs to be the author of sanctification. It's not the Son alone as the author of sanctification, right? Well, because in other words, well, no, but the mission, the visible sign is is proper to the Son, but what it signifies in terms of the the author of salvation is actually common to all Trinity.

[41:08] But it was only the Son who died on the cross. Well, that's that's what he says. That's the difference because his visible mission is acting through visible some nature. The Holy Spirit's mission isn't acting through what appeared. He isn't.

[41:22] That's what he. That's what he says. That's the difference because Christ acts through the sign he assumed. The Holy Spirit doesn't act through the sign he assumed. So that's that's kind of the point I'm making is that it seems there's a kind of difference in that the mission of the Son seems to be proper to that person, where the mission of the invisible mission of the Holy Spirit in a way doesn't seem to be proper.

[41:43] Well, because in other words, as he explains earlier in the articles, what's meant by the invisible mission and its grace? But grace isn't the indwelling of one person of the Trinity, third person. That's not what grace is. It's not just the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the soul. And when you have an increase of grace, you don't have just an increase of the Holy Spirit. You have increase of the whole Trinity.

[42:06] So it's a new mode of existence, right? So you have this. That's what's meant. So if you think about what's meant by sending the Holy Spirit, it means that he takes on a new mode of existence in the creature. But it seems to me the Holy Spirit, as a separate person, as one person of Trinity, doesn't take on a new mode of existence without the others. So his being sent doesn't mean that the sign that he assumed means that the sign.

[42:31] I'm talking about the visible mission, right? Yeah, but you're talking about the visible mission of Christ. You're trying to compare visible and invisible. Well, I guess the point I'm making is, but when you compare the mission of the two persons, the mission of the one person seems to be proper to that person, where the mission of the other one doesn't seem to be proper. The mission of to be the author of sanctification is proper only to the Son.

[42:55] Yeah, because only only Christ assumed human nature. Only Christ. No, the Son assumed human nature. Only the Son, right? Only the Son, but he's but it doesn't belong properly to him to be the author of sanctification. As a sign, as a sign, his humanity belonged to him alone. It's true, and it wasn't that the instrument of our salvation. In other words, it was the Son It was the instrument because he chose a sign that to manifest his mission, he acted through the sign.

[43:19] But the mission isn't proper. I mean, see, the work that he accomplishes isn't proper to him. You're trying to compare the visible mission. And see, the mission. Go back to what you understand by mission. Mission is this: you take on a new mode of existence that you didn't have before. The Son took on just the Son took on a new mode of existence by assuming human nature, and that's what's meant by the visible mission, right?

[43:43] But the Holy Spirit doesn't take on a new mode of existence that's proper just to the Holy Spirit. Well, I think say two things here. One thing is the Holy Spirit doesn't come to us by himself. But

[44:02] you know, there's four kinds of causes, right? You're kind of emphasizing the the third kind of cause, the mover, the maker, right? Now, okay. Now the Holy Spirit doesn't by himself alone, right? Sanctify us, right? Okay, but there's another kind of cause, which is what the exemplar cause, right?

[44:32] So there's a way in which when we love, right, say by charity, let's say, we have a a likeness to the Holy Spirit in what is proper to him or private to him, you might say, because he proceeds as love, right? So I become like the Holy Spirit insofar as I love, right? In a way that's proper to him, yeah. Not that he alone loves, but because he, you know, he especially proceeds as love, right?

[45:07] Now I'm also called a what son of God, right? I should be a son of God, okay? But I'm a son of God according to what the Scripture says because I've been made what like the the Son of God, right? You see, and so I'm in becoming a son of God, I'm assimilated in some way to what is private to, you'd say, private to. That's the easiest word to use to the to the second person, right?

[45:42] Because he is a son, right? Even in his divine person, right? He's the Son of God, right? And so when I become a son of God, I take an likeness to to the Son rather than to the Father or the what Holy Spirit. I don't become the Father of God. Our Father of God, Mary's the Mother of God, but that's a little different point. But I don't become a.

[46:12] I never call the Father of God, am I? I mean, I'm a proud man, but I don't I don't I never, I never, you know, aspire to be the Father of God, right? But I do aspire to be a son of God, right? So, so there's something you know, where I'm assimilated to the Son, and by love I'm assimilated to the Holy Spirit, right? I suppose it's fire, you know, partly that warmth of the fire assimilates the that they're going out to preaching, you know, not the philosopher, but but with love for the what people they're going to try to convert, right?

[46:49] So they're they're inflamed by but with love to preach to the the crowds out there, right? The lost sheep of Israel first, right? And the Gentiles then, right? But when you say, so I'm saying that you speak of the causes, you know, God is a cause. We say in two and a half ways.

[47:13] He's the alpha and the omega, the beginning, the end, the mover or maker, and then the what, the end, right? But then the reason why I say half is he's not the intrinsic form of things. God is not my soul, right? But he's an exemplar, right? So God is our soul is made in the image and likeness of God, to the image and likeness of God, right?

[47:36] To indicate the distance. So he's a cause in the sense of an exemplar, right? An exemplar is kind of an extrinsic form that you imitate, right, or model after, right? So you know, they always talk about you know being a model to your children or something like that. Well, that's to be in a sense a cause, right? You know, we often imitate somebody that we admire or something like that, right?

[48:00] We try to be like that person, right? So if you think of that kind of a cause exemplar, right, rather than than maker, right, there's a way in which I'm like the Son and not the Father and the Holy Spirit, insofar as I am a son of God, right? And the way in which I'm like the Holy Spirit is in a as distinct from the Father and the Son, right?

[48:24] Insofar as I have this love, right. Is that exemplary causality talking about the same as the mission of the Holy Spirit? What's involved there? Because I'm being made like the Son and the Holy Spirit, right?

[48:41] Yeah, I'm being made I'm being made like the Son insofar as I I know, but now breathing love as he says, right? But still, insofar as I know, I become like the Son, right? And in a way, I don't become like the Holy Spirit or the Father, right? And insofar as I love, I become like the Holy Spirit, right?

[49:06] So there's something private, you know. I mean, they're distinct, you know, between the father and the son, in the what effect, right? In the effect. Yeah, because there's a special likeness to the Holy Spirit, or a special likeness to the Son. So that special that effect.

[49:26] But does that affect proper to the person Holy Spirit? Does that affect something? Again, I'm thinking in terms of efficiency, Father. Yeah, yeah. In terms of what? Yeah. But that's the yeah. See, if if I if I make a statue of you, right, you'd be the you know I'm modeling it making like you, right? But now I'd be the maker. I'd be Michelangelo, here it is, right?

[49:50] You see. But you you'd be a cause in some way of the statue too, right? Make a statue down in Virginia there of Washington. Right when Lafayette came back, you know, years afterwards, after Washington died, and he said, "Well, that's not exactly the way he looked. That's not the way he looked. Ah, the very man himself, you know. You know, he was struck by that. That one down, I guess, in the state house down there somewhere, Virginia, I think it is.

[50:17] So, so Washington was in a sense what? He's in that statue there, right? The very man himself. This goes back to an earlier article where we talked about the the Holy the Son is being sent, right? When we know him in a special way, right? But the knowledge says it breathes love. Okay, it's still fundamentally knowledge, right? But the knowledge breathes love, and then the love we're assimilated to the Holy Spirit.

[50:56] So there's something distinct there, you know. I know there's four kinds of causes. I was reading Thomas this morning there in the in between the wake and the funeral, talking about Aristotle distinguishes four senses of whole, right? And then when he gets through, You know, he says, "No, one against three, and then So he goes back to dividing four into two, right? " Which Aristotle doesn't do explicitly in the text; he just distinguishes four senses of whole, there, right?

[51:41] And uh, Thomas does. Okay. So I just want to take Article 8 before we take a little break here. Okay.