SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS’ THE PROCESSION OF THE DIVINE PERSONS

2/6/2024

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Whether there is procession in God?

There is a procession of God. This is understood as proceeding FROM a source (God) TO a calculated end (goodness) by an Undiminished Primary Substance (also God), but not as we understand it in the material principle, as if a fourth of July parade were marching through the streets in an orderly fashion from start to finish. In another way, when we start a burner and place a pot over it with water, the heat from the fire transfers to the pot and boils the water. From there, we pour the water into a cup and it becomes something else (like a cup of tea). This is an orderly movement which originated from a source (the will of the one making tea) and we best can understand its procession by its effects (a cup of tea to drink). The fire does not become the tea, nor does the pot become the boiling water. Now, we can not apply these examples in the material principle to the procession of God fully with accuracy, because God is above all things, and it is improper to understand God truly by the procession of creatures, similitudes which fall short, or lower things in nature which cannot equal Him. Rather, it would be more appropriate to say that what comes forth and proceeds from God does not leave Him, but still remains in Him as belonging to Him. In this way, the First Principle is unchanging, as He is the First Mover who puts all things into motion, who Himself is unmoved. Where some have fallen into error, they believed the Son and the Holy Spirit came from the Father as a primary creature (like a high level angel or the highest level manager giving reports back to the owner of a business) rather than from the same substance equal to the Father, thus reducing God the Son and God the Holy Spirit to a creature of their own likeness as human (limited and bound to their own understanding) while shifting from the First Principle to another as if effects could nullify causes, which is impossible. Even more so, those who fell into error and who have strayed away from the fundamental belief which makes one a Christian (The Holy Trinity), remained in the false belief that the procession which takes place from the Source of Life (God who is One in Three and Three in One) became a mere effect, thus denying the Divinity of whom God revealed to us as True God/True Man (Son) and the Spirit Advocate (Holy Spirit). Finally, the Word of God uses names and descriptions to help us understand His procession and in this way the voice and letter of what we hear or read aligns with what is already present in our heart but was silent because God has given all humans, who are rational beings like the angels, the intellect to know Him and receive Him, even if they still choose to use their own freewill to reject Him which is another way of succumbing to hatred of self and others, for if someone cannot love the Source of Everything, this one cannot even love others around them as they should, nor can this one even love oneself!

Whether any procession in God can be called generation?

Procession in God can be called generation. This has two layers: the first layer means the transition from non-existence to existence, non-being to being, and nothingness (not the state of death) to life. The second layer is coming forth by generation into existence from a conjoined living principle to which we know as being brought into the world by way of resembling someone or something else. For example, a husband and wife have a child and that child comes out of the womb with fingers and toes, hair, two eyeballs, a face, limbs, and skin which is similar to the newborn baby’s parents. Human springs forth from humans, while reptiles spring forth from reptiles, but the source of all of them is the First Living Principle which we know as God; conjoined by a similar likeness/image/trait/spirit, as the Lord said “let us make man in our image according to our likeness.” On the other hand, it would not be proper to call a parasitic worm in the stomach a begotten son or a pimple upon the skin surface an extension of one’s being. Nor would it even be proper to say that a toe, since it is part of your body, could be in comparison to a child which also springs forth from one’s body. Would the parent equate the same value to the child as the toe, the pimple, or the parasitic worm found in the stomach? Absolutely not, for these things mentioned which are part of the body are not worthy of sonship because they do not reflect the same nature of the one whom the generation came forth. Furthermore, while containing one layer, they ultimately lack both layers of what we know to be generation in the sense of life springing forth from a conjoined principle resembling the source. Now, as it is for God and the procession of the Word, which is The Son (who is The Word made flesh), we see that it is rightly called generation as The Word proceeding from The Father is rightly called Son (Lord Jesus Christ).

Whether any other procession exists in God besides that of the Word?

There are two processions in God: First, the procession of The Word which is rightfully called Son and Begotten (to which we know as The Christ or Messiah); Second, the procession of Love which is also known as the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, and The Helper as the Holy Apostle John proclaims from his gospel in John 14:16 where he quotes the direct words from Lord Jesus Christ Himself as an eye witness.

Whether the procession of love in God is generation?

As the Church fathers have stated plainly so as to make clear to everyone; the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son as proceeding forth into the world by a movement of Love and is not begotten as the Son is. Now, to expand upon this distinction, one must plainly understand the differentiation of intellect and will. By way of the intellect, generation occurs in that what springs forth by an intelligible action (birth, works, intelligent operations) resembles the likeness of the intellect from which the generation occurred and this is known as begotten. As for the movement of the will which springs forth from the intellect, this must be known as an impulse or willful movement towards an object for a set purpose while not becoming the same procession as we see in the Son as begotten, but rather a different procession known as Love which is the Spirit of Truth. To elaborate further, to receive the Holy Spirit in fullness without diminishment, one must not only acknowledge the Father, but also acknowledge His Son because nobody who denies either the Father or the Son can receive The Holy Spirit which proceeds from both the Father and the Son.

Whether there are more than two processions in God?

There are only two processions in God coming forth from the intellect and the will; the procession of the Son who is begotten (intellect), and the procession of Love (the Spirit of Truth) which is the Holy Spirit (will). Remembering that God is in the fullness of understanding of all things in existence or could exist by one simple act while also willing all things into existence that do exist by this same act. The Oneness of His actions in creation through His Word (Son) and Love (Holy Spirit) are sufficient and made whole. Therefore, there are only two processions in God and they are sufficient for what is needed.

I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.

Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 27-49 from newadvent.org with permission.

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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