Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 One scan. We've come to trinity Sunday, so we'll take a look at the mystery of the most holy trinity and in the time we've got for sermon, it's extremely difficult to do a good summary of this revealed ministry without falling into some sort of heresy sent her to avoid that problem. We'll go over the same ground as before in the first place because it's doable and in second place because it hasn't changed and it never will. So anyway, before we get going, we have to remind ourselves the problem that we can have with our imaginations. When we're talking about spiritual realities, we have to remember that our imaginations, because we have bodies, our imaginations, their job is to make pictures of material things. So you picture a horse or an elephant or pink elephant or a blue horse or whatever, we can pitch them in our imagination.
Speaker 0 00:55 Those are changeable material representations of things. Those pictures, those material representations are found in our imagination. Ideas are not in our hand. Imagination ideas are an intellect. Ideas like justice. What does justice look like? How big is it? What color is it? Love Truth. These are ideas. These are unchanging spiritual concepts they're found in our intellect. Another example, we think we can think of trees, we can pinch your old trees, palm trees, pine trees, a whole series of different trees. All those pictures are in our imagination, but Trina's the idea behind him, the thing that's common in all the different kinds of trees that we can picture, that never changes. That's in our intellect. The images are in our imagination or weapons. We can think of Tomahawks, you know, black powder rifles, uh, a bombs, F sixteens. We can go down a whole list of different things that are weapons.
Speaker 0 01:53 All those things can go on those images that we picture. As I say those words, like AK 47 or something. The image we get, that's an image that's in our imagination. But weapons, anise never changes. That's my idea. And that's in our intellect weapon. This is a spiritual reality. It never changes, but the images can cause. Those are different particular things. Okay? Anyway, our imaginations make pictures of material things. We've got bodies because many of our aspects of our faith are purely spiritual realities. Any EMH we make, those is going to be wrong. When we make an image of an angel, angels don't look like guys with white Catholics and wings. That's just an image of a spiritual reality. Angels Don't look like anything. They're spiritual beads and angel is where it acts, but it doesn't look like they can appear like that. But they can appear like all kinds of things.
Speaker 0 02:48 You know, change on Boscos. Angel would appear sometimes as a black lab. You know, angels can appear in all kinds of different ways, but they don't have bodies. So when they appear, it's how they choose to present themselves to us if they appear. Okay? Anyway, our imagination can't help making pictures of spiritual realities because their imagination makes pictures. But we have to remind ourselves that it's wrong. Now, when we had geometry, when we're kids, we already learned this, although we might not know it. When you started studying geometric points, then you learned that at point, does it take up any space? It doesn't have any spreads. You sharpen your pencil, you keep making little, little of their dots, no matter how little of a dot. Yo, when you're kid figured, boy, there's still some spread to it. I try to figure out, I can't make it you ma.
Speaker 0 03:32 I can understand it, but anytime I can't make a picture of the dad gum thing because no matter what I make, it's going to spread out. So I can have an idea that you metric point that exists my intellect, but I can't draw one cause it's just gonna to, it's going to have some spread to it. That's how it works. So we already know the image in my imagination with geometric pointy, but it's a little black dot. Full white space. Perfectly white sheet of paper. The image is wrong, but I still understand the idea. Okay. So we already learned when we're kids, we can understand a concept even when our images is wrong. The point is is we can understand spirituality's with our intellect, but the image and our imaginations can be wrong. So we don't want to allow ourselves to be misled. Our imagination can't depict spiritualities.
Speaker 0 04:17 It isn't meant to depict spiritualities. So we don't want to worry about it. Whatever it depicts, we just relax. It can't help it but we don't worry. The most bus at trinity is the pure spirit. So any image we make the most spice attorney is always going to be wrong, but we don't want to worry about that and calculate off the image that we've created in our magic. The most plus attorney doesn't look like a shamrock with all due respect to Saint Patrick and I'm not making fun of the Great Saint Patrick. I'm just saying if we have an idea of the shamrock we have to remember that is a shamrock, that's not God and at the image is wrong. Okay, so we just don't want to confuse ourselves. Okay. This is the very hardest topic to preach on especially cause the limited amount of time we have. So we're going to rely on sentigast in his explanation of the mystery and most holy trinity.
Speaker 0 05:05 And to do that we're going to lean really heavily on frank sheet cause he's so great. Okay. We're going to try to pack an explanation of the central mystery of our faith in about 15 minutes. Now in seminary, we took the whole semester in this and this is deep and we're going to try to do this on 15 minutes, so this is just going to be really flying over the surface. Okay, so we need to review these three terms. Once again, mystery, nature and person, and hopefully these are starting to get hammered down. Mystery. We talk about mysteries of our faith. What do we mean? One thing we don't mean is it's a mystery without a clue, like some murder mystery, you know I Maine or something. We don't mean mystery in the ordinary way of speaking like, oh well nobody knows about that. It's pointless to even consider it.
Speaker 0 05:55 God didn't decide to reveal mysteries to us like an issue knows holy Trudy, so that we could say, oh, well mystery, let's not think about it. That is not the point of a mystery. A Ministry of faith is something that God explicitly wants us to think about where he wouldn't have told us about it. He wants us to think about it, but the point of a mystery of the faith is even when we think about it, even if we could think about it for all eternity, it's something that we're never going to be able to fully comprehend. The point is he wants us to keep thinking about a mystery like the Holy Trinity, and we'll keep penetrating deeper and deeper into this mystery and get more and more insights. But even if we do this for all eternity and please go to, we will get to heaven.
Speaker 0 06:38 If we do that for all eternity, we'll still never be able to flick her, but why not? Well, it's easy to see. On the one hand, we have this puny little finite handle act and other hand retained to comprehend the infinite God. You can't get God inside your mind if you, if you think you can, then we'll have everything about isn't God okay? So we can't get our minds around God. So mystery of our faith is an inexhaustible truth. It's a truth, but it's inexhaustible. You can think about forever and ever and keep understanding more and more of and never get all the details, so that's mystery. Nature talked about this recently. Imagine we're staying in a cabin in the woods late at night. Well, here's some weird crazy noise and we wonder what is that? Is that a Kale mount line? The grizzly bear? What is it?
Speaker 0 07:25 We asked the question, what is it? We're asking a question about nature's nature as a philosophical term. It's the whiteness of something. Fish. How fish nature's. They have gills. They swim poop. They breathe water. They swim, okay. They act a certain way. Birds have bird nature. They have feathers, they lay eggs and so forth. We have human nature. Men have a body and spiritual soul. We can wire can talk and laugh and think in ordinary language. Nature answers the questions. What is it and what can it do? What is it? What can it do? That's what in nature is. When we ask what is it? What can it do? We're asking what's its nature? Okay? That's nature person. Now imagine when that cabin in the woods and we hear a noise like this, we hear someone knocking at the door. We don't go, what does that, is that a tree?
Speaker 0 08:16 Is that a Chrisley bear? I mean, you know when somebody says something like that, you know they've had a little too much brandy that night because you're not wondering if when you hear something knocking on the door, you say, who's there now? What's that start running? It'd be weird if you open up the door and there wasn't anything there. It give people the creeps, you know? Then you hear the horror music coming out. Why? Because we know that a person would say, who is it? We know it's a human being already. All right, we wonder who there and not what's there. Okay. Who is there? We already know. It's somewhat the human nature. When we ask a question, who we're asking a question about persons. Nature determines what something is and what it can do, but person, that's who's knocking, that's who's doing a particular thing.
Speaker 0 08:54 Okay. Let's take an example here. All of us here have human nature except in the course for the angels and the stupid devils that are hanging out right now. Okay? So we're all different persons. Who am I am father, Wolf. You know all the abilities of a particular thing. I would turn it in by its nature, what it is and what it can do when men, so we can talk. Our nature doesn't talk. We talk. A person talks, I'm talking. Hopefully you're not. I'm talking. Okay. A particular person who's doing the abilities of a particular thing are determined by it's nature, but a person performs the actions. Okay. My nature isn't talking. I'm talking by the wolf. A person, you're sitting, you're listening. At least we hope so. Your nature isn't listening. Your breathing, your nature isn't breathing, okay? You're thinking your nature isn't thinking of particular person's doing.
Speaker 0 09:42 Speaking, laughing, thinking, breathing. All these things are possible because we have a particular kind of a nature, but our nature doesn't do them. Okay? Our nature doesn't do anything. We do something a person. Okay. One other important point we don't ask who is that? We see something like a new fruit or vegetable in the produce part of the city. You know, if somebody says, who is that? Why not? Because vegetables aren't persons, neither rocks, minerals, animals, dogs, carrots. These are not clouds. These aren't, these aren't whose persons are different than that person's. Our particular kind of wetness person's always have what's called a rational nature. A character doesn't have a rational nature of dog, doesn't have a rational nature. Cloud doesn't. Persons have irrational nature. Rational nature means it is a being that can know and it can love. A person can know in love.
Speaker 0 10:36 There are only three kinds of persons because there are only three kinds of persons that can know and love. There's men, there's angels, and there's God. Those are the three kinds of beans that can know and love the three kind of beings that have rational natures. So nature tells us, what is it? What can it do? Person tells us who is it, who's actually doing it. Nature tells us, what is it? What can it do? Person tells us who is it, who's actually doing it? A mystery is some inexhaustible truth that we can never completely understand. We can keep drawing more and more out of it as we kind of played it. The bus bus at trinity is the central mystery of our faith. Also, remember God's infinite spirit. So any pitcher we make are the most blessed that trinity is automatically wrong. We can't help making pictures. That's what imagination does, but don't be misled by the picture. Just remember it's wrong and all that is background. So let's get started. God's knowledge and his love are infinite. His knowledge and his love are infinite, and this raises two questions. Since God's knowledge is infinite, what is he thinking about? And since his love is infinite, whom does he love? What is can I think about at home? Does he love first? What does God think about? God has an idea, but he only has one idea. God, he has an idea, but he only has one idea. He already knows everything.
Speaker 0 12:30 He hasn't forgot anything. When he can't learn anything he's got, he fits the job description. Here's one idea. It can never change. It's an eternal, unchanging idea. Again, it's unchanging. He isn't going to learn anything and he can forget anything and he's infinite, infinite. He's just a word that means limitless. There's no limits. Since God is infinite, it means he's the one front only infinite being there is what it can be. That cannot be two limitless bs. One would be a limit on the other. You can think about that later. Don't go down that trail right now. Let's stay with this, but that's important to kind of play. Okay? Anyway, God is infinite and he has an infinite intellect. Now, the only thing an infinite mind can find that's even worth thinking about
Speaker 0 13:29 is the infinite B. What does this mean? It means that the idea God has in his infinite mind is the ID has about himself and it can't change his ideas is eternal, is he is. He doesn't suddenly think of something. It never changes. This is why it's important to contemplate this stuff because it's so different in a sense that as he's given us the power to think, but we don't have any experiences because our ideas flow all the time. The more powerful an angel is, the less ideas it has, the more simple, the more comprehensive it's ideas, the most powerful and just have a very simple idea that can comprehend very, very things because they're closer to God spiritually in that way than we are. We keep learning and angel knows it all just like that. Bang, it's poured in. So we can see this when we think a little bit about angels, when we're thinking about God, it's just uncredible his idea doesn't change to us.
Speaker 0 14:25 It might seem at first place. Well that means he's kind of simple. It does mean that, but it doesn't mean it in a way. We mean when we say somebody simple. He is simple in the sense that there's no complication to him. He gets it all, all at once. Okay, so anyway, he has an idea. That's his eternal is he is. It doesn't suddenly think of it. And here's another extraordinary aspect to that. The idea that God has of himself is it must be absolutely perfect. Why? Because he knows everything and that means that what's ever in God must also be in his idea. Whatever is in God must be in his idea of himself. Whatever is in God's idea of himself must be absolutely in exactly the same as it is in himself. Otherwise he wouldn't have a clear idea of himself, which means he'd be ignorant of something which is impossible.
Speaker 0 15:21 Okay, so whatever's in God must be in his idea of himself and it must be exactly the same and as idea as it is in himself, okay, that's really important. Might want to move that over later, but whatever's in God must be in his idea of himself and it must be exactly the same as idea as it is in himself. Otherwise, God wouldn't know everything about himself, woody, and that's impossible. That's so much different than our kind of ideas. That's impossible for us to imagine, but don't worry about our imaginations. It's not impossible. Understand, we can't comprehend it, but we can understand that now it gets even more interesting. Any idea we might have is a thing, rds or things, our idea of weapon. This is a thing or do you have justice is a thing. Idea of truth is a thing that's not true with God. Whatever is in God must be in his idea of himself and sense it must be exactly the same in his idea as it is in himself. That means that since God can know and love that his idea of himself must be able to know and love. Since God can know love his idea must know love. In other words, his idea is not a thing things can't know and love persons can know and love. His idea is a person.
Speaker 0 16:42 Now there's more and ideas and just off floating off in space somewhere. Ideas don't just drift off. We have an idea. This is just goes fucking drifting off and sit up on a shelf or something like that. Okay. On thought isn't an mind and a thinker. So this one idea of God has to be the same identical nature as the thinker. It has to be okay, so God's idea of himself as a person, but it's also in the same nature. God conceives within his own infinite nature, a perfect infinite idea, which because it is an idea, is completely within his nature. And because it's a perfect idea of himself, completely contains his nature, his idea, God's idea of himself is eternal. It's unchanging. He has an internal unchanged idea. His idea is that eternal, unchanging word. The thinker is the first person, the most holy trinity, the father, and the idea of the word is the second person, the most holy trinity, the son. So what does God think about? He thinks about himself.
Speaker 0 17:57 All right, so God thinks about himself, but whom does he love? Well, we have a beautiful idea. We can admire it. We can dwell on it. We can even love it. What a great idea. You know, we can fall in love with that. Great ideas. How often we do those kinds of things, how it still, at the end of the day, it's only an idea. It's a thing. We can love it, but our idea can't return that love, can it? No Way. But as we've seen God's idea of himself, this eternal word is not some thing, but it's some, one is ideas. A person, the second person, the most bless had trinity just as God is absolutely and totally an infinitely perfect and worthy of all love. So his ID is absolutely in totally perfect and infinitely worthy of all love. And so the thinker, which is the father and the word to son love each other with a perfect and infinite love.
Speaker 0 18:51 Each person pours themselves out totally towards the other, holding nothing back. And this love the father have for one another is eternal, unchanging, infinite has every perfection they do. It's a person, it's someone, third person, the most holy trinity. And of course the love the father, the son, half one other totally feel their whole nature producing a third person from all eternity. But again, this person is within the same divine nature. So second person door, the son proceeds from the father and is generated by way at the end lacked and third person, the Holy Ghost proceeds from the father and the son by way of the will, one divine nature express totally as thinker express, totally as were expressed totally as love. Three divine persons, one divine nature. What are you question about nature? God, who are you? Question about person, father, son, Holy Ghost. Three distinct persons but not three separate persons.
Speaker 0 19:56 They're three distinct persons, but they're not three separate persons. These three divine persons do not share the divine nature. They don't show divine nature. Each one possesses it. Totally. The father possesses it. Totally. The son possesses it. Totally. The Holy Ghost possesses it. Totally. Okay. Let's review. Since God is infinite spirit, any picture that we may can, we cannot help make him any pitch. We make the most busted. Trinity is wrong. We can't help make you mental pictures. That's our imaginations do, but we don't want to be misled by the picture. We just want to remember it's wrong and think about in spite of the pitch, just like we learned to do with geometric points, a mystery is an inexhaustible truth. We can never completely understand. We can keep drawing more and more out of as we contemplate it. Huh? We can see more and more deeper insights.
Speaker 0 20:47 Nature tells us what is it? What can it do? Person tells us who is it, who's actually doing it. Now with respect to the trinity, God's idea of himself, the turtle, where does a person and just his God is absolutely an infinitely perfect and worthy fall. Love, saucers, ideas, absolutely and truly perfect and worthy, all love and so the father, the thinker and his idea of the word, the son love one another with a perfect and infinite love. Each person pours himself out totally towards the other, holding nothing back and this love that the father and the holy ghost or son, half for each other is eternal, unchanging, infinite person. The Holy Ghost, the third person, the most bus, trinity, the second person or the son proceeds from the father and is generated by way the intellect and a third person. The Holy Ghost proceeds from of father son by way of the will.
Speaker 0 21:39 God's three distinct persons, but he's not three separate persons. These three divine persons do not share the divine nature. Each person possesses it. Totally. The fodder possesses it. Totally. The son possesses it. Totally. The Holy Ghost possesses it. Totally. Three things you can do today. One, pray for light to come to deeper understanding. Not a better image. A deeper understanding of this ministry. Second part of the words, and then I've seen creed true about to sing. Third Ponder of the words, the preface of today's mass. Let's close with a passage from the Fourth Lateran Council 1215 quote. We firmly believe and simply confess that there's only one true God, eternal and immeasurable, all mighty, unchangeable and comprehensible and ineffable. Father, son and Holy Spirit. Three persons, but one absolutely simple essence and substance or nature. The father is from none. The son from the father alone and the Holy Spirit from both equally, eternally without beginning or end, the father generating the son being born in the Holy Spirit proceeding cod, some statue and co Eco call omnipotent and coeternal close quote. And keep in mind that when the state of grace, the most bus, trinity is dwelling in the depths of our soul with this procession to see turn a procession going on at depths ourselves, needs dwelling within us as a friend.
