Can someone tell me why it says THIS in our catechism?

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buzzoff1031

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“The Word became flesh to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature’:‘For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.’ ‘For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.’ ‘The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.’”
[CCC 460 (emphasis mine)]
 
You quoted this paragraph somewhat incorrectly, and you omitted the footnotes, which answer your question:

CCC Part I the Profession of Faith, Article 3
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary
I. Why did the Word become Flesh?
460
The Word became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature”:78 "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God."79 "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God."80 "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods."81
78. 2Pet.1-4
79. Cf. Mk 8:34
80. St. Athanasius, De inc, 54, 3 :PG,25,192B
81. St. Thomas Aquinas, Opusc. 57:1-4

The citations from those writings of the fathers of the Church are contained in the companion to the CCC, or available widely on-line

The Catechism reads as it does because this is the Truth, revealed by God, protected and handed on through the Catholic Church.
 
Puzzleannie gives sage advice: check the footnotes! 😉

This is an old phrase in the history of the Church going at least as far back as St. Irenaeus in the second century (see III,10, 2Against Heresies). The theological term is “divinization” or “theosis”. It has long been part of the theological patrimony of the Church, probably moreso in the East than in the West.

What this does not mean is that (similar to some Eastern religions) we become some amorphous drop in the cosmic divine when we die. It also does not mean that we literally become God, the Creator of all (nor that we become Gods of our own personal planet as the Mormons believe).

In a vastly oversimplified nutshell, it basically means that God becames man in Jesus in order to bring us into a union with Him that is closer and more intimate than anything we can imagine. He emptied Himself to become one of us in order to raise us up to a level of dignity we could never attain on our own.
 
I did a little more research and found that it is meant that we take part of the divine nature. In other words, since the offspring of humans is human, and, through Christ, we become children of God, the offspring of God are “gods.” But why would it be stated so bluntly that “we become God?”
 
buzzoff1031 said:
I did a little more research and found that it is meant that we take part of the divine nature. In other words, since the offspring of humans is human, and, through Christ, we become children of God, the offspring of God are “gods.” But why would it be stated so bluntly that “we become God?”
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I think the simple answer is that it sounds prettier and more poetic that way. 😉 There’s probably some specific name for this type of phrase, but the name escapes me. It’s sort of a reverse repetition. “God became man so that man might become God.” It’s all very symmetrical.

The phrase does seem odd to our 21st century ears. I think the main thing to keep in mind is that it was composed centuries ago in a culture much different than our own. It would probably help to have an understanding of ancient Greek and Latin, too.
 
buzzoff1031 said:
I did a little more research and found that it is meant that we take part of the divine nature. In other words, since the offspring of humans is human, and, through Christ, we become children of God, the offspring of God are “gods.” But why would it be stated so bluntly that “we become God?”
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In Eastern Orthodoxy, theosis has a different meaning than it does in Catholicism, and might better explain the “become God” phrase. In Orthodoxy, theosis means that one becomes (by Grace) one with God’s Energies, but not God’s Essence. And, in Orthodoxy, God’s Energies are as equally God as God’s Essence is. So, by becoming (by Grace) one with God’s Energies, that means we “become God” – without becoming what God is in His Essence.
 
Ahimsa said:
In Eastern Orthodoxy, theosis has a different meaning than it does in Catholicism, and might better explain the “become God” phrase. In Orthodoxy, theosis means that one becomes (by Grace) one with God’s Energies, but not God’s Essence. And, in Orthodoxy, God’s Energies are as equally God as God’s Essence is. So, by becoming (by Grace) one with God’s Energies, that means we “become God” – without becoming what God is in His Essence.
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There is no difference between the teaching in Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

The Energies/Essence distinction is merely one theological way to describe how we can obtain the properties of the Divine Nature without becoming the Divine Nature. The Latin tradition teaches the exact same thing. St. Thomas Aquinas goes into great detail about it in the Summa Theologiae, and St. John of the Cross puts it quite poetically and beautifully when he says:
This signifies: He that is not born again in the Holy Spirit will not be able to see this kingdom of God, which is the state of perfection; and to be born again in the Holy Spirit in this life is to have a soul most like to God in purity, having in itself no admixture of imperfection, so that pure transformation can be wrought in it through participation of union, albeit not essentially.
  1. In order that both these things may be the better understood, let us make a comparison. A ray of sunlight is striking a window. If the window is in any way stained or misty, the sun’s ray will be unable to illumine it and transform it into its own light, totally, as it would if it were clean of all these things, and pure; but it will illumine it to a lesser degree, in proportion as it is less free from those mists and stains; and will do so to a greater degree, in proportion as it is cleaner from them, and this will not be because of the sun’s ray, but because of itself; so much so that, if it be wholly pure and clean, the ray of sunlight will transform it and illumine it in such wise that it will itself seem to be a ray and will give the same light as the ray. Although in reality the window has a nature distinct from that of the ray itself, however much it may resemble it, yet we may say that that window is a ray of the sun or is light by participation. And the soul is like this window, whereupon is ever beating (or, to express it better, wherein is ever dwelling) this Divine light of the Being of God according to nature, which we have described.
  2. In thus allowing God to work in it, the soul (having rid itself of every mist and stain of the creatures, which consists in having its will perfectly united with that of God, for to love is to labour to detach and strip itself for God’s sake of all that is not God) is at once illumined and transformed in God, and God communicates to it His supernatural Being, in such wise that it appears to be God Himself, and has all that God Himself has. And this union comes to pass when God grants the soul this supernatural favour, that all the things of God and the soul are one in participant transformation; and the soul seems to be God rather than a soul, and is indeed God by participation; although it is true that its natural being, though thus transformed, is as distinct from the Being of God as it was before, even as the window has likewise a nature distinct from that of the ray, though the ray gives it brightness.
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Some Eastern Orthodox who don’t understand Latin theology have claimed that there is a difference, but there really is not.

As a parting example, here’s a recent Latin theologian, one who taught Pope John Paul II:
Therefore Deity as such cannot be partaken of except by some essentially supernatural gift. And, conversely, grace cannot be essentially supernatural unless it is a formal and physical participation in the divine nature as divine, that is, in the intimate life of God, or Deity as Deity, ordaining us to the knowledge of God as He Himself knows Himself immediately and to the love of God as He loves Himself.
Furthermore, sanctifying grace is a participation in Deity as it is in itself and not merely as it is known to us. For it is produced in our soul by an immediate infusion altogether independently of our knowledge of the Deity; and just as Deity as such is communicated to the Son by eternal generation, so Deity as such is partaken of by the just, especially by the blessed, through divine adoption.

Hence, materially, grace is a finite accident, an entitative habit, but formally it is a formal participation in Deity as it is in itself, as it subsists in the three persons. Thus it is clearly evident that Deity as such in a certain sense surpasses being and intellection, since all absolutely simple perfections are identified in the eminence of Deity and can be naturally participated in, but Deity cannot be participated in naturally.
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Peace and God bless!
 
The fact that you’re becoming God doesn’t mean you’ll ever get there. You won’t. 😛
 
buzzoff1031 said:
I did a little more research and found that it is meant that we take part of the divine nature. In other words, since the offspring of humans is human, and, through Christ, we become children of God, the offspring of God are “gods.” But why would it be stated so bluntly that “we become God?”
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Paragraph 460 does not say “we become God?”

Becoming children through Christ takes place after our birth. Therefore, there are no offspring of God who are “gods”. God created human beings.

Since you are interested in research, check out the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, ISBN: 1-57455-109-4
Read paragraphs 355 -361. In fact the whole section about humanity is very informative.

Handy link to the *Catechism of the Catholic Church *
www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Blessings,
granny

These two websites contain TV ads about Catholicism. The first is from one of the Dioceses which is using them. The second is general information.
 
Ghosty said:
It does, actually. He directly quoted it and put it in bold.

Peace and God bless!
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Here is the quote –
‘For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.’

Paragraph 460 is one of those which needs to be read in conjunction with other paragraphs to understand the meaning. For example: Paragraph 356 “…he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God’s own life.”

Please check out the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, ISBN: 1-57455-109-4
Read paragraphs 355 -361. In fact the whole section about humanity is very informative.

Blessings,
granny

Handy link to the *Catechism of the Catholic Church *
www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
 
I know what the teaching is, I’m just pointing out that it does say we do become God. This means that we share in the Divine Nature, not that we become the Divine Nature as God is (as the Mormon tradition was, for instance). I know this.

My point is that it’s inappropriate to downplay what the Church teaches in this regard. The Fathers said we become God because we participate in and share the Divine Nature, and while their words might give us pause today they should be taken seriously. We don’t become God the exact same way that God became man, but we do indeed become Divine.

Peace and God bless!
 
Ghosty said:
I know what the teaching is, I’m just pointing out that it does say we do become God. This means that we share in the Divine Nature, not that we become the Divine Nature as God is (as the Mormon tradition was, for instance). I know this.

My point is that it’s inappropriate to downplay what the Church teaches in this regard. The Fathers said we become God because we participate in and share the Divine Nature, and while their words might give us pause today they should be taken seriously. We don’t become God the exact same way that God became man, but we do indeed become Divine.

Peace and God bless!
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I understand what you are saying. Thank you. May I add to your concern about downplaying…What is also being downplayed in our materialistic society is that humans have an immaterial, immortal, spiritual soul with the powers of intellect and will.

Blessings,
granny

These two websites contain TV ads about Catholicism. The first is from one of the Dioceses which is using them. The second is general information.
 
grannymh said:
I understand what you are saying. Thank you. May I add to your concern about downplaying…What is also being downplayed in our materialistic society is that humans have an immaterial, immortal, spiritual soul with the powers of intellect and will.

Blessings,
granny

These two websites contain TV ads about Catholicism. The first is from one of the Dioceses which is using them. The second is general information.


[](http://www.catholicscomehome.org/)
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If not downplayed, then this fact is certainly ignored or unrecognized. Society has fallen so far that we’ve regressed to the thinking of pagans 3000-years past. At least when Rome fell all we lost was sanitation some medical knowledge; we’ve somehow managed to keep those things while losing the ability to think. 😦

Please give kisses to your granchildren for me.

Peace and God bless!
 
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