This idea I am about to say is as far as I know not taught by Aquinas. I don’t claim to fully understand it either but I believe it is taught in certain buddhist schools. I don’t know about catholism. In order to exist one must have also been non-existant. And both the existing and non-existant are in suffering. If anyone who knows can shed some light on it I certainly am listening. I am not saying that god has ever been non-existant in our understanding but who can understand god? I want to come close though.
Bill
Thank you very much for your time, consideration, and sharing your perspective.
Although I know I am operating within Aquinas’ Theology, I am very willing to stop discussing the Mystery of God’s Eternal Existence, my intentions are only to share a concept which has helped me grow tremendously in Love with Jesus Christ. So, if at any moment you feel uncomfortable with discussing this concept, know that I am ready to declare it is a Mystery, and move on to the greater purpose of doing God’s Will.
With that said, please consider the progression of developing these conceptualizations: Reflecting on the Scripture surrounding and defining the Greatest Commandments, it can be interpreted that the Foundation of all wisdom is found there.
Then recognizing that our person is inseparable from the nature, instead of trying to initially limit the concept to definitions, I simply considered: in reality, what makes up a person of the world? I have a body that feels and can tell my mind what it feels; I have a mind that thinks and can tell my body what it thinks my body should do; I have a will that requires strength and proceeds perfectly from the combination of the body and the mind; I am able to interact with other persons even when they are not physically there by recalling perfectly what they said, did, or looked liked, therefore I must have a spirit of an image, knowledge and will that other people can interact with when I am not physically present; I have the desiring of peace, happiness, energy, and wisdom as an individual and for society; the qualities of patience, kindness, motivation, and knowledge towards myself and society; the achievement of peace, happiness, energy, and wisdom in myself and my relationships.
Then considering the numerous references to God’s Image: His hands stretching the heavens, the earth is His footstool, He has a throne to be seated, in the bosom of the Father.
Then there is the logic of Jesus being Fully God: If Jesus was begotten, not created, and He had a physical body while on earth, and He has a physical body after resurrection, then God must have a body.
Then throughout Mass and Prayer, continually hearing Jesus, who is Fully God, say “This is my Body.” And recognizing that this is the most celebrated, the most amazing prayer of Catholicism, I pieced together that Jesus’ body is the body of God. At that point,……Wow! What a feeling to know that Jesus Christ fully and selflessly gave His Omnipotent and All-powerful Being up to share the Awesomeness of True Love! What an incredible level of sorrow I experienced to know that the only way for me to learn how to Truly Love others, was to have Him unjustly crucified.
Then the Nicene Creed and Scripture just began to fall into place! Jesus is Begotten. Jesus is one in Being (The Son is Fully the Body, The Father is the Fully the Mind). Through the Body of God, all things are made. If you have seen Jesus, you have seen God because they have the exact same image. The Holy Spirit is the Will of God, therefore God became man by using His Will. The Will of God proceeds from God’s Being and is not One in Being. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Through the Unity of the Son and the Holy Spirit, ALL Glory and Honor is God’s. Interpreted as, unifying that the Holy Spirit and the Son are the same person, but revealed as distinct persons.
Then it dawned on me that a Holy Spirit is the most difficult challenge for and pinnacle of person. For not only will the body, mind, and will be known as perfectly patient/peaceful, kind/happy, motivated/energetic, but also the spirit, that which everyone interacts with the person being physically there will be known as being and spreading the means to being perfectly patient/peaceful, kind/happy, and motivated/energetic. This was Jesus’ Holy Spirit at the time of His Last Supper and Crucifixion. However, in order to reveal that, a distinct and separate person from Jesus, must become One in His Holy Spirit, so that All the world will proclaim Jesus Christ as the Father of the world to come.
Please note: I recognize the necessity of God not having a body in the beginning, and in order to justify alignment, John 1:2 - “The same was in the beginning with God.” Which possibly allows for a speculation of what happened during “time” before creation.
Thoughts?
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