Whether It Is Fitting for the Son to Be Sent Invisibly?
Objection 1: It would seem that it is not fitting for the Son to be
sent invisibly. For invisible mission of the divine person is
according to the gift of grace. But all gifts of grace belong to the
Holy Ghost, according to 1 Cor. 12:11: "One and the same Spirit
worketh all things." Therefore only the Holy Ghost is sent invisibly.
Obj. 2: Further, the mission of the divine person is according to
sanctifying grace. But the gifts belonging to the perfection of the
intellect are not gifts of sanctifying grace, since they can be held
without the gift of charity, according to 1 Cor. 13:2: "If I should
have prophecy, and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and
if I should have all faith so that I could move mountains, and have
not charity, I am nothing." Therefore, since the Son proceeds as the
word of the intellect, it seems unfitting for Him to be sent
invisibly.
Obj. 3: Further, the mission of the divine person is a procession, as
expounded above (AA. 1, 4). But the procession of the Son and of the
Holy Ghost differ from each other. Therefore they are distinct
missions if both are sent; and then one of them would be superfluous,
since one would suffice for the creature's sanctification.
_On the contrary,_ It is said of divine Wisdom (Wis. 9:10): "Send her
from heaven to Thy Saints, and from the seat of Thy greatness."
_I answer that,_ The whole Trinity dwells in the mind by sanctifying
grace, according to John 14:23: "We will come to him, and will make Our
abode with him." But that a divine person be sent to anyone by
invisible grace signifies both that this person dwells in a new way
within him and that He has His origin from another. Hence, since both
to the Son and to the Holy Ghost it belongs to dwell in the soul by
grace, and to be from another, it therefore belongs to both of them to
be invisibly sent. As to the Father, though He dwells in us by grace,
still it does not belong to Him to be from another, and consequently
He is not sent.
Reply Obj. 1: Although all the gifts, considered as such, are
attributed to the Holy Ghost, forasmuch as He is by His nature the
first Gift, since He is Love, as stated above (Q. 38, A. 1), some
gifts nevertheless, by reason of their own particular nature, are
appropriated in a certain way to the Son, those, namely, which belong
to the intellect, and in respect of which we speak of the mission of
the Son. Hence Augustine says (De Trin. iv, 20) that "The Son is sent
to anyone invisibly, whenever He is known and perceived by anyone."
Reply Obj. 2: The soul is made like to God by grace. Hence for a
divine person to be sent to anyone by grace, there must needs be a
likening of the soul to the divine person Who is sent, by some gift
of grace. Because the Holy Ghost is Love, the soul is assimilated to
the Holy Ghost by the gift of charity: hence the mission of the Holy
Ghost is according to the mode of charity. Whereas the Son is the
Word, not any sort of word, but one Who breathes forth Love. Hence
Augustine says (De Trin. ix 10): "The Word we speak of is knowledge
with love." Thus the Son is sent not in accordance with every and any
kind of intellectual perfection, but according to the intellectual
illumination, which breaks forth into the affection of love, as is
said (John 6:45): "Everyone that hath heard from the Father and hath
learned, cometh to Me," and (Ps. 38:4): "In my meditation a fire
shall flame forth." Thus Augustine plainly says (De Trin. iv, 20):
"The Son is sent, whenever He is known and perceived by anyone." Now
perception implies a certain experimental knowledge; and this is
properly called wisdom [sapientia], as it were a sweet knowledge
[sapida scientia], according to Ecclus. 6:23: "The wisdom of doctrine
is according to her name."
Reply Obj. 3: Since mission implies the origin of the person Who is
sent, and His indwelling by grace, as above explained (A. 1), if we
speak of mission according to origin, in this sense the Son's mission
is distinguished from the mission of the Holy Ghost, as generation is
distinguished from procession. If we consider mission as regards the
effect of grace, in this sense the two missions are united in the
root which is grace, but are distinguished in the effects of grace,
which consist in the illumination of the intellect and the kindling
of the affection. Thus it is manifest that one mission cannot be
without the other, because neither takes place without sanctifying
grace, nor is one person separated from the other.
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