Theological Tidbits

Theological Tidbits are written by our staff theologian, Jason Cox.

Apr. 13, 2025

God carries on the work of sanctification by giving human beings His very own life—grace. This self-gift of God is clearly identified with the Holy Spirit. Just as it is fitting for the Son, Who is the Wisdom of God, to reveal the truths about God to us, so it is fitting for the Holy Spirit, Who is Love, to sanctify us by giving us God’s life. Love unites persons. In the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit—Love unites Father and Son. In the world, the Holy Spirit through His gift of divine love—i.e., divine life or grace, unites human beings in the union of all those who share God’s grace.

Apr. 6, 2025

The incarnation shows us the self-gift—love—of God. God “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7). He emptied Himself—i.e., He gave Himself and he who gives, loves. God’s stupendous love is also marvelously present on the cross: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).

Mar. 30, 2025

Christ’s life is not only the most complete manifestation of God’s wisdom, it is also an act of divine power. The power of God can be seen in the union of the two natures in the one divine Person. The power of God is also obviously present in the miracles of Christ and in the resurrection. But the awesome power of God can most clearly be seen in the effect of the paschal mystery: death is conquered with death.

Mar. 23, 2025

The work of revelation, the unveiling of God’s wisdom, is accomplished most completely through Christ, God the Son—the Wisdom of God—made man. In and through the incarnation and the redemption, God’s wisdom is revealed. As the Second Vatican Council taught, Christ is “both the mediator and the sum total of revelation” (Dei Verbum, 2). Christ Himself said in response to Philip, who asked to see the Father, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’” (Jn 14:9). God’s wisdom is revealed in every act of Christ, but most especially in Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. In the paschal mystery, Christ revealed God as One Who loves. Clearly, God knows Himself as One Who loves. God has a perfect knowledge of Himself. Since He is Love, He knows Himself as Love. Thus, in revealing God as Love, Christ revealed the divine self-knowledge.

Mar. 16, 2025

Creation is not only an act of God’s power, it also reveals God’s wisdom. When we see the work of an artist, we perceive the artist’s knowledge of his craft. When we see the world, we see a reflection of the divine artist’s knowledge. However, in God, all knowledge is included in His own self-knowledge, because His self-knowledge is perfect. God’s revelation of His wisdom through His creative act is most obvious in the case of man, who is made in God’s own image and likeness. When anyone sees another person, he sees an image of God. In a limited way, he sees God—i.e., he sees divine self-knowledge. In addition, creation is an act of God’s love. To create means to give—especially to give existence. And he who gives, loves. In creation, the Trinity—Power, Wisdom and Love—act as one principle.

Mar. 9, 2025

The union within the Holy Trinity exists through the personal choice of each divine Person to give Himself totally to the others. This total self-gift of each Person within the Trinity is founded on the perfect knowledge that each Person has of the other two. This is what divine love is: a personal choice, a will-act, made by each divine Person based on knowledge of the truth, to surrender Himself totally and completely to the other two Persons. The self-donation of each divine Person to the others unites all three in a communion of Persons. In effect, among the Persons of the Trinity, there is an attitude, a choice, to act as one. The divine communion of Persons is a total union. It is mutual indwelling. The Council of Florence expressed this trinitarian truth: “Through this unity…the Father is completely in the Son, completely in the Holy Spirit; the Son is completely in the Father, completely in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is completely in the Father, completely in the Son.”

Mar. 2, 2025

The three divine Persons are perfectly united with one another. Christ said, “All that the Father has is mine” (Jn 16:15). In another passage, Christ indicates the union between Himself and the Holy Spirit when He says that the Holy Spirit “will take what is mine and declare it to you” (Jn 16:14). The Holy Spirit has what is Christ’s—and what is Christ’s is the Father’s. Consequently, there is a total union among the three Persons of the Trinity.

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Staff Theologian