Christian Holiness | Deification and the Holy Trinity

2 Peter 1:3-4 | His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.

Deification, also known as theosis or divinization, is the process of becoming united with God, sharing in His divine life, and experiencing His eternal happiness. This concept is deeply intertwined with the doctrine of the Trinity, as it is through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that humanity is called to share in God's own life.

The Scandal of the Incarnation: Irenaeus Against the Heresies, Selected and Introduced by Hans Urs von Balthasar, trans. John Saward  (1981), pp 54 & 55. | There was no other way for us to receive incorruptibility and immortality than to be united to incorruptibility and immortality. But how could we be united to incorruptibility and immortality without incorruptibility and immortality first becoming what we are, the perishable putting on imperishability, the mortal putting on immortality, so that we might receive adoption as sons. In His immeasurable love, He became what we are in order to make us what He is.

St John 1:1-5 | In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

14-17 | And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John bore witness to him, and cried, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.’”) And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.

Deification and the Trinity

1. The Triune God | The Trinity (Latin: Trinitas, lit. 'triad', from trinus 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three distinct persons (hypostases) sharing one essence/substance/nature (homoousion). See Figure 1.
2. The Goal of Deification | Deification is the ultimate goal of the Christian life, a restoration of the likeness to God that was lost through sin. It's not about becoming God, but about becoming like God in holiness, love, and divine participation.
3. Jesus as the Mediator | Through the incarnation, the Son (Jesus Christ) became the mediator between God and humanity, making deification possible for all who believe and follow Him.
4. The Holy Spirit's Role | The Holy Spirit empowers and sanctifies believers, enabling them to live in communion with the Trinity and to grow in holiness.
5. Incarnation, Trinity, and Deification | The doctrine of deification is seen as enhancing the understanding of the Incarnation, the Trinity, and God's divine economy (how God works to save and bless humanity).

Key Aspects of Deification

Participation in Divine Life

Deification involves sharing in God's divine life, love, and blessedness.

Union with Christ

Becoming one with Christ (being in Christ) is a key aspect of deification, as Christ is the path to the Father through the Holy Spirit.

Glorification and Transformation

Deification leads to the glorification and transformation of our nature, moving us closer to God's likeness.

Eternal Communion

Deification culminates in eternal communion with the Trinity, a vision of God's essence in heaven.

Participating in the Divine Life

Verona Sacramentary | God, you who marvelously created the dignity of human substance and more marvelously reformed it: grant us, we ask, to be sharers in the divinity of your Son, Jesus Christ, who deemed it worthy to become a partaker of our humanity (Ve 1239). | Source: Dr. Jared Ortiz.

Divine Worship: The Missal | O God, who didst wondrously create, and yet more wondrously renew the dignity of man’s nature: grant that by the mystery of this water and wine we may be made partakers of his divinity, as he vouchsafed to become partaker of our humanity, even Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

In order to benefit understanding, the conversation merits a clarification offered by Dr. Douglas Beaumont and Saint Augustine.

When divinity is predicated of humanity, it is according to participation in grace, not to generation by nature. In other words, “divinity” in these cases does not refer to a change in what something is, but rather what it is like. For example, when we participate in the Eucharist, we “become the body of Christ” (see 1 Cor. 10:16-17) – but we do not become the divine savior of the world! | Douglas M. Beaumont, Ph.D.

Saint Augustine | Exposition on Psalm 50, 2 | He has called men gods, that are deified of His Grace, not born of His Substance. For He does justify, who is just through His own self, and not of another; and He does deify who is God through Himself, not by the partaking of another. But He that justifies does Himself deify, in that by justifying He does make sons of God. “For He has given them power to become the sons of God.” John 1:12 If we have been made sons of God, we have also been made gods: but this is the effect of Grace adopting, not of nature generating. For the only Son of God, God, and one God with the Father, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, was in the beginning the Word, and the Word with God, the Word God. The rest that are made gods, are made by His own Grace, are not born of His Substance, that they should be the same as He, but that by favor they should come to Him, and be fellow-heirs with Christ.

In our quest to align our wills with the will of God—that is, to be docile to the Holy Ghost—we need to live in an environment that supports growth in holiness and helps us to avoid the pitfalls of pride. We must allow ourselves to be configured to Christ through spiritual habits that enhance our ability to hear the voice of God, to adore His Presence, and to allow our hearts and minds to be penetrated by grace so that we may love and serve God and neighbour.

Pursue Holiness

1. Attend Mass and receive the sacraments regularly.
2. Pray regularly, especially the Rosary.
3. Read the Bible and spiritual books by the saints.
4. Seek counsel from a spiritual director.
5. Practice the virtues; practice mortification.
6. Avoid sin and seek forgiveness through Confession.
7. Serve others and love your neighbor.
8. Strive to be like Jesus Christ.
9. Trust in God's grace and mercy.
10. Embrace suffering as an opportunity for growth.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church on holiness.

• https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_one/chapter_three/article_2/iv_christian_holiness.html#$259

IV. Christian Holiness

2012 | We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him . . . For those whom he fore knew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren, and those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)

2013 | All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity (Lumen Gentium 40 § 2). All are called to holiness: Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (St Matthew 5:48).

In order to reach this perfection the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ's gift, so that . . . doing the will of the Father in everything, they may wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor. Thus the holiness of the People of God will grow in fruitful abundance, as is clearly shown in the history of the Church through the lives of so many saints. | Lumen Gentium 40 § 2

2014 Spiritual progress tends toward ever more intimate union with Christ. This union is called "mystical" because it participates in the mystery of Christ through the sacraments - "the holy mysteries" - and, in him, in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. God calls us all to this intimate union with him, even if the special graces or extraordinary signs of this mystical life are granted only to some for the sake of manifesting the gratuitous gift given to all.

2015 The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. (Cf. 2 Tim 4) Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes:

He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows. | St. Gregory of Nyssa

2016 The children of our holy mother the Church rightly hope for the grace of final perseverance and the recompense of God their Father for the good works accomplished with his grace in communion with Jesus (Cf. Council of Trent (1547): DS 1576). Keeping the same rule of life, believers share the "blessed hope" of those whom the divine mercy gathers into the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

The Threefold Way In Christ | Purgation, Illumination and Unification

Purgation, illumination, and unification represent three stages in the spiritual life, often described as ways or paths toward union with God. Purgation is the stage of purification and cleansing, followed by illumination, which involves enlightenment and spiritual growth. Finally, unification is the state of oneness and intimate union with God.

Purgation | spiritual courtship

• Focus: Seeking God's grace to overcome obstacles and attachments to worldly things that hinder spiritual growth.
• Characteristics: This stage involves acknowledging and addressing flaws, habits, and behaviors that prevent one from drawing closer to God.
• Outcomes: Freedom from sinful habits and a deeper sense of God's presence.

Illumination | spiritual betrothal

• Focus: Cooperating with God's grace to grow in understanding of God's will and the nature of the supernatural life.
• Characteristics: This stage involves a greater awareness of God's Presence (in scripture, in the Mass and sacraments), the teachings of the Church, and one's own spiritual journey.
• Outcomes: A deepening of faith and a clearer path towards spiritual maturity.

Unification | spiritual marriage

• Focus: Docility to the Holy Ghost Who draws the soul into an intimate communion with the Holy Trinity.
• Characteristics: This stage involves a profound experience of oneness with God, characterized by joy, peace, and a sense of belonging.
• Outcomes: A transformation of the soul, leading to a closer relationship with God and a deeper appreciation for life.

These three stages are not always linear and can ebb and flow throughout one's spiritual journey.

Terms

• ascesis  - Late Latin, from Greek askēsis, literally exercise, from askein.
• mortification - natural mortification is a normal part of self-discipline; supernatural mortification, based on faith, seeks to grow in holiness by cooperating with the grace of God. Latin mortificatio, a putting to death, i.e., dying to sin.

Scripture For Meditation

• Romans 6:2-11
• 1 Peter 2:24
• Galatians 5:24
• Ephesians 2:1
• John 8:23-28

Figure 1 (edited by GN)

Relations of the Holy Trinity

1. Paternity: the relation of the Father to the Son.
2. Filiation: the relation of the Son to the Father.
3. Spiration of the Holy Spirit: the relation of the Father and the Son in respect to the Holy Spirit.
4. Procession of the Holy Spirit: the relationship of the Holy Spirit in respect to the Father and the Son.