The word “consubstantial,” which now appears in the Creed,
is a mouthful, and while it means essentially the same thing as “one in Being
with the Father,” its inclusion gives us a great opportunity to stop and think
about what that section of the prayer really means. The expression “consubstantial” refers to the
essence, or essential qualities, shared by the Father and the Son – not
physical qualities, but qualities beyond the ken of human senses.
This idea also helps to explain the expression, “born of the
Father before all ages” earlier in the Creed.
Jesus’ life did not begin with his human birth in Bethlehem; he is of the Father, proceeds from the Father,
and has always existed; he is the one through whom God made all; he shares the
divine nature of God.
On the other hand, we now say that, “by the Holy Spirit”
Jesus “was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.”
This helps to remind us of Jesus’ fully human nature as well. Mary conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit
and thus provided Jesus with his existence in the flesh, in-carne; she is the vehicle through which he is made human, or
takes on humanity, from the moment of conception. The word ‘incarnate’ is a direct translation
of the Latin.
(Information in this post was compiled by Fr. Pat, Jonathan, and Suzanne.)
No comments:
Post a Comment