By Henry Aloysius Barry
Revelation does not content itself with merely informing us of the truth of procession itself and of the distinctive personalness on the side of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. It discloses, besides, a particular difference as between the procession of the Second Person and that of the Third Person. The relationship of Father and Son is set forth at length in the sacred pages, and it is distinctly shown therein that the relation of Sonship belongs to the Second Person exclusively. Our Lord Himself has said with His own lips that "God was His Father." (John, v, 18.) St. Paul refers to the Father as "He that spared not even His own Son." (Rom. viii, 32.) St. John speaks of the Word as "The Only Begotten Son." (i, 14.) On the other hand the Holy Ghost when mentioned alone or in connection with the other Persons, whilst designated as proceeding, is never regarded as proceeding as a Son. The Holy Ghost must, therefore, proceed in some other way than by generation, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." (Matt, xxv, 111, 19.) "The Spirit of Your Father." (Matt, x, 20.) St. Paul says, "God hath sent the Spirit of His Son." (Gal. iv, 7.) The same apostle speaks of "The Spirit of God." (Rom. viii, 14.) "The Spirit of Christ." (viii, 19.) —never a single hint at Sonship. Mystery wraps the interior view of what this difference is between the Two divine processions. Enigma characterizes the reason—of course, it cannot be against reason —why, the Third Person, though proceeding, is not a Son. To pry herein with bent merely curious, to affect to sustain it on purely philosophic grounds, or, again, to impugn it along similar lines would constitute irreverence, even a very dangerous insolence. Faith reveals it, and faith unveils it. There is a difference between the procession of the Son and that of the Holy Ghost. To go, however, at any time in quest of a larger enlightenment on the mysteries of God, whilst one maintains a firm grasp upon the leading strings of faith, is a course clearly endorsed, as we have already observed, by men wise in christian ways, nay, one that makes promises of a harvest of luminant and extatic bewilderment, a yield of reverent awe and a healthful, deep-plunging self-unconsciousness—self-consciousness, aye! There is, however, the fullest consciousness of the vastness of God and the most active consciousness of what we are ourselves, only faith overshadows it all. If indeed, in groping amid these great broad shadows cast by this pyramidal mystery one can lose himself as it were, and but for one instant be brought to realize his own utter pettiness, who will deny that one is amply rewarded for all his toil and most highly blest for all his pious investigations? There is nothing in created life that affords likeness to the procession of the Holy Ghost. On this point, St. Thomas says, "We have only created things with which to designate God, and inasmuch as in creation, communication of nature comes about only by generation, procession in divine things has no name peculiar and special other than generation. Hence procession, which is not generation, has remained without a special name, it can, however, be called spiration, because it is the procession of the Spirit." (1. Q. 27. a. 4. ad. 3.) St. Augustine says, "It is a most difficult thing to get at the distinction between generation and procession."
This saint has, however, pointed out the internal reason of the difference; namely, that the Word is the 'image' of the Father and therefore, a Son by generation. Love—which is the Holy Ghost— is not in the formal way an 'image' and does not therefore proceed by generation. Procession by way of the intellect starts out to produce its like, that is to say, its own linage, and, this is what it intends to do. What proceeds by the will does not produce, formally, designedly, intentionally, that is to say, by force of the production, it is not the 'image' of the one who wills. By the very power of production the Son is like the Father. This is not the case with the Holy Ghost. If the Holy Ghost is like the Father—which as a matter of fact He is—He is not so by the force of the production or formally. He is so by—what one might call reflex principle or the force of—the perfection belonging to the divine nature, inasmuch as whatever is must be out and out and nothing short of God. St. Athanasius says, "It suffices to know that the Holy Ghost is not a creature nor is recorded in the list of 'works,' for, nothing of a foreign nature can be mixed with the Trinity, because It is indivisive and self-like. This is quite enough for the faithful and as far as human knowledge reaches. When the faithful have come to this point they should veil their faces with the wings of the cherubim. Whoso goeth in ulterior quest and is smitten with the desire to scrutinize disobeys the warning.—'Don't be too wise, lest you become foolish.' What faith hands down must be perceived not by human wisdom but by the ears of faith. What language can decipher, unveil these things, which it is not proper for men to hear or speak of." (lib. de sp. sanct. 13, viii.)
