See who's out there today?
There's some of you who can't come the whole time.
Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful
in the kingdom and the power of thy love.
Send forth thy Spirit, O Lord, and they shall be created.
And now shall we have the peace of the earth.
O God, who giveth us your grace to be faithful,
but alike to the Holy Ghost,
grant by the same Spirit we may be truly wise
and have rejoiced in his consolation through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
See the wisdom.
Holy Father, Saint Dominic.
Amen.
So, as promised, we're going to look at Scripture.
St. Paul on our Lord Jesus Christ.
I'm going to start with his epistle to the Hebrews.
It's a little bit disputed whether St. Paul actually wrote it,
but traditionally we say it's St. Paul,
but some people question it.
In particular, Father Speak,
whose commentary we're going to use,
was a Dominican in the 20th century.
He used to teach at a comb, actually, for a while.
Until 1976, when Archbishop LaFelle was suspended,
et cetera, et cetera.
His superiors told him he couldn't go anymore
because he was in Switzerland.
Fribourg is a big, important school there,
Dominican theological school there.
That's where he was,
and so he would come and teach at a comb.
We listened to the tapes of his commentary on St. Luke
that he did at a comb.
And he has this funny idea
that,
that Our Lady didn't know that her son was God.
He said, no, no, that was revealed to the apostles.
So we stopped listening to it when we got to .
But, you know, he is a very learned man,
and he knows what he's talking about.
And he's quite popular among the society priests.
I mean, and he wrote a whole book
about the epistle to the Hebrews.
I mean, two books, actually.
Two volumes on this epistle to the Hebrews.
And it's, he's the authority.
You know, if you ever read, if you ever study that Hebrew epistle,
anywhere, they seat, or they speak.
So we're simply going to see what he says,
and then we'll also see what St. Thomas says a little bit,
as well.
On the very first verses of the epistle,
the epistle to the Hebrews,
because that, it's all about our Lord Jesus Christ.
God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners
spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets,
last of all, in these days,
has spoken to us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the world,
who being the brightness of his glory,
and the figure of his substance,
and upholding all things by the word of his power,
making purgation of sins,
sitteth on the right hand of the majesty on high,
being made so much better than the angels,
as he hath merited a more excellent name than they.
Now Father Spiek, who knows what he's talking about,
calls this the most perfect Greek phrase
in the New Testament.
Mm-hmm.
That's one reason he says that he thinks it's,
he thinks it's Apollo who wrote this.
You know Apollo, he talks about Apollo in the,
in the Book of Acts?
And St. Paul mentions him in some of his letters, Apollo.
He thinks it's Apollo who wrote this, anyway.
And partly it's because his style is so elegant.
I don't know.
But for example, part of the style is,
the alliteration in this, in the Greek,
where the same word, the P, comes up over and over and over,
like six times in this one verse.
And you kind of get it in the Latin,
which says, but you'd have to change the last two words.
Multifaria multis que modis olim.
So you get the mu-mu-mu-mu.
Multifaria multis que modis olim, Deus loquens,
moribus inmulvis.
That's what you'd have to say.
Instead of prophet, patribus in prophetis, to change it.
But that's kind of what, there's a lot of beauty
in this phrase, which is fitting.
I mean, he was talking about the Lord Jesus Christ.
You know, if you got it, if you got it, say it.
And you know, use it to go off by God.
But anyway, that's kind of incidental.
That's not what we're interested in.
So he goes on then, father speak, to introduce this,
this introduction to the epistle.
The author presents the person and work of Christ.
Our subject, incarnate and glorious son of God,
creator, provident, revealer, savior,
and sovereign king of redeemed humanity.
And he says all that in this verse, verse.
Object of the faith and hope of the Christian community.
His excellence results from four contrasts.
Old and new revelation, the fathers and us,
the son and the prophets and angels,
times past and these last days.
That's what he shows the excellence of our Lord,
is by comparing them.
All these things.
It is inconceivable that God should communicate himself
more clearly and more fully.
Once he has spoken through his son.
Since God has spoken to us through his son,
he has nothing more to say to us, says St. John of the cross.
You know that beautiful part, I don't know if you know,
but you should read it, read St. John of the cross.
He talks about that.
Cause he's talking this,
one of the things he talks about,
St. John of the cross is,
you know these revelations people got?
Well don't, don't listen to them.
It is good, cause God's reveal everything
he had to say in his son.
He's got nothing more to say.
And that's what St. Paul sent, and it's over.
In his commentary on this verse St. Thomas quotes,
St. Augustine III the old people who across the land,
will refer a servant of Jesus,
saying to him, St. Thomas, sit up with me,
Augustine, who says that the incarnate word is to the uncreated word, right? The
incarnate word being the humanity of the Lord. The incarnate word is to the uncreated
word, as the word of our voice is to the word of our mind. Okay, you've got this idea in your head and
you say it, well, the uncreated word is the word of mind and the uncreated word is the
incarnate word. Behind this is this idea, you know, that he has spoken to us by his son. It's a
sort of reference
to the parable of the vineyard, because you remember, he sent his servants and then followed by his son, whom he
has appointed heir of all things, is what St. Paul says. Well, that's exactly what you see in the
parable, right? Because that's what the vineyard
says.
The people, the servants say, well, he's the heir, he's the heir, here's the heir, let's kill him and we'll have the vineyard. Well, this is the, see, so there's a connection here between he was appointed heir of all things, he's the son. It was probably in the air, you know, among the Christians at the first
community of the Lord, that parable, even we think of it, we've got the air with, we think of that parable. And St. Thomas, St. Paul,
or Apollo, wherever it was, is alluding to that. He's the heir. That's who he is, you know. The others were the servants. He's the heir he sent at the end, you know, whom they killed.
Now, Father Spiegel remarks especially on these words,
he has spoken to us by his son.
In fact, there is no possessive pronoun. It doesn't say by his son. He says by a son.
En huyo, in Greek.
And this expression, he says, does not,
does not underline so much the identity of the revealer as the nature and the quality
of the witness. He had spoken to us in a son, much superior to any prophet there could be.
Depending upon his father, the latter is soモ fable.
It is more fruits than woman, not more
Kim a son revealed.
Given quién.
Given the celestial pre-existence of the Father. His absolutely unique relation to God his Father. God his father—and he quotes John 1.18—no man has seen God at any time the only begotten Son was the bosom of the Father yet we declared him.
see if he said in his son
well it's a little bit different than
he's emphasizing the fact that it's his son
it's a son
he didn't just speak to us by
it's a son that he's speaking to us now
he's not talking about the fact that he's his son
he spoke to us in a son
and that's the main point
of what St. Paul's trying to say
and again it's the parable
of a vineyard
it's not just their servants now
they will respect my son
that's who our Lord is
that's who he is
in the blessed trinity that's who he is
he's a son
there's a beautiful poem
of St. John the Cross
I'll have to find it
it's God the Father talking
about
I don't know
about his son
he doesn't love anything
except in you
God the Father is speaking to his son
nothing pleases him
except what's in him
in whom I am well pleased
and that's the only thing he's pleased with
anything outside
you know and it's the blessed trinity
it's this love between the Father and the Son
that's the center of reality
even if we don't see it
that's the way it is
and he's revealed to us
that's the way it is
we know
he also quotes the
notes that the word
N
N who you are
in a son
although it can have
an instrumental sense of
he spoke to us by a son
you know the N can be like that
he spoke to us in a son
is that he spoke to us by a son
he said it ought rather be taken
in its primitive local sense
to be in
and so he says
thus
in a son
would invoke the presence of God
preferring himself
his word and his messengers
so it's God there
in his word speaking
I spoke to them in a son
he's the one who's in his son speaking
it's not just a sense of
by his son
but he's actually there
in his son speaking
it's a subtle difference but
it's there
and he quotes several examples of this
in scripture
that's an amazing thing with Father Speak
because he's a scripture scholar
he knows all these things
and he's constantly quoting different
passages in scripture
and they're very
apropos
for example here he quotes John 14
chapter 10
do you not believe that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me
see that's the blessed trinity
right there
and that's what we were talking about yesterday
which was kind of confusing
a little bit at the end
but it is confusing
because we're
we're complicated
and the blessed trinity is simple
but
the Father is in the Son
and the Son is the Father
it's one God
so
when he says
I spoke
he spoke in a son
well it's him who's speaking
in the Son
because it's the same
it's the same
thing
through one God
do you not believe that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me
so he's speaking to us in the Son
because he's in the Son
he also quotes
2 Corinthians chapter 5
verse 19
God was in Christ
reconciling the world to himself
literally
God was in Christ
reconciling the world to himself
okay it's like
almost local sense
and there he goes
and he placed in us
the word of reconciliation
that's St. Paul talking about
so in his apostles
he's placed
this word
in them
it's there
like in a place
and also
the same
epistle
chapter 13
verse 3
seek ye a proof of Christ
speaking in me
see
St. Paul
the idea is
Christ is there
speaking in him
locally
so then
Father Schmick concludes
as the difference
in proximity
of the
messenger
in relation to God
confers a greater
or less authority
to his witness
the revelation
by the Son
has an incomparable
authority
because he's closer
than anybody
obviously
because Father's in the Son
the Son's in the Father
he couldn't be closer
it's the same God
and that's why
I think it was mentioned
that yesterday
the Son
is the first
truth in speaking
and that's
the formal object
quo of faith
we talked about that
last year I think
right
when we were talking
about faith
that's what faith is
is
this
idea
of the first truth
speaking
which is
who the word is
that's who our Lord is
and that's what he's saying again
here at St. Paul
he's the witness
it's not just some prophet
it's God's Son
speaking
and God's Son
is the Veritas Prima
Indicendo
you can't get a higher authority
than that
and you see
that lifts us up
into the Blessed Trinity
and that's why
we're talking about
the first truth
and that's why
we're talking about
the first truth
literally
so then
St. Paul goes on
to speak
of this
Son's quality
of creator
by whom
also he made
the world
see this
I mean you wonder
how the Arians
however
the Arians
ever got array
with their heresy
because it's literally there
it's right there explicitly
he made the world
well if he made the world
well he's not a creature
we're going to have to talk
about this again later
but
our Lord Jesus Christ
made the world
so he's not made
because he made it
how could he
he can't be both
he made the world
, he can't be both
holy and God
his Son
has made the world
and the world
God
and the world
and it's
not the power
of his own
and the power
of God
that the world
has actually
created
the world
I mean
the world
and I mean
God
and the world
and the universe
and his son
and everything else
that's the real stuff
that he made
and he's going to make
the world
You know, he made by, by whom he made the world.
So he's just an instrument making the world, says the objection.
But he responds saying, it must be said that if the power in the son and the father were not numerically the same,
and if their operation were not the same, the object would hold.
So if it was another operation, when God worked by his son, well, of course, yeah, then he would be an instrument.
Now, however, the power and operation of the father and the son are the same, just as their nature and existence are the same.
We were talking about that yesterday, right?
The operation being the same as the essence.
It's all the same thing.
And it is said that the father makes the world through him because he begot him as one making the world.
Because he made the world through the word.
Not in the sense of an instrument, because they're one thing.
Anyway.
He goes on then, about to speak, saying that this phrase, by whom also he made the world,
singularly elevates his dignity of revealer.
Because that's what he started with, was he's the best revealer there ever was, much more than the prophets.
And he underlines that by saying, by whom he created the world.
I mean, what kind of a witness is that?
These prophets, they don't hold a candle to that.
And that leads up even farther to the contemplation of his divine nature.
So you always end up with the same thing.
I mean, that's why I'm taking you during this retreat is up there.
Because that's where we're supposed to go, okay?
That's the whole point.
I know it's kind of hard.
But that's the whole point.
Because the verse goes on after he says, by whom also he made the world.
Who being the brightness of his glory and the figure of his substance.
So it tells us more about this sun, by whom he made the world.
Father Speed comments, this cosmic role of the sun, you know, making the world,
I mean creator, is superhuman.
Superhuman.
Thus the tentative to define the divine nature of this exceptional revealer and his relations with God.
See, it's all very logical.
Well, if he made the world, I mean, who is this sun?
It's not just the greatest of the prophets, higher than the prophets, different than the prophets.
He's the creator of the world.
Well, who is this sun?
He goes on to explain.
Who is?
The brightness of his glory and the figure of his substance.
Now he explains.
St. Paul goes on.
He explains his relations with God.
Father Speed goes on.
Since adequate terms are lacking, one must have recourse to metaphor.
Here, apagauzma, the Greek word which is translated brightness in our translation,
is derived from the verb apagazo, which means to make shine or radiate.
Or in the passive, to shine or reflect light.
Okay, so it's either, if it's passive, in an active sense it means to radiate.
The passive sense is to reflect.
The unanimity of the Greek fathers and the great majority of modern exegesis give to apagauzma, which is a hapax.
In the New Testament, anybody know what a hapax is?
You'd really reveal yourself if you know what a hapax is.
It's only scripture students who know what that word is.
Hapax in Greek means once.
It's a word that's only used once.
So, apagauzma is a hapax in the New Testament.
It's only used once.
It's only here.
And that's a pain for exegesis, because they don't know what in the world does this mean.
Because it's only used once.
In the whole New Testament, we figure out what it's supposed to mean.
It is used in the Old Testament.
We're going to see where it's used.
And that's very important, because in fact, it shows that St. Paul was thinking about that text.
It comes from the Book of Wisdom.
But he goes on to analyze his word.
But given the passive termination, ma,
hapagauzma, which is a passive termination,
which indicates the result and not the action itself,
because apagauza is the verb which means to shine, to radiate.
But hapagauzma is a passive termination, so it doesn't mean to shine.
It means to be shined, if you like, or to reflect.
And he's going to say, well, that's the sign.
That's what it really means here.
Because it's a mirror.
That's what he's going to explain.
So given the passive termination, indicating the result and not the action itself,
and above all the synonym charaktere, which is figura, the figure of his substance.
In Greek, it's charaktera, charaktera, that follows.
And he's going to explain what that means.
It's like an imprint, which is an exact reflection of that of which it is the imprint.
So given this, above all the synonym, synonym charaktera,
it seems preferable to understand it passively as reflection or image in a mirror
that reflects rays emanating from a source of light,
which is signification in Book of Wisdom, Chapter 7,
verse 26, where we read,
Apogosma est in photos aigu, the splendor or reflection of eternal light,
stainless mirror of God.
That's when we're going to see this text.
And that's obviously what St. Paul is referring to.
He's referring to that in the text in the Old Testament.
And there, it's obvious.
That that's what it means, because it's followed by the words stainless mirror of God.
So Apogosma there means reflection.
So here, too, it means reflection.
See, this is important, because this is what the Holy Ghost tells us our Lord is.
He's a reflection.
A mirror.
Apogosma expresses thus a triple notion, divine origin, resemblance to God, individual personality.
Personality.
Because divine origin...
Divine origin.
obviously because he's the reflection or brightness of God's glory and the figure
of his substance he comes from God and he resembles God because he's his mirror
the figure of his substance and yet he's different because the reflection is not
the thing without which it is a reflection so let's look then at this
text it's in chapter 7 of the book of wisdom which the exegesis tell us was
certainly in the mind of st. Paul when he wrote this and here's the whole
passage it's a beautiful passage which the exegesis tell us is a revealed
portrait of the second person of the Blessed Trinity so we're precisely in
the subject of our whole retreat right here so write down that in that
reference
seven book wisdom chapter 7 verse 21 to 28 so we'll read it the first part is
like this and all such things as are hid and not foreseen I have learned for
wisdom which is the worker of all things taught me for in her or rather in the
original Greek it's she is
in that book that we're reading of st.
Louis Martin when he talks about wisdom as she all the time was because it's a
feminine word in Greek in Greek so she is the spirit of understanding holy one
manifold subtle eloquent active undefiled sure sweet loving that which
is good quick which nothing hindereth beneficent gentle kind steadfast assured
secure
having all power overseeing all things and containing all spirits intelligible
pure subtle wisdom is more active than all active things and reaches everywhere
by reason of her purity
for she is a vapor of the power of God and a certain pure emanation of the
glory of the almighty of the ating on and therefore no defile things until i be
enlightened the path with great power no hour elicits life full of traits ye eat
no born shall be an unearned your soulmaster findeth Linux form generic
'll help a Jew see notes God our goal is to find light in man perhaps with a
thing cometh into her.
The French
comment
is incontestable that wisdom here is a person
since she acts and teaches
and this person is another than the word of God
and he quotes Bosway
who also applies this text
to the word and Bosway
addresses God the Father
praying, referring to this
wisdom
that is she is perfectly
and exactly another yourself
going out without diminution
without interruption, without taking anything away
from the foundation of your substance
the splendor of his glory
and
and then follows the verse referred to specifically
for she is the brightness of eternal light
the unspotted mirror of God's majesty
and the image of his goodness
see that fits what we saw before
from St. John, right?
this reflection of his glory
it's God's knowledge of himself
it's what he
sees when he looks at himself
when he looks himself in the mirror
it's what he sees
the word is his mirror
so he comments on this
Father Fillon comments on this key word
apaugasma
that we just saw
which can be translated by brightness or splendor
the word that Father speaks comes down on his splendor
he says
the splendor is the best translation
and he notes
that Father Fillon notes
that St. Paul uses it
in this opening verse
to the Epistle to the Hebrews
St. Paul by applying this verse to the Son of God
renders incontestable the thought of the fathers
who understand this whole passage
of the second person of the Holy Trinity
this wisdom is truly
this wisdom is truly this divine word
that the Nicene Church has given us today
the Nicene Creed calls light from light
you know the creed that we say every Sunday
light from light
that's who we are
that's who our Lord Jesus Christ is
the unspotted mirror of God's majesty
and the image of his goodness
okay
Father speak
then explains
the term that goes with it
the term that goes with this brightness or splendor
which is doxa
you know for doxologies
you know which is
refers to what we say
glory be to the Father and the Son
well doxa means glory
and that's the word that he used here
the splendor of his glory
in the New Testament
glory
doxa
almost always signifies the divine nature
as manifested to men
see that's the thing about these exegetes
because as I said
I've started to have to do exegesis
and these guys are funny they're
they work hard
I mean I kept telling the seminarians
I feel like I'm you know
a mechanic underneath the car
and I get
boil over myself
trying to figure out exactly what's going on here
and that's what they do
they found okay
what does this really mean
and so they you know look where is it used
and what it you know
where it comes from
and
and then they find out places where it's used
this one for example
this word doxa
John chapter 1 verse 14
and the word is made flesh and dwelt among us
and we saw his glory
doxa
the glory as it were of the only begotten of the father
full of grace and truth
so you see it's
manifesting the divine nature
the glory as it were of the only begotten of the father
John chapter 2 verse 11
this beginning of miracles did Jesus and came out godly
and manifested his glory
and his disciples believed in him
see by this miracle it manifests his divine nature
and that's exactly what the sun does
he is the manifestation of God's nature
he's his word
it implies a nuance of radiant light
and he quotes the book of apocalypse chapter 21
verse 23
and the city hath no need of the sun nor of the moon to shine in it
for the glory of God hath enlightened it
and the lamb is the light thereof
okay
we have that word glory
and the lamb
a radiant light
and also second Corinthians chapter 4 verse 6
God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness
hath shined in our hearts
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Christ Jesus
so again he's manifesting
by this radiant light
he shined in our hearts
see that's what our Lord Jesus Christ does
he's this light that shines out of the darkness
we saw it in the prologue of Saint John
he's the light that shines in the darkness
and outside of him all is darkness
because he is the light
ego lux
I light
that's who he is
and any light there is
physical
or you know the cat playing with a string
or intellectual
comes from him
that's who he is
to say that the sun
is the brightness of glory
is to express
in the metaphor of a reflected light
his direct relationship to the Father
who is light
and he refers to
first
this will say John chapter 1 verse 5
where he says very clear
God is light
so to say he's the brightness of glory
is to express
his direct relationship to the Father
who is light
their community of nature
what later theology would call
their consubstantiality
because light from light
and true God from true God
they're on the same level
and much more we saw
they're one thing
that somehow two persons
but one thing
Cajun has a beautiful expression about that
he talks about
I don't know if I mentioned it before
it's a ratio deitatis
the very reason
or ratio is
it's hard to make
the very notion
but it's not just a notion
it's the essence
the very
idea of
deity
it's one thing
and even the two persons are one thing
light of light
as light
what other three persons
are also light
animal
are the same
but all children
are also light
by were prerecorded
it seems
it's Sunday
think it's Sunday
and I was counting
to find a communicate
right
I was reminding my family
all day
when I'm not working
who is it
that practises
For us, it means person, which obviously is not the same thing as substance,
because there's one substance in God, and there's three apostases.
Here, it means substance, the figure of his substance.
Character means engraved sign, stamp, effigy, exact reproduction.
Then, that which gives a person or thing its own distinctive feature.
Characteristic, as we say.
The word is stronger than image, icon, we talk about icons, it's the same thing, same word,
which can be more or less like the model,
whereas the imprint implies an exact similitude, a rigorous identity,
and he gives a reference in Philon, a Greek philosopher,
new words used in that sense.
A rigorous identity, in this case, of the substance, or nature, hypostasis, of the father.
See, that's who our Lord is.
He's the character of the hypostasis.
He's his perfect version.
He's the reproduction of the substance of his father.
He's one God with him, and yet they're different.
You know, like the character.
This imprint.
This makes it possible to define both the distinction of the two persons in God,
like that of the engraving and the seal,
and their equality, and he quotes John, chapter 14, verse 9 in the Discourse of the Last Supper,
where our Lord says,
Whoever sees me, sees my Father.
See, that's a mirror.
That's exactly what a mirror is.
Whoever sees me, sees my Father.
What an incredible thing to say.
This man.
I mean, imagine the apostles of the Muslim.
Because you, at the last,
at the Last Supper, he really, you know, said everything, finally.
And St. John is the one who really registered it.
He got it, he got it, and he passed it on to us.
Whoever sees me, sees the Father.
That's it.
And already in the Old Testament, they were saying that's who he is.
Yeah.
Yeah, we can finish.
Then follow the words.
And upholding all things by the word of his power.
Now, careful, there's a Hebraism there.
The word of his power means his powerful word.
In Hebrew, they don't use genitives.
I mean, possessive, possessive adjectives, they use, they, they use a genitive to mean possessor.
For example, there's a St. Paul, while she's our Lord, telling St. Paul, he's a vas electionis.
There's a lot in that little phrase.
Vas means vase.
Sometimes, I don't know how it's translated in English, a vase of election or something.
What, what do they say?
Vessel, vessel, vessel of election, which doesn't mean anything.
What's that?
It's a vessel of election.
It doesn't make any sense.
That's what it says.
What does it mean?
Well, vas in Hebrew just means instrument.
And you see it in some of the songs that you, you'll see that sometime.
And electionis doesn't mean, it means, vas of election means elected vessel, chosen.
So, he's a chosen instrument.
Wait a minute.
I don't know what that means.
So, you see, you got to know something about this exegesis stuff to understand what's God's saying, no?
Vas electionis means chosen instrument.
And that's what St. Paul is, if there ever was one.
Okay.
And it's the same thing here.
The word of his power means his powerful word.
See, I pull on things by his powerful word.
Okay.
Father, speak comments on this verse, these words.
A new proget of the Son, according to his divine nature, a consequence of his union with the Father,
as well as an extension and complement of his creative action,
he maintains in being and conducts to its end the world he has created.
Okay.
And upholding all things by his powerful word.
It's his powerful word that, well, our Lord upholds all things by his powerful word.
This continued creation and providential action, the Son exercises by his word.
Expression of his will or manifestation of his divine power.
Just as God created all things by Christ.
Calling them, by calling them.
You know, in the book of Genesis, he, let there be light, and there was.
Let there be this, let there be that, and there was.
By his word, he created.
And he quotes St. Paul.
A little bit later in this epistle, chapter 11, verse 3.
By faith, we understand that the word was,
a tata esse was,
made.
I guess.
By the word of God.
The text then adds to conclude,
having made purgation of sins, he sitteth on the right hand of the majesty of God.
This is the last thing he says about this Son.
And Father Speak comments,
the purification and atonement of sins,
a new aspect of the Son's activity,
the essential work and reason for his work,
his coming to earth.
And he quotes John 1, verse 29.
The next day John saw Jesus come to him and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world.
That's who Jesus is.
First St. John the Baptist.
This is purification, atonement of sins.
That's why he came.
So this essential work, he said,
is also an act of power.
Like a remaking of the cosmos,
turned upside down by sin.
A miracle greater than the creation of the world.
And Father Fouillet, another exegete,
insists on this parallel in St. Paul
between creation and redemption,
the two all together.
Father Colby has a beautiful little note
where he compares,
God said fiat, and the world was made.
Mary said fiat mici.
And God became man.
It's action, reaction.
He made the world by his word,
and he remade it by Mary's word.
An act of power like a remaking of the cosmos,
turned upside down by sin.
Having completed his mission,
the man Jesus ascends to his father.
The Messiah's session at the right hand of God,
a symbol of honor and power,
foretold by Psalm 109.
If you know, Lord said to my Lord,
sit thou at my right hand
until I make thy enemies thy footstool.
Was to be a central object of faith in Christ
in the early church.
And he quotes Acts 2, verse 34,
where St. Peter's talking to the Jews
on the Feast of, you know, the first Pentecost.
And he being full of, wait a minute, sorry, 19.
And he quotes to these Jews, saying,
for David ascended not into heaven,
but he himself said, the Lord said to my Lord,
sit thou on my right hand until I make
thy enemies thy footstool.
So St. Peter quoted this to the Jews
in the later Pentecost, to explain what was happening.
Who our Lord was, now he had said this, Holy Ghost.
It's also St. Paul, Ephesians, chapter one, verse 20.
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power
towards us who believe according to the operation
of the might of his power, which he wrought in Christ,
raising him up from the dead and setting him
on his right hand in the heavenly places.
And he quotes other places in the New Testament with this.
This was a very important verse, this Psalm 109.
And it's in the Apostles' Creed.
That's where it comes from.
You see, sitteth at the right hand of the Father.
Well, that's where it comes from, this scripture.
By the salvation and the resurrection of Christ.
This is an exceptional position.
It is confirmed that the risen Messiah
will exercise his omnipotence on behalf of men as king.
He's sitteth at the right hand of the Father as king.
You know, Christ the King is not just something,
you know, optional.
Optional, we can kind of take relief.
It goes right to the heart of him.
Thus it was that before his martyrdom,
St. Stephen, gazing up at heaven, saw there the glory of God
in Christ, lifted up at his right hand,
ready to assist and crown him.
And he quotes the book of Acts.
But he, being full of holy ghost,
looking up steadfastly to heaven,
and saw the glory of God,
and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
And he said, behold, I see this heaven is open,
the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.
So St. Thomas sums up this first section.
We can finish with this.
Through these three things,
he shows three aspects of Christ.
In this first verse of Epistle to the Hebrews.
By calling him the splendor,
he demonstrates his co-eternity with the Father.
We saw that before in this other text, right?
For in created things, splendor is simultaneous.
But this splendor is co-eternal.
This is against Arius.
You know, he said there was a time when he was not.
Well, no.
It's co-eternal.
But when he says the image of his substance,
he shows Christ's consubstantiality.
So the splendor shows his co-eternalness,
he's co-eternal.
Image of his substance shows that he's consubstantial.
For since splendor is not of the same nature
as the thing it shines from,
lest anyone believe that the Son is not of the same nature
as the Father, he says that he,
that he is the image or figure of his substance.
However, even if the Son is of the same nature as the Father,
if he were weak, he would fall short of the Father's power.
Therefore the Apostle adds,
sustaining all things by the word of his power.
Thus in these three things,
the Apostle commends Christ in three ways,
by his co-eternity, by his consubstantiality,
and by the equality of his power.
fe CFT
The glory be to the father, and to the son, and to the Son,
as it was in the beginning, and is now, and ever shall be,
world without end, Amen.