The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 67: The Humanity and Divinity of Christ (2024)

Episode Date: March 7, 2024

Fr. Mike teaches us more about the divine and human natures of the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ. Jesus became like us in all things but sin; as such, he has a human soul, intellect, will, and body without losing any of his divinity. Father Mike tells us that in his human nature, Jesus thought with a human mind, worked with human hands, and loved with a human heart. Christ needed to learn things, and he increased in wisdom and understanding. The full humanity and true divinity of Jesus is a great mystery of our faith. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 470-474. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Catechism in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's plan of sheer goodness for us, revealed in Scripture, and passed down through the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in a Year is brought to you by ascension. In 365 days, we'll read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, discovering our identity and God's family as we journey together Toward our heavenly home. It is day 67 you guys. I forgot to mention this, but it's only you know, two hundred and ninety I can't the math two hundred ninety three days. No two hundred ninety eight days left to go. You guys are doing so well Is that right? That's accurate. I think it's accurate

We're reading paragraphs four seventy to four seventy four only five short paragraphs today because we're diving deeply 470 to 474 only five short paragraphs today because we're diving deeply into that mystery of how is God made man? And also what is the mind of Jesus? Like how does he what does intellect all about how does he learn? Did he learn so to dive into that? I am using the Ascension Edition of the Catechism which includes the foundations of faith approach But you can follow along with any recent version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church Also, you can download your own. If you haven't yet, Stay67. Why not celebrate by downloading your own Catechism in your reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com. And lastly, you can subscribe or you can follow in your Piedscat podcast app for daily updates and daily notifications.

That would be awesome. It'd be so great. What if you did that? Could everything could change today? Just follow or subscribe. As I said, it's day 67, paragraphs 474, 474. Big question in 470. The header is called, How is the Son of God Man? And one of the things we realize is that when we say Jesus Christ is true God and true man, He became human without losing His divinity, and He remained divine without losing his humanity.

And this is just remarkable. You know, not only we talk about the fact that Jesus's human nature, or the human nature, was assumed not absorbed, right? Remember, we talked about this yesterday, one of the heresies that would say that when God took on human nature, it was like Alka-Seltzer in the drop of water, just absorbed the whole thing and just, yes, he took on human nature originally, but then ultimately, you know, I don't say lost it, but essentially absorbed, right? Obliterated almost, dissolved it because how could human nature contain divinity? Which, yeah, that's a great question. It's the mystery of the Incarnation. So one of the things the Church has been affirming is that human nature was

assumed not absorbed in the sense wasn't overwritten. In fact, Jesus had, what do you say? We say it like this, that Jesus had a human soul with all of its operations of intellect and will and of his human body. Now that is really, really important. Jesus had a human soul with his operations of intellect and will, meaning he had a human intellect, had a human will, and a human body. Now that's going to be really important because it's in Christ's human body. In that will that he conforms his will to the will of the Father, he ascends intellectually and with everything he is to the Father's will, he obeys the Father in everything as a human being and of course also as a divine being. And this is really, really important that there's nothing

that Christ did not assume of human nature except our brokenness. He didn't assume our sin. He became like us in all things but sin. Now, in parallel fashion, this is all in paragraph 470, in parallel fashion, the church had to recall on every occasion that Christ's human nature belongs as his own to the divine person of the Son of God who assumed it. Right? So yes, Christ's human soul, operations of intellect and will, human body. And also, and every occasion,

His human nature belongs as His own to the divine person of the Son of God who assumed it, which means that everything that Christ is and does in this nature derives from one of the trinity. This is so important in this paragraph. Just I invite you take a look at paragraph 470. Every sentence clarifies something even more profound about Jesus. For example, the very next sentence after what I just said is, the Son of God therefore communicates to His humanity His own personal mode of existence in the Trinity. Can reflect on this. The Son of God, okay right here the second person of the Trinity, communicates to His humanity His own personal mode of existence in the Trinity. What's that mean? That means that what's the personal mode of existence in the Trinity? Well, He is the Son of the Father.

He's that second person of the Trinity. He receives the Father's love and He pours Himself back out in love to the Father. And that love is the Holy Spirit, right? It's a third person of the Trinity. So Jesus communicates to his humanity that mode of existence. He communicates to his humanity that true reality of being the only begotten son of the Father, which is just incredible. And I just, it is amazing.

So we're talking more about that. Also the other thing we're talking more about that. Also the other thing we're gonna look at today, again, only five short paragraphs, is Christ's soul and his human knowledge. Now remember that when we use the term his human soul, we are referring to a lot of things, but what is its operations of intellect and will? So that we think like, or intellect, that's our brain. Well, yes and no. I mean, our thoughts happen in our brain, but there's a thing that is super, super brain,

is above supra, maybe you say, supra brain, where we have a mind, not just a brain, and that intellect, right, that mind is a human mind. And here is Jesus, who in his human soul is the operations of a human mind, right? An intellect and a human will, that ability to choose. And so the question is, how does that human mind grow? How does that human mind learn? Is Christ's intellect, was he immediately born

and he could speak and the church would say no, as a human being, right? Cause he had a human nature. Sorry, he's a divine person with a human and divine nature, both of those. In his human nature, he had to learn. And so this is really important. This is why the Son of God could in paragraph 472,

this is why the Son of God could could when he became man Increase in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man He would even have to ask questions now at the same time the cat is gonna hear this at the same time This truly human knowledge that he had Express the divine life of his person which means is yes, yes, he had to learn, he had to grow. And that human knowledge of God's Son expressed the divine life of his person. So the quote we have from Maximus the Confessor, the human nature of God's Son, not by itself, but by its union with the Word, knew and showed forth in itself everything that pertains

to God. So yes, his human intellect was limited, had to grow at the same time that human intellect is united, united with the divine, right? The divine intellect, the divine nature that he would have. And with what, how does that work? It is a mystery, but we're going to talk a little bit about that mystery today. Tomorrow we'll look at Christ's human will and Christ's true body. But today we're sticking with Christ's soul, his intellect, human knowledge, and this reality that is so profound. Okay, with all that introductory stuff out of the way, let's say a prayer. Father in heaven, we thank you. We thank you for the mystery. Father in heaven, we thank you. We thank you for the mystery,

as confusing as we might be, the mystery of the incarnation of your son, Jesus Christ. That second person of the Trinity, the word that became flesh and dwelt among us. And we saw his glory, the glory as of a Father's only son. Because Father, you so loved the world that you gave your son so that everyone who believed in him might not perish, but might have eternal life.

Today, help us to know more and more about your son. Help us today to accept him even more fully. Help us today to be loved by him and to receive that love as we are loved by you and receive your love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As I said this day 67, we're reading paragraphs 470 to 474. How is the Son of God man? Because human nature was assumed not absorbed in the mysterious union of the incarnation,

the Church was led over the course of centuries to confess the full reality of Christ's human soul with its operations of intellect and will and of His human body. In parallel fashion, she had to recall on each occasion that Christ's human nature belongs as His own to the Divine Person of the Son of God who assumed it. Everything that Christ is and does in this nature derives from one of the Trinity. The Son of God therefore communicates to His humanity His own personal mode of existence in the Trinity. In His soul as in His body, Christ thus expresses humanly the divine ways of the Trinity.

As Gaudium at Spes stated, The Son of God worked with human hands, He thought with a human mind, He acted with a human will, and with a human heart He loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin.

Christ's soul and His Human Knowledge Apollonarius of Laodicea asserted that in Christ the Divine Word had replaced the soul or spirit. Against this error, the Church confessed that the eternal Son also assumed a rational human soul. This human soul that the Son of God assumed is endowed with a true human knowledge. As such, this knowledge could not in itself be unlimited. It was exercised in the historical conditions of his existence in space and time.

This is why the Son of God could, when he became man, increase in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man, and would even have to inquire for himself about what one in the human condition can learn only from experience. This corresponded to the reality of his voluntary emptying of himself, taking the form of a slave. But, at the same time, this truly human knowledge of God's Son expressed the divine life of his person. As Saint Maximus the confessor wrote, The human nature of God's Son, Not by itself, but by its union with the Word, Knew and showed forth in itself everything that pertains to God.

Such is first of all the case with the intimate and immediate knowledge that the Son of God made man has of his Father. The Son in his human knowledge also showed the divine penetration he had into the secret thoughts of human hearts. By its union to the divine wisdom in the person of the word incarnate, Christ enjoyed in his human knowledge the fullness of understanding of the eternal plans he had come to reveal. What he admitted to not knowing in this area, he elsewhere declared himself not sent to reveal. Okay, so wow, is it, I mean, there's a mouthful, obviously, but it is so incredibly beautiful.

Again, yesterday, I know it was a long day with a lot of heresies. The one heresy we were really, well, kind of we're really focusing on is a Polinarius of allowed to see, I don't know if you caught that, it was in paragraph 471. He asserted that in Christ, the divine word had replaced the solar spirit, right?

So that Jesus didn't have a human soul, didn't have a human spirit, that his divinity kind of basically just like, no, that'll be in the place there. Now against this error, the church confessed that the eternal son had also assumed irrational human soul. And that's so important, why?

Because one of the things we realize is just what Gaudi Metspez stated at the end of paragraph 470. This is so important. The incarnation was not simply, it was not at all God absorbing humanity. It was the fact that in taking on a human nature, God worked with human hands. Gaudi Metspez says this, he thought with a human nature, God worked with human hands. God, he must say, says this. He thought with the human mind. He acted with the human will and with the human heart he loved.

Why is that so important? Because in all of this, one of the many reasons, because in all of this, Jesus Christ is redeeming the whole life of humanity. Right in this, Jesus Christ is living in full union, in full obedience to the Father, not only as the eternal divine Son, but in that human nature. So here's a human nature, a human intellect, a human will that consistently is obedient, consistently is willing what the Father wills.

And this is so vitally important for us because there's not one aspect of humanity, not one aspect of the human reality that Jesus has not entered into and has therefore redeemed. And that is so, so important for us. Again, paragraph 472. It says, This human soul that the Son of God assumed is endowed with a true human knowledge. So because of that, that knowledge could not be unlimited. Again, as I mentioned in the long intro today, is we recognize that Jesus wasn't born

speaking every language, that he had to learn Aramaic. Right? If he had to learn Greek, he had to learn Latin if you ever learned to Latin. You have to, he probably didn't know English. We'll say it like that. Now, obviously the eternal God, there's nothing he doesn't know. But in assuming a true human soul, like intellect and will, he actually assumed true human knowledge, which means it says this, it's oh gosh, it's so good. He would even have to inquire for himself

about what one in the human condition can learn only from experience. but one in the human condition can learn only from experience. Had to ask questions, questions that he wouldn't know the answer to. And then this is, again, this corresponds to the reality, it says in paragraph 472, this corresponds to the reality of his voluntary emptying of himself, taking the form of his slave. Again, just to highlight this, it seems shocking.

Well, it actually doesn't seem shocking. It is shocking that God would love us so much that he would empty himself and take on limited a Limited human intellect Limited human will limited human power in a body that actually could suffer and die. We'll talk about that tomorrow But this is remarkable That even to limit his intellect

so that he could live like us in all things, taking the form of a slave. Now, the Catechism, the church wants to make it very, very clear at the same time, this is paragraph 473, at the same time, this truly human knowledge, truly expressed the divine life of his person. I love that, that quote we already read now twice

from St. Maximus, the confessor, the human nature of God's Son, not by itself, but by its union with the Word, new and showed forth in itself everything that pertains to God. That is one of the reasons why Jesus could say, whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Because truly, he's always been, from eternity, is the second person to train you, right write from eternity. He is the son of the father and Even when he assumed that human nature he remained the son of the father So incredible so incredible last thought last paragraph 474 it goes on to say By its union to the divine wisdom in the person of the word incarnate

So good the Christ wisdom in the person of the word incarnate. Christ enjoyed in his human knowledge the fullness of understanding of the eternal plans he had come to reveal. So Jesus didn't walk around thinking like, what's happening now? Why are they torturing me? Why are they arresting me? Why are they rejecting me? He knew going into this with the knowledge, the divine wisdom. He enjoyed in his human knowledge the fullness of understanding the eternal plans he had come to reveal.

So we can realize this that here is God who embraced suffering, knowing fully what would happen to him. You know, I think for you and for me one of the things that hurts the most about about suffering It's not just necessarily the moment of suffering, but knowing that it's coming, right? Like knowing that it's on its way And here's Jesus Who enjoyed in his human knowledge? The fullness of understanding of the eternal plans he'd come to reveal And we can just sit back and marvel at that. Actually,

if we should like enter into that in prayer and recognize, my God, in taking on human nature, you knew what you were doing. You knew you would be rejected. You knew that you would be despised. You knew that the people you were giving your heart to would be the people who would pierce your heart. And that's God's love for you. That's God's love for me today. See, what we're talking about today is this whole, these last 67 days, again, we say it so many times, it's not just about information transfer, but it's about transformation. It's about falling in love with this God. So knowing more and more about his intellect and his will, knowing more and more that he had to grow but at the same time as he grew, he had this in his human knowledge the fullness of understanding of the eternal plans he'd come to reveal and said yes to

that. With every breath said yes to that with every heartbeat. Man, it can actually break your heart if you pray about it. And so I hope you're praying about it. I know I am. And I'm praying for you. Please, please pray for me. My name's Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow.

God bless.