Aquinas on the Sonship of Jesus Revealed in Christ's Passion | Father Dominic Legge, O.P.
Oct 13, 2023
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Fr. Dominic Legge, Director of the Thomistic Institute, discusses Aquinas' perspective on Jesus' Sonship in Christ's Passion. Topics explored include Aquinas' Trinitarian understanding of Christ's Passion, Christ's obedience and love for the Father, Aquinas' perspective on Christ's cry during the Passion, and the significance of the Cross in revealing the triune God.
Aquinas interprets the Passion as an act of love with Trinitarian dimensions.
Christ's cry on the cross expresses his human suffering and deep love for humanity.
Deep dives
Love as a cause of the Passion
Aquinas sees love as a cause of the Passion and interprets it in interpersonal and Trinitarian terms. He highlights that the cross is the culmination of the Father's gift of the Son to the world and that Jesus' suffering on the cross is a supreme act of charity. Aquinas emphasizes the Trinitarian dimensions of this act, as the Father inspires Christ with the charity that moves him to accept the Passion, and the Holy Spirit plays a role in enabling Christ's act of love.
Obedience and Love directed to the Father
Aquinas discusses Christ's obedience and love directed towards the Father. He explains that Christ's obedience is an expression of love for the Father and for humanity, and that the Father's will is the plan for our salvation. Aquinas underlines that the Father's command does not constrain Christ, but rather reveals the Father's plan for Christ's suffering and our redemption. Christ's love and obedience are oriented towards the Father, displaying his identity as the Son and the Father's plan for salvation.
Christ's cry to the Father
Aquinas examines the significance of Christ's cry of 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?' on the cross. He rejects interpretations that suggest a separation or abandonment between the Father and the Son. Instead, Aquinas explains that the cry reveals the mystery of the incarnation and the reality of Christ's sufferings as man. Christ's cry expresses his human revulsion in the face of suffering and death, while also manifesting confidence in God and reminding us of the depth of his love for humanity. Aquinas emphasizes that this cry does not imply any separation from God or sin in Christ.
Passion as the hour of glorification
Aquinas sees the Passion as the hour of Christ's glorification and the revelation of the Trinity. He argues that the miracles accompanying the crucifixion manifest Christ's glory to the faithful, and that the Father glorifies Christ as man by making him the High Priest who offers himself on the cross. Aquinas highlights that the Passion and Resurrection reveal Christ's glory and make him known as the Son. He also asserts that the Passion reveals and glorifies the Father, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the Trinity in the revelation of the cross.
This lecture was given on May 24, 2023, at Trinity: Fundamental Ground of Reality and Mystery of Salvation
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events
Speaker Bio:
Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P., is the Director of the Thomistic Institute and an Assistant Professor in systematic theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, a Ph.L. from the School of Philosophy of the Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of Fribourg. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2001 and was ordained a priest in 2007. He practiced law for several years as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice before becoming a Dominican.
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