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Objection 1: It would seem that it is not fitting for the Son to be
sent invisibly. For invisible mission of the divine person is
according to the gift of grace. But all gifts of grace belong to the
Holy Ghost, according to 1 Cor. 12:11: "One and the same
Spirit worketh all things." Therefore only the Holy Ghost is sent
invisibly.
Objection 2: Further, the mission of the divine person is according
to sanctifying grace. But the gifts belonging to the perfection of the
intellect are not gifts of sanctifying grace, since they can be held
without the gift of charity, according to 1 Cor. 13:2: "If I
should have prophecy, and should know all mysteries, and all
knowledge, and if I should have all faith so that I could move
mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." Therefore, since
the Son proceeds as the word of the intellect, it seems unfitting for
Him to be sent invisibly.
Objection 3: Further, the mission of the divine person is a
procession, as expounded above (Articles 1,4). But the
procession of the Son and of the Holy Ghost differ from each other.
Therefore they are distinct missions if both are sent; and then one of
them would be superfluous, since one would suffice for the creature's
sanctification.
On the contrary, It is said of divine Wisdom (Wis. 9:10):
"Send her from heaven to Thy Saints, and from the seat of Thy
greatness."
I answer that, The whole Trinity dwells in the mind by sanctifying
grace, according to Jn. 14:23: "We will come to him, and
will make Our abode with him." But that a divine person be sent to
anyone by invisible grace signifies both that this person dwells in a
new way within him and that He has His origin from another. Hence,
since both to the Son and to the Holy Ghost it belongs to dwell in
the soul by grace, and to be from another, it therefore belongs to
both of them to be invisibly sent. As to the Father, though He
dwells in us by grace, still it does not belong to Him to be from
another, and consequently He is not sent.
Reply to Objection 1: Although all the gifts, considered as such,
are attributed to the Holy Ghost, forasmuch as He is by His nature
the first Gift, since He is Love, as stated above (Question
38, Article 1), some gifts nevertheless, by reason of their own
particular nature, are appropriated in a certain way to the Son,
those, namely, which belong to the intellect, and in respect of which
we speak of the mission of the Son. Hence Augustine says (De
Trin. iv, 20) that "The Son is sent to anyone invisibly,
whenever He is known and perceived by anyone."
Reply to Objection 2: The soul is made like to God by grace.
Hence for a divine person to be sent to anyone by grace, there must
needs be a likening of the soul to the divine person Who is sent, by
some gift of grace. Because the Holy Ghost is Love, the soul is
assimilated to the Holy Ghost by the gift of charity: hence the
mission of the Holy Ghost is according to the mode of charity.
Whereas the Son is the Word, not any sort of word, but one Who
breathes forth Love. Hence Augustine says (De Trin. ix 10):
"The Word we speak of is knowledge with love." Thus the Son is
sent not in accordance with every and any kind of intellectual
perfection, but according to the intellectual illumination, which
breaks forth into the affection of love, as is said (Jn.
6:45): "Everyone that hath heard from the Father and hath
learned, cometh to Me," and (Ps. 38:4): "In my meditation
a fire shall flame forth." Thus Augustine plainly says (De Trin.
iv, 20): "The Son is sent, whenever He is known and perceived
by anyone." Now perception implies a certain experimental knowledge;
and this is properly called wisdom [sapientia], as it were a sweet
knowledge [sapida scientia], according to Ecclus. 6:23: "The
wisdom of doctrine is according to her name."
Reply to Objection 3: Since mission implies the origin of the
person Who is sent, and His indwelling by grace, as above explained
(Article 1), if we speak of mission according to origin, in this
sense the Son's mission is distinguished from the mission of the Holy
Ghost, as generation is distinguished from procession. If we
consider mission as regards the effect of grace, in this sense the two
missions are united in the root which is grace, but are distinguished
in the effects of grace, which consist in the illumination of the
intellect and the kindling of the affection. Thus it is manifest that
one mission cannot be without the other, because neither takes place
without sanctifying grace, nor is one person separated from the other.
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