Unburned letters of John Paul II reveal richness of Trinity

Vatican City, Mar 11, 2014 / 05:09 am

The personal notes of JPII published by former secretary Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, which the pontiff asked to be burned, reveal the depth of the Blessed's keen knowledge of the mystery of the Trinity.

Entitled "I am so much in God's hands: Personal records 1962-2003," the book was published by Krakow-based publisher Znak on Feb. 12, and contains 639 pages of meditations and some photos and scans of the pages from two of the late Pope's notebooks, one beginning in 1962 and the other in 1985, which were both published in Italy by the Archdiocese of Milan.

Coming from one of the notebooks, the pontiff writes on the identity of the Trinity in three separate meditations, one focusing on God the Father, one on the Son, and another on the Holy Spirit.

"The analogy of the fatherhood which is given to us in the created world, is variously reached and at the same time is very poor and out of proportion in comparison with that reality of the 'Father' in God," the soon-to-be Saint wrote.

"God in some ways identifies with the Father, and at the same time He exceeds all that we can think of regarding the subject of 'father' in the dimension of the creature, especially in the dimension of a human reality."

A father, he continued, "is one who gives life, who hands down humanity and who conditions its development, who is a point of reference for a child, and a correlator of the certainty of existence and good."

Explaining how God is "mysterious" in both the world and in Creation, the pontiff reflected that this mystery "is beyond everything" and that it "is cleared up with one reference: it is the reference of Christ."

"In Christ's consciousness as well as in His mission and the world, the Father completely obscures 'the Absolute,' although at the same time it absorbs Him in a certain way."

He then highlighted that if a person is able to think about God in terms of "the Absolute" and the "height of existence," it is only possible "on the condition that they accept, after Christ, the truth about Love."

"Outside the 'mystery of the Father,'" the Blessed emphasized, "there is no evolution of man in truth and love."

Referring to the figure of God the Son in another personal note, Bl. John Paul II recalled Jesus' words when he said that "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father," and that "the Father and I are one."

"These words are the key of the meditation," he affirmed, observing that "the Son appears as a 'visibility' of the Father, not only His invisible Image that is the Consubstantial Word, but also his 'revelation' in the history of mankind, which enters in becoming a Man."

"In this ultimate closeness to a man, to mankind, to history, Jesus" acts "above all as Consubstantial to the Father (Consubstantialis)," the Pope reflected, drawing attention to the "thorough way" in which the Person of Jesus enters into human history.

Noting how this closeness enters firstly "in the event of the Cross, a fulfilling sacrifice which has salvific power," he emphasized that the Father is still becoming visible, and that "the 'mystery of bearing the Son' is 'unfathomable.'"

"The Son is eternally Consubstantial – and as eternally the Son, He is bearing by the father. There is dependence, giving birth is a sign of consubstantial-ness between the Son and the Father – and also between the Holy Spirit in the unity of the Divine."

Reflecting on the Holy Spirit in a third meditation, Pope John Paul II noted how "God is a spirit," and that all who worship him do so "in spirit and in truth."

"This reality is at the same time 'purely' spiritual and 'purely' personal," he reflected, observing how "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are a spirit."

Highlighting how "the Spirit permeates everything," including "the depths of God," the Blessed explained that "we know He is Holy, that He is a Person, as are the Father and the Son. We know that He 'proceeds' from the Father and the Son as Love. God is love."

"The Holy Spirit is love of the Father and the Son. Therefore He is 'Holy,' as holiness is love."

In his meditation, Bl. John Paul II went on to explain that the "mutual giving of the Father to the Son and the Son to the Father in the Holy Spirit…is a complete mystery of faith."

Observing how "the Holy Spirit is a 'hidden God' (Deus absconditus)," the pontiff wrote that "If He is an internal gift with whom the Father and the Son are united – He especially has been revealed to man as a Gift."

"At the cost of the Son's Passion and Death" the Holy Spirit becomes "a gift for souls" he noted, emphasizing that "'God's Love is spilled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us'" as a gift, and reveals to us both truth and love.

"As long as the Son, Christ, consists of the 'visibility' of God and His 'historicity' – the Holy Spirit re-introduces us to His 'invisibility.'"
 
Explaining that that the Holy Spirit "is above all an Action," the pontiff emphasized that "He is Effectiveness and Bearing fruit – not entering into the sphere of our sight. His action in the soul, however effective and basic, is always action of the Invisible in the invisible."


The meditations included in this piece were translated from the original Polish by Anna Artymiak, Polish correspondent to the Vatican, reporting from Rome.

[This article is the first in a two-part series providing excerpts of personal notes written by Bl. John Paul II dating between July 1962 when he was auxiliary bishop of Krakow, to March 2003, two years before his death and in the 25th year of his service as Roman Pontiff.]

Please see below for the full text of the meditations provided in this article:

1st step GOD THE FATHER

Meditatio de mysterio Patris [Meditation on the mystery of the Father]
(cfr. Mystere du Pere [cf. Mystery of the Father] Fr. Guillou read on vacation). The analogy of the fatherhood which is given to us in the created world, is variously reached and at the same time is very poor and out of proportion in comparison with that reality of the "Father" in God. God in some ways identifies with the Father, and at the same time He exceeds all that we can think of regarding the subject of "father" in the dimension of the creature, especially in the dimension of a human reality. A father is one who gives life, who hands down humanity and who conditions its development, who is a point of reference for a child, and a correlator of the certainty of existence and good. The Father – God, is actually mysterious in the terms of the world and the Creation. His is the Mystery which is beyond everything and that conditions everything. This Mystery is cleared up with one reference: it is the reference of Christ – "no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Thanks to Christ, we also "know" the Father in some way, and we have access to Him. In Christ's consciousness as well as in His mission and the world, the Father completely obscures "the Absolute," although at the same time it absorbs Him in a certain way. The Father is also the Creator and the Lord (I praise You, father, Lord of heaven and earth, because … Mt 11.25). He is the Height of existence and good, He is the Beginning, final Support, Certainty and Fulfillment all the fulfillments. If a person can think about Him reasonably in the terms of the Absolute, it is possible only on the condition that they accept, after Christ, the truth about Love. The Father, He is the Fulfillment of Truth and Goodness, in a typical only-to-Him way, accepting the world since the reality of Creation, giving existence – to the man whom He creates "in his own image and his likeness," granting to him participation in His Divinity. He is constantly present in everything – being in Creation in the deepest way, especially in man – out of our created imagination and thought. At the same time only He is the anchor of self-confidence and the condition of the development of everything, especially of a man (cfr. education). Outside the "mystery of the Father," there is no evolution of man in truth and love. (cfr. Guillou's thesis).

2nd STEP THE SON OF GOD
Morning meditation (longer) on the mystery of the Son.

Jesus the Lord said "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" and at another time "the Father and I are one." These words are the key of the meditation. The Son appears as a "visibility" of the Father, not only His invisible Image that is the Consubstantial Word, but also his "revelation" in the history of mankind, which enters in becoming a Man. God – Man: the God of history arranges the whole history of salvation and concentrates it around Himself. In this ultimate closeness to a man, to mankind, to history, Jesus – God, fully the Son to man, to humankind, to history, Jesus, God and Son acts above all as Consubstantial to the Father (Consubstantialis). This divine act, which is a result of his Person, enters in the most thorough way into the history of mankind, from Bethlehem until Calvary. First of all, it enters in the event of the Cross, a fulfilling sacrifice which has salvific power. But the whole human background of these events, life and death, do not cover the God-Son. Meditation with some special power showed me His reality, in which the Father became (and still is becoming) visible in a special way. Unfathomable is that mystery of bearing the Son – the Word. Here the analogy with human bearing "according to the body" disappoints in a special way. The Son is eternally Consubstantial – and as eternally the Son, He is bearing by the father. There is dependence, giving the birth is a sign of consubstantial-ness between the Son and the Father – and also between the Holy Spirit in the unity of the Divine.

3rd STEP THE HOLY SPIRIT

Meditation (longer) on the mystery of the Holy Spirit.

"God is a Spirit – and truly worshippers shall worship him in spirit and in truth (J)". Our notion of God's spirituality develops over the poor experiences of our own human spirituality. This reality is at the same time "purely" spiritual and "purely" personal. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are a spirit. "The Spirit permeates everything, He permeates the depths of God." We know He is Holy, that He is a Person, as are the Father and the Son. We know that He "proceeds" from the Father and the Son as Love. God is love. The Holy Spirit is love of the Father and the Son. Therefore He is "Holy," as holiness is love. His "proceeding" from the Father and the Son is at the same time remaining in the unity of the Father and the Son, and – to a certain extent – constituting that unity. Yet this mutual giving of the Father to the Son and the Son to the Father in the Holy Spirit – and mutual "breath" of that Spirit, is a complete mystery of faith. The Holy Spirit is a "hidden God" (Deus absconditus). If He is an internal gift with whom the Father and the Son are united – He especially has been revealed to man as a Gift. This is revealed by Christ, who described his Passion and Death as a price for that Gift for man ("if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (J). Here we already pass from the "Trinitas theologica" ["theological Trinity"] to the "Trinitas oeconomica" ["economic Trinity"]: the acting of Persons in the work of human salvation. The Holy Spirit – at the cost of the Son's Passion and Death – becomes a gift for souls: "he will guide you into all truth..." "God's Love is spilled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us:" the Holy Spirit is the source of man's holiness, and holiness consists of truth and love. In them is expressed the true nature of "spirituality" and holiness, also on the level of man. In one way, we know more about the Holy Spirit from the Revelation in the "economic" order than in the "theological" order. Also, in the economic order, He is still "Deus absconditus." As long as the Son, Christ, consists of the "visibility" of God and His "historicity" – the Holy Spirit re-introduces us to His "invisibility." And after all, He is above all an Action, He is Effectiveness and Bearing fruit – not entering into the sphere of our sight. His action in the soul, however effective and basic, is always action of the Invisible in the invisible.