By Dr Tiju Thomas –
In his autobiographical book, Confessions, St. Augustine of Hippo (~354-430 AD), Bishop and Doctor of the Church, passionately and poetically proclaims, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee”.(1) The early Christian scholar and theologian Origen (184-253AD) spoke of such mystical union with God as well. In his Biblical scholarship, he was influenced by the Jewish tradition of Aggadah (literally meaning ‘make known’ and/or ‘tales/stories’). To him, a central image that was analogous to the human journey was that of Moses and Aaron taking the Israelites through the wilderness (see Numbers 11-20).
In the book of Numbers, the Israelites were carried forward by God. Mosses despite his many limitations cooperated with God and led the entire nation into a place of calm and stability. Origen describes our union with God (i.e. us becoming ‘communicants’) as a pilgrim journey akin to the journey of Israelites through the desert. Our journey, like theirs would be fraught with challenges and personal failings, but we can always be assured of God’s very likely quiet, but encouraging presence. We are moving towards Communion with him, for he is our ultimate destiny. God ensures our movement towards union with him and through him. This communion is a collective action that involves God, us and our neighbour – mirroring the Trinity – working in cooperation.
This pilgrim journey of the human person towards God involves cleansing and preparation of the soul, for we are heading towards him who is most high. Sanctification of our whole being, to prepare ourselves for union with God is an essential aspect of our human journey. This sounds like a herculean task to us. However thanks to the redemptive and perfect work of Christ, we can persist in faith and hope. Despite our limitations (just as was the case with Mosses and his limitations), we are encouraged to relentlessly cooperate with Christ. We thus become sanctified and finally find ourselves in good standing by God’s own infinitely great measure (i.e. we stand justified). This journey with Christ when undertaken in the right spirit touches not just us; it brings blessings to those in our lives too.
This journey with Christ, towards God the Holy Trinity, eventually results in what can be rightfully thought of metaphorically as a ‘marriage of souls’ – our soul with that of the perfectly transcendent and yet personal and Triune God. In his characteristic eloquent style, Origen describes this union of the human and the divine using the wedding imagery of Solomon’s Song of Songs.(2) This of course is mere metaphor for something that transcends comprehension, since God is a mystery, and the human person, who is the image of God is a mystery too.
What we know is that such a union of us – the human – with the divine is the ultimate goal of the human existence and it is indescribably beautiful. Such union offers eternal joy of the loftiest kind, which only God can offer (the Greek Church fathers called this ekstasis).
The Church teaches that such a remarkable and all-encompassing union and ‘resting in God’ does not involve an extinction or loss of our creaturely self. In fact it perfects us, and makes us whole, according to the plan of God. Just as marriage is meant to enhance the persons involved; likewise mystical union with God perfects the human person.(3 i) The human person becomes truly and fully a child of God, and experiences God intimately through the eye of her/his mind. S/he thence becomes, in the language of Church Fathers and the Catechism – ‘divinized’.
Oneness with God, which results in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is called divinization (Greek: theosis).(3 ii) Such a person experiences the joyous indwelling and overarching presence of the at once transcendental and yet relational God – the Most Holy Trinity. We know of the perfection God wants of us since we know of the redemptive action of Christ who is Incarnate God. Through the Church, we also know of the great many gifts Christ has given to his Mother, who cooperated with God to become an eternal tabernacle (see Revelation 12:1, Exodus 40:35). We too, as children of the Blessed Mother, are meant to be a sanctuary of the Lord; we too are called to be communicants – to be divinized!
When we become a sanctuary, i.e. divinized, God becomes intimately present to our created mind. In such a state of ‘illumined perfection’, we get to contemplate with indescribable joy the infinite mystery of the Divine nature. This contemplation on the Divine nature is called theoria by the Greek Fathers. Eventually through such cooperative surrender into God’s own life, we become ‘partakers of the Divine nature’ (2 Peter 1:1-4). St. John says this in 1 John 3:1-3, as follows:
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
Becoming one with God, and becoming a child of ‘God who is love’ (1 John 4:8) requires initiative from God. We are to cooperate in love and in complete trust, knowing that our ultimate and eternal ground of existence is God. St. Thomas Aquinas describes this as: “The end of the spiritual life…is that man unites himself to God by love”.(4) None of us are perfect and we do stumble; but in hope we can aim at moving towards perfection, through the imitation of Christ.
In our journey towards God, he gives himself to us through his Spirit. We thus become ‘communicants’ of the divine nature – this is God’s great assurance through Christ. It is for this reason that the ‘Holy Communion/Eucharist’ is considered the source and summit of Christian life.(3 iii) It is also so great an honor to be invited by God to communion that we ought to cooperate with God in humility.
God’s greatest gift – himself incarnated as Christ – is the foundation of the Holy Communion and of our inner strength. He binds us together; for love reaches out and “does not seek its own interests”.(1 Corinthians 13:4) Union with God is ultimately an Easter story!(3 iv) We know this from St. Irenaeus, the Bishop of Lyons (130-202 AD). He said, God had “become what we are, that he might bring us to even what he is himself!”.(5) Hence God adopts us, and we become a member of his own family.(3 v)
Let us all pray now, so that we may have the wisdom to walk humbly with our Lord, so that he may sanctify us. May our mind be illumined by God’s own light, so that we too may hope to become saints – divinized and made perfect, in communion with God.
Dr. Tiju Thomas is an interdisciplinary engineering faculty at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). In addition to his current scientific/technical engagements, he has an abiding interest in catechesis, and human formation of young students and professionals. He enjoys devoting time to work with people and families who wish for some assistance in gaining a meaningful life direction. He believes that his Christian vocation includes both human formation and availability
to those who wish to see hope even through suffering. Dr. Thomas can be reached at [email protected]
This reflection is not a complete survey of the teachings of the Church on divinization/theosis, or of the mystical teachings of the saints. This article is written to encourage readers to pursue God with the same ardour and intensity that the mystical saints (E.g. St. Theresa of Avila, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ephraim the Syrian) did. This article is meant to offer hope to all, and invites faithful to embark on a loving journey towards God. This path culminates in (thanks be to Christ) the union with God (divinization; Greek: theosis), which St. Augustine teaches is the highest goal of human life.
- Augustine of Hippo, Confessions,1,1.5 http://www.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20020821_agostino_en.html
- Holmes, Urban Tigner (2002). A History of Christian Spirituality: An Analytical Introduction. Church Publishing. ISBN978-0-8192-1914-5. Page 26-28
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (i) 1988, (ii) 1995, (iii) 1324-1327, (iv) 1988, (v) 2009
- Summa TheologicaFirst part of second part, q1, article 4; https://www.newadvent.org/summa/2001.htm#article4
- Against Heresies (Book V, Preface) available at https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103500.htm