The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
The Spirit: Love in God
Aquinas Lesson for August 5, 1998
The Son was explained as the Word, which in turn was explained as understanding. God understands Himself and is thus both the one who understands and that which is understood.
Similarly, God is beloved and the lover at the same time.
Aquinas’ explanation of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is somewhat similar to that of the Son. He begins by showing a similar relationship between knowledge and love. That being knowledge and love both have some object as their end – the thing known and the thing loved.
However, since God knows and loves according to His nature, which is simple and infinite, it can be determined that God knows and loves Himself.
Whereas the Son was determined to be connected with the knowledge aspect of God, the Spirit is related to love: "a Spirit, who is the love of God" (Compendium Ch. 46).
Also, since love of God is love of the supreme good, the word holy can be used to describe the Spirit: "whether holy is taken as equivalent to ‘pure’ [Greek] … or whether holy is taken to mean ‘firm’ [Latin]" (Compendium Ch. 47).
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
