Presence et Union: Les Missions des Personnes de la Sainté-Trinite selon S. Thomas d’Aquin by Dom Lucien Chambat, O. S. B. (review)

BOOK REVIEWS Presence et Union: Les Missions des Personnes de la Sainte-Trinite selon S. Thomas d'Aquin. By Dom LuciEN CHAMBAT, 0. S. B. Abbaye S. Wandrille: Editions de Fontenelle, 19M3. Pp. 205. As the title manifests, the intention of the author is to expose the teaching of St. Thomas on the missions of the Divine Persons of the Trinity and their indwelling in the soul. To accomplish this end Dom Lucien first seeks the sources of St. Thomas' doctrine in Sacred Scripture, St. Augustine, St. Albert. The main portion of the book is taken up with a minute analysis of the following capital texts from St. Thomas' major works: I Sent., d. 14-18; I Sent., d. 87; IV Contra Gentiles, c. 21; Summa Theologica , I, q. 48. The author's conclusions are conveniently summarized in the preface; they touch only the invisible missions, with which the work is mainly concerned: 1) The mission of the divine Persons terminates at an indwelling of these Persons in the soul of the just. 2) This indwelling is simply the presence of the divine Persons as exemplary and efficient cause of sanctifying grace. 8) This presence manifests in some way the divine Persons, who thus become an object of knowledge and love: this manifestation or knowledge·does not constitute the presence; the Persons are present" before any knowledge or love, present or represented in sanctifying grace and are by this fact apt to be known and loved. In the preface Dom Lucien also manifests his secondary purpose--a criticism and rejection of the explanations given by Pere Gardeil, 0. P. in his work La Structure de l'Ame et l'experience mystique. This great theologian, rejecting the opinion of Vasquez, which many Thomists were following, revived the teaching of John of St. Thomas on the subject of God's Presence in the soul and the missions of the divine Persons. Before giving the explanation of Pere Gardeil, it may help the discussion to quote the text of St. Thomas which is the source of difficulty. I answer that, A divine person is fittingly sent in the sense that He exists newly in anyone, and He is fittingly given as possessed by anyone; but neither of these is otherwise than by sanctifying grace. For God is in all things in a universal way by His. essence, power, and presence, as the cause existing in the effects which participate in His goodness. Above and beyond this universal way, however, there is one special way belonging to the 461 462 BOOK REVIEWS rational nature wherein God is said to be present as the object known is in the knower, and the beloved in the lover. And since the rational creature by its operation of knowledge and love attains to God Himself, according to this special way God is said not only to exist in the rational creature, but also to dwell therein as in His own temple. So no other effect can be put down as the reason why the divine person is in the rational creature in a new way, except sanctifying grace.... Summa Theologica, I, q. 48, a. 8. According to Pere Gardeil, in this text, St. Thomas, conforma~ly to his doctrine elsewhere, is distinguishing the two principal modes of God's presence to creatures (the special mode of the Incarnation is not considered ). These two modes are based on the two types of relation that can exist between God and His creatures. One relation is universal- that of cause to effects; this relation pervades all of created reality, natural and supernatural; it is the presence of immensity. St. Thomas also speaks of a new mode of God's presence; this is an objective presence, the presence of an object known and loved. This presence is distinct, though not separable, from the presence of immensity, for it is based on a new relation of the rational creature to God. It is true that an object can be known and loved without being physically and intimately present tu the knower and lover; it is, nevertheless present in a new way, objectively. The perfection of this way demands an intimate, physical union of...