162. Divine Missions, Grace, and Newness in Creatures

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Definition and Nature of Divine Mission #

• Mission requires two essential elements:
  1. Indwelling of grace (the divine person dwelling in the creature)
  2. Newness or innovation through grace (a new way of being present)
• Mission is not merely divine omnipresence but involves a creature beginning to possess divine life in a new manner
• A mission is not an actual motion or coming from one place to another, but a relational reality established in the creature receiving grace

Old Testament Fathers and Invisible Missions #

• Objection: John 7:39 states “the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified,” implying no invisible missions to OT fathers
• Resolution: Invisible missions were made to OT fathers (Abraham, Isaiah, prophets)
• The text refers to a special, prominent giving (per modum peculiarem) at Pentecost, not an absolute absence of the Holy Spirit
• Berquist employs Antonio Masia (as-if-for-the-first-time interpretation) to clarify the apparent contradiction—similar to how Romeo claims he never loved before Juliet, though he loved Rosalind, because this love was unlike any before

Progress in Virtue and the Continuity of Missions #

• Objection: If virtue progresses continuously and always through grace, missions should be continuous
• Resolution: While grace is always progressing and there is always some invisible mission, especially notable missions occur when someone enters a new status or state of grace
• Notable missions occur at:
  • Becoming a prophet or worker of miracles
  • Moving through fervor of charity to embrace martyrdom
  • Renouncing possessions (e.g., Francis)
  • Undertaking new vocational states (e.g., Benedict becoming Pope)
• Growth in grace involves both intensity (increase of grace’s strength) and extension (expansion to new objects or new ways of relating to God)

Christ and the Blessed in Relation to Missions #

• Christ: Received invisible mission at conception only
  • From conception, Christ possessed fullness of wisdom and grace
  • Scriptural references to Christ growing in grace refer to outward manifestation, not real increase
  • Christ had no more grace at age 30 than at conception
• The Blessed: Receive invisible mission at the beginning of their beatitude
  • No subsequent growth in intensity of grace
  • However, they receive new revelations of mysteries continuously until the Day of Judgment
  • This extension of grace to new truths and realities constitutes a form of mission, described as growth by extension rather than intensity

Sacraments and Instrumental Grace #

• Objection: Sacraments contain grace, yet no invisible mission comes to them
• Resolution: Grace exists in sacraments instrumentally (as tools of the agent), not as in a subject
• Mission is directed not to sacraments but to the souls of those receiving grace through sacraments
• The sacrament is the instrumental cause; the person receiving is the term of the mission
• Grace in sacraments differs in mode from grace in the soul

Key Arguments #

The Core Argument for Missions to All with Sanctifying Grace #

• Augustine’s position: “Invisible mission comes about to sanctify creatures. But every creature having grace is sanctified. Therefore, to every creature of this sort, there comes an invisible mission.”
• Berquist’s elaboration: Mission requires both indwelling and newness; without newness, there is no mission, only divine omnipresence
• All who genuinely receive sanctifying grace experience both conditions and thus receive an invisible mission

The Distinction Between Continuous and Especially Notable Missions #

• Progress in virtue is continuous; grace either advances or diminishes
• But mission (missio) in theological language often emphasizes remarkable transitions
• Thomas does not deny continual mission but emphasizes the special prominence of missions at new states
• This distinction prevents confusion between the metaphorical and technical uses of “mission”

Why Christ Has No Repeated Mission #

• Christ’s hypostatic union (unity of person) means he cannot be sent in the way creatures are
• He is the source of grace, not a recipient of it in the created sense
• Possession of fullness from conception leaves no room for newness through increased grace
• The Incarnation itself is the supreme mission, not a consequence of receiving grace

Important Definitions #

Missio (Mission) #

• A going forth of a divine person from another principle
• Requires both indwelling (inhabitation of grace) and newness/innovation (a new manner of existing in the creature)
• Distinct from merely omnipresent sustaining of creatures

Innovatio (Newness/Innovation) #

• The introduction of a new mode of divine presence in a creature
• Not a physical motion but a relational reality
• Essential to distinguishing true mission from mere divine presence

Status Gratiae (State of Grace) #

• A particular condition or station in the spiritual life
• Examples include: becoming a prophet, embracing martyrdom, taking religious vows, receiving episcopal office
• Transitions to new states mark moments of especially notable invisible missions

Examples & Illustrations #

Old Testament Figures #

• Abraham receiving the three men (angels/divine persons)
• Isaiah in his vision of the Lord
• The prophets generally receiving invisible missions

New Testament Examples #

• Christ’s baptism (John 3:16): The dove and voice signifying the Father’s missions
• The Transfiguration: Lucid cloud signifying the presence of the divine
• Pentecost (Acts 2): Tongues of fire representing the Holy Spirit’s mission
• John 20: Christ breathing on the apostles, saying “Receive the Holy Spirit”

Spiritual Life Transitions #

• A layperson becoming a prophet (new status = notable mission)
• A believer moving from comfort to martyrdom through fervor of charity
• Francis renouncing all possessions
• Benedict’s elevation to the papacy
• Any ordination or solemn undertaking of new vocational state

Notable Quotes #

“The mission in its very definition implies that the one who is sent either begins to be where he before was not, as happens in creative things, or he begins to be where he was before, but he begins to be there in a new way.” — Thomas Aquinas (cited by Berquist)

“To all, therefore, there comes about invisible mission in which these two are found”—namely, indwelling and newness. — Thomas Aquinas (cited by Berquist)

“Don’t be a victim of false imagination. Think of him running out from the Father in doubt to us… like a kind of coming to be where he was not before.” — Berquist, cautioning against a spatial misinterpretation of mission

“According as the Son is sent invisibly, there comes about something in men or with men, and this was made or done previously in the fathers and in the prophets.” — Augustine, On the Trinity Book IV (cited via Thomas by Berquist)

Questions Addressed #

Q1: Does invisible mission come to all who partake of grace? #

Resolution: Yes. To all creatures possessing sanctifying grace, an invisible mission comes—because all such creatures have both indwelling of grace and newness of manner in that indwelling. Objections were raised about OT fathers, continuous virtue-progress, Christ, the blessed, and sacraments, but each is answered by clarifying what “newness” means in each case.

Q2: Were invisible missions made to Old Testament fathers? #

Resolution: Yes, they were. The text “the Spirit was not yet given” (John 7:39) should be understood as referring to a special, prominent giving at Pentecost, not an absolute absence. Using Antonio Masia (reading as if for the first time), the fathers received invisible missions though not with the unique prominence of Pentecost.

Q3: How can missions be continuous if grace always progresses? #

Resolution: Missions are continuous in the sense that grace is always dwelling in an innovative way. However, especially notable missions (marked by special prominence) occur at transitions to new spiritual states—becoming a prophet, embracing martyrdom, taking vows, or assuming new offices.

Q4: Why did Christ have an invisible mission only at conception? #

Resolution: Christ was full of all wisdom and grace from conception. There was no subsequent newness of grace; hence, no subsequent mission. Growth of grace in Scripture refers to outward manifestation of the grace already present, not to real increase.

Q5: Do the blessed receive invisible missions? #

Resolution: They receive one invisible mission at the beginning of their beatitude (entering the state of blessedness). After that, they receive no growth in intensity of grace, but they do receive new revelations of mysteries until the Day of Judgment. This extension of grace to new objects (new truths apprehended) can be understood as a form of mission by extension.

Q6: Why do sacraments not receive invisible missions? #

Resolution: Sacraments contain grace instrumentally (as tools), not as subjects. The invisible mission is directed to the soul receiving grace through the sacrament, not to the sacrament itself. The sacrament is the instrumental efficient cause; the soul is the term of the mission.