And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. (Gen 1:6-8) On the second day, God begins to divide the world. Our experience of things is always divided. We encounter many different things, and as soon as our mind comprehends a thing, it begins to divide that thing into many concepts. However, in order for a thing to be divided, there must first be a single thing to divide. Thus, all division is rooted in a prior unity. And since all things originate from God who created them, God must be absolutely simple in all ways. We know God through a diversity of concepts, but in God, all our concepts correspond to one simple reality. Is not the absolute simplicity of God though repugnant to his Threeness? The Seraphic Doctor explains that while we are divided through a myriad of accidents, such as quality, quantity, etc., the persons of the Trinity are distinguished by relation alone. The Son is begotten of the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. While all other accidents make things into distinct substances, the various modes of procession are strictly relative. Furthermore, the three persons are not three parts of God, but each one is the full divine essence. When we see division and diversity among created things then, let us allow our minds to see the prior unity among each diversity, and then to see the simplicity of the divine essence which is prior to all created things. For although we cannot understand how he is simple, for we understand him through the diversity of concepts, we must understand that he is simple. Let us pray. O God, who divided the water from the waters and created uncountable forms of diversity in the created world, grant, we beseech Thee, the illumination of our minds to understand the mystery of your most eminent simplicity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. |
