THE ETERNAL UNION OF THE SAINTS WITH GOD IN THE VISION OF THE ETERNAL BIRTH OF GOD’S SON
O Holy Spirit of God, eternal love of the Father and the Son, be favourable to my infant state [helplessness]. Our mind, Theotimus, will see God. But I say, it will see God himself face to face. By a vision of true and real presence it will contemplate the proper divine essence and in its infinite beauty. He is all-powerful, all-goodness, all-wisdom, all justice and all other elements of the abyss of perfections.
Therefore, the mind will see clearly the infinite knowledge that the Father had from all eternity of his own beauty. He gives expression to it within himself by pronouncing and eternally uttering the Word, the Verbum. This is the most unique and most infinite word and utterance. Since it includes and represents the complete perfection of the Father, it can only be one and the same, most unique God with him. He is in nature [numerically] single and indivisible without division or separation. Thus we shall see the eternal wonderful generation of God’s Word, the Son. By this generation he was born eternally in the image and likeness of the Father. This living natural image and likeness does not represent any accident[1] or external thing. This is because in God everything is substance and not accident. Everything is interior and nothing is exterior or external. But the image that represents the very substance of the Father is so loving, so natural, so essential and so substantial a reflection. Therefore it can be none other than the same God with him, without any distinction or difference whatever of essence or substance. There is only the distinction of Persons. How could this divine Son be the truly living and truly natural image, likeness and form of infinite beauty and substance of the Father (Heb 1: 3), if he did not reflect infinitely, vivdly and naturally the Father’s infinite perfections? How could he infinitely represent those infinite perfections unless he himself were infinitely perfect? How could he be infinitely perfect if he were not God? How could he be God if he were not one and the same God with the Father?
The Son is therefore, the infinite image and form of his infinite Father. He is one, only, most unique and infinite God with his Father. There is no difference of substance between them but only distinction of Persons. This distinction of Persons is absolutely necessary. So also, it is quite sufficient for the Father to utter and the Son is the Word uttered. The Father speaks and the Son is the Word spoken. The Father expresses and the Son is the image, likeness and form expressed. In short the Father is the Father and the Son is the Son, two distinct Persons, but one single essence and Divinity. But he is not alone, since he is the Father and the Son in two Persons. O Theotimus, what joy, what delight, to celebrate this eternal birth. It takes place in the splendour of the saints (Ps 110:3). To celebrate it, I say, in seeing it and to see it in the celebration.
The most gentle St Bernard, while still a young boy at Chatillon-sur-Seine, was waiting in a church one Christmas for the divine office to begin. As he waited, the poor child fell into a light sleep. While he slept - O God how sweet was his dream! He saw in spirit: he had a clear and distinct vision of the way the Son of God wedded human nature. He became a little child in the pure womb of his Mother. He was born virginally from her sacred womb in a combination of sweet humility and celestial majesty.
As the bridegroom comes forth in royal state, and comes out very joyfully from his wedding canopy (Ps 19.5).
This vision, Theotimus, filled little Bernad’s caring heart with comfort, jubilation and spiritual delight. He kept a vivid perception of it all through his life. Still later, like a sacred bee, he always gathered from every divine mystery the honey of a thousand sweet and heavenly consolations. Christmas brought him special sweetness. He would speak with special relish of his Master’s birth. Ah, Theotimus, I ask of you to consider, in a mystical and imaginative vision, the human birth of God’s Son in time. He was born as man from a woman, and as virgin from a virgin. So powerfully this delighted and contented a child’s heart. Oh, what shall it be when our spirits are gloriously enlightened by the light of the blessed? We shall see this eternal birth by which the Son proceeds “God from God, light from light, true God from true God" divinely and eternally.
Our spirit shall then be joined with an incomprehensible desire to the object so delightful. We shall remain eternally united to him with an unchanging attention.
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[1] An accident is the quality of a substance which is subject to change.