The Transforming Union, (Divinization)
The “transforming union”, also called divine marriage, spiritual marriage, divine union, or divinization has been observed and attained by the saints for 2000 years. It is spoken
of as the goal attained, more so than a stage of progression.
The teaching of divinization of the individual appears in the 153
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 398,1988), the bible (2Pet 1:4), the writings of several saints, and in the liturgy of the Mass;
“By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”LLLLL
Every person and every thing in creation had its start as a divine dimension (internal idea) of the divine person of Trinitarian Christ.MMMMM The resultant people, angels, animals, rocks and trees are created for the purpose of reunion into the very divinity of Christ from which they came. This creation and reunion is not pointless; we are to bring with us our virtues won in this fallen world. These virtues give additional dimensions of love to the body of Christ, even qualities of love that would not LLLLL Usually whispered by the priest when pouring wine and water into the chalice. Perhaps this should be made audible to all participants of the Mass.
MMMMM All of creation had its origin in the attributes (thought and will) of God.
Creation was once a part of God. When God created, there existed no other thing besides God. God could not take external spirit or matter and fashion it into creation, because nothing else existed. The nothing that God created from remains nothing. Upon this foundation of nothing God uses his donated thought and will to form the universe. God’s act of creation (from himself) removes the quality of absolute being from that which is created. That which is created has no eternal right to exist, and its core existence is nothing rather than absolute. Every created thing necessarily comes from God pristine and without flaw, even to this day. As it enters the realm of creation it must take on part of the burden of original sin.
God also sustains creation. There is a chain of operation in creation with principalities, thrones and dominions (etc.), delegated by Christ to operate it.
If Christ hands over some operation of the universe to nature, Christ must first make and sustain nature. There is no entity of operation above God, and where God sustains it, God is present in some manner. Catholic terminology for this is “Divine omnipresence”. Christ’s detached attributes sustain creation under his direct or delegated will. If Christ’s detached attributes include divinity, then that which is detached, is not really detached, and remains God.
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be had if we lived in a flawless world. By making divine union of the student to Jesus Christ, God does not merely observe his creatures outside of his divine person, but actually shares in them. From CCC 1988;
“God gave himself to us through his Holy Spirit. By the participation of the [Holy] Spirit, we become communicants in the divine nature. For this reason, those in whom the Spirit dwells are divinized.”NNNNN
The Divine union, also called the spiritual marriage, transforming union or divinization is the final stage of our existence within the divine nature of Christ, who is now the entire body of Christ. This is the wedding feast that Jesus spoke
of. It is our divinization and it was intended to occur in this life on earth, (CCC 398).
Because of sin, our first participation in Christ is in his human nature. Once we are completely free of selfishness, we may fully participate in the divine nature of Jesus. Those we call saints have made the effort to purge themselves of self will and have obtained divine union with Christ in this life.
Miracles, prophecy, ecstatic contemplation are all common in the divine union.OOOOO The divine union may be achieved—and was intended to be achieved—in this life. It occurs when every attribute under willful control is free of disorder, this allows the willful whole to be incorporated into the divine Christ.PPPPP The Divine passive night of the spirit. The NNNNN The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes frequent mention of theosis or divinization, CCC 398,460,1129,1265,1812,1988,1999.
OOOOO The saints report that in time the initial ecstatic state lessens, with the new personal norm being peace and fulfillment.
PPPPP “Willful control”, is key to all aspects of life. Any attribute, spiritual, physical or genetic; or any event which is not under our control incurs no 155
body, which is not fully under our willful control undergoes death.
“Transformative union” was also a commonly used term at the time of St. John of the Cross, and divinization is an idea as old as the church (2Pet 1:4). The divine union occurs in the Unitive stage of the three stage method, and specifically in the passive dark night of the spirit, according to the labeling of St.
John of the Cross.
Bishop’s will investigate supernatural works occurring in their diocese, but they should investigate as to why supernatural works do not occur in their diocese. Such participation in the divine nature of Jesus Christ is the intended norm for Christianity, (Mk 16:18); but it currently exists only as the exception.