Ask a Question - or - Return to the Spiritual Warfare Forum Index

Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
re: human nature (again !) ;)	Bob	Thursday, March 19, 2009
Question: Bro. Ignatius Mary, In response to Maria, you said, "There is no such thing as human nature without the human person. These [sic] human person and human nature cannot be separated." She was referring to Jesus in her question. Perhaps I misinterpreted your answer to Maria's question, but what you said sounded like the heresy of Nestorianism and I'm afraid she might be confused by your answer. Jesus is NOT a human person, He is a Divine Person Who assumed a human nature. This is what it says in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: CCC 466 The Nestorian heresy regarded Christ as a human person joined to the divine person of God's Son. Opposing this heresy, St. Cyril of Alexandria and the third ecumenical council, at Ephesus in 431, confessed "that the Word, uniting to himself in his person the flesh animated by a rational soul, became man." Christ's humanity has no other subject than the divine person of the Son of God, who assumed it and made it his own, from his conception. For this reason the Council of Ephesus proclaimed in 431 that Mary truly became the Mother of God by the human conception of the Son of God in her womb: "Mother of God, not that the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of its existence from the holy Virgin, but that, since the holy body, animated by a rational soul, which the Word of God united to himself according to the hypostasis, was born from her, the Word is said to be born according to the flesh." Please clarify. Also, in the question form, in the "faith tradition" menu, what is meant by the term "Catholic (separated from Rome)"? Objectively speaking, there is no such thing. God bless, Bob
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Bob: My comments were about human beings and not about the nature of Christ. In looking back at the posts I misinterpreted her question, at least in part. I have gone back and edited those posts to clean them up to make it more clear. At one point she was asking if Jesus took upon himself human nature only. I read that wrong. Jesus did take on a human body in the Incarnation but He was a Divine Person with two natures, human and divine. Thus, yes, he took on human nature without taking on human personhood. On the second question, the designation of "Catholic (separated from Rome)" is included in the list because some people are separated from Rome. One does not cease to be ontologically a Catholic, even if they are a heretic; they remain ontologically Catholic. All validly baptized persons are ontologically Catholic, albeit imperfectly in the case of Protestants. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

re: human nature (again !) ;)

Bob

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Question:

Bro. Ignatius Mary,

In response to Maria, you said, "There is no such thing as human nature without the human person. These [sic] human person and human nature cannot be separated."

She was referring to Jesus in her question.

Perhaps I misinterpreted your answer to Maria's question, but what you said sounded like the heresy of Nestorianism and I'm afraid she might be confused by your answer. Jesus is NOT a human person, He is a Divine Person Who assumed a human nature.

This is what it says in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

CCC 466 The Nestorian heresy regarded Christ as a human person joined to the divine person of God's Son. Opposing this heresy, St. Cyril of Alexandria and the third ecumenical council, at Ephesus in 431, confessed "that the Word, uniting to himself in his person the flesh animated by a rational soul, became man." Christ's humanity has no other subject than the divine person of the Son of God, who assumed it and made it his own, from his conception. For this reason the Council of Ephesus proclaimed in 431 that Mary truly became the Mother of God by the human conception of the Son of God in her womb: "Mother of God, not that the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of its existence from the holy Virgin, but that, since the holy body, animated by a rational soul, which the Word of God united to himself according to the hypostasis, was born from her, the Word is said to be born according to the flesh."

Please clarify.

Also, in the question form, in the "faith tradition" menu, what is meant by the term "Catholic (separated from Rome)"? Objectively speaking, there is no such thing.

God bless,
Bob

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Bob:

My comments were about human beings and not about the nature of Christ. In looking back at the posts I misinterpreted her question, at least in part.

I have gone back and edited those posts to clean them up to make it more clear.

At one point she was asking if Jesus took upon himself human nature only. I read that wrong. Jesus did take on a human body in the Incarnation but He was a Divine Person with two natures, human and divine. Thus, yes, he took on human nature without taking on human personhood.

On the second question, the designation of "Catholic (separated from Rome)" is included in the list because some people are separated from Rome. One does not cease to be ontologically a Catholic, even if they are a heretic; they remain ontologically Catholic. All validly baptized persons are ontologically Catholic, albeit imperfectly in the case of Protestants.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.