God the Father exists of himself from all eternity. God the Son is eternally begotten of the Father. Using an analogy from human consciousness, the Father perfectly knows himself. While we have many fragmented and imperfect ideas, God has only one idea and it encapsulates the identity of God and all that is. We speak or write our ideas for others to share. God’s one idea is called the Word and it is written upon human flesh, Jesus. God’s “knowing” perfectly mirrors who he is and thus the second Person of the Blessed Trinity must by definition be divine. The Father and the Son share an infinite love which brings both mortal life and eternal life to believers. This procession or generation of “Love Personified” also perfectly reflects God’s identity and constitutes the third Person of the Blessed Trinity. We call him the Holy Spirit. This divine love is poured into our hearts. He is the Helper (Paraclete) whom Christ promises to send to assist the Church, to sanctify her, and to preserve her from error. Distinctions between the Persons can only be made according to the various relations and generations. They are joined into a perfect unity. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son with whom he is equal. The mystery of the Trinity is not easy to understand, and every analogy, including this one, becomes erroneous if taken too far. It is ultimately beyond the full grasp of finite mortals. However, we know it is true from the testimony of Scripture and the teaching Church.
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