Word to the Wise
Monday, May 26, 2025 - 6th Week of Easter - Mon
[Acts 16:11-15 and John 15:26-16:4a]"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify because you have been with me from the beginning." [John]
Every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation, we recite the Nicene Creed ,the 1700th anniversary of which is being celebrated this year! At the beginning of that Creed we pray: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified..... That line about "proceeds from the Father and the Son" created a big controversy known as the Filioque (...and the Son) controversy. The Gospel According to John was not really concerned about the theological trinitarian speculation that developed later. The line in the gospel passage today speaks of "the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father..." Some of the early theologians took the position that "and the Son" was not correct. The dispute got so bad that in 1054, much of the Eastern Church went into schism, which is why the word "Orthodox" appears in their titles. The theological debate has been more or less resolved and the mutual excommunications withdrawn, but there is still division - mostly over papal primacy and fears that the "Latin" church will "take over."
The "processions" of the Holy Trinity are the subject of deep theological reflection that most of us do not concern ourselves with. The Creed is the Creed. It is an expression of truths that we profess, even if our understanding of every line is less than that of professional theologians. And there are other forms of it that we recognize, most notably "the Apostles' Creed." That little line from the gospel, along with others, can escape us, but the big reality of Orthodox churches is a reminder how division can occur in matters of faith! AMEN