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Choose a topic from Part 3a:

• The Incarnation
  • 1. Fitness of the Incarnation
  • 2. The Union of the Word and the Flesh
  • 3. The Person Assuming Human Nature
  • 4. The Nature Assumed
  • 5. Elements of the Nature Assumed
  • 6. Order of the Elements Assumed
  • 7. The Grace of Christ as a Man
  • 8. The Grace of Christ as Head of the Church
  • 9. Knowledge in Christ
  • 10. The Beatific Knowledge in Christ
  • 11. Christ's Infused Knowledge
  • 12. Christ's Acquired Knowledge
  • 14. Deficiencies in the Body of Christ
  • 15. Limitations or Deficiencies in Christ's Human Soul
  • 16. Consequences of the Hypostatic Union
  • 17. The Oneness of the Being of Christ
  • 18. The Unity of Will in Christ
  • 19. The Unity of Operation in Christ
  • 20. The Subjection of Christ to God the Father
  • 21. The Prayer of Christ
  • 22. The Priesthood of Christ
  • 23. The Adoption of Sons
  • 24. The Predestination of Christ
  • 25. The Adoration of Christ
  • 26. Christ as Mediator
• Our Blessed Lady
• Our Lord Jesus Christ
• The Sacraments in General
• Baptism
• Confirmation
• The Holy Eucharist
• Penance

19. The Unity of Operation in Christ

1. In Christ, the human nature acts by its own power, andso does the divine Nature. But the divine Nature makes use of thehuman operations as instruments to its own operation.

2. In man, we discern three types of vital operation: thevegetal, the sensitive or animal, and the distinctively human orrational. Now, in Christ, the perfect man, the distinctively humanoperations prevailed, so that no sensitive movement took placewithout his will; even natural bodily (vegetal) operations belongedin some sense to his will, for, as St. John Damascene says (DeFid. Orthodox iii), it was Christ's will that his fleshshould do and suffer what belonged to it. Hence, there was perfectunity in the operations of Christ.

3. To merit is to earn, that is, to establishtitle to what is not yet possessed. Now, our Lord, as man, couldmerit or deserve of God what he did not yet possess. Before hisPassion, our Lord did not yet possess the glory of body which camewith the Resurrection, or the splendor of the Ascension, or theloving veneration of the faithful of his Church. As man, Christalready possessed the beatific vision, and all the excellencesconferred on him by reason of the hypostatic union. Therefore,Christ as man could merit from God the excellent things not yetpossessed, but he could not merit or earnwhat he already had.It is fitting that Christ could merit some things, for he is themodel as well as the source of merit for his rationalcreatures.

4. Christ could merit for others. He is the Head of theChurch; the meriting activity of this Head reaches all the members.St. Paul speaks of our Lord's meriting for others when he says(Rom. 5:18): "As by the offence of one, to all men untocondemnation, so also by the justice of one [that is, Christ] untoall men to justification of life."

"The greatest glory we can give to God is to do his will in everything."
St Alphonsus de Liguori

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"The supreme perfection of man in this life is to be so united to God that all his soul with all its faculties and powers are so gathered into the Lord God that he becomes one spirit with him, and remembers nothing except God, is aware of and recognises nothing but God, but with all his desires unified by the joy of love, he rests contentedly in the enjoyment of his Maker alone."
St Albert the Great

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"God commands not impossibilities, but by commanding he suggests to you to do what you can, to ask for what is beyond your strength; and he helps you, that you may be able."
St Augustine

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