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To: Tantumergo
You ask a sensible question as it is important to remember that Christ is both FULLY MAN as well as FULLY GOD. When we say that Christ's Body and Blood are really present in the consecrated species, we believe that it is His living, resurrected and glorified Body and Blood - i.e. His human nature has been divinised by the action of the Holy Spirit, perhaps what the Orthodox would term theosis.

The notion that His human nature is somehow "divinized" appears to me to be in direct violation of the definition of Chalcedon:

"...recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ"

To "mix" the natures by means of "divinizing" the human nature blurs the discinction between and preservation of those natures. To me the standard finitum non capax infinitum applies.

33 posted on 02/16/2004 5:50:21 PM PST by Frumanchu (I for one fear the sanctions of the Mediator far above the sanctions of the moderator)
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To: Frumanchu
"To "mix" the natures by means of "divinizing" the human nature blurs the discinction between and preservation of those natures. "

We believe that theosis is the ultimate end of all human nature that is raised to new life in Christ and perseveres to the finish line - not just Christ's human nature.

We are truly made a new creation in Him - we will always be fully human, but we partake in the divine nature:

2 Peter 1,4 "By whom he hath given us most great and precious promises: that by these you may be made partakers of the divine nature: flying the corruption of that concupiscence which is in the world."

Do you not see evidence in the Gospels that His post-resurrection spiritual Body was significantly different from His pre-resurrection natural Body?

Chalcedon is primarily addressing the reality of the hypostatic union at the incarnation, it does not address the issue of the change that occurs in His human nature post resurrection.
37 posted on 02/17/2004 2:45:52 AM PST by Tantumergo
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