Quod in diuinis non debemus dicere tres Dominos uel tres essencias, sicut dicimus tres personas; et quod secundum quantitatem amoris dicitur homo magnus uel paruus

Quod in diuinis non debemus dicere tres Dominos uel tres essencias, sicut dicimus tres personas; et quod secundum quantitatem amoris dicitur homo magnus uel paruus

If some misguided people want to say there are three essences because they say there are three persons, then why wouldn't they also say there are three Gods, since it is the same to say God, to be God, and to be essence? We say: The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Similarly, the Father is essence, the Son is essence, and the Holy Spirit is essence; yet we do not say there are three Gods or three essences, but that there is one God in three persons, and we firmly confess with one faith that this essence is unified; for there is one majesty of the three persons, full and perfect, and each person contains within themselves the fullness of majesty, having equality and identity according to the substance of the deity. And it does not lack a distinction of diversity, according to the property of the term. Therefore, there are three persons and one God, one essence, one substance, one divinity; and although the term 'person' signifies essence, it does not mean that because there are three persons, there are three essences. And just as we say that our God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is one essence and not three essences, so we will say that the same supreme Trinity consists of three persons and not one person. The Father is called so because He generated the Son from Himself; the Son is called so because He is begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit is called so because He is breathed forth from both, namely, the Holy Father and the Holy Son. The Father is called so because He gave life to the Son by generating Him, and He gave Him His entire substance, so that the Father may be as great in the Son as He is in Himself; and the Son is not lesser in the Father than in Himself; but the Father received nothing from anyone to be, while the Son received from the Father alone what He has by being born. Moreover, the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, and existing with them and in them eternally, is not greater in Himself than He is in either of them. For he is equal and coeternal with those from whom he is, since he shares the same substance, the same nature, and the same majesty, as the third person in the Trinity. The eternal Son, made man in time, was born of the Virgin to redeem humanity from the power of the devil. This is our Lord Jesus Christ, who alone should be fixed in our minds, and who alone was fixed on the cross for us. Nothing is as sweet as loving Christ, and that's why we shouldn't overly investigate things we can't comprehend on our journey; for in the homeland, things will be clearer in the light, if we offer our whole heart to love God. For we will all be taught by God, and we will rejoice in a wondrous melody, and we will praise our Creator with the utmost kindness and sweet ease, free from anxiety and annoyance forever. Indeed, whoever loves greatly is great, and whoever loves less is lesser; because we are valued before God according to the measure of the love we have within us. It's not the same in the eyes of people; rather, those who have more wealth and possessions are valued more and especially feared, even though they shouldn't be treated that way. Instead, they should always honor and respect those whom they consider wiser. The powerful of this world can’t lack anything, except for the body or temporal goods. The saints, however, draw greater excellence. For they will have the power to close heaven to those who have burdened themselves and refused to repent, and to open it to those who have honored God and sustained themselves in this exile, provided they have been unfortunate through love and have not received any empty glory. Therefore, they should strive with all their strength and with all their might to acquire, possess, and retain love, so that they can stand firm against their adversaries on the day of temptation, and when they have been tested, they will receive the crown of life. Love truly makes us perfect, and only those who love perfectly are granted the ability to ascend to the heights of life contemplatively. Some poor people, even though they may be covered in filth and impurity, should not be despised, because they are friends of God and brothers of Christ, if they bear the burden of poverty with gratitude. Those whom you see despised on the outside, honor as heavenly citizens on the inside, and grow in respect for them in proportion to how secretly God works in majesty, who, comforting them, says, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."^✦ Great is the tribulation and poverty that they endure in this life; they are the refuse of their sins, because while the poor suffer in body from hunger, thirst, cold, and nakedness, and from the other hardships of this world, their souls are cleansed from uncleanness and the filth of earthly things. And indeed, the poor feel a more pleasant rest in the future eternity: for in this present life, they have endured very heavy labors. It will be said, 'We rejoiced for the days when you humbled us, for the years when we saw evil.' Therefore, remember to embrace the burden of poverty with joy and to willingly endure other hardships, so that through patience in tribulations, you may merit to reach the glory of eternal peace.