1. This seems false: because, if the Holy Spirit is God, and God can have nothing new, then He can receive nothing further. What then does it mean when he says: He will receive from what is mine?
2. Likewise there is a question about the Lord's reasoning: Therefore he said, He will receive from what is mine, because all things that the Father has are mine.
Either all things is distributed with respect to essential attributes, or with respect to personal properties: if with respect to personal properties, it is false, because the Son does not have innascibility. If with respect to essential attributes: but from this it does not follow that if the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, He therefore proceeds from the Son, because to proceed is personal: by the same reasoning the Holy Spirit could say of the Son: He will receive from what is mine, because all things that the Father has, the Holy Spirit has.
To these objections the Greeks respond that there is a twofold procession of the Holy Spirit, namely eternal and temporal: as regards the eternal, He proceeds from the Father alone, and thus receives from the Father and not from the Son: as regards the temporal, He proceeds from the Son: in testimony of which it is said: He will receive, because He proceeds temporally. And they take the basis for their error from this word of the Lord: because the Lord sometimes says that He will send the Holy Spirit, but never says that He proceeds from Himself, always that He proceeds from the Father.
But nevertheless, with all due respect to them, they say nothing of substance, because, as is clear from this text, the Holy Spirit receives from the Son. What does He receive? Whatever He receives, this is nothing other than Himself, since He is supremely simple: therefore if He receives Himself, how can He receive in time and not be temporal?
Therefore it must be said that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son eternally and is temporally sent into creation.
1. As to the fact that it says He will receive, the response is given in the Gloss: "That eternity comprehends all time on account of its diverse properties; whence it is said in the future tense He will receive, not because He receives something new, but because He does not cease." It must be said, however, that He will receive is the same as if it said: He will show that He has received.
2. To the other objection it must be said that this is not a compelling reason why the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son: but it is the reason for the statement, namely how He had said: He will receive from what is mine, not because from His own, excluding the Father, but because together with the Father. Whence it was said for the same reason by which it is said: All things that the Father has are mine.
Second, He consoles the disciples by the promise of His visitation.
27. A little while, and you will no longer see me. This is the second part of the chapter, in which He consoles them by the promise of His visitation, and He proceeds in this part according to this method. First is set forth the promise of Christ's visitation; second, the doubt of the disciples: third, the explanation of the doubt; fourth, the exemplification: fifth, the application of the example.
(Vers. 16.). He therefore first promises a visitation after his departure; for this reason he says: A little while, and you shall not see me, because, namely, I shall depart from you; and again a little while, and you shall see me, because he was about to visit them immediately after the passion; whence the little while was until the passion, in which he was not to be seen, and the little while from the passion until the resurrection, in which he was to appear; Isaiah fifty-four: "For a moment and for a little while I forsook you, and with great mercies I will gather you." And he gives the reason why they were not to see him: Because I go to the Father.
It is explained otherwise concerning the vision through glory, so that the meaning is that there was a little time until Christ's departure and ascent to the Father, and again a little while until his coming to them, to take them into glory; whence above in chapter fourteen: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, you also may be."
28. (Vers. 17.). Some of his disciples therefore said, etc. Here the second point is touched upon, namely the doubt of the disciples, which proceeded from what he had said: in a little while not to be seen and to be seen; on account of which he says: Some of his disciples therefore said to one another: What is this that he says to us: A little while, and you shall not see me; and again a little while, and you shall see me? About this they doubt first, because he seems to say two contradictorily opposed things; and about another thing they doubt, namely where he was going; whence: and because I go to the Father? For they did not know how he meant this; they were doubting about the meaning of the word.
29. (Vers. 18.). They therefore said: What is this that he says to us: A little while? We do not know what he is speaking about. They did not know what he meant by this; the disciples still had little understanding; whence the Lord rebuked them in Matthew fifteen: "Are you also still without understanding?"
30. (Vers. 19.). But Jesus knew. Here the third point is touched upon, namely the removal of doubt, which was done by the Master before the inquiry of the disciples; on account of which he says: Jesus knew that they wished to ask him, etc.; Sirach twenty-three: "The eyes of the Lord are far brighter than the sun, looking round about all the ways of men and the depth of the abyss, and beholding the hearts of men into hidden parts"; and Sirach sixteen: "Every heart is understood by him; and who understands his ways?" And he anticipated their doubt or inquiry, and said to them: Concerning this you inquire among yourselves, because I said to you: A little while, and you shall not see me; and again a little while, and you shall see me. He resolves this doubt by showing the twofold time, namely of tribulation and of consolation, and that on account of the one it was said: You shall not see, and on account of the other: You shall see. And on account of this there was no contradiction, because it does not refer to the same time, but on account of the different times a little while was said twice. For this reason he says:
31. (Vers. 20.). Amen, amen I say to you: That you shall weep and lament: you shall weep outwardly, you shall lament inwardly, for the time in which you will not see me: and therefore blessed; Luke 6: "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh." But the world shall rejoice, and you shall be sorrowful. The world rejoices: Job 21: "They rejoice at the sound of the timbrel." But the good are saddened; 1 Peter 1: "For a little while now, if need be, you are made sorrowful in various trials." But your sorrow shall be turned into joy, and therefore it was said: A little while, and you shall see me; Tobit 3: "After weeping and lamentation, you pour in exultation." Therefore it is said in Ecclesiastes 7: "The heart of fools is where mirth is; the heart of the wise is where sorrow is."
32. (Vers. 21.). A woman, when she gives birth. Here the fourth point is touched upon, namely exemplification. And the exemplification concerns how quickly and in a short time sorrow will be turned into joy: and the example is of a woman in labor, who, when she gives birth, is sorrowful, although she does something good; but when she has given birth, she immediately rejoices. Therefore he says: A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow, because her hour has come, namely of giving birth, which she would still wish to be delayed on account of the pain; for the pain in childbirth is intense; Isaiah 13: "They shall be in pain as a woman in labor"; and 1 Thessalonians 5: "And as labor pains upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape." But when she has brought forth the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world; on account of the joy that she has from her offspring: Genesis 21: "The Lord has made laughter for me: whoever hears of it will laugh with me," said Sarah.
33. (Vers. 22.). And you therefore. Here is the adaptation of the example, that they would similarly be saddened at Christ's passion, but would rejoice at his glorification or resurrection: on account of which he says: And you therefore now indeed have sorrow, and this on account of the departure of the bridegroom; Matthew 9: "The days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them: and then they shall mourn." But that sorrow will last but a little while: therefore he says: I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice: below, chapter 20: "The disciples rejoiced, having seen the Lord." And this not for a time, but for eternity; therefore he says: And your joy no one shall take from you: because Christ, who was their joy, "rising from the dead, dies no more"; Revelation 7: "God shall wipe away every tear from the eyes of the Saints," etc. And then your questions will be ended, nor will they trouble you, as they do now: therefore he says:
34. (Vers. 23.). And in that day you shall not ask me anything, that is, you shall not question me. If this is referred to the day of glory, it is true, because then they will see all things clearly; Isaiah fifty-four: "I will make all your children taught by the Lord." But if it is understood as after the glorification of Christ, it is still true, because then they had an interior teacher, according to what was said above in the same chapter: "When that Spirit of truth shall come, he will teach you all truth"; and: "The anointing will teach you concerning all things."
Or: you shall not ask, because you will not be in need, but you will be blessed, for whom all things succeed according to their desire.
QUESTIONS.
35. Question I. But it is asked here first concerning what he says: A little while, and you shall not see me, because I go to the Father.
1. Because it is said in the last chapter of Matthew: Behold, I am with you even unto the consummation of the world.
2. Likewise, what is it that he says: A little while, and you shall see me? Because it is said above in the same chapter: I go to the Father, and you shall see me no more. How does he depart and remain, how is he seen and not seen?
I respond: It must be understood that in Christ there is a divine being and a human being, visible and invisible, suffering and glorious. Therefore, as regards his divine being, he never departs from the elect; as regards his human and invisible being under the Sacrament, he will not leave unto the consummation of the world; as regards his visible and impassible human being, he did not leave until the Ascension; as regards his visible and passible human being, he left in the Passion, because he was not seen as passible nor did he afterwards dwell with them as passible.