The goal of creation and salvation history
The word “glory” (“Kabod” in the Old Testament) indicates the splendor, the magnificence, the “weight” or saving and loving power of God Himself. The “glory” of God is like the soul of revelation. It is not only the recognition on the part of man, but the divine reality itself, which is manifested in creation, in history and, in a special way, in revelation (salvation history). That divine manifestation is “glory” (“doxa”, in Greek), which must be recognized by man. “The heavens sing the glory of God, the work of his hands announces the firmament” (Ps 19,2). “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but only to your name give glory” (Ps 115,1).
The “glory” of God is reflected in the creatures, since they participate in his truth, goodness and beauty. For this reason, the goal of creation is the glory of God, in the sense that “this manifestation and this communication of his goodness for which the world was created is realized” (CCC 294). “The glory of God is the living man and the life of man is the vision of God” (St. Irenaeus, Adv. Haer., lib. IV 20,7,184). Thus, it can be affirmed that “God procures, at the same time, his glory and our happiness” (AG 2).
Those who have somehow had an experience of God, like Moses, want to see his “glory” “Show me your glory” (Ex 33,18). It is the “glory” that is already manifested in some way in the tabernacle or in the temple (Ex 40,34; 1 Kings 8.10-11). But God wants to manifest his glory by gathering all the peoples (Is 66,18-19) through a new Jerusalem full of light ((Is 60,1-3).
Human history moves forward with the dynamism of reaching the definitive glory of God in the hereafter, towards the Father through Christ and in the Spirit (cf. Eph 2:18). The glory of God is achieved by building the human heart, the ecclesial community and the entire human community, according to the model of the Trinitarian communion.
The glory of God in the mystery of Christ
In light of the mystery of Christ, humanity begins to participate in the glory of God in a special way “He has blessed us with all kinds of spiritual blessings, in heaven, in Christ; because he has chosen us in him… according to the favor of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace with which he graced us in the Beloved” (Eph 1,3-6). The glory of God consists, for the Christian, in becoming (with the help of grace) an expression of Christ himself, the Son of God.
Jesus is “the glory” of the Father, in the sense that in him, as the Incarnate Word (“the splendor of the glory” of the Father), the glory of God is present in a personal way (Heb 1,3), which we “we have seen” thanks to faith (Jn 1,14). By his resurrection, Jesus has shown that he is “the Lord of glory” (1Cor 2:8).
The goal of Christ’s redemption is the attainment of the glory of God. Creation and history, under divine action, tend towards “the revelation of the sons of God” (Rom 8,19), when everything, in Christ, will be “the praise of his glory” (Eph 1,6), and Christ will be able to present to the Father all things and all humanity as his “expression” or “glory” (1Cor 15:28). Every man must be the image of God, participating in the being of Christ, who is the personal image of God (cf. Col 1,15) and “the splendor of his glory” (Heb 1,3).
The Christmas message (“glory to God in heaven and peace to men of good will”) finds a positive echo in all religious cultures and in all men of good will. The ideal that Christianity proposes to all humanity is that of putting into effect the saving plan of the Father, through Christ the Redeemer, in the new life of the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph 1:3-14). The “glory” of God consists in the fact that every human being, in the integrity of his being, participates in this divine life.
The whole life and work of Jesus unfolds to carry out the mission of glorifying the Father “I have glorified you on earth, I have completed the work you gave me to do” (Jn 17:4). The glory of God is realized when man enters into the experiential knowledge of God Love, revealed by Jesus Christ “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent” (Jn 17,3; see 1Pe 4,11).
Objective of the mission of the Church
The missionary activity of the Church, as an extension of the mission of Christ, has as its goal the glory of God. Through this activity, “God is fully glorified, from the moment that men fully and consciously receive the saving work of God, which he accomplished in Jesus Christ” (AG 7). “This glory consists in the fact that men consciously, freely and gratefully receive the divine work accomplished in Christ and manifest it in all of his life” (PO 2).
Thanks to the risen Christ, humanity can receive “justification” and reach definitive salvation, because “to those whom God put in the way of salvation, he gave his glory” (Rom 8:30). Tending towards the glory of God is equivalent to living in hope, “waiting for the manifestation of the glory of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ” (Tit 2,13).
References Worship, praise of God, art, worship, God.
Document reading AG 2-7; LG 2-4; CCC 293-294, 319.
Bibliography HU Von BALTHASAR, La gloire et la croix (Paris, Aubier, 1965); Idem, A theological aesthetics (Madrid, Encuentro, 1985-1989); MJ LE GUILLOU, Dieu de la gloire, Dieu de la croix, in Evangelizzazione e Ateismo (Rome, Pont. Univ. Urbaniana, 1981) 165-181; E. PAX, Gloria, in Fundamental Concepts of Theology (Madrid, Cristiandad, 1979) I, 593-598; A. PEí’AMARIA, The saving plan of the Father, theological presuppositions of missionary spirituality Trinitarian Studies 17 (1983) 407-425; F. RAURELL, Gloria, in Encyclopedic Theological Dictionary (Estella, Verbo Divino, 1995) 418-419.
(ESQUERDA BIFET, Juan, Dictionary of Evangelization, BAC, Madrid, 1998)
Source: Dictionary of Evangelization
“G. of D.”, “give glory to God”, “work to the greater glory of God” are fundamental expressions of the Christian idiomatic heritage. But they require an adequate interpretation, because, if they were understood in a too anthropomorphic way, they could not be harmonized with the -> transcendence of God and, consequently, with his -> absolutely free and disinterested love, which determines his action in the world. .
I. In Scripture
The content of the theological concept of g. of D. in the Scripture goes back in its roots to the Hebrew kábód Yahveh, which in the LXX is translated with the term 861a. This translation clearly determines the use of the word 8ója in the New Testament. The Vulgate translates kábód and 86f;a by “glory”.
1. “Káböd Yahweh” in the OT
The original content of the term “glory” in the OT is not, as among the Greeks and Romans, the idea of a prestige that provokes admiration and praise, of a fame full of honor (cf. CICERÍN, Rhetoric, II 55) . Glory is, above all, real value, measurable power, the weight of power (kábód from the root kbd = heavy, important). This sense is paired with the classic meaning of the glorious fullness of light, or wisdom, or beauty, which is worthy of praise. Yahveh reveals and hides at the same time his kabod in the cloud and the devouring fire (Ex 16, 7s; 16, 10; 24, 15-17; 40, 34s; 40, 38; Dt 5, 24), a fire that carries in itself the brilliance of lightning and the power of thunder, and which bears witness to the unapproachable, mighty, and terrible majesty of God. For those affected, this manifestation of Yahweh means either punishment or benevolent help (Lev 9, 6.23ss; Num 14, 10; 16, 19, etc.), who demand adoration and praise: Ex 15, 1: “Let us sing to the Lord, because he has made his glory shine”; Ex 15, 7; Salt 29, 1-9. In addition to the wonders, the natural course of the world also reveals the kábód Yahveh, inviting all peoples to praise: Ps 57, 6-12; 145, 1012; 147, 1.
2. The “doxa” in the NT
In Jesus Christ the glory of God has been manifested. Â £ 1 is the “brightness of the 86Za” (of God), the image of his essence (Heb 1, 3). The 8óJa of the Father is revealed in the incarnation of his word (Jn 1, 14). Thus the Gospel is “the good news of the 86 Z of Christ” (2 Cor 4, 4). Through him God made the light shine in our hearts, “so that the knowledge of the 8th God may shine in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4, 6).
The invisible presence of the 861a in the ark or in the temple of the old alliance (Ex 25, 8) for the sanctification of men has been replaced by the -> incarnation of the divine word, which is the personal and palpable presence of God among men (1 Jn 1; Jn 1, 14.16). Just as in times the glory was covered by the cloud, now it is by the human condition of the word. During the earthly life of Jesus the 861a shines only in “signs”, revealing itself only to the believer (Jn 2, 11; 11, 40). In the annihilation the Son “honors” the Father until the consummation of the redemptive work, and the Father “honors” and “glorifies” the Son (Jn 12, 28; 17, 5). The Risen One is for Paul the “lord of the 86Ja” (1 Cor 2, 8), In the -> parousia the heavenly 861a of Jesus will be revealed to all (Mt 24, 30). At the transfiguration (Lk 9, 32), Peter, John and James experienced an anticipation of this light of glory; and Paul also experienced it before Damascus (Acts 9, 3).
The glory of the Son is also the glory of the sons of God; he leads “the many sons to glory” (Heb 2, 10); these are partakers of his glory (1 Pe 5, 1-4). According to Paul, the justified already participates in the eschatological glory (2 Cor 3, 18; 4, 17), although in a hidden way and essentially in -> hope (Rom 8, 18). Towards this glory is directed the “longing expectation” of all creation (Rom 8, 19-23). “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men, object of his love” (Lk 2, 14), announce the angels when Jesus appears in this world. God’s will is that “the Father be glorified in the Son” (Jn 14, 13; Phil 2, 11). And it is also the will of God that the Son be glorified in men (Jn 17, 1-6). The glorification of God, that of Christ and that of men are intrinsically related (2 Cor 4, 15); they are fruits of a growing love, which reaches its fullness on the “day of Christ” (Phil 1, 9ff; 1 Pe 11, 27; 2 Pe 3, 18). In the ->kingdom of God the ->worship will have no other expression than adoration and thanksgiving in Jesus Christ (Rota 16, 27; Jds 24-25; Ap 1, 4-7; 5, 13; -> vision of God).
II. systematic aspect
God has created the world, “not to increase or acquire its glory, but to reveal its perfection” (Vatican i, Dz 1783; cf. 1805). The glory of God is first of all his inner ontological perfection and his loving self-possession in holiness. Creation, in which God reveals himself, is ordained to this holiness and glory, and this revelation itself is already g. of D. “external”: as “objective” or material. But the creation would be meaningless if, above this g. of D. “objective”, there would be no beings that with knowledge and free love can respond to the revelation of the glory of God. the g…