a radically new knowledge of God that inaugurates this event of Revelation. This Logos, the Son, "God from God", who has been with God from the beginning as his Word that expresses him in all truth, is also God like the Father. In the fullness of time, the Logos "became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us" (Jn 1:14), so that those who welcome him receive "the power (exousia) to become children of God" (Jn 1:14). Admitting human beings to full communion with him, the Logos made flesh has thus "made them partakers of the divine nature."[117]

75. This unprecedented and authentic knowledge of and communion with God also brings about a salvific communion with the human brothers and sisters loved by God, because the event of Jesus Christ is inseparably communion with God and with every human being. The faith of the Apostolic Church bears witness to this communion in Christ and through Christ, within the Trinitarian communion:

We proclaim to you that which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, the Word of life [ ... ], so that you too may have communion with us. Our communion is with the Father and with the Son, Jesus Christ. We write these things to you so that our joy may be complete (1 Jn 1:1, 3-4).

Theological tradition emphasises that charity makes us love God and our neighbour, insofar as the neighbour is a friend of God.[118] We may think that the three theological virtues introduce us to a full and radically new knowledge of God and communion with him. But according to the renewed access to God that they offer, they give us, in addition, a path of faith towards fraternity, an unheard-of hope in our neighbour, and that charity which forgives all and urges us to give of ourselves.

1.2 'We have the mind (vous) of Christ' (1 Cor 2:16): analogy of creation and analogy of charity

76. The event of Jesus Christ, by giving us access to God in an incomparable way, both gives rise to and implies a 'way' of access which is also new and unique: to accept the Symbol in faith and with understanding, better still to accept the God who is manifested in it, is to enter into the gaze of Christ consubstantial with the Father, into the 'thought' or the very mens of Christ and into his relationship with the Father and with others. 'We have the mind of Christ (noun Christou),' exclaims Saint Paul (1 Cor 2:16).[119] It is a cry of wonder. Here again, Nicaea shows the immensity of God's gift. But Nicaea also indicates that this is the only way to gain access to what the Creed expresses, both in letter and in spirit. We cannot contemplate the God of Jesus Christ, the redemption offered to us, the beauty of the Church and of the human vocation, and participate in them, without 'having the mind of Christ'. Not simply by knowing Christ, but by entering into the very understanding of Christ, in the sense of a subjective genitive. One cannot fully adhere to the Symbol or confess it with one's whole being without "the wisdom that is not of this world", "revealed by the Holy Spirit", who alone "searches the depths of God" (cf. 1 Cor 2:6, 10):

In faith, Christ is not only the one we believe in - the greatest manifestation of God's love - but also the one with whom we are united precisely in order to believe. Faith not only looks to Jesus, but looks from Jesus' point of view, with his eyes: it is a participation in his way of seeing. [ ... ] Christ's life, his way of knowing the Father, of living totally in relationship with him, opens up a new space for human experience, and we can enter into it. [120]

77. This is possible because Christ sees the Father through his human eyes and invites us to enter into his gaze. On the other hand, this path requires a profound transformation of our thinking, of our minds, which must involve conversion and elevation: 'Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.' (Rom 12:2) And this is precisely what the event of Jesus Christ brings: the mind, the will, the capacity to love, are literally saved by the Revelation professed at Nicaea. They are purified, oriented, and transfigured. They take on new strength and unheard-of form and content. Our faculties can only enter into communion with Christ by being conformed to him in a process that makes believers 'like (symmorphizomenos)' (Phil 3:10) to the Risen Crucified One in their minds. This new way of thinking is characterised by the inseparability of knowledge and love. As Pope Francis points out: 'Saint Gregory the Great wrote that "amor ipse notitia est", love itself is knowledge, bearing within itself a new logic.'[121] It is merciful and compassionate knowledge, since mercy is the substance of the Gospel[122] and reflects the very character of the God of Jesus Christ, professed in the Nicene symbol. The renewed mens implies an understanding of analogy revisited in the light of the mystery of Christ. It holds together what we might call the 'analogy of creation', by virtue of which we perceive the divine presence in the peace of

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Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior: 1700th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325-2025)

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