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It’s Day 62!!
GOSH!!
THIS IS AMAZING!!
Today we’re talking about Jesus, THE CHRIST
Yesterday we were talking about The Name of Jesus
WHICH IS JUST BANANAS!!
SO BONKERS!!
INCREDIBLE!!
That the Lord God gives us HIS NAME
He gives us ACCESS to himself
Not just access to HIS HEART,
BUT…
We can INVOKE HIS NAME
CALL UPON HIS NAME
Also
Today, there’s a title
And that title is CHRIST
Which comes from the GREEK translation of the HEBREW word MESSIAH
So the Greek is “Christos”
And the Hebrew is “Mashiach”
Both of those words mean “Anointed”
JESUS IS THE ANOINTED ONE!!
THE CHRISTOS
THE MASHIACH
THE MESSIAH
It became Jesus’ name PROPERLY because he accomplished PERFECTLY the Divine Mission that ANOINTED ONE signifies
Here’s what that means
It’s NOT Jesus Christ because it was also Mary Christ and Joseph Christ and they had a baby, Jesus Christ!
NO!!
That’s not what happened
Christ is a title that ultimately became a A NAME PROPER TO HIM
Why??
Because there were MANY PEOPLE who are ANOINTED back in the Old Covenant
There were KINGS that were anointed
There were PROPHETS that were anointed
There were PRIESTS that were anointed
JESUS COMPLETELY FULFILLS THE ROLE OF KING!!
JESUS COMPLETELY FULFILLS THE ROLE OF PROPHET!!
JESUS COMPLETELY FULFILLS THE ROLE OF PRIEST!!
And therefore,
The whole long awaited Messiah…
The whole long awaited Anointed Oneness of the Christ…
IS FULFILLED PERFECTLY IN JESUS!!
It kind of becomes His name
THE HOLY NAME IS THE NAME OF JESUS!!
That TITLE that becomes proper to Jesus is the title CHRIST
Tomorrow, we will talk more about He’s the ONLY SON OF GOD
The following day we’ll talk about He’s also the LORD
But today, we have this title CHRIST which means ANOINTED ONE
And this is going to be REALLY IMPORTANT
Why??
For many reasons
One is because this roots Jesus Deeply in the history of the people of Israel
Those of us who love Scripture, which is probably all of us here in this community of The Catechism in a Year
We LOVE the Scriptures
And we have grown to love the REALITY and the BEAUTY and the POWER of the Old Testament
Jesus didn’t just appear out of nowhere
He was born of a people
That God himself entered into the covenant with the people of Israel, the Jewish People
And it’s FROM the Jewish people and FOR the Jewish people that comes our SALVATION
That comes JESUS CHRIST
So he didn’t just drop out of the sky into time
Jesus was born into this PARTICULAR PEOPLE that had been shaped in a PARTICULAR WAY and were looking for a PARTICULAR PERSON
The one they were looking for was the Anointed One
The Messiah
Why??
Paragraph 439 says, “Jesus accepted his rightful title of Messiah, though with some reserve because it was understood by some of his contemporaries in too human a sense, essentially political”
Some people were waiting for the Messiah
BUT…
They thought the messiah is going to be a political figure who helps the people of Israel overthrow the Romans
Or overthrow the Greeks
Or overthrow whoever it is in power over them
AND YET…
Jesus REVEALS that his being…
PRIEST
PROPHET
KING
COMPLETELY transcends any MERE political power or any MERE political role
Let’s get started today because there’s so much to say about the Messiah
“Messiah” means Anointed One
And it HIGHLIGHTS the fact that the context in which Jesus came to us is in the context of the Jewish people who are awaiting a specific kind of Messiah who would be king, priest, and prophet
Jesus fulfilled the messianic HOPE of Israel in his three-fold office of priest, prophet, and king
So Let’s Pray!!
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in heaven, we give you praise and we thank you so much. We thank you for sending us your Son. You love the world so much that you gave us your Only Begotten Son so all those who call upon his name, all those who believe in him, would not perish but would have eternal life. Now, God, help us to call upon his name. Help us to see that Jesus is the Christ, that he is the Messiah, that he is the Anointed One. That he is the fulfillment of being the priest, prophet, and the king. And he calls us not only to share in his own Divine Life, but he calls us to share in the exercise of that three-fold role, that three-fold ministry of priest, prophet, and king. Help us this day and every day to say Yes to you and your son Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen”
SO HERE WE ARE!!
OH MAN!!
The title Christ, we know this, already, right?
ANOINTED
We talked about this 1,000 times before we read the reading today
Paragraph 436 says, “It became the name proper to Jesus only because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that ‘Christ’ signifies.”
Remember
Those who were anointed were kings, priests, and, as it says in Paragraph 436, “In certain instances, prophets…”
Jesus is the great HIGH PRIEST
Jesus is the KING OF KINGS
Jesus is the FULFILLMENT OF ALL PROPHETS
This is his THREE-FOLD OFFICE
Later on, when we talk about the Holy Spirit…
(SQUIRREL!! 😉)
So this is Chapter 2: The Son
Chapter 1: The Father
Chapter 3: The Holy Spirit
We’re going to also recognize that Jesus EXTENDS that mission
He EXTENDS that free-fold office of priest, prophet and king
He SHARES it in a sense with his people
WHICH IS REMARKABLE!!
In the Holy Spirit you and I get to participate in this priestly, kingly, and prophetic role of Jesus
But that’s for later…
Right now we’re talking about Jesus himself
Paragraph 437 highlights many of the times, many of the ways, that Scripture indicated that Jesus is the long awaited Anointed One
So even from the announcement of the angels in Bethlehem to the shepherds who are watching their flocks by night
What did they say?
Paragraph 437 says, “To you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”
THE ANOINTED ONE!!
When God called Joseph, through the angel Gabriel, he reminded him to “‘Take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit,’ so that Jesus, ‘who is called Christ,’ should be born of Joseph’s spouse into the messianic lineage of David.”
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!!
It goes all the way back to THE TRINITY
And the Trinity is THE MYSTERY of Christianity
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
ONE GOD
ONE BEING
THREE DIVINE PERSONS
Paragraph 438 says, “Jesus’ messianic consecration reveals his divine mission, ‘for the name ‘Christ’ implies ‘he who anointed,’ ‘he who was anointed’ and the ‘very anointing with which he was anointed.’”
What does that mean?
He WHO anointed…
Who is that?
That was THE FATHER
He who WAS anointed…
Who’s that?
That’s THE SON
And the very anointing with which he was anointed…
That’s the HOLY SPIRIT
He was anointed with the Holy Spirit
St Irenaeus reminds us that the Trinity is ALWAYS A UNITY
UNITED IN BEING
UNITED IN THEIR WILLS
UNITED IN THEIR INTELLECTS
They’re always present
When one acts, they all act
When one is present, the WHOLE Trinity is present
The Christ implies
He who anointed, the Father
Who was anointed, the Son
And the very anointing with which he was anointed, the Holy Spirit
THAT IS JUST REMARKABLE!!
Now there is an interesting
I think, POWERFUL…
(SQUIRREL!! 😉)
Up in Minnesota sometimes people say “interesting” when it’s “something we don’t like”
Other times people say “interesting” because they have no other word
Their socks are blown off (for our international brothers and sisters, to have “one’s socks blown off” it means that it is REALLY EXCITING 😀)
Paragraphs 439 and 430, highlight that Jesus was recognized as BEING THE MESSIAH
He had the FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTES of that Messianic Son of David
Paragraph 439 says, “Jesus accepted this rightful title of Messiah, though with some reserve because it was understood by some of his contemporaries in too human a sense, as essentially political.”
They thought he was going to overthrow the Roman government
Paragraph 440 says, “Jesus accepted Peter’s profession of faith, which acknowledged him to be the Messiah, by announcing the imminent Passion of the Son of Man.”
Remember in Matthew Ch 16, where Jesus asks the question, “Who do you say that I am?”
And Simon says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus responds by saying, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. My heavenly Father has revealed this. So you are now Peter, and upon this rock I’ll build my Church,”
But…
Immediately after this, Jesus predicts his passion
Jesus essentially says, “Yes, that’s true, that is who I am. I will go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly, and be crucified. And on the third day, rise again.”
And remember Peter says, “God forbid, Lord.”
And Jesus rebukes Peter
Paragraph 440 says, “He unveiled the authentic content of his messianic kingship both in the transcendent identity of the Son of Man ‘who came down from heaven,’ and in his redemptive mission as the suffering Servant: ‘The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ Hence the true meaning of his kingship is revealed only when he is raised high on the cross.”
OH MY GOSH!!
HERE IS THE MYSTERY OF GOD!!
This INCREDIBLE mystery of God
Who accepts the title of Messiah
This long awaited Anointed One
Only when it’s absolutely clear
“Yep, I am the king, but not the king crowned with gold. The King crowned with thorns. Yes, I accept the High Priest, but the high priest not merely who stands at the altar and offers the sacrifice. But the High Priest who is also the sacrifice himself. And the Prophet, not only the prophets who are accepted, but the Prophet who is rejected.”
IT IS REMARKABLE!!
That we are brought into this
Jesus extends a share in his role as priest, prophet, and king to EVERY SINGLE CHRISTIAN
Which means not only, kingly, queenly
Not only priestly and prophetic
But also of the suffering king
The suffering queen
The suffering priest
And the suffering prophet
The ones who are loved and also the ones who are rejected
“Jesus reveals the true meaning of his Kingship only when he is raised high on the cross”
THAT IS SO ESSENTIAL FOR US TO UNDERSTAND!!
This paradox
Yes, he is the Only Begotten Son of God
He is the Christ
That means that his transcendent identity as the Son of Man
The Son of God
But…
Also as the Suffering Servant
Great dignity
BUT…
Also, the kind of love, great love, that ENTERS INTO PAIN
That doesn’t stay away from our difficulties
That doesn’t stay away from our darkness
That doesn’t stay away from the real suffering of this world
That’s the kind of King that we have
That’s the kind of Prophet He is
That’s the kind of Priest that Jesus is
That is what it is to say Jesus is the Christ
WHICH IS SO INCREDIBLE!!
Sometimes it can get tough
“Ok, I don’t know if I’m going to get anything out of this today”|
BUT…
YOU KEEP PRESSING PLAY!!
Because we can’t do this alone
We need each other
We need each other to be able to re reminded of who Jesus is
And be reminded of what is plan is for our lives
Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!
Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!
I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow
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