Day 62: The Christ

The word "Christ" comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, which means "anointed". It became the name proper to Jesus only because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that "Christ" signifies. In effect, in Israel those consecrated to God for a mission that he gave were anointed in his name. This was the case for kings, for priests and, in rare instances, for prophets. This had to be the case all the more so for the Messiah whom God would send to inaugurate his kingdom definitively. It was necessary that the Messiah be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord at once as king and priest, and also as prophet. Jesus fulfilled the messianic hope of Israel in his threefold office of priest, prophet and king. CCC 436

In today's reading, the Catechism covers Jesus as the Christ or Messiah, the One promised to us centuries before His birth (Isa 9:5-6). As the Christ, Jesus reveals His mission of redemption and true nature. The Messiah is much, much more than a mere political figure or conquering general for Israel, but He came to set all of us free from the bondage of our sins so that we can have eternal life (Rom 6:23). Some Jews at the time thought the long-awaited Messiah would be a such a warrior general, freeing them from Roman oppression. Yet as He said, God had something very different in mind (Luke 17:20-21). As the Catechism Companion, Vol I states:

Jesus accepts the title of Messiah only when it is absolutely clear that he is the King crowned with thorns, the High Priest who is himself the sacrifice, the prophet who is rejected... He reveals the true meaning of his kingship when he is raised high on the cross. As King, he is also the Suffering Servant. (p. 128)

This icon shows Jesus reading in the synagogue of Nazareth. He is manifesting himself as the Christ, or Messiah, who would usher in the messianic age with signs and wonders (see CCC 438). (p. 129)

Day 61: The Name of Jesus

Jesus means in Hebrew: "God saves." At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel gave him the name Jesus as his proper name, which expresses both his identity and his mission. Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man, "will save his people from their sins". In Jesus, God recapitulates all of his history of salvation on behalf of men. CCC 430

In today's reading, the Catechism focuses on "the name that is above every name" for which "every knee should bend" (Phil 2:9-11): our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no other name through which we will be saved from our sins (Acts 4:12). He is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity and His name is invoked in the Apostles' Creed, "and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord." The demons fear Him (Luke 8:27-39), and by His name, they are cast out (Mark 16:17). Sadly, in English at least, His name is abused in vulgar slang. The Catechism Companion, Vol I notes:

Jesus' name is widely abused in our society. We are accustomed to taking the name of Jesus in vain - casually, in anger, or in frustration - even though this is the name through which God saved us from our sins. (p. 126)

I confess that I too have been guilty of this. How this developed in our language as a curse word I do not know. This is blasphemy and should be confessed during Penance & Reconciliation and be on one's mind during the Penitential Act at Mass.

More positively, the Catechism closes out this section by noting how the name of Jesus is invoked during prayer:

The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer. All liturgical prayers conclude with the words "through our Lord Jesus Christ". the Hail Mary reaches its high point in the words "blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." the Eastern prayer of the heart, the Jesus Prayer, says: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Many Christians, such as St. Joan of Arc, have died with the one word "Jesus" on their lips. CCC 435

IHS monogram, with kneeling angels, atop the main altar, Church of the Gesù, Rome

IHS = Iesus Hominum Salvator, Latin for "Jesus, Savior of Humanity"

Day 60: God Sends His Only Son

We believe and confess that Jesus of Nazareth, born a Jew of a daughter of Israel at Bethlehem at the time of King Herod the Great and the emperor Caesar Augustus, a carpenter by trade, who died crucified in Jerusalem under the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of the emperor Tiberius, is the eternal Son of God made man. He 'came from God', 'descended from heaven', and 'came in the flesh'. For 'the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. . . and from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.' CCC 423

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks of what the Protoevangelium in Genesis promised: the coming of the One who would redeem man from his sins. Something that has always drawn me to Christianity, particularly the Catholic Church, is just how rooted in history it is. This reflected a passion of mine for history, from the well-known to the most obscure. I like how the Catechism Companion, Vol I notes the historical rootedness of our faith:

We will see how rooted in history the reality of Jesus is. Christianity is a historical religion. Jesus was born a Jew, in Bethlehem, under the reign of Herod the Great. He lived in a specific time and place (see CCC 423). (p. 124) 

It is in that real Person of Jesus, whom the Gospels proclaim, that we confess with St. Peter, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16).

The next couple of paragraphs deal with catechesis, largely quoting from St. John Paul II:

"At the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a Person," that is, Christ (CCC 426). "Whoever is called 'to teach Christ' must first seek 'the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus'" (CCC 428). (p. 124)

Adoration of the Kings by Michael Damaskinos circa 1591

Day 59: Summary of the Fall

"God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living. . . It was through the devil's envy that death entered the world" (Wis 1:13; 2:24) CCC 413

Today is another "In Brief" day in the Catechism, summarizing what has been covered over the past few days. Sin entered the world through the Old Adam, the consequences of which were devastating as this left all of us with a broken and wounded nature, as well as Creation itself. Some of the angels likewise fell, which is why Satan and the demons roam the earth to lead us astray from God. The verse quoted in CCC 413 is from one of my favorite books of Scripture and to me sums up nicely, especially in the first part, the reaction of God to our Fall. It also hints at the redemption He promised that would come later in the New Adam, Jesus Christ. I like how the Catechism Companion, Vol I puts it for this summary:

Scripture says we have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the Devil. This refers to the broken world, our broken human nature, and the Evil One, who wants to get us to rebel against God like he did... Even in the midst of sin, even in the midst of our brokenness, we have hope. Even in our distress, we know we are not abandoned. (p. 122)

That hope for our brokenness, in our times of distress, is Jesus Christ. 

Day 58: Man's Spiritual Battle

The consequences of original sin and of all men's personal sins put the world as a whole in the sinful condition aptly described in St. John's expression, "the sin of the world". [Jn 1:29] This expression can also refer to the negative influence exerted on people by communal situations and social structures that are the fruit of men's sins. CCC 408

In today's reading, the Catechism wraps up discussing Original Sin and our struggle to overcome the state we find ourselves in. Because of sin, we have a wounded nature since the Fall, which is challenged by the brokenness within us and throughout Creation. I like how the Catechism tells how we were "not abandoned by God" but right after the sin of Adam & Eve, we find God heralding "the coming victory over evil and [man's] restoration from his fall" (CCC 410). In Genesis 3:9-15, what the Church calls the Protoevangelium, we see that laid out by God:

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

    and between your offspring and hers;

They will strike at your head,

    while you strike at their heel.

 Jesus Christ is seen as the New Adam and the Blessed Theotokos is the New Eve. Christ redeemed us and "became obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:8) and "in Christ shall all be brought to life" (1 Cor 15:21-22). It is a spiritual battle we have with the "Father of lies" and our own nature. As the Catechism Companion, Vol I states:

If we ignore or don't know the fact that we have a wounded nature, then we might think everything we are inclined to must be good. But the full story is that we are made good but broken. We are inclined to evil. and so we have to be on guard even against our own hearts. (p. 120)

 

Day 57: Consequences of Adam's Sin

All men are implicated in Adam's sin, as St. Paul affirms: "By one man's disobedience many (that is, all men) were made sinners": "sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned." The Apostle contrasts the universality of sin and death with the universality of salvation in Christ. "Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men." CCC 402

In today's reading, the Catechism expounds further on the consequences of original sin, which we still deal with today. The sin of our first parents wounded our human nature and left us broken and in need of redemption. As the Catechism Companion, Vol I puts it:

Every one of us is born into this fallen, wounded state. We remain essentially good, but original sin has led to certain consequences. We have an attraction to sin (called concupiscence), and we have a darkening of our intellect and a weakening of our will. We suffer and die. (p. 118)

The heresiarch Pelagius taught that we could freely overcome this state "without the necessary help of God's grace," while some Protestant Reformers believed that original sin made each of us totally depraved (CCC 406). Yet the Church teaches that neither of these is correct. What God created in us is good, not depraved. Due to original sin, we are instead deprived of the "original holiness and justice" that Adam & Eve enjoyed before the Fall, which after left our wounded and broken nature "subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin" (CCC 405). It is through redemption in Christ that our nature is healed. Yet, as the Catechism Companion states:

Baptism erases original sin. But those consequences are still in us. (p. 118)

 It may seem unfair, which many of us have said at some point in our lives, but we do see the consequences in this world. Ultimately, this is "a mystery that we cannot fully understand" (CCC 404). The Catechism Companion deals with this feeling of "unfairness" in explanation:

One way of looking at this is that we are all part of the same human family. As with our own families, the decisions and choices of family members can impact everyone - either for good or bad. Similarly, the decision of our first parents to distrust God and disobey him had negative consequences for the rest of the family - for their descendants. (p. 119)

Day 56: Man's First Sin

Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness. CCC 397

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks of that first sin which brought death and brokenness to the world. The first part of this section is entitled, "Freedom Put to the Test". Our first parents unfortunately failed that test and we haven't done any better ever since then. The "Father of lies" deceived our first parents and through their fall from grace "preferred [themselves] to God and by that very act scorned Him. [They] chose [themselves] over and against God" (CCC 398). All of us do the very same thing. In crying out for our "freedom" we forget what that actually means. As the Catechism Companion, Vol I puts it:

True freedom is the power to do what we ought to do. But man violated that freedom... When we sin, we prefer ourselves and our way to God's - which leads us to act against our own good. (p. 116)

Original sin would have drastic and cosmic consequences on not just Adam and Eve, but all of us and Creation itself. Tomorrow this will be further elaborated on, but for now though, the Catechism gives some of the immediate results:

After that first sin, the world is virtually inundated by sin There is Cain's murder of his brother Abel and the universal corruption which follows in the wake of sin. Likewise, sin frequently manifests itself in the history of Israel, especially as infidelity to the God of the Covenant and as transgression of the Law of Moses. and even after Christ's atonement, sin raises its head in countless ways among Christians. Scripture and the Church's Tradition continually recall the presence and universality of sin in man's history. (CCC 401)

The Last Judgement fresco by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, Vatican City (1536-1541)