PARISH OF ST TERESA LENTEN REFLECTION ON OUR BAPTISMAL CHARACTER KINGLY PROPLE IN CHRIST
At his Baptism, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit: Lk 3:21-22; 4:18-19. At our baptism, we were marked with oil (Chrism) as a sign that we are consecrated to God and anointed by the Holy Spirit. Our anointing also was a sign that we are joined to Christ and share in his threefold mission as priest, prophet and king. This triple office and mission is therefore best grasped within the understanding of Christ and his Church.
CHURCH MYSTERY
PRIEST
COMMUNION
KING
MINISTER OF THE SACRAMENTS LEADER/BUILDER OF COMMUNITY
LITURGY/ WORSHIP FAITH FELLOWSHIP LOVE
MISSION
PROPHET
CHURCH THROUGH BAPTISM THROUGH PRIESTLY ORDINATION LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES
TEACHER OF THE WORD
LEARNING AND SERVICE HOPE
Christ the King A king is a person who has supreme authority over a territory. When the Jewish people were ruled by kings, they became a nation. They longed for a Messiah who would again make them great.
Jesus is spoken of as a king in the gospels. - Gabriel announced to Mary that the Lord God would give her son the throne of David his father, and he would rule over the house of Jacob forever. - Magi looked for a newborn king of the Jews. - When Jesus last entered Jerusalem, crowds hailed him as a king. - He was arrested for making himself king, and the soldiers mocked him as one. - When Pilate asked if he were king of the Jews, Jesus replied, “You say so”, and he clarified, “My kingdom does not belong to this world (Jn 18:36). - The charge written against Jesus was “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews”. - Jesus announced the Kingdom of God. - His mission was to have God reign in the hearts of all and to have peace and justice in the world. - Jesus exercised his royal office by serving.
After his resurrection, Jesus was given by God the Father far greater authority over the church and over the universe: “……and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church…..” (Eph 1:19-22). “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Mt 28:18).
“For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25f). Jesus will return to earth in power and great glory to reign: “Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mt 26:64). “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth….” (Phil 2:9-10). “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 19:16).
We Share in the Kingship of Christ: As kings, we share in part now in the kingly reign of Christ, since we have been raised with him to the heavenly places: “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus….” (Eph 2:4-6).
Sharing in Jesus’ Governance: - The Pope and the Bishops in union with him have the primary responsibility for governing the Church and so doing participate in Jesus’ Kingship.
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- All lay Catholic men and women, through their various priestly and prophetic ministries within the Church, also share in the Church’s governance. -Those who are involved in various campus and parish ministries or other church-related organisations aid in the governance of the Church so that all it does promotes the good of all its members and society at large.
To share in Jesus’ Governance means being: - A Participatory Church - A Collaborative Church
IN THE MISSION
- A Co-responsible Church - A Prophetic Church
OF CHRIST
Hence, the Pastoral Emphasis of building up the Neighbourhood Christian Communities.
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Two aspects in particular in which the laity shares in Jesus’ kingship:
• Family Life The right ordering of family life, by its very nature, involves the living out of Christian principles and the making of rules that embody those principles. Governance of one’s family in a Christian manner will involve, especially in the non-Christian environment of our day, a great deal of wisdom, patience, courage and fortitude. Parents participate in Jesus’ own ministry of governance and so they share in His Spirit-filled authority and power, an authority and power that is exercised in love and proper discipline.
This is especially important for fathers of families. Too often today fathers abdicate their paternal authority to their wives and this is to the detriment of both their sons and daughters. It is the primary responsibility of fathers to teach their sons to be Christian men of integrity and honesty, and who respect not only their mothers but all women. In order to do this he must exercise fatherly governance over them. Fathers must care for their daughters such that they are assured of his fatherly love and so are secure under his fatherly protection.
To raise up Christian men and women is the noblest task of Christian fathers and mothers, but in order to do so they, like Jesus, must exercise their ministry of family governance with the authority conferred upon them by the Holy Spirit.
2) The Temporal Order Catholic men and women, as part of sharing in Jesus’ kingship, must engage in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will. Catholic laity has a responsibility for the right governance and the right ordering of society according to Gospel principles and the Church’s social teaching. Today we, as Christians and Catholics, are engaged in a cultural war. A culture of death is waging a relentless war against a culture of life. That a culture of life can achieve victory frequently does not look promising.
How each Catholic lay man and lay woman engages in this battle and in which battles one engages will depend on one’s talents and graces. No Catholic lay person can absent him- or herself from the conflict. You were commissioned by Christ to fight this battle when you were confirmed and it was there that you were given the strength and courage of the Holy Spirit. Too much is at stake to stand by idly as the forces of evil vigorously corrupt our culture and the world.
Some issues are very complex, such as the issues of war and peace, and we all have to seek wisdom in addressing these concerns. Other issues are very clear. As Catholic laity we must strive to make our country and the world safe for the unborn, the sick, the elderly and the dying. We must insure that science and technology are governed by principles that honour and respect our human dignity, as men and women created in the image and likeness of God.
We must strive to protect the family from those who wish to transform it into something that is not in accord with human nature itself as God intended in creating men and women. We must ensure that those on the margins of our society are protected and helped, especially the poor, the needy, and those millions of people throughout the world an even in our own country who have been displaced from their own homeland because of war, famine, or economic depression.
The issues are endless, but Catholic lay men and women must address them as part of their sharing in Jesus’ kingly ministry. This is especially true of our young in colleges and tertiary institutes. Their future is yet to be lived and yet to be won, and it is their task to so live as to win the future for the Lord Jesus. Whatever their vocation, whatever career they may choose they are to strive for the right ordering and just governance of our world for the good and benefit of all. Thus, through the members of the Church will Christ increasingly illuminate the whole of human society with His saving light.
COMMENTS / SHARING