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Christ in the City, 2005

1.The Perfect Parable: The Prodigal Son…Fr. Rutler examines one of the paradigms of Christian living, the story of the Prodigal Son, which is really the tale of the fathomless mercy of the prodigalʼs Father. The story shows how one is much more grateful for having been forgiven much, like the younger son, as opposed to being forgiven little, like the faithful older son. The mystery of salvation is played out in our hearts, and blessed is the man who appropriates its meaning, taking it to heart and producing the fruition of virtue.

2.The Temptations of Christ in the Wilderness…Fr. Rutler delves into the account of Christ tempted in the wilderness by the devil. He enumerates the principal temptations of humanity as the following: materialism, or satisfying our passions; the happiness that comes through power; and gnosticism, or the seduction to think we can define and control reality.

3. The Transfiguration…Fr. Rutler probes the event of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, revealing how it is a defining manifestation of Christʼs Divinity, which Jesus wanted his disciples to have before his suffering and death. He is glorified, lifted up and clothed in light, speaking with the giver of the Law, Moses, and the greatest prophet, Elijah, to show that he is the fulfillment of all the Jewish people hoped for. When the vision ceases, the disciples only see Jesus. He becomes all they know and all they need to know.

4.The Woman at the Well…Fr. Rutler recalls the encounter had by the Samaritan woman at the Well of Jacob in Sychar. A simple everyday moment proves to be life-changing when it involves a recognition of the divinity of Christ. His revelation to her of everything she ever did moves her to in effect tell the whole town that God knows us all intimately and even has the hairs of our heads counted. A personal God with transformative power in the here and now is what the world needs to come to know.

5. Sermon on the Mount…Fr. Rutler probes the highpoint of the Lordʼs three-year public ministry, the Sermon on the Mount. On the Mount of the Beatitudes, a natural amphitheater in which a person can speak normally and be heard clearly from a great distance, Jesus imparts a code of heavenly ethics for our eternal salvation known as the Beatitudes. Far from espousing a legalistic restriction of freedom, these proverbs counsel life-giving generosity.

6.The Recovery of Truth...Fr. Rutler recounts the finding of the book of the Law by Ezra in the Book of Nehemiah.  The people had not heard such wisdom before, or only vaguely remembered a vestige from a long forgotten past. Ezra restores to the consciousness of the house of Israel the great tradition, which gives life. Though the memory slips, tradition is the way of faith. When we attend the Mass, the priest utters words that are 2,000 years old. Transformation of lives comes through a renewal of the heart. Freedom comes from acknowledging that Christ is the Word sent from God and the darkness of forgetfulness has not overcome it.

7. The Baptism of Jesus…Fr. Rutler shares that the Baptism of Christ is an event calling out for a response in our lives today. With the coming of Christ into the world, the slavery of sin is ended. Our Lord is the source of joy that comes from the washing away of the rebellion that separates us from God–pride or the Original Sin. Fitting as it was, though not strictly necessary, Christ was baptized into his own messiahship. He offers us a happiness far greater than anything the world can give. We must be satisfied with nothing less than that. What satisfies us? He calls us to launch out into the deep and prepare our nets for a catch.

8. The Holy Family…Fr. Rutler relates the blessing of family life lived out to its fullest potential after the example of the Holy Family. With God, nothing in life is wasted, even the hidden quiet times. It is in that silent period, divinely willed, that we see the humility of God. Such mysteries cannot be explained as much as they need to be lived. The family is divinely intended by God. Family becomes the earthly sign of a higher reality. It becomes the witness to the world of the God who made the world, who sustains the world, and who saves the world.

9. Eternal Light…Fr. Rutler witnesses to the necessity of the light of Christ in a world immersed in darkness. Our world has known many blackouts, caused not by a failure of electricity but of a failure of moral vision. It is precisely when the whole sky grows dark, when Jesus is on the cross, that we are able to focus on a light that is not of this world. We are similarly to put a light on a candle-stand so that it gives light to all the house of God. The light of Christ gives life, for wherever there is life, there is no darkness.

Please click on this site to access programs: http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=7067&T1=Rutler