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Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

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New Passover

In 14 Book Corner on 2011/04/21 at 2:08 PM

“…this farewell meal was not the old Passover, but the new one, which Jesus accomplished…It was Jesus’ Passover.  And in this sense he both did and did not celebrate the Passover: the old rituals could not be carried out when their time came.  Jesus had already died.  But he had given himself, and thus he had truly celebrated the Passover with them.  The old was not abolished; it was simply brought into its full meaning.”

Ratzinger, Joseph (Pope Benedict XVI) JESUS OF NAZARETH, Part Two. Ignatius Press.

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Holy Week

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/04/21 at 1:52 AM

During this week which Christians traditionally call holy week, we are given another chance to reflect on and to re‑live the last hours of Jesus’ life. All the things brought to our mind by the different expressions of piety which characterize these days are of course directed to the resurrection, which is, as St Paul says, the basis of our faith. But we should not tread this path too hastily, lest we lose sight of a very simple fact which we might easily overlook. We will not be able to share in our Lord’s resurrection unless we unite ourselves with him in his passion and death. If we are to accompany Christ in his glory at the end of Holy Week, we must first enter into his holocaust and be truly united to him, as he lies dead on Calvary.

Let us meditate on our Lord, wounded from head to foot out of love for us. Using a phrase which approaches the truth, although it does not express its full reality, we can repeat the words of an ancient writer: “The body of Christ is a portrait in pain.” At the sight of Christ bruised and broken — just a lifeless body taken down from the cross and given to his Mother — at the sight of Jesus destroyed in this way, we might have thought he had failed utterly. Where are the crowds that once followed him, where is the kingdom he foretold? But this is victory, not defeat. We are nearer the resurrection than ever before; we are going to see the triumph which he has won with his obedience.  J Escriva

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Psalm 34 and the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/04/19 at 4:42 PM

PSALM 34 in the light of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ

The psalmist in Psalm 34 petitions God for justice. He had followed the teachings of psalms: do good, seek peace, yet he
was harassed even by the people he treated well. His description of the situation is found in its most extreme form in the
Lord’s life. He “went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil.” (Acts 10:38)  ”They hated Him without
cause.” (John 15:24; Ps 35:19.)

A Spanish priest wrote this forceful meditation on Psalm 34:

“He came to save the world,
and His own denied Him before Pilate.
He showed us the path to goodness,
and they dragged Him along the way to Calvary.
He gave an example in everything He did,
and they preferred a thief convicted of murder.
He was born to forgive,
and without cause they condemned Him to the gallows.
He came along the paths of peace, and they declared war on Him.
He was the light,
and they handed Him over to the powers of darkness.
He brought love,
and they repay Him with hatred.
He came to be King,
and they crown Him with thorns.
He became a slave to free us from sin, and they nailed Him to the Cross.
He took flesh to give us Life,
and we rewarded Him with death.”

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Bishop Sheen’s Life of Christ

In 14 Book Corner on 2011/04/18 at 9:28 PM

LIFE OF CHRIST by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Ignatius Press.

There are two version: one with 480 pages; another with 658 pages.  The longer one is recommended because it contains valuable materials for Catholics.

This book has been hailed as the most eloquent of Fulton Sheen’s writings.  It is the product of many years of prayer, daily devotions and scholarly research.  This brilliant scholar recounts all the major incidents in the life of Christ: not only in their historical content, but with deep and insightful comments on their theological significance and their practical application.  Christ is its constant focus and is shown as the Incarnate Son on God, prophet, teacher and healer who brought salvation into the world then and throughout the ages

“It was not so much that His birth cast a shadow on His life, and led to His death,” writes Sheen. “It was rather that the Cross was there from the beginning, and it cast its shadow backward to his birth.”

Bishop Sheen’s historical, philosophical and sagacious insights as well as his probing into the motives and hearts of a myriad of persons in the life of Christ present timeless lessons for the reader.

You will always be grateful for having read this book: a book which has also inspired countless others to live the inspirations gain from this great narrative of the Saviour and His motivating love for each person.

I have personally led several studies of the Life of Christ (for Catholics, Anglicans and Episcopalians), using the outstanding narrative presented by Bishop Sheen.  He has become a favorite of the participants, who treasure the book as a guide and a source: one to be read and re-read.

 

Sheen, Fulton LIFE OF CHRIST.  Ignatius Press.

http://www.ignatius.com/Products/LOC-P/life-of-christ.aspx

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Observe Jesus Christ

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/08 at 6:37 PM

Observe our Savior’s behavior during the last days of His earthly life.

Jesus was entirely serene, calm and sovereign.

He said what He came to say; neither attacking nor retreating.

Jesus willed to do the will of His Father.

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Parables Unravelled?

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/04/04 at 12:32 AM

Following the custom of the Orient, Jesus often employed parables, that favorite form of speech among people who think figuratively.  The parable stimulates the imagination, which in turns illumines the sense behind the suggested image.  However, that sense is not necessarily univocal, as is the abstract teaching, but complexly interwoven into life and the situation of the moment.  Vital truth speaks here in a homophony of many voices, theme, and accompaniment.  In this for it is flexible, now stressing one note, now another.  Thus the parable is a fluctuating, mobile thing and difficult to pin down.  In a barren hour it remains dumb; indeed, it may even be an obstacle to understanding, serving that dark mystery touched upon in Matt.13: “Hearing you will hear, but not understand; and seeing you will see, but not perceive.”

We have heard most of the parables of the New Testament many times, usually so enveloped in the Lord’s authority that unconsciously we accept them without giving much thought to our personal reaction….Only in the clash of thesis and antithesis, is its full clarity released.  (The author, Romano Guardini, goes on to a fascinating analysis of the Prodigal Son and the Last Hour Laborers.)

In a sense, Msgr. Guardini’s writings are meditations.  They are replete with verbal imagery in elegant spiritual prose.  One beautiful example: Jesus looms like a rescuing cliff above the tides of human suffering.

This excerpt is from Romano Guardini’s  THE LORD.

/www.amazon.com/Lord-Romano-Guardini/dp/0895267144/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307417186&sr=8-1