a) Christ
as Prophet
The historical Christ
was the central figure in the long list of God's
prophets who have assumed such a vital role throughout
the course of salvation history. As Moses, Jeremiah,
Isaiah and the rest of the Old Testament prophets were
the spokesmen for Yahweh, so most perfectly is Christ
the spokesman for His Father. A prophet, then, in terms
of salvation history is a specially commissioned teacher
sent by God to His People. What is the task of the
prophet? His role is in some way to reveal God and God's
plan for man's salvation and sanctification.
Christ
accomplished the task of the prophet in an eminently
perfect manner. Through His unique words of wisdom He
made a deep impression upon His hearers: "Jesus had now
finished what he wanted to say, and his teaching made a
deep impression on the people because he taught them
with authority, and not like their own scribes." (Mt
7:28-29). Through this teaching Christ gradually
revealed the nature of God. He revealed this nature, not
only as It is in Itself, but also as It is in Its
relationship to men. Above all, He taught men the love
and mercy which their Heavenly Father has for them. He
did this in a manner which was radically adapted to
their understanding, using the language and mode of
speech which was familiar to them. Through the use of
the most simple story Christ would often bring out the
most sublime truths concerning God. His story of the
Prodigal Son as given in St. Luke is an exquisite,
graphic presentation of the loving and merciful attitude
of God toward the repentant sinner.
Yet Christ did not
reveal the Father and the Father's plan only through
word. He also did so through His actions. At times the
events of His life were a more eloquent revelation than
His words. The crucified Christ, as He hangs in silence
upon the cross, speaks volumes to the world concerning
the love and mercy of God, the justice of God, and the
heinousness of sin. In short, it is the total person of
Christ in all His words, actions, gestures in
everything who reveals the Father to men.1
This revelation of the Father includes within itself
God's desire for man's response. For God does not reveal
Himself in Christ to man for any empty purpose. God
tells us He loves us, that He gives Himself to us in
Christ, and that He wants us to respond with a love of
our own as we live the way Our Father wants us to live:
in Christ, Who is the way, the truth and the life.
The Church, the
People of God, is destined to continue Christ's
prophetic, revelatory office.2
The most obvious way she does this is through her
official teaching mission. Primarily through the pope
and the bishops, the Church has the responsibility of
continually presenting the message of Christ in a manner
which is relevant to the men of various ages. Yet it is
not only the pope and the other bishops who accomplish
this teaching mission. The theologian, the priest in the
pulpit, the teacher of religion and theology, the mother
and father educating their children according to the
principles of Christ all such people offer examples of
the various ways in which the members of the People of
God contribute to the continuation of Christ's prophetic
or teaching office.
There is another
manner in which the entire People of God contribute to
the Church's teaching mission. The official teachers in
the Church, namely the pope and bishops, depend to a
considerable extent upon how the Holy Spirit is
operating within the entire People of God. The People of
God in their universal grasp of matters relating to
faith and morals assist the official teachers of the
Church in their duty of correctly projecting the truth
of Christ to the Church and world. An example of this is
contained in the procedure which preceded the definition
of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius
XII speaks about this procedure: ". . . We considered it
opportune to ask all Our venerable brethren in the
episcopate directly and authoritatively, that each of
them should make known to Us his mind in a formal
statement. Hence, We gave them Our letter 'Deiparae
Virginis Mariae', a letter in which these words are
contained: 'Do you, Venerable Brethren, in your
outstanding wisdom and prudence, judge that the bodily
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin can be proposed and
defined as a dogma of faith? Do you, with your clergy
and people, desire it? ' "3
Consequently, we
see the soundness of the newly discovered dialogue
within the Church. The more open are the lines of
communication between the pope and the bishops of the
world, between bishops and their priests, between
priests and their people, between religious superiors
and subjects, the better is the possibility that the
truth of Christ the teacher will more perfectly permeate
the entire life of the People of God, and ultimately the
life of the world.
We have said that
the historical Christ taught the truth of God not only
through His words, but through His actions, His
attitude, His gestures. In brief, He taught through
everything He was and did. So it must be with the
Church. The Church continues the teaching mission of
Christ, not only through her verbal and written
teaching, but also through her actions and attitude,
and, summarily, through her total being as it is visible
to men.
We see,
consequently, why the Church must concretely show her
concern for the poor, the oppressed, the one who suffers
from racial prejudice. The truth which the Church
preaches concerning social justice must become
incarnated in the visible, concrete action she
undertakes for such a cause. Since the Church is the
continuation of Christ, she must act as He did. Christ
not only told men that He loved them, He proved that
love in a concrete, tangible, incarnate manner.
It is entirely
appropriate that Christians be present at demonstrations
concerned with a true and just cause, even though, of
course, they are not usually representing the Church in
an official capacity. The witness of priests, religious
and laity demonstrating for racial justice is a powerful
witness of the truth of Christ that all men are created
equal. Sometimes such action is much more effective in
projecting to the world the Church's concern for the
racially oppressed than are the pastoral letters of
bishops regarding racial equality.
Every member of
the People of God is called upon to continue the
teaching mission of Christ. The baptized Christian is
incorporated into Christ who is prophet, king and
priest. This incorporation is further perfected through
confirmation. Therefore each member within the Church
receives a real share in the prophetic, kingly and
priestly mission of Christ. In relation to our present
topic concerning Christ as prophet or teacher, no member
of the Church can excuse himself from carrying forward
this particular mission of Christ. Some of the various
possibilities open to all within the Church have already
been suggested. We now emphasize a constant and ever
available opportunity which is present to all, namely,
the witness of a truly Christian life. A life constantly
lived according to the truth and example of Christ is a
powerful, persuasive witness to Christ and His message.
Perhaps because there are too few such Christian
witnesses, Christianity has failed to make the desired
imprint upon civilization. For it is only when mankind
sees the truth of Christ concretely lived out by
Christians that such truth has the power to draw men to
Christ and His Church in any great numbers.4
b) Christ as King
Vatican II reminds us
that Christ is not only prophet, but also king: "Christ,
becoming obedient even unto death and because of this
exalted by the Father. . . , entered into the glory of
His kingdom. To Him all things are made subject until he
subjects himself and all created things to the Father
that God may be all in all."5
Through His
Incarnation, Christ as man became king over creation. In
assuming a human nature, He united to Himself man and
also the material creation below man. In the words of
Teilhard de Chardin, Christ is the physical center of
the Universe.6
Through His redemptive sacrifice, which is the
culminating act of His Incarnation, Christ strengthened
His title as king.
Christ has
redeemed man, and as a consequence of man's redemption,
the whole physical universe has been redeemed.7
The appropriateness of nonrational creation being
redeemed together with man himself is evident. In God's
original act of creation He gave man dominion over
material creation. This part of creation was meant to
serve man in his quest for happiness here and hereafter.
With the intrusion of sin into God's creation, man and
nonrational creation were both affected. Through his
misuse of God's creation by sin, man not only puts
disorder into himself, but also into the creation which
he misuses.
Christ's
redemption is meant to restore the disarray caused by
man's sinfulness. Christ through His redemptive grace
desires to heal more and more the sinfulness of man as
this affects man himself and man's relationship to the
material universe. Christ as king wants His redemptive
grace to spread out and touch deeply man and the
physical universe. With grace man relates properly to
the material universe, for he more and more brings the
material universe back to its role in God's creation,
namely, that it serve man in achieving his temporal and
eternal happiness. What is man's happiness? Because of
the Incarnation, there is now only one destiny for man
both here and hereafter. That destiny is a supernatural
one in Christ. The material universe, through Christ's
redemptive Incarnation, has therefore entered into this
supernatural structure. Man and the physical universe
have both been marked with the blood of Christ. More and
more they are to be Christianized, that is, ever more
perfectly drawn into the supernatural order established
by Christ and centered in Him.
To extend this
kingly influence of Christ over creation is the task now
of both Christ and His Church. We have long been aware
that this means deepening and extending Christ's kingdom
as regards man himself. But we are just beginning to
realize what it means to extend His kingdom to
everything which pertains to man. Vatican II, in opening
up the Church to everything which is good in the world,
has impressed upon us the fact that the Church, in
prolonging Christ's kingly mission, must be deeply
involved not only with man himself, but with everything
which is of authentic concern to man. The council
unmistakably tells us this: "The faithful, therefore,
must learn the deepest meaning and the value of all
creation, as well as its role in the harmonious praise
of God. They must assist each other to live holier lives
even in their secular occupations. In this way the world
may be permeated by the spirit of Christ and it may more
effectively fulfill its purpose in justice, charity and
peace."8
All within the
Church are called to extend the influence of Christ as
king. Each member of the People of God has a share in
this kingly mission. Each must fulfill his role
according to his vocation, talents, opportunities and
graces. But fulfill his role he must. No one but the
individual Christian in question can fulfill the
particular role which God has intended for that
individual. The Christian's quest for holiness is thus
intimately connected with his response to Christ the
king. The more ideally each Christian responds to this
call of Christ, the more the entire Church can fulfill
her mission of continuing Christ's kingly mission. This
mission consists in imprinting the name of Jesus Christ
more deeply upon the entire universe, men and matter
alike.
c) Christ as Priest
Christ is prophet, king,
and, finally, He is priest. Consequently, the Church
must prolong the priestly mission of Christ as well as
His prophetic and kingly offices. But because of the
centrality of Christ's priestly office in His own life
and that of His Church, this theme will receive detailed
treatment in the chapter devoted exclusively to the
liturgy.
Statues,
Crucifixes, and Religious Artwork 
Copyright
© 2012 Shepherds of Christ.