Transcript:
Bishop Athanasius Schneider
In this talk, we will continue to speak about the second article of the creed, “And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.” We will explain the name “Christ”.
To the name, Jesus adds that of Christ, which signifies the anointed. This name is expressive of honor and office and is not peculiar to one thing only, but common to many; for in the Old Law priests and kings, whom God, on account of the dignity of their office, commanded to his anointed, were called Christs. For priests commend the people to God by unceasing prayer, offer sacrifice to Him, and turn away His wrath from mankind. Kings are entrusted with the government of the people, and to them principally belong the authority of the law, the protection of innocence, and the punishment of guilt. As, therefore, both these functions seem to represent the majesty of God on earth, those who were appointed to the royal or sacerdotal office were anointed with oil. Furthermore, since Prophets, as the interpreters and ambassadors of the immortal God, have unfolded to us the secrets of heaven and by salutary precepts and the prediction of future events have exhorted to the amendment of life, it was customary to anoint them also.
When Jesus Christ our Savior came into the world, He assumed these three characteristics of Prophet, Priest, and King, and was therefore called Christ, having been anointed for the discharge of these functions, not by mortal hand or with earthly ointment, but by the power of His heavenly Father and with a spiritual oil; for the plenitude of the Holy Spirit and a more copious effusion of all gifts than any other created being is capable of receiving were poured into His soul. This the Prophet indicates when he addresses the Redeemer in these words: Thou hast loved justice, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. The same is also more explicitly declared by the Prophet Isaias: The spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek.
Jesus Christ, therefore, was the great Prophet and Teacher, from whom we have learned the will of God and by whom the world has been taught the knowledge of the heavenly Father. The name prophet belongs to Him preeminently, because all others who were dignified with that name were His disciples, sent principally to announce the coming of that Prophet who was to save all men.
Christ was also a Priest, not indeed of the same order as were the priests of the tribe of Levi in the Old Law, but of that of which the Prophet David sang: Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech. This subject the Apostle fully and accurately develops in his Epistle to the Hebrews.
Christ not only as God but also as man and partaker of our nature, we acknowledge to be a King. Of Him, the Angel testified: He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom, there shall be no end. This kingdom of Christ is spiritual and eternal, begun on earth but perfected in heaven. He discharges by His admirable Providence the duties of King towards His Church, governing and protecting her against the assaults 46 and snares of her enemies, legislating for her, and imparting to her not only holiness and righteousness but also the power and strength to persevere. But although the good and the bad are found within the limits of this kingdom, and thus all men by right belong to it, those who in conformity with His commands lead unsullied and innocent lives, experience beyond all others the sovereign goodness and beneficence of our King.
Although descended from the most illustrious race of kings, He obtained this kingdom not by hereditary or another human right, but because God bestowed on Him as man all the power, dignity, and majesty of which human nature is capable. To Him, therefore, God delivered the government of the whole world, and to this His sovereignty, which has already commenced, all things shall be made fully and entirely subject on the day of judgment.
Now we explain the expression, “the only Son of God.”
In these words, mysteries more exalted about Jesus are proposed to the faithful as objects of their belief and contemplation; namely, that He is the Son of God, and true God, like the Father who begot Him from eternity. We also confess that He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, equal in all things to the Father and the Holy Ghost; for in the Divine Persons nothing unequal or unlike should exist, or even be imagined to exist, since we acknowledge the essence, will and power of all to be one. This truth is both clearly revealed in many passages of Holy Scripture and sublimely announced in the testimony of St. John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
But when we are told that Jesus is the Son of God, we are not to understand anything earthly or mortal in His birth; but are firmly to believe and piously to adore that birth by which, from all eternity, the Father begot the Son, a mystery which reason cannot fully conceive or comprehend, and at the contemplation of which, overwhelmed, as it were, with admiration, we should exclaim with the Prophet: Who shall declare his generation? On this point, then, we are to believe that the Son is of the same nature, of the same power and wisdom, as the Father, as we more fully profess in these words of the Nicene Creed: And in one Lord Jesus Christ, his Only-begotten Son, born of the Father before all ages, God of God, light of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made.
Among the different comparisons employed to elucidate the mode and manner of this eternal generation that which is borrowed from the production of thought in our mind seems to come nearest to its illustration, and hence St. John calls the Son the Word. For as our mind, in some sort understanding itself forms an image of itself, which theologians express by the term word, so God, as far as we may compare human things to divine, understanding Himself, begets the eternal Word. It is better, however, to contemplate what faith proposes, and in the sincerity of our souls to believe and confess that Jesus Christ is true God and true Man, as God, begotten of the Father before all ages, as Man, born in time of Mary, His Virgin Mother.
While we thus acknowledge His twofold Nativity; we believe Him to be one Son, because His divine and human natures meet in one Person. As to His divine generation, He has no brethren or coheirs, being the Only-begotten Son of the Father, while we mortals are the work of His hands. But if we consider His birth as man, He not only calls many by the name of brethren but treats them as such, since He admits them to share with Him the glory of His paternal inheritance. They are those who by faith have received Christ the Lord, and who really, and by works of charity, show forth the faith which they profess in words. Hence the Apostle calls Christ, the first-born amongst many brethren.
Now we explain the expression, “Our Lord”
Of our Saviour, many things are recorded in Sacred Scripture. Some of these, it is evident, apply to Him as God and some as man, because from His two natures, He received the different properties which belong to both. Hence we say with truth that Christ is Almighty, Eternal, Infinite, and these attributes He has from His Divine 47 Nature; again, we say of Him that He suffered, died, and rose again, which are properties manifestly that belong to His human nature.
Besides these terms, there are others common to both natures; as when in this Article of the Creed we say our Lord. If, then, this name applies to both natures, rightly is He to be called our Lord. For as He, as well as the Father, is the eternal God, so is He Lord of all things equally with the Father; and as He and the Father are not the one, one God, and the other, another God, but the same God, so likewise He and the Father are not the one, one Lord, and the other, another Lord.
As man, He is also for many reasons appropriately called our Lord. First, because He is our Redeemer, who delivered us from sin, He deservedly acquired the power by which He truly is and is called our Lord. This is the doctrine of the Apostle:
“He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names: that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father. And of Himself, He said, after His Resurrection: All power is given to me in heaven and on earth.”
He is also called Lord because in one Person both natures, the human and the divine, are united; and even though He had not died for us, He would have yet deserved, by this admirable union, to be constituted common Lord of all created things, particularly of the faithful who obey and serve Him with all the fervor of their souls.
From Christ we take our name and are called Christians; we cannot be ignorant of the extent of His favors, particularly since by His gift of faith we are enabled to understand all these things. We, above all others, are under the obligation of devoting and consecrating ourselves forever, like faithful servants, to our Redeemer and our Lord.
This indeed, we promised at the doors of the church when about to be baptized; for we then declared that we renounced the devil and the world, and gave ourselves unreservedly to Jesus Christ. But if to be enrolled as soldiers of Christ we consecrated ourselves by so holy and solemn a profession to our Lord, what punishments should we not deserve if after our entrance into the Church, and after having known the will and laws of God and received the grace of the Sacraments, we were to form our lives upon the precepts and maxims of the world and the devil, just as though when cleansed in the waters of Baptism, we had pledged our fidelity to the world and the devil, and not to Christ the Lord and Saviour.
What heart so cold as not to be inflamed with love by the kindness and goodwill exercised toward us by so great a Lord, who, though holding us in His power and dominion as slaves ransomed by His blood, yet embraces us with such ardent love as to call us not servants, but friends and brethren? This, assuredly, supplies the most just, and perhaps the strongest, claim to induce us always to acknowledge, venerate, and adore Him as our Lord.
Father Francis Spirago gives the following explanation about Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as our Lord.
Christ called Himself the only-begotten Son of God, and this is because He and He alone is the Second Person of the Trinity, begotten of the Father. In addition, He is far removed from the angels and mankind, who are likewise called the children of God. For to these latter God has not communicated His nature and has adopted them only by a special grace.
Jesus Christ solemnly declared before the high priest that He was the Son of God. And He called Himself the Son of God also on the occasion of His healing of the man born blind. God the Father called Jesus Christ His Son on the occasion of His baptism in the Jordan and of the transfiguration on Mount Tabor. The archangel Gabriel called Jesus Christ the “Son of the Most High” when he announced His birth to Mary. St. Peter also publicly addressed Jesus Christ as “Son of the living God,” and was commended by Christ for this confession. Even the devils cried out: “What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Son of God? Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?”
Jesus Christ is God Himself. It had already been foretold: “God Himself will come and will save you”, and Isaias said that the Child Who was to be born for the redemption of men was God Himself. The heretic Arius denied Christ’s Godhead; his heresy was condemned at the Council of Nicæa (this was the heresy of Arius: Arianism) and it was expressly defined that Jesus Christ was of the same nature as God and therefore Himself God. Our whole position rests on this doctrine, hence its great importance. When the rich disciple addressed Christ as “good master,” Our Lord answered at once, “Why dost thou call Me good? None is good but God alone”; He would thereby teach us that we must before all things recognize Him not only as the good master, but we must recognize Him as God.
That Jesus Christ is God we learn from His own words and those of His apostles. When ascending into heaven, Christ said: “All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth” and again: “I and the Father are one.” These last words were treated by the Jews as blasphemy, and they threatened to stone Our Lord for these words. Christ claimed in a special manner attributes and works such as belonging to God alone. He proclaimed His eternity when He said: “Glorify Thou Me, O Father, with Thyself with the glory which I had before the world was, with Thee” (John 17:5). And again: “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). He claimed the power of forgiving sins as in the case of Magdalene and the man sick of the palsy (Matt. 9:2). He laid claim to awaken the dead, to judge the world, to be the Author of life.
On another occasion, He said: “If any man keeps My word, he shall not see death forever”. The apostles believed and solemnly proclaimed that Christ was God, St. Thomas for instance, in the words: “My Lord and my God!” In St. Paul’s epistles we read: “In Christ dwells all the fulness of the Godhead corporally” (Col. 2:9), and “In Him were created all things … and He is before all, and by Him all things consist” (Col. 1:16)
That Jesus Christ is God we conclude from His miracles and prophecies. The numerous miracles which Christ wrought in His name testify to His almighty power.
The miracles may be divided into five classes. First, those performed on inanimate substances, such as the changing of the water into wine, the calming of the storm, etc. Second, the healing of the sick, the blind, and the lame. Third, the raising of the dead to life, for example, in the case of the daughter of Jairus, of the son of the widow of Naim, of Lazarus. Fourth, the expelling of devils from possessed persons. Fifth, the miracles on His person, as the transfiguration and the ascension into heaven. Moreover, Christ proved that He had power over all creation as no other had. Others did miracles in the name of God, as, for example, when St. Peter and St. John cured the man at the gate of the Temple. Christ did not appeal in God’s name. He said simply: “Young man, I say to thee, arise!” “I will. Be thou made clean.”
Christ foretold that He would be put to death in Jerusalem, that He would be scourged and crucified, and would rise again after three days. At the Last Supper, He foretold the treachery of Judas, and that Peter would deny Him thrice before the cock would crow. After His resurrection, He prophesied to Peter his death on the cross, and to John that he should die a natural death. After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and during His discourse on the Last Judgment on the Mount of Olives, he foretold how Jerusalem should be surrounded by her enemies and destroyed. He also knew that the Jews should be scattered among the nations, that His Church should spread rapidly among the nations of the earth despite the persecution of His apostles
That Jesus Christ is God we conclude from the elevation of His teaching and His character. The teaching of Christ surpasses that of the wisest who have ever lived on earth and is far removed from the teaching of all other religions. Christ’s doctrine answers all the needs of the human heart and is adapted to all, whatever their station, age, sex, or nation; the greatest philosophers, even men like St. Augustine, found in it the peace they longed for.
Christ’s doctrine is a perfect revelation of the highest end of man and of the creation, besides inculcating the loftiest virtues: such as love of one’s neighbor, humility, gentleness, patience, love of one’s enemies, poverty, which up to the time of Christ had been quite unknown. Christ’s teaching, besides being lofty, was so simple, and announced with such clearness, that the people marveled to hear Him. There is absolutely nothing in the Christian religion that is opposed to sound reason or can lower the true dignity of man. Of how many of the other forms of religion can that be said?
Mohammedanism (Islam) teaches fatalism and is propagated by the sword. Even the Talmud contains a large mixture of very imperfect doctrines. Christ was free from all sin and was so conspicuous for virtue that for all time He must remain the model for all men. The traitor Judas confessed that he had shed “innocent blood”; Pilate could find no cause in Christ; Christ Himself challenged the Jews: “Which of you shall convince me of sin?” and none of them dared reply.
He was quite free from all prejudices and narrow-mindedness, which are the result of surroundings and nationality. We see this in His relations to the Samaritans and Romans, more especially in the beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan. The following virtues were most conspicuous: His love of His neighbor: “He went about doing good” (Acts 10:38) and laid down His life for others; His humility, which was seen in His associating with the most despised among the people; His gentleness in His forbearance with His enemies and even with the disciple who betrayed Him; His patience in suffering the greatest tortures; His clemency in His conduct towards sinners; His love for His enemies in His praying for them on the cross; His love of prayer in spending whole nights praying to the Father.
His whole character is one of the wonders of history. His greatest enemies even felt awe in His presence; no one, for instance, dared resist Him when He drove the buyers and sellers out of the Temple. When the Pharisees wished to stone Him for claiming to be God, He went through their midst and they made way for Him. The soldiers in the garden fell to the ground at one word from His lips.
That Jesus Christ is God we conclude from the rapid spread of His teaching and from the miracles which accompanied this teaching throughout the world. His teaching was propagated despite the greatest obstacles and by the simplest of means.
St. Justinus, the philosopher, wrote in a.d. 150: “There is not a nation where prayers are not offered to the heavenly Father in the name of the Crucified, Jesus Christ.” The effect of Christ’s teaching was that idolatry with its horrible abuses disappeared and that the whole life of man was reformed and ennobled. The sacrifice of human victims was abolished, and the bloody spectacles of the gladiatorial shows.
All kinds of charitable institutions arose for the blind, the poor, the sick, etc., owing their existence to the teaching of Christian mercy. Polygamy died out, and the woman regained her dignity. Order was established in the family life by the Christian doctrine of the indissolubility of the marriage tie. Slavery was gradually abolished, for every man saw in his neighbor the image of God. The cruel laws against malefactors became milder, and wars became less frequent. Trade, science, and art were cultivated more, and labor acquired a new dignity. Even Julian the Apostate counseled the heathen to imitate the Christians in the generosity and purity of their lives.
A religion that produces so much good must be from God. It is sometimes urged that Christ’s teaching has been the cause of many religious wars and schisms. The answer to this objection is that it is not Christ’s teaching but man’s perversity in not following that teaching, or wresting it to his destruction, which causes so much evil.
Jesus Christ is our Lord. Christ’s words at the Last Supper were: “You call Me Master and Lord, and you say well, for so I am” (John 13:13). We call Christ “Our Lord” because He is our Creator, Redeemer, Lawgiver, Teacher, and Judge.
Christ is our Creator: “In Him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible”, and by His Son God made the world. St. John calls Christ the Word, and says: “Without Him nothing that was made.” Christ is our Redeemer. By Him, we are set free from the slavery of the devil. Hence the Apostle says: “Know ye not that … ye are not your own, for you are bought with a great price.” He is also our Lawgiver, for He developed the teaching of the Ten Commandments, and gave the two precepts of love. He called Himself the “Lord of the Sabbath.” Christ is our Teacher because He taught men to be like God, and in the Gospel of John 13:13, He calls Himself “our Master.”
Christ is also our Judge, for He will come again in glory to summon all mankind before His judgment seat and separate the sheep from the goats. Then will the just as well as the wicked address Him, saying: “Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison?” “He is the blessed and only mighty, the King of kings and Lord of lords … to Him be honor and empire everlasting. Amen” (1 Tim. 6:15, 16).
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
