Conclusion of our Study (Contd)

6. A Model for the People:  Jesus went a step further and attacked the authorities of the Jewish religion without demolishing their authority in principle. By advising the people to do what the authorities tell them to do without following their example  (See Matthew, 23: 1-4), Jesus shifted the ground from beneath the feet of those religious authorities. For, none can practice a precept correctly without an example to follow. Looking merely at the words of a precept, rule or law, one would never understand its import. The reason for the same is that left to itself a precept, rule or law can be interpreted variously depending on the standard or benchmark used by the individual concerned. A model that practices the precept correctly can stand as the standard or benchmark for others to follow it correctly. Therefore, actual implementation of the precept, rule or law is a must for ordinary people to follow it correctly and meaningfully. This is what Jesus has done by practicing what he preached. Now people have a model and example to follow in their lives leading them to eternal life. The necessity of Gospel Proclamation presenting Jesus Christ to the world is evident from what has just been said.  
7. Expression of Humanity:  The focus of Evangelization should not be on conversion of people from one religion to another. It is a proclamation of Good News resulting in internal transformation of the listener leading to conversion manifested externally. Baptism is not an immediate consequence of such internal conversion as if there is no other means of external manifestation of genuine internal conversion. Wherever there is true expression of genuine humanity, the internal conversion is also amply manifested externally. The importance of baptism is intimately related to the discipleship of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is both a pre- and post-baptismal endeavor. Baptism identifies a person with the mystery of Jesus Christ sacramentally so that the life of such a person incongruent with that mystery turns out to be an anomaly and a chimera. In this context let us also remember that the Church accepts baptism not only by water but also by desire and blood as sources of effusion of the Holy Spirit. Here we see the duty of he Church towards its members in leading them to become mature in Christ (See Ephesians, 4: 13), whereas gospel Proclamation is its duty to the whole world. We should further say that unfaithfulness in our duty of proclaiming the Gospel in its true spirit may deprive the visible Church of this privilege that may be given to others who produce fruits. The situation is similar to that of the Jews from whom the Kingdom of God was taken away and given to the Gentiles. "Therefore, I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation that yields the proper fruit" (Matthew, 21: 43).      
Obstacles to Gospel Proclamation:  The Gospel Proclamation is necessary for salvation with soteriological necessity as we have explained in a previous Post. However, communication gap at various levels is the greatest obstacle in passing on the message of the Gospel successfully. Besides the natural distance of the original message from the present day world, a wide gap is caused by the absence of identification between the messenger and the message in Gospel Proclamation. This identification, as in the case of Jesus Christ, is the distinguishing characteristic of Gospel Proclamation the absence of which would naturally create a caricature of the original message. Paul calls such messengers hawkers of the Word of God (See 2 Corinthians, 2: 17). Three negative factors may be noted that exert an influence on this kind of lack of identification of the messenger with the message:
a) A stereotyped idea of discipleship of Jesus Christ resulting in a life of self-sufficiency.
b) Absence of true detachment causing unhealthy attachment to things and persons.
c) Confusion about love of God and love of neighbor that issues forth in self-glorification instead of glorification of God.
These negatives may be countered by three positive notes of the Gospel message:
a) Decline all honor, fame and power (Die to the world).
b) Become like little children (Be born again).
c) Become a real servant (Start living joyously).
9. Relevance and Method:  The relevance and method of Gospel Proclamation in the 21st Century presented in this Study may be summarized. Jesus Christ embodies in himself the Gospel values or the values of the Kingdom of God, which are geared to the promotion of genuine human values and humanity itself. As they coincide with the plan of God for the entire Universe, those values are eternal and universal, being thus relevant for all times.      
                                    The method of Gospel Proclamation proposed in our Study is the same as the method used by Jesus himself, in addition to the fact that he is the model and object of this proclamation. Our own transformation and identification with those to whom we proclaim the Gospel are necessary preconditions for the same. Our identification is not only by way of rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep  (See Romans, 12: 15), but also by becoming all things to all people for the sake of the Gospel (See 1 Corinthians, 9: 19-23).
10. A Balanced View:  Finally, it is essential to have a proper Christology for the right perspectives in Ecclesiology as well as in Gospel Proclamation. We understand Christology as the sum of knowledge we have of Jesus Christ from the faith of the Church based on Scriptures. Christology and Ecclesiology mutually influence each other and therefore it is a gradual process of understanding in both of them that will yield a balanced view of the salvific plan of God. Besides, the genuine practice of the Gospel Proclamation influences and is influenced by Christology and Ecclesiology of the times. As times change, there should be organic and living development in perceptions of Jests Christ, the Church and the mission of Gospel Proclamation. The antidote to confusion over inevitable changes taking place in the world is to have a harmonious and living development of eternal truths so that we may boldly say: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews, !3: 8) (Concluded).       

Conclusion of our Study

                                                          We shall note down below a few salient features of our study in order to highlight its main theme about the Gospel Proclamation for our times.
1. Importance of Discipleship:  One may wonder about the importance we have given to discipleship in our duty of Gospel Proclamation. After all, one might think, our duty is to convey a message from God that is Good News to everyone concerning our salvation. The underlying premise in our Study is that the Gospel Proclamation is not a mere communication of information for the masses even as the communicator may remain unaffected by the message. Even in the case of an ordinary message, self-communication becomes part and parcel of the message conveyed without which no communication is possible. There is bound to be a coalescence of the messenger and the message in the Gospel Proclamation so much so that the messenger himself or herself is bound to become the message in some way or the other. For this purpose, discipleship of Jesus Christ is an essential element in the life of the proclaimer of the Gospel. Otherwise, the words of Jesus addressed to the lawyers and Pharisees may turn out to be easily applicable to us. "Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to win one convert; and when you have won him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are yourselves" (Matthew, 23: 15).  
                                                         A true disciple of Jesus Christ would try to identify himself or herself with him in order to effectively proclaim the Gospel message. The task of Gospel Proclamation is to remove ignorance and fear from the people and make them free and independent on their way to enjoy life in all its fullness. Like a good mother,the Church should never try to tie down her children to herself through various means but allow them to soar high in different fields. This is only possible when the Church identifies herself with her Lord so as to become herself the Gospel to the teeming millions.  
2. The Object of Gospel Proclamation:  The Kingdom of God was the object of proclamation of Jesus, which he himself became by his death, resurrection and ascension. In due course the Church claimed a too close identification with the Kingdom of God instead of fully identifying herself with her Lord, Jesus Christ. The consequent self-perception of the Church was not helpful for a genuine Christology as the latter is determined by the former. The glorification of God the Father so vital in genuine Gospel Proclamation was practically confined to the Liturgy of the Church . All honor and glory should actually go to the Father in the actions of the Church and its members, which was not the case for many centuries. The kind of Gospel Proclamation resulting from such a situation would naturally be far from the original intention of Jesus.
                                                        This original intention may be summarized as follows. No one can enter into the Kingdom of God without being born again that is the same as becoming a new person. Becoming like children is another way of saying the same thing. Repentance is the one necessary ingredient in becoming a new person by being born again. It involves three elements: be truly sorry for our sins and the present way of life; watch and pray; allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us to form our hearts into temples of God. Since even the desire for repentance is the result of God's grace, all honor and glory should be given to Him alone. Willingness to be genuine servants of all is the sure sign of the new life in us.
3. Dialogue with Religions:  It follows that the Church was not in a position for dialogue with world-religions without a true self-renewal for which the Second Vatican Council laid solid foundations. Self-renewal demands discipleship not only of the members but of the Church as a whole to Jesus Christ. It requires identification of the Church with Jesus Christ and not vice-versa just like in the case of the Kingdom of God. In both of these cases, the Church could not be fully true to itself as a result of which its relationship with the world-religions turned out to be unsatisfactory. It is but natural that a self-fortified Church would invite self-fortification from other religions. On the other hand, our concept of world-religions determines the nature of Gospel Proclamation we engage in.
4: Inculturation:   As religions and cultures are invariably inter-linked, meeting of religions also involves meeting of cultures. The proper forum for such meetings is to be seen in dialogue of religions and cultures without any need of confrontation or opposition. The sense of superiority manifested in the Christian religion emanates from the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as an article of faith for every true Christian. This uniqueness, however, need not be transposed to the Church as a religion but only as the Body of Christ which transcends the visible organization of the Church. As the Body of Christ the Church is identified with the Kingdom of God, which in turn is identified with Jesus Christ. Therefore, in proclaiming the Good News or the Gospel message, there need not be any confrontation with other religions and cultures. Inculturation means the re-incarnation of faith in Jesus Christ in that particular culture that is necessarily linked to a religion. It is something automatically, so to say, achieved by those who are born and brought up in such a culture and religion. There is no need of adaptation of any pre-conceived idea of faith into a new culture as it only needs to be suffused with genuine faith in God. This kind of genuine faith in God is not possible without reference to Jesus Christ is the gist of our mission of the Proclamation of the Gospel. [We have already explained in a previous Post the real meaning of 'Belief in Jesus Christ'].
5. Self-Renewal:  Jesus himself has testified to the fact that self-renewal is a requirement for salvation for everyone irrespective of to which religion one belongs. Jesus called attention to the faithlessness of his own people in contrast to the reformation of lives of the people of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah, which was salvific to them. Visiting Solomon to listen to his wisdom was salvific to the Queen of the south as she took the trouble of coming from the ends of the earth for the same (See Matthew, 12: 38-42). It means that wherever there is goodwill and reverence for the truth, salvation is a concomitant effect irrespective of the particular background of the people concerned. (To be contd).  
     

A Christology for the 21st Century (Contd)

Hints for a Christology (Contd):
John:  It is the Gospel according to John that brings clearly to the fore the true significance of the designation 'Son of God' applied to Jesus as against the same applied to Adam by Luke. It is achieved by means of the pre-existing Word with God incarnating in flesh and blood  in Jesus of Nazareth. Thus Jesus is Son of God by means of his identification with God the Father Himself, whereas Adam became son of God being the first human to be created by God. John's reflections on the Word of God took him beyond the earthly origin of Jesus and unraveled the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Similarly, in the Book of revelations, John reveals the role of Lamb of God in heaven and things yet to come at the end of the world. From all these attempts to understand the mystery of Jesus Christ, we have useful hints to make him relevant to the diverse conditions of the changing world. Our understanding of Jesus Christ need not be imprisoned by stereotypes like concepts of 'nature' and 'person' developed as an antidote to the Arian heresy. At that period of time it was a very useful devise to define language appropriately in order to avoid pitfalls adversely affecting the faith of the Church. Keeping in mind the intent of those definitions on the nature of Jesus Christ, we should be free to use language suitable to our times without compromising on faith itself.    
Paul:  The Epistles of Paul tell us how to understand Jesus Christ in various ways depending on the changing milieu. Unlike the other Apostles, Paul was witness neither to the public ministry nor to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He received the Gospel he preached not from men but through revelation of Jesus Christ, which proves that it was not merely human (See Galatians, 1:11-12). Paul was specifically chosen by Christ for his mission to the Gentiles. "His grace has made me a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles; my priestly service is the preaching the Gospel of God, and it falls to me to offer the Gentiles to him as an acceptable sacrifice, consecrated by the Holy Spirit" (Romans, 15: 16). The nature of the Gospel of God consists in the nature of Jesus Christ himself. Hence the importance of a correct understanding of Jesus Christ for a genuine view of the Gospel Proclamation cannot be made light of. The true content of the Gospel Proclamation necessarily flows from the above considerations. Paul sums up his Christology in his Letter to the Colossians thus: "He is the image of the invisible God; his is the primacy over all created things. In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, not only things visible but also the invisible orders of thrones, sovereignty, authorities, and powers: the whole universe has been created through him and for him. And he exists before everything , and all things are held together in him. He is, moreover, the head of the body, the Church. He is its origin , the first to return from the dead, to be in all things alone supreme. For in him the complete being of God, by God's own choice, came to dwell. Through him God chose to reconcile the whole universe to Himself, making peace through the shedding of his blood upon the cross - to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, through him alone" (Colossians, 1: 15-20).
Universal Savior:  From the above passage of the Letter of Paul it is clear that Jesus Christ and his mission should not be restricted by a narrow self-definition of the Church. For, it is tempting to bring down Christ to our level of understanding especially because he is also the head of the Church. But, let us not forget the very wide perspective on Christ extending up to the dimensions of the entire universe encompassing everything in heaven and on earth. The sacramental and administrative systems in the Church are very useful for the faithful in as far as the Church is both a home and a school of communion. This communion results in the Body of Christ, although the latter is not entirely a result of the former seen as a visible communion. The reason for this qualification is to be seen in the invisible element in the church where even some of those who are outside the visible Church may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit  and offered to God as a sacrifice (See Romans, 15:16). Paul went so far as to subordinate the duty of administering baptism to that of proclaiming the Gospel. "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the Gospel; and to do it without relying on the language of worldly wisdom, so that the fact of Christ on his cross might have its full weight" (1 Corinthians, 1: 17). This was said in the context of people fighting over positions of authority in the Church of Corinth citing their allegiance to different leaders. "Surely Christ has not been divided among you! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Was it in the name of Paul that you were baptized?" (1 Corinthians, 1: 13). With a brief reference to the very few people Paul happened to baptize, he asserts that the mission entrusted to him by Christ was not for baptizing anyone but for proclaiming the Gospel. This shows that the Proclamation of the Gospel is not necessarily ordained to baptizing those who hear the Good News.
The Good News: What, then. is exactly the function of Gospel Proclamation? The Gospel of God being the Word of God, concretized and manifested in Jesus Christ, must be allowed to function as the Word of God. Now, the Word of God is a double-edged sword. "For the Word of God is alive and active. It cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the place where life and spirit, joints and marrow, divide. It sifts the purposes and thoughts of the heart. There is nothing in creation that can hide from him; everything lies naked and exposed to the eyes of the one with whom we have to reckon" (Hebrews, 4: 12-13). Therefore, the Proclamation of the Gospel is meant not only for the hearers, but also for the speaker who cannot be an effective proclaimer unless the Word has already transformed his or her heart. A transformed person in Jesus Christ proclaims the Gospel by the very presence, words and actions wherever he or she goes. In case someone wants to know more about such a person, a chance to openly proclaim the crucified Christ is available to him or her. Since the Spirit of God is working in this entire process, the way to proceed ahead will be shown by the Spirit at the right time. The guidance of the Holy Spirit required for the Gospel Proclamation is also required for a genuine Christology of the 21st Century. [We shall conclude our Study with the next two Posts summarizing the salient features of 'The Gospel Proclamation in the 21st Century'].                

A Christology for the 21st Century (Contd).

Hints for a Christology::  Here we presuppose what we have already seen about the person and mission of Jesus Christ in the various previous Posts. In addition to the same, certain points may be given here as hints for a new Christology.
                                        A Christology for the 21st century can be comprehensive only if we study the entire New testament with the background of the Old testament as well as the scriptures of the World Religions. Our attempt here is to just hint at certain indications for building up such a Christology in view of the importance of Gospel proclamation. For this purpose we start with our faith that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead sitting now at the right hand of God the Father for the salvation of all men and women ever born into this world and those yet to be born till the end of time. This is the faith of the Church, proclaimed by the Apostles and their successors in the church as the Gospel message. It is a message of Good News in the sense that we have been extricated from a hopeless situation of sin and degradation by the gratuitous act of God in Jesus Christ. It is an act of God transcending all religions including the Christian religion as the latter is but a feeble attempt to proclaim the mighty act of God. In its mission to proclaim the Good News of universal salvation, the Church has often been restricted in its understanding and interpretation of the same as a result of its imperfect self-understanding. A true Ecclesiology doing justice to its immense potentialities will go a long way in promoting the true mission of the Church.
The Servant of god:  The Gospel according to Matthew refers to Jesus in the midst of his public ministry as the one in whom the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 42: 1-4 has been fulfilled. " 'Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, on whom my favor rests; I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim judgment among the nations. He will not strive, he will not shout, nor will his voice be heard in the streets. He will not snap off the broken reed, nor snuff out the smoldering wick, until he leads justice on to victory. In him the nations shall place their hope' " (Matthew, 12: 18-21). What the servant of God does, therefore, is not according to the standard and expectations of the world. He is guided solely by the Spirit of God. His sole concern is to lead the justice of God to victory and not to interfere in the affairs of the world before the right time. The content of the justice of God and the means to attain it are mentioned in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapters 5-7. As a result of the victory of this justice of God, all the Nations shall place their hope in the servant of God, i. e., Jesus Christ. According to the Gospel of Luke, the mission of Jesus is seen in connection with another passage in the prophet Isaiah, chapter, 61: 1-2. Jesus read the passage from the scroll handed over to him in the Synagogue of Galilee: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me; he has sent me to announce good news to the poor, to proclaim release of prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind; to let the broken victims go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke, 4: 18-19).  
                                                  Just like the mission of Jesus, the mission of the Church and the mission of anyone on the side of Jesus start with an infusion of the Holy Spirit resulting in a new way of looking at the world. It is not that the Good News is restricted to the poor, but only the poor in spirit in the sight of God is able to receive the Good News. The prisoners, the blind and the broken victims are really poor in the sight of God to whom an amnesty is declared by the Gospel. This is to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Without being bound by any set pattern, Jesus breaks into new avenues of the Lord's ways with the humans as he was anointed by the Spirit. This is the function of the priest according to the order of Melchizedek and all those called for the mission of Jesus are priests according to the order of Melchizedek.  
Different views on Jesus:  If we examine the Gospels, we have different pictures of Jesus Christ complementing one another. The four Gospels were written from different perspectives, called their theologies, although all of them were adaptations of early oral traditions circulated in the believing communities. Those traditions were direct or indirect offshoots of historical events surrounding the life, activities, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, the Gospels are not to be seen as biographies of Jesus in spite of the fact that they were based on his life on this earth. The one most important ingredient in the writing of the Gospels is the faith of the Church in the risen Jesus Christ that could not but strongly influence the perspectives of the writers even when they wee dealing with the historical earthly life of Jesus. If someone were to think that any history with a perspective of faith is no history at all, we must remember that there is no history without some perspective or other! When we deal with heavenly and spiritual matters, having a perspective informed by faith is no crime at all! It is true also of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that could not be purely historical nor a mere outcome of faith in him. These are threshold realities where our power to grasp and express them in language cannot be the same as when dealing with purely mundane things. The redeeming feature that salvages the historicity of such events is the conscious acknowledgement of the perspective involved in recounting them. For the same reason, re-interpretation of historical events should not be arbitrary and should be based on history itself.      
Mark:  Among the four Gospels w have at present, the Gospel according to Mark was the first one to be written. As is evident from the beginning of the gospel, the over-riding concern of Mark was to present Jesus Christ to the world as Son of God. "Here begins the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God" (Mark, 1: 1). The first Gospel. therefore, did not think it necessary to start earlier than the public ministry of Jesus. It was a starting point of a life open to all that could be presented without any conjectures or theological constructions. This does not mean that Mark's Gospel is a pure description of events that took place as the Word of God always comes to us through theological interpretations. The theology of Mark is governed by his attempt to present Jesus as the Son of God through what he said and did as well as by his death , resurrection and ascension. This was achieved by Mark through a phenomenological analysis of the life of  Jesus on this earth without recourse to his pre-existence with the Father.    
Matthew and Luke:  The Gospels according to Matthew and Luke, which depended on the Gospel of Mark besides the available traditions in the early Church, wanted to complete the origins of Jesus through their Infancy Narratives and the Genealogies. The fact that the two Infancy Narratives and the genealogies in the two Gospels do not agree in every detail proclaims the real intent of the authors. It was not an exact biographic description of Jesus, but was a device to bring out the theological import of the person of Jesus for the audiences targeted.
                                          The targeted audience of Matthew was the Christian Community of Palestine, a result of conversion from among the Jews. For the Jews it was enough to start and end everything with Abraham, their father. King David was the other important personality as they were always expecting the re-establishment of his kingdom. The captivity in Babylon was the blot in their national character they would not like to be reminded about. Matthew used all these as milestones in his division of Genealogy into 3 sets of 14 generations culminating in Jesus Christ.  That the messiah, who was their expected Savior and King, actually appeared in Jesus Christ was presented by means of the visit of 3 Wise Men from the East. The Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus was in fact the promised Kingdom although it was not restricted to the Jews, but extended to the whole of humanity. Matthew also tried to show that the Church was but a continuation and fulfillment of the Jewish religion.    .
                                                 The audience targeted by Luke was mainly the non-Jews without neglecting the Jewish roots of the Gospel message. The Jewish root is reflected in the narration of John the Baptist's birth and the importance of Jerusalem Temple both at the beginning and end of the Gospel. However, the compassion Jesus showed to the sinners and the marginalized like the poor shepherds receiving the Good News of the birth of the Savior may be seen as the main feature of Luke's Gospel. Even at his birth, Jesus did not have a place of his own to lay his head on and was forced into the company of the animals in a stable. The Savior of the world had to totally depend on Mary and Joseph who fled to Egypt to save the life of Jesus from King Herod. Since Jesus came to save the whole world, the Genealogy ended not with Abraham but with Adam who was the son of God (See Luke, 3: 38). (To be Contd).  
  

A Christology for the 21st Century (Contd)

Attachment:  Another such value, along with authority as service, is detachment from wealth and possessions. The Church is able to do a lot of good using its wealth and influence in the society through its parishes, institutions, religious orders, social service organizations etc. The danger here is the possibility of undue attachment creeping into our lives destroying our spiritual life. Practicing true detachment from worldly possessions and even from people whom we love is an essential condition for spiritual life for all the believers (See 'Detachment' in our previous Post). The attitude of Jesus to wealth and possessions is reflected in the instance of a man calling upon him to mediate between him and his brother for dividing the family property. It was seemingly a reasonable request and yet Jesus warned the people against greed rebuking the man for placing him as a judge and arbitrator to decide such issues. "Then he said to the people, 'Beware! Be on your guard against greed of every kind, for even when a man has more than enough , his wealth does not give him life' " (Luke, 12: 15). To substantiate his point Jesus told the parable about the foolish rich man at the end of which we have his stern warning thus: "That is how it is with the man who amasses wealth for himself and remains a pauper in the sight of God" (Luke, 12: 22).  
Real Wealth:  That a man's wealth does not give him life is self-evident for Jesus. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew, 6:21). For this reason, besides the uncertainty and impermanence of wealth that may be destroyed or stolen by thieves, heaven is the right place to store one's treasure and not the earth (See Matthew, 6: 18-20). Real life flows down from heaven to each one's heart and starts growing from within each one blossoming out into the open to effect changes in the world. Real love, joy, peace, etc., come from within and make a person really human and that is but the beginning of life eternal. The fundamental reason why wealth can be a stumbling-block in our quest for true life is spelt out by Jesus unambiguously. "No servant can be the slave of two masters; for either he will hate the first and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and think nothing of the second. You cannot serve God and Money" (Matthew, 6: 24). Money stands for the world and all its attractions, under the control of Satan, (denoted by the term 'Mammon') that is diametrically opposed to God and His ways. to be immersed in such a world is not compatible with serving God. The right way to deal with the world is to make it our slave by being its master. We become masters of the world, money and all its attractions by being the slaves of God and conquering our own selves. One who conquers the self is the king with a royal priesthood whereby he or she participates in the one priesthood of Christ according to the order of Melchizedek. Detachment, therefore, is absolutely necessary to live in this world unaffected by its various attractions.  
Selfless Love:  Loving everyone as Jesus loved was the third item mentioned among the new values as against manipulating the people for our own selfish interests. (See our Post on 'The Greatest Commandment' under the Caption 'Living in the Presence of God'). The crucial point here is to understand how Jesus loved us. Jesus loved us by his self-emptytig  from the position of being the Son of God to become just like one of us except sin. He humbled himself to the point of being a slave for our sake obeying the Will of God even unto death on the cross as a result of which God raised him to the heights and bestowed on him the name above all names (Philippians, 2: 6-11). This is the reason why Paul exhorts us: "Let your bearings towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus" (Philippians, 2: 5).    
                                                                           Our life in Christ Jesus demands that we have the same mentality as Jesus in loving everyone. The authority Jesus exercised over the disciples emanated from his loving service to them. He was always tolerant and understanding of others' weakness and even sin in order to redeem them through his loving compassion. Although Jesus is the sole judge of the world appointed by God, he never judged anyone and was always forgiving even his enemies and persecutors. Jesus never dreamt of forming groups of people with envy and back-biting, persecuting innocent members not interested in such machinations. Let the Church examine its conscience and see whether it needs renewal in its life and activities.      
A Sign of Contradiction:  To create in us the attitude of Jesus is absolutely essential in order not to vitiate our relationships. Jesus was open to everyone and yet denounced selfishness and hypocrisy even among religious leaders. He publicly proclaimed that love of God was not compatible with seeking self-glory and honor and that our internal attitude was more important than external observances. Jesus accepted hospitality from the rich and the sinful without shying away from timely corrections needed in their lives. He was compassionate and understanding to the plight of the weak , the marginalized and the sinners and offered  his friendship to them. Jesus never thought that any human being deserved to be permanently isolated for whatever reason. He was not bothered about criticisms leveled against him as he knew that they were opinions according to worldly standards. Jesus measured everything with the yardstick of the Kingdom of God  and its values and therefore knew that the world could not easily accommodate him. That is why the world hated him and wanted him eliminated from the face of the earth and a true disciple should be ready to follow in the footsteps of the Master The Church has to be, therefore, a sign of contradiction in the world failing which it fails in its own mission! (To be contd).    

A Christology for the 21st Century (Contd)

Uniqueness of Christian priesthood:  If the priesthood of Christ is connected with the priesthood of all religions, what is special in the priesthood in the Church founded by Jesus Christ himself? It is indisputable from the Gospels that Jesus formed a community of disciples out of whom twelve Apostles were selected making them the foundation of the Church, himself remaining the cornerstone (See Ephesians, 2: 20). Peter was explicitly named the Rock on which Jesus was going to build his Church. Even the keys of the kingdom were given to Peter whose decision on earth will be respected in heaven (See Matthew, 16: 18-19). After his resurrection from the dead, Peter was specifically made the shepherd of the flock whose chief shepherd is the risen Lord himself. This took place when the beloved disciple of Jesus stood by and the commission was given to Peter without any reference to the former (See John, 21: 15-22). The special responsibility given to Peter was in addition to the power to forgive sins given to all the Apostles by breathing on them and imparting the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit and power were conferred upon Thomas , who was absent at the time of Jesus' appearance to the other Apostles, by letting him feel the risen body of Jesus with the marks of crucifixion (See John, 20: 20-29). All the Apostles were commanded by Jesus to remain in Jerusalem till they received power from above before dispersing to bear witness to him throughout the world (See Luke, 24: 49).      
                                                  From all the above and from the Acts of the Apostles and Letters of Paul, we learn a lot about the Church and its mission. Where is the question of equiparating the Church with the other religions of the world? The crucial answer to this very valid question is this: Did the Church succeed in being faithful to the plan of its founder , Jesus Christ, or did it lower its standard by its acts of commission and omission to the level of any other religion? If it succeeded, the question of equiparation of religions would not have arisen as the Church by its very nature is above all forms of religion in spite of having certain rituals and forms of worship for the sake of a social structure. If it failed by lowering its own expected standard, what is wrong in comparing the Church with any other religion? Let us be fair in judging the issue, as there is no partiality in God as far as salvation of the humans is concerned.
Faithfulness of the Church:  In order to evaluate whether the Church has succeeded in being faithful to the plan of Jesus Christ for it, we must first see clearly what this plan was in his mind. Along with it we must also compare the present image of the Church projected to the world with both positive and negative notes flowing from it. These interludes justify our earlier remark about the interlinked character of Christology and Ecclesiology (See the previous Post). Can we ever think of the Church without Jesus Christ and vice-versa?
Authority as Service:  Jesus Christ conferred on the Church not only powers but also obligations and in fact the two aspects were admirably combined in the concept of authority as service. Theoretically everyone  would readily agree to this concept and pay lip service, but the real test is in its practice. That a person with authority in the Church of Jesus Christ is a real servant and not only a mere symbolic one has been very clearly taught by Jesus by his own example (See an earlier Post on 'Servanthood', not 'Servility'). However, the tendency of the hierarchical Church is to use authority as power in the manner of kings and masters of the world. This model of authority is derived from the world and yet sometimes it is sought to be theologically justified by reference to the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a poor understanding of the glorified Jesus Christ to think that one needs worldly pops-up to represent him. The power of the Spirit is what is required to represent the risen Lord for which Jesus Christ has shown us the way of the Cross. The way of the cross is available daily to everyone and is not restricted to those who commit their lives to the service of the Lord and his people for life. Even such dedicated people will have to beware of the unintended consequences and attendant evils of their state of life that might derail their lives from reaching the goal. Empowerment of our own selves by the Holy Spirit will lead to the empowerment of others by our actions. This kind of true empowerment of people we come in contact with presupposes our own self-emptying and self-sacrifice, a true way of the cross.Service is empowerment of people we come in contact with.    
The Divine Way:  The temptation to assert oneself and to promote one's own way of thinking is best exemplified in the case of Peter immediately after confessing Jesus to be the Son of God. Peter was able to make that confession as it was revealed to him by God the Father. In spite of this special treatment of Peter by God Himself, Jesus rebuked him as Satan since by his human way of thinking Peter stood as stumbling-block to Jesus, a role peculiar to Satan. "You think as men think, not as God thinks" (Matthew, 16:23). What was the offense of Peter to deserve this stern warning? Peter could not stomach the notion of suffering and death Jesus said he had to undergo before entering into his glory by rising from the dead. As per normal human reaction to any misfortune, Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from taking such a drastic step. Peter had an inkling that Jesus could decide his own destiny the way it was presented to the disciples and therefore he could as well change it if only he wanted! However, for Jesus, the Will of his heavenly Father was always the overriding factor that governed his life and it was like food and drink for him (See John, 4: 34). It was the way to think like God and unlike the humans. Thinking like humans as against God's thinking is to be with Satan and thus Peter deserved to be reminded of the same. Today's Church also needs to be reminded of this fundamental truth in order to put on the mentality of Jesus Christ.        
The Human Way:  The human way of thinking is most pronounced in the Church in the way of exercising authority, in amassing wealth as a guarantee for the future and in manipulating people instead of loving them as Jesus loved us. How authority in the Church should be used is clearly spelt out in the context of Apostles James and John seeking a place of honor at the right and left of Jesus in his kingdom. "Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that in the world the recognized rulers lord it over their subjects, and their great men make them feel the weight of authority. That is not the way with you; among you, whoever wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the willing slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give up his life as a ransom for many' " (Mark, 10: 42-45). Therefore, it is the clear duty of those who hold authority in the Church to behave in such a manner that people under their authority do not feel the weight of authority exercised on them. It is the minimum requirement of service in the Church. Thus the community of the Church is totally different from any other community in this world not by any arbitrary sign of demarcation  by worldly standards, but by the completely new outlook and self-understanding derived from the Gospel values which are the values of the Kingdom of God. The concept of authority in the Church as genuine service is one of them. (To be Contd).         

Section Six: A Christology for the 21st Century

                                                           This Section provides the final rationale for Gospel Proclamation , standing as its solid foundation, in as far as Jesus Christ is designated by God as the cornerstone both of the creation of the entire Universe and of the new humanity.
                                                            By Christology we mean the body of knowledge about Jesus Christ available from the faith of the Church in him. This faith of the primitive Church proclaimed by the Apostles and other disciples like the Evangelists resulted in the New Testament of the Bible. A similar pattern can be seen for the Old Testament too as it was the result of reflection on the experiences of the Jewish people. For the New Testament, the primitive Church up to around A.D.100 was constitutive of not only the New Testament  but also of the Church of the subsequent centuries.The main difference is to be seen in the fact that while the Church was normative for the New testament Scripture in the first century, the Scripture is normative for the Church in all the subsequent centuries till the end of time. However, the sense of the Church in understanding Scripture (sometimes called 'tradition') cannot be disposed with for the right interpretation of the Scriptures. Because of the historical influences exerted on the Church as a social structure, the need for deconstruction and reconstruction of the understanding of the Church about itself cannot be overstated. Thus, the relevance of understanding Christology in the 21st century has added importance, given the complexity of the present age.    
Christology and Ecclesiology:  They are interlinked to such an extent that one cannot be understood properly without a proper understanding of the other. The Church as a social structure with its actual organization does not coalesce with the Church as the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. The reason for this is that both the realities have members who do not formally belong to the other as some who are seemingly in the Church may be really outside it and vice-versa. Yet, the mission of the Church demands that the invisible be made visible as the ideal Church would be a combination of the visible and the invisible elements. The seven sacraments of the Church stand at the threshold of both the visible and the invisible elements in the Church. The charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for building up the Church and not for personal honor or even personal sanctification (See 1 Corinthians, chapter 12). The fruits of the Holy Spirit (See Galatians, 5: 22-23) are meant for personal sanctification and are available to all who co-operate with the Spirit of God. Here again, love stands at the threshold of both the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit harmonizing and uniting everything (See 1 Corinthians, chapter 13). Jesus Christ is the one who is present in all these activities initiated and sustained by the Holy Spirit. The glorified body of Jesus Christ is soaked through and through with the Holy Spirit so as to become a spiritual body, a destiny meant for the whole universe. Glorification and spiritualization of our own bodies are but a prelude to the glorification and spiritualization of the entire universe.        
Priesthood of Christ:  The above process of spiritualization is achieved through the priesthood of Jesus Christ according to the order of Melchizedek. What is the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek? It is that priesthood that owes itself "... not to a system of earthbound rules but to the power of a life that cannot be destroyed" (Hebrews, 7: 16). Every priesthood on earth could only be a shadow of the heavenly one, whereas the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek is the real priesthood conferred by God on His Son. "Now if he had been on earth, he would not even have been a priest, since there are already priests who offer the gifts which the Law prescribes, though they minister in a sanctuary which is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly" (Hebrews, 8: 4-5). The priesthood which Jesus holds is perpetual as he remains forever, whereas the priesthood held by the humans is impermanent as they are all mortal (See Hebrews, 7: 23-24). Every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices and Jesus as the real high priest offered himself through the gift and sacrifice of his own body and blood. Unlike any other high priest, Jesus needed to offer himself only once to abolish sin by the sacrifice of himself (See Hebrew, 9: 25-26). "For by one offering he has perfected all time those who are thus consecrated" (Hebrew, 10: 14). The mysterious figure of Melchizedek blessing Abraham in genesis 14: 17-20 is compared to the Son of God. "He has no father, no mother, no lineage; his years have no beginning, his life no end. He is like the Son of God: he remains a priest for all time" (Hebrews, 7: 3).      
Priesthood of Mortal Humans:  The priesthood of all humans who are mortal is necessarily symbolic and points towards the eternal priesthood of the one who sits at the right hand of God the Father. This is the case of the priesthood in all religions varying in degrees as far as they approximate to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. The culmination of this would be seen on the priests of God and of Christ upon whom the second death has no claim (See Revelation, 20: 6). Participation in the priesthood of Christ need not be restricted to the priesthood in the Church since Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world. The more one approximates to the real content of the priesthood of Christ the better priest of God and of Christ one becomes. The real content of the priesthood of Christ is his own unreserved self-oblation and self-sacrifice according to the Will of his Father. God does not want any other offerings and sacrifices than the living sacrifice of our own selves by which we conform ourselves to Jesus Christ (See Hebrews, 10: 1-18; Romans, 12:1-20. The fact that the priesthood in the Church is a sacrament points to its symbolic character totally depending on the priesthood of Christ for its effectiveness. That is why it is effective by itself independently of the personal sanctity of the priest, which could be said about the priests of other religions too in varying degrees.The distinguishing characteristic of the priesthood of Christ is the identity between the priest and the victim, between the offerer and the offered putting an end to the need of daily ritual offerings and sacrifices as he is interceding for us sitting at the right hand of God (See Hebrews, 10: 11-18). (To be contd).