Right up front, so there is no misunderstanding, Catholics DO NOT believe that a human person can ever be the redeemer. Only a DIVINE PERSON can redeem mankind, and it is Christ alone who produces the effect of redemption by His Sacrifice on Calvary.
No creature can ADD TO or SUBTRACT FROM redemption, and there are NO EXCEPTIONS to this fact under any circumstance. If a Catholic claimed that any CREATURE can redeem mankind they would be excommunicated. Now, that being said, what does a Catholic mean when they speak of "co-redemption" and "co-intercession."
The letters "co" in co-redemption, and co-intercession, simply means we work with Jesus as He CONTINUES to redeem mankind in His own MYSTSICAL BODY. And where do we find His Mystical Body? It is us! We are the members of His Mystical Body.
When He makes us one with Him we help Him in His work of redeeming souls. We do that by praying for others, by helping others as commanded by the Lord Himself, by making sacrifices for them, and even by offering to Jesus those things that we suffer for the sake of others. It this Scriptural? You bet it is!
At this point you may well be wondering how this can happen, and how those things we suffer can take on redemptive value if Jesus is the only Redeemer of mankind.
The answer to these questions will be seen when we look at some facts about the 2nd Person of the Blessed Trinity.
The 2nd Person of the Trinity has existed from all eternity as a Divine Person with a Divine Nature. But, he did NOT have a HUMAN NATURE from all eternity.
Now, God can never change or be divided in His own Divine Nature which means the 2nd Person of the Trinity can never change or be divided in His PERSON.
The 2nd Person of the Trinity became man as Jesus of Nazareth, but when He became man He did not become another person. Why? Because there is no change or division in a Divine Person! He remained one Divine Person only.
Because the 2nd Person of the Trinity did not split into 2 persons when He became man the Church teaches that Jesus is NOT a HUMAN PERSON. There is, and forever remains, only ONE PERSON in Jesus Christ, and that is a DIVINE PERSON.
So then, does Jesus of Nazareth, the man, have a fully human nature just like you and I? Yes, of course He does, but that human nature does not define Him as a PERSON. Human nature defines US as a human person in totality, but we are created. A DIVINE PERSON is NOT created.
Now we have to look at what Jesus does with His human nature.
Two things happen in the Incarnation. God takes human nature and makes it ONE with His Divine Person as Jesus Christ, the man. Jesus then takes His own HUMAN NATURE that He took from the Virgin Mary, and makes it ONE substance with OUR human nature as well.
So what do we end up with?
Jesus makes His Human Nature one substance with His Divine Person AND our human nature at the same time. And THAT is how we become the Mystical Body of Christ. That is how we share in the Divinity of Christ. So, in this union of human nature between Jesus and us which takes place by His Transcendent power, there is a union of human nature where we become one with Him. In this exchange, however, there is NOT an exchange in our persons. He remains a Divine Person, and we remain a human person.
When Christ makes our human nature one substance with His own human nature, our suffering is incorporated into His suffering where it becomes one reality with the suffering of Christ in His Mystical Body. It is the Body of Christ, the Mystical Body of Christ.
The question then becomes this: "Does Scripture itself show us that Christ suffers in His Mystical Body when we suffer, so that OUR SUFFERING becomes one reality with HIS OWN SUFFERING?"
To answer this question let's take a look at co-Redemption from a Scriptural perspective.
I'll begin by asking 2 questions.
First - Do the suffering faithful in the Mystical Body of Christ partake in the Divinity of Jesus Christ?
Second - If the faithful do partake in the Divinity of Christ is this evidence that forms the Scriptural basis of Co-redemption and Co-intercession?
To answer these questions let us see if the faithful do in fact become partakers of the Divine Nature by going to the 2nd Epistle of St. Peter.
Speaking to the faithful in Chapter 1:4 he says:
4: "... has given us the most great and precious promises: that by these you may be made partakers of the divine nature."
WE DO in fact become partakers if the divine nature. It's right there in Scripture. But, does this come about as a result of our own efforts? No, of course not! We are made partakers of the divine nature solely by the transcendent power of Jesus Christ. Jesus makes His human nature one substance with our human nature.
So then, why do some non-Catholics consider co-redemptive suffering to be an attack on the sufficiency of Calvary when the suffering of the faithful is IN FACT Christ suffering? Why do they consider Catholic prayers, or a request for help from the Saints, to be an attack on Christ's sole mediation and intercession between God and man?
As we go forward we have to clear out some common misconceptions, so let us get to it.
Jesus does suffer in His Mystical Body and it means His suffering on Calvary is not over. It is a one time sacrifice, but it is present to all of time and place. This is where Jesus meets the suffering of all the faithful. This is where we "Make up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His OWN BODY, the Church" and have it joined to Calvary.
There are only 2 possible views of what Christ intended for His plan of redemption.
The First view - The Protestant view: Calvary is over and done with, that is it. Therefore Co-Redemption is impossible.
The Second view - The Catholic view: Christ continues to redeem the world by suffering in His Mystical Body. As state, we suffer and make up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His OWN BODY, the church. But, this does not ADD TO, or REMOVE FROM the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary. Why? Because we are not talking about suffering APART from Christ! We are talking about suffering that becomes ONE REALITY with the suffering Christ.
This is why , in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, when referring to Christ, the Catholic Church states:
"HIS unique mediation as the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source."
Now, if there is any Scriptural evidence whatsoever that Christ incorporates our suffering and afflictions into His own sufferings and afflictions, so that they literally become one suffering and affliction with His, then Catholics ARE CORRECT about co-redemption and co-intercession.
Nor do Catholics consider the Saints to be "alternative mediators" to God the Father to take the place of Christ. In the same manner that suffering becomes one reality with Christ's suffering, the prayers of the Saints become one prayer with the prayer of Christ as we shall see in Scripture itself.
We can now look at whether or not Christ desires to enter into every condition of human suffering that we experience to sanctify it and give it a co-redemptive value.
Whenever we suffer, be it a headache, or something much worse, we can, without fear of disappointment, offer it to Christ and ask Him to become one with us in whatever suffering we have.
We ask Him to make us partners, lovers, in His work of redemption. Can He do this, can He make our suffering one with His own suffering on Calvary? Yes, He can, and He does. In fact, this is precisely what St. Paul tells us.
In Colossians, Chapter 1:24 he says this:
24: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, the Church."
Let us read that again:
24: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, the Church."
What on earth is St. Paul talking about here? Is he attacking the sufficiency of Calvary? What does he mean when he says that the AFFLICTIONS of Christ are lacking? Is St. Paul saying his own sufferings are the cause of Redemption, or that he is a Redeemer like, or equal to Christ? Is he saying he is a redeemer that is now a DIVINE PERSON? No, of course not, but HE IS SAYING that his suffering completes what is LACKING in Christ's afflictions. Let THAT sink in for a few minutes.
We have just seen Scriptural evidence that Christ continues to redeem mankind in His Mystical Body. It is also Scriptural evidence that the reality of Christ on the Cross is present to all of time and place. Let's unpack this.
We need to take a look at the word "AFFLICTION" and see what it means.
Affliction refers to "something that causes pain or suffering."
If Calvary is over and done with, as non-Catholics maintain, WHERE DO THE AFFLICTIONS OF PAUL GO? To WHAT are the united? It would be impossible for the afflictions of Paul to be united to the afflictions of Christ if the afflictions of Christ on Calvary are finished, if they are over and done with, if they have come and gone. If Calvary is not present to all of time and place then St. Paul just lied to us. Is St. Paul lying? No!
To reject the Catholic understanding of co-redemption is the equivalent of forcing St. Paul into claiming that he is a "divine redeemer," that he is "an alternate redeemer of mankind." Why? Because by arguing that Calvary has come and gone, Protestants are accusing St. Paul of claiming his sufferings are the equivalent of a new redeemer. After all, Calvary, according to Protestants, is no longer present.
If you reject the Catholic understanding of co-redemption in light of the Scriptural evidence that you have just seen, it is impossible for you to reconcile what St. Paul said when he tells us that HIS SUFFERINGS make up what is lacking in CHRIST'S affliction.
St. Paul makes it crystal clear that our suffering, and the suffering of Christ are made ONE and complete by HIS TRANSCENDANT POWER.
We MUST understand that when Christ suffers in the faithful the very base of the Cross on Calvary is planted down firmly into their suffering. Wherever Christ is allowed to enter, Calvary enters into the condition of suffering because the faithful are His Mystical Body.
And this means each of us can say as St. Paul said:
24: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, the Church."
So then, St. Paul did NOT declare himself to be an alternate redeemer, or mediator, or intercessor to Jesus Christ.
Catholics are NOT to be excoriate for believing and proclaiming exactly what St. Paul has proclaimed.
The claim that Catholics believer the Saints take the place of Jesus Christ in their suffering, and in their prayers for one another, is total nonsense, and we know who is behind that.
Here is the fact! Many who pride themselves in the belief that the Bible is the sole authority, or who pride themselves in knowing Scripture, are not even aware that St. Paul proclaimed:
24: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, the Church."
So, let's look at something.
Suppose for a moment that St. Paul never made that claim. And then either myself, or someone else, came along and said this:
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, the Church."
What do you think would be said of me? I'd be accused of claiming to be the Redeemer of mankind. I'd be accused of attacking the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice of Calvary. In fact, I would be accused of claiming to be a divine person.
You can be certain I'd be accused of all those things and much worse. Then why aren't non-Catholics accusing St. Paul of claiming to be the redeemer? Why aren't they claiming he is attacking the sufficiency of Calvary?
What difference does it make if someone other than St. Paul makes the claim that he made?
Consider that Christ is holding a Chalice in His hands, and this Chalice is the Cup of Salvation.
In this Cup of Salvation is the New and Everlasting Covenant IN HIS BLOOD. In it is contained all the suffering of Christ in His afflictions that will redeem mankind. As Christ suffers the Chalice will fill to the brim with His Blood so that not even a SINGLE DROP can be added without spilling over where it would be lost as wasted on those who will not be saved.
In the Gospel of John, Chapter 17:9 we read:
9: "I pray for THEM. I do NOT pray for the world, but for those whom YOU have given me, because they are yours."
Christ did not wastes a SINGLE prayer on those whom He knew would not be saved. Those who are not saved did not cooperate with His grace, so the Cup of Salvation is not for them.
Now consider the fact that Scripture refers to Christ's AFFLICTIONS as being contained in a Cup. When Christ was in Gethsemane He spoke of the AFFLICTIONS He was about to endure as being contained in a Cup. He said, "Father, let this CUP pass from me if it be thy will."
And now consider that at the Last Supper Christ took a chalice in His hands and said that in the Chalice was contained the New Covenant in His Blood.
So, let us look closer now at how co-redemption takes place. It's very simple.
If Christ is holding a cup of water in His hands, could He speak and strike the substance of that water with His Word and turn it into wine? He turned water into the best wine at the wedding feast of Cana.
Christ takes a chalice in His Holy and Venerable hands and speaks to the substance of wine and turns in into His Blood. It is the Cup, the Chalice of Salvation, the Blood of the New and Everlasting Covenant. Did you note that word "everlasting?" If something is everlasting it is ever present, and that means the Blood flowing from Christ on Calvary is a reality ever present to all of time and place.
Now, didn't Christ tell us that we are to take up our Cross daily and follow Him? Well, what is the values of our suffering in OUR own personal cross if the suffering of Christ on the Cross is sufficient unto all things? In telling us to take up our cross and follow Him, Christ is assigning a value to our own personal cross and afflictions, just as St. Paul said of his OWN PERSONAL cross and AFFLICTIONS. This is what makes up for what is lacking in the AFFLICTIONS of Christ.
How do we get to see the value of our cross? And where do we go to see the value assigned to our cross?
Where did Christ go with HIS Cross? He went to Calvary! Where do we go with the cross that we carry? We follow Him to Calvary, and this is where all of the suffering, all of the afflictions of the faithful, both physical and spiritual, throughout all of time and place are collected and gathered into the ONE CUP OF SUFFERING on Calvary. This is where the faithful are united to Christ. This is where Christ Himself enters into the suffering of the faithful who gather with Him on Calvary and offer their suffering to Him. This is where He makes their suffering one reality with His own suffering in HIS OWN MYSTICAL BODY by His Transcendent Power.
Think of it! When we get to Calvary Christ looks down from the Cross at all the suffering of mankind. He looks at each and every cross that we carry, no matter how big or small, as though there is no other cross in the world but His and ours. When He looks at our cross He says to us:
"Let me continue to redeem the world in the cross you carry, in you, my Mystical Body. I took my Body from the Blessed Virgin, my Mother, and with that Body I am now in heaven in glory. But I will continue to redeem the world in you, my Mystical Body, in your very person, in your very human nature, in OUR human nature which I make ONE with my own human nature. By my Transcendent Power as God, I will unite your sufferings to my sufferings and make them one reality with mine of Calvary, and together we will do great things."
He sees us suffering and He SPEAKS. He STRIKES our suffering with His Word and makes OUR SUFFERINGS, OUR AFFLICTIONS one reality with His own suffering and afflictions on Calvary so that we become co-redeemers with Him.
Even when we offer Him a headache it becomes united as one reality with HIS Crown of Thorns. Is someone is homebound, or terminal, He strikes their suffering with His Word, and their hands and feet are now pinioned with Him on the Cross.
Every man, woman, and child who comes into this world is called to gather at Calvary with their cross. It is here that the suffering of mankind is called to mingle with the afflictions of Christ on the Cross. It is here that we see the Cup of Salvation is filling till the end of time. Co-redemption continues in the Mystical Body of Christ until the end of time.
If we look at the reasons Christ invites us to share in the Cross with Him there are many we could speak about, but how about Love of mankind? It is an opportunity for us to let Him enter into our cross for the salvation of souls. It is an opportunity to be charitable to others. So, co-redemption is all about love of neighbor. It is NOT about taking the place of Christ as non-Catholics claim.
The reason Protestants take offense at the Catholic understanding of co-redemption is because they do not truly believe, or they have not fully understood what happens when Christ makes our human nature one substance with His own human nature as we share in His Divinity.
Protestants are so busy attacking Catholics over the matter of co-redemption that they do not see what Christ Himself said about all of this. They give Him lip service when it comes to Him suffering in the faithful. They come between Christ and His faithful who are on the Cross with Him in whatever they suffer. They look at the faithful on the cross with Christ and try to rip them off that cross away from Christ, just so they can continue to go about attacking Catholics over co-redemption. Here is their problem. Jesus LITERALLY MADE the substance of HIS OWN HUMAN NATURE ONE SUBSTANCE WITH OUR HUMAN NATURE. You CANNOT tear apart that which has become one substance. It is like a marriage; let no man tear asunder that which God has joined together and made one.
The faithful are not "some body" other than the Body of Christ. THE FAITHFUL ARE THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST.
A failure to see suffering as more than shaping of character that brings about maturity is to give lip service to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It misses the value of c0-redemptive suffering.
We can now go further into Scripture to see if Christ literally suffers in His Mystical Body.
We know that no one could lay a hand on Divinity until He allowed it, until it was HIS HOUR. When they came to arrest Him He said "I AM" ... and they fell backwards to the ground like dead men." They get back up and arrest Him and then it starts.
If we look at a time frame when Christ suffers to redeem mankind the suffering would take place between the time that man is allowed to crucify Him, and the Resurrection. Right? No! Absolutely NOT! Jesus is either suffering or He is not.
Those who believe that Calvary has come and gone, and that Jesus no longer suffers, would actually be calling Jesus Himself a liar if he identifies the afflictions of the faithful as His own.
It is several years AFTER Christ ascended into glory We read the following about Paul being knocked off his horse on the Road to Damascus in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 9: 4-5:
4: "And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute ME?"
Did you see that? He said ME?
He did not say:
"Why do you persecute those who believe in Me?"
Nor did He say:
"Why are you persecuting My Church?"
Nor:
"Why are you persecuting My friends?"
Nor:
"Why are you persecuting my Institution?"
NO! He said WHY ARE YOU PERSECUTING ME?
This is PRECISELY what St. Paul spoke about regarding the AFFLICTIONS in the FAITHFUL who make up what is lacking in the AFFLICTIONS of Christ.
In verse 5 Paul said this:
"Who are you, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you ARE persecuting."
Jesus spoke in the PRESENT TENSE. He said, "I am Jesus whom you ARE persecuting."
He did not say:
"Why DID you persecute Me. I am Jesus who WAS persecuted" as though Calvary is an event that came and went 2,000 years ago, and now it's over.
Remember, St. Paul was knocked off his horse several years AFTER Christ ascended into glory, so if Christ's suffering is over and done with on Calvary, it would be impossible for Christ to have said He was PERSONALLY being persecuted by Paul.
The fact that Jesus spoke about the suffering of the faithful as His own suffering (present tense) is more Scriptural evidence that Calvary is present to all of time and place. It is evidence that co-redemption takes place in the suffering of the faithful because their suffering is one reality with the suffering of Christ on Calvary.
We see Christ tell us He is personally suffering and being persecuted (present tense) in Acts: 22:7 and Acts: 26:14-15.
St. Paul goes on to tell us that all of this is not accomplished by OUR own power, and he's very specific about it.
In 2nd Corinthians Chapter 4:7 he says this:
7: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us."
Let me read that again.
7: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us."
What are the earthen vessels? The earthen vessels are US! St. Paul is telling us that the transcendent power of God brings about a miracle that takes place in earthen vessels. OUR suffering becomes a TREASURE because Christ continues to redeem mankind in His Mystical Body.
In the eyes of God the Father, this co-redemptive suffering with Christ, in Christ, and through Christ, makes up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of HIS BODY, the Church. Earthen vessels become treasures of co-redemption.
And this is EXACTLY what the Catholic Church is referring to when it speaks about co-redemptive suffering.
Now we can look at what St. Peter tells us.
In 1st Peter, Chapter 2:5 he says this:
5: "And like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
Where is the value in these spiritual sacrifices if they are not joined to Calvary? St. Peter is telling us that all of our suffering, be it spiritual or physical, is to be offered to the Father THROUGH Jesus Christ in the Holy Mass. What we suffer "for" Christ is to suffer "with" Christ, and when we do, this is dying to self for the sake of Christ. In dying to self for the sake of Christ our suffering becomes a co-redemptive sacrifice in the Mystical Body of Christ.
And in 2nd Corinthians Chapter 4:8-10 St. Paul tells us:
"We are AFFLICTED in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."
How can the faithful be carrying around in their body the death of Jesus if the death of Jesus on Calvary is over and done with? We carry around the death of Jesus in our own body when we suffer, because He makes our suffering and death one reality with His own suffering and death.
In the next 2 verses, 11 & 12, he tells us this:
11: "For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh."
12: "So death is at work in us, but life in you."
What is St. Paul telling us here? What value is there in being given up to death in Jesus for the sake of the unbeliever if there is no value in what the faithful suffer for the unbeliever? The only way grace can be given to another soul is by the hand and power of Christ to redeem a soul. Since St. Paul says "death is at work in us, but life in you," he is saying that Christ gives life to unbelieving souls through the suffering Christ endures in the afflictions of the faithful, His Mystical Body.
The only way St. Paul can tell us that his suffering is something that gives life to the soul of the unbeliever is if the Transcendent Power of Christ makes the suffering of St. Paul one with His own on Calvary. It is here, where St. Paul and all of the faithful, complete what is lacking in the Passion of Christ for souls.
In Romans, Chapter 8:35-36 we read:
35: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
36: "As it is written, "For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
St. Paul is identifying our afflictions as being made one with Christ who was led to the slaughter. All co-redemption is accomplished THROUGH THE TRANSCENDENT POWER OF JESUS CHRIST.
And there is NO ONE who participates in co-redemption like that of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
And this leads us to consider "Co-Intercession."
In the same manner as co-redemption, co-intercession is completely dependent upon Christ who is the sole intercessor between God and man. Outside of this your prayer has no value.
So, what's an example of co-intercession? It's really very simple.
First, we can go directly to Jesus in our prayer, of course, but didn't He tell us, actually, didn't He command us to pray for one another? Yes, He did! And when we pray for each other, who do we go to when we pray? Don't we go to Jesus? Of course we do! Well, praying for each other is "interceding for each other" to the Lord. We don't take the place of Christ, we co-operate with Him, and that's why it is called "co-intercession."
Now, I have a question for those of you who criticize the Catholic understanding of co-redemption and co-intercession.
Could anyone GO TO YOU and ask YOU to pray for their friend who is sick and suffering? I am certain you would say yes. You would have no problem praying for their friend. So, the next time you say you will pray for someone, why the hypocrisy? If I can go TO you and ask for prayer, that does NOT MEAN I am PRAYING TO YOU as though you take the place of Jesus. And if I can go TO YOU why can't I go TO MARY and ask HER to PRAY FOR ME? Don't you think we know that Jesus is her Son, and He is the only mediator between God and man?
In light of that, why on earth wouldn't I go to the Blessed Virgin Mary before I go to you? She is the Mother of the Lord. Do you think you are in a better place that she is to pray for me? To accuse Catholics of going to Mary as though "she is divine" is a terribly unjust accusation.
She is a creature, yes, she is not divine. But no other creature has a relationship to the Most Holy Trinity like the Virgin Mary. She is the mother of the Father's only Son. Are you? She is the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you? She is the daughter of the Father who conceived the only Son of the Father. Did you? And here's another thing for you to consider.
In God's plan for mankind a child is to be conceived in a spousal relationship. It is a principle established by God Himself. So, look at what conception means. Conception is the action of conceiving a child, and conception itself establishes a "relationship" between "the two" in which a child is conceived. The two give themselves to each other with fidelity. Do you really think that God would violate that principle, His own principle, when the Christ child was conceived. That there would be no spousal relationship involved in the conception of the Christ child? Remember the words in Scripture:
"May it be done unto me according to thy word."
The Holy Spirit overshadowed her with His Power and the Christ child was conceived without a biological contribution from a man being involved. When the Power of the Holy Spirit overshadowed the Virgin Mary a relationship was established by the FACT of the miraculous conception itself. And given that God's plan is for a child to be conceived in a spousal relationship, the relationship established between the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit is a "spousal relationship" in which the Christ child is conceived. When Mary said "Yes" to God she had obligations to this spousal relationship which included chastity, and she would be faithful to that chastity, the state in which she conceived the Christ child. She conceived the Christ child as a Virgin, and her fidelity to her relationship with the Holy Spirit is to remain in the Virginity.
Now, consider this. Joseph remains the Husband of Mary, but Joseph is not the Father of Jesus. Does that mean the Holy Spirit becomes the Father of Jesus when He conceives the Christ child in the Virgin Mary? No, the Holy Spirit is NOT the Father of Jesus even though He conceived the Christ child. God the Father is the only Father of Jesus. Nevertheless, a child was miraculously conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit, and given that God's plan for a child to be conceived is in the context of a spousal relationship, then the Virgin Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit by virtue of the conception of Her Son.
If you wish to say there is no spousal relationship between Mary and the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is not the husband of Mary, then you are saying God the Father cannot be the Father of Jesus because it was not the Father who conceived Jesus.
Now, is there anyone you know who has a relationship to the Holy Trinity like Mary? Why do you think Scripture says this:
"All generations are to call me Blessed."
Why are Catholics attacked for going to Mary and asking her to say a prayer for us before we go to anyone else? Is it jealousy? Is it ego? Is it the enemy who puts you up to this in the hope of severing you from her maternal help? Is this not the enmity we see between the seed of the Woman and the seed of Satan in Genesis 3:15?
I would rather go to Mary before I go to anyone else and ask for her to speak to her Son in my behalf. It doesn't mean I wouldn't ask you to pray for me, in fact I hope you do, but when confronted with these facts, when confronted with their hypocrisy, non-Catholics are fond of responding by saying that "Mary is dead" or that "The Saints are dead." Besides the fact that Mary is both body and soul in heaven, a subject for another blog, in saying that, they prove themselves not to be Christians.
In their antagonism towards the Saints, or in their ignorance, they deny Scripture and what Jesus tells us about death. For example, right from the Cross, Jesus tells us the good thief lives beyond the grave. He's alive in and with Christ in heaven. He is more full of life than you are at this very moment. Jesus said he would be in paradise with Him that very day. And by the way, that's the first canonization of a Saint from Christ Himself.
One of the most basic things in Christianity is that all Christians should know the death of the body does not end the life of the soul. The person who dies lives beyond the grave. To see non-Catholics descend to the lie of saying the Saints are dead, just to attack Mary, is shocking. That is why the Protestant claim that Mary and the Saints are dead is so banal.
St. Paul tells us that it is better to "Be away from the body and with the Lord, rather than in the body and away from the Lord."
Those who die bodily and ate judged "worthy of being with the Lord" are in fact in HEAVEN, because it is better to be with the Lord in heaven.
St. Paul ALSO said that not even death can separate us in the love of Christ. It we are NOT SEPARATED from those who are away from the body and with the Lord in DEATH, even though we are not able to see or hear them (unless given permission by God), they are aware of us and what we are doing in this life.
Do you doubt this? Do those who have died and are with the Lord have knowledge of every single one of us, down to the particulars? Well, non-Catholics say they do not see us! They claim to say such a thing would be to say that the Saints have the omniscient knowledge of God, meaning the infinite knowledge of God, which his impossible for a creature to possess. So, the non-Catholic rejects the Catholic position that every Saint and Angel in heaven has knowledge of every person on earth.
Well, once again, Christ Himself refutes the non-Catholics. Jesus Himself said "HEAVEN" rejoices at the return of a single sinner." He did NOT qualify what He said as being limited to the Angels. He said HEAVEN rejoices. Who is in heaven? The Angels AND THOSE WHO HAVE DIED AND ARE AWAY FROM THE BODY WITH THE LORD.
In saying HEAVEN REJOICES He said EVERY SAINT, and EVERY ANGEL knows of EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE of EVERY PERSON ON EARTH who REPENTS OF THEIR SIN, EACH AND EVERY TIME THEY REPENT OF THEIR SIN. And this is DIRECTLY from the mouth of Jesus Christ Himself.
For the Angels and SAINTS to know, to be aware of every person who repents, and every instance that every person repents means they MUST be aware of every single life on earth at all times.
Furthermore, Jesus said ALL OF HEAVEN CELEBRATES, the REJOICE, whenever ANYONE repents of sin, each and every time they repent of sin.
They are NOT CUT OFF FROM US in death, as JESUS HIMSELF, and St. Paul made clear. They are aware of us and are JOYFUL for us. THEY CAN PRAY FOR US, just like I can ask someone in this life to pray for me. All of those in heaven can see each of us, this very moment, without exception, at all times in the vision of God Himself.
We've just seen something of the life of the Saints who are in heaven, but what about the "Saints" still here on earth? St. Paul mentions the Saints here on earth numerous times. I'll give just 2 examples of this.
In 2nd Corinthians 1:1 we read:
1: "Paul, and apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother: to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the SAINTS that are in all Achaia."
And it 1st Corinthians 1:2 we read:
2: "To the Church of God that is at Corinth, TO THEM THAT ARE SANCTIFED in Christ Jesus, called to be SAINTS, with all that invoke the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in every place of theirs and ours."
A Saint is anyone in the state of Grace. It does not mean we are to be canonized as exemplary in our lives, but nevertheless, if we are in the state of sanctifying grace, we are referred to as "Saints."
In the same manner that our afflictions are made one with the afflictions of Christ on Calvary by the Transcendent Power of Jesus Christ, He makes our prayers, the prayers of the Saints, the prayers of HIS MYSTICAL BODY ... ONE with His own prayer for mankind.
It is tragic that non-Catholics claim Catholics worship statues. That too is for another blog, but it is non-Catholics who would turn those who are in heaven, "those who are away from the body and with the Lord," into statues as though they cannot see, hear, or know anything about us who are still on earth trying to make our way to heaven by cooperating with Grace.
How is it that non-Catholics believe that those who are in hell have the power to conspire as a group to harm us, and to deceive us, but the DO NOT believe the Saints who are with the Lord in Heaven have any power, or concern, to help the faithful who are still yet here on earth trying to make it to heaven?
Who do you think convinced non-Catholics to think like that? That they can be so inverted in their though as to the workings of God, as compared to the workings of those in hell is beyond belief.
Satan has convinced non-Catholics of the lie that the Saints cannot see us or help us, to robe them of the benefit that is derived from our participation in the Communion of the Saints.
There are many examples of the "Saints" interceding for us, but let's look at just 2 of them.
We see the Roman Centurion who approached Christ and asked that He heal his servant, more like a son to him than a servant. Jesus healed the servant because of the intercessory request of the Roman Centurion.
We also have the paralytic who was cured because of the faith of those who lowered him through the roof. The paralytic didn't even ask to be cured. He was brought to Jesus in his need by the faith of those who believed in Christ.
The communion of the Saints is the work of Christ Himself.
What do you mean there is no "intercession" in Scripture. St. Paul refutes those who mock Catholics because they believe in secondary, or subsidiary intercession in behalf of someone else. Now remember, Jesus is in glory, and St. Paul is talking to the faithful AFTER the resurrection.
In this letter to Timothy, Chapter 2:1 he says this:
1: "I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, INTERCESSIONS, and thanksgivings be made, for all men."
St. Paul spoke of "supplications, prayers, INTERCESSIONS, and thanksgiving that ARE MADE (present tense).
So now, let's take a look at Scripture to see the FACT that St. Paul is telling us the prayers of the Saints do indeed rise to God.
In the Book of Revelation, Chapter 8:4 we read:
4: "And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel."
And Revelation, Chapter 8:5 says this:
5: "And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vails full of odors, which are the prayers of Saints."
Who is the LAMB? It is JESUS CHRIST, the LAMB OF GOD, SLAIN for the sins of men. And the prayers of the SAINTS rise up to the Lamb as they bow down before Him, and their prayers are as a sweet aroma to God Himself.
And Revelations, Chapter 8:3 says this:
3: "And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God."
That is incredible.
The prayers, the intercessions, the sacrifices, the sufferings, the afflictions, and supplications of the Saints, His Mystical Body here on earth, are STRUCK by the Word of Christ to make all of this ONE WITH HIS OWN SUFFERING, ONE WITH HIS OWN SUPPLICATION, ONE WITH HIS OWN PRAYER FOR SOULS ON CALVARY. And all of this rises as a sweet aroma to God the Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, on THE GOLDEN ALTAR ... WHICH IS BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD.
Now, is any of this a violation of the fact that Jesus is the only efficient cause of redemption, the only mediator between God and man? No! None of what you have just seen has any value apart from Jesus Christ. It is all rooted IN HIM, WITH HIM, AND THROUGH HIM, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
This is all Scriptural evidence that Calvary is present to all of time and place, even when Christ is in Glory at the Right Hand of the Father. St. Paul has more to say about this.
In Romans, Chapter 8:34 he says:
34: "Who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?"
The verse does NOT say Jesus interceded for us in the past tense. It says Jesus intercedes for us in the PRESENT tense, and this is AFTER He is raised from the dead and is in glory at the Right Hand of the Father.
Well how does Jesus intercede for us? What is the instrument of His intercession? If there is no Calvary there is NO intercession. If you deny the fact that Calvary is a reality that is present to all of time and place you deny the very Priesthood of Jesus Christ, and you deny Him what He needs to offer the Father to make intercession in our behalf (present tense).
You would be attacking Jesus Christ who suffers in the afflictions of the faithful in His Mystical Body by denying that their suffering is ONE with His suffering on Calvary.
In Hebrews 6:20 we read this:
20: "... Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a High Priest FOREVER after the order of Melchizedek."
Does this verse say "He WAS a High Priest," and that His role as High Priest ended on Calvary when he said “It is finished?” No, it does not! In fact the verse says He is a High Priest FOREVER, according to the order of Melchizedek. What did Melchizedek do? He came offering bread and wine as a prophetical typology of the bread and wine that will be offered up in sacrifice in atonement for sin, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where the bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of the Lord.
The function of a High Priest is to offer sacrifice for sins. So it would be impossible for Christ to fulfill His role as the eternal and everlasting High Priest if He does not have a perpetual and everlasting sacrifice to offer to the Father in atonement for our sins. Calvary IS the Perpetual Sacrifice by which Christ fulfills His role as the Eternal High Priest.
So, let's look closer now at Jesus in Glory at the Right Hand of God the Father, and what He offers to the Father to make intercession for us when we come to exist.
In Hebrews, Chapter 7:25 we read this:
25: "Consequently he is able for all time, to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."
The verse says, FOR ALL TIME to save THOSE WHO DRAW NEAR!
How can we draw neat to that Sacrifice on Calvary to be saved if Calvary is an event that is FINISHED.
We didn't exist 2,000 years ago. You cannot draw near to something that happened 2,000 years ago when you didn't exist.
And note, this verse also tells us, once again, that Jesus "lives" (present tense) to make intercession for us. This is the CATHOLIC MASS which is NOT a "re-crucifixion" of Jesus. He does NOT die again, and again. It is a ONE TIME sacrifice for ALL TIME, but it is also a ONE TIME SACRIFICE THAT IS PRESENT TO ALL OF TIME AND PLACE.
In the Book of Revelation, Chapter 5:6 we read this:
6: "And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw A Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth."
John just told us that he saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain. Who was at the foot of the Cross when the Lamb was standing as one who was slain? It was St. John. Who is the Lamb upright on the Cross that John sees? Jesus! Was He upright on the Cross like the lamb standing in the verse we just read? Yes! Was Jesus slain on the cross? Yes! Is this also seen even when Jesus is in Glory? Yes!
In John, Chapter 12:32 we read:
32: "and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."
Look closely at those words. “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”
How can Christ draw all men, even men that did not yet exist, to Himself if the reality of Christ on the Cross is not present to men who will come to exist at a future time?
Of course Calvary is present to all of time. Scripture just told us that the Lamb is still upright on the Cross for men of all time. He is slain, standing between the Throne of God and sinner as the perpetual sacrifice that Christ offers to the Father when we come to exist and are in need of redemption because of our sin.
It is even more remarkable that Christ offers us, sinners though we are, to be co-redeemers with Him as He makes our AFFLICTIONS ONE with His own afflictions for the salvation of souls. That is incredible.
To say that Calvary "Is finished, that it is over and done with" because Christ said "It is finished " just before He died is to say the Father no longer needs to see Jesus on Calvary. That goes against what you have just seen in Scripture. Perhaps it's out of ignorance, or perhaps it's out of malice that non-Catholics say Calvary is over and done with, only God knows which it is, but non-Catholics do not understand the depths of the diabolical attack they levy against the Divinity of Christ when they make that claim.
Satan will do everything possible to rob us of the treasure found in co-redemptive suffering. He will convince people to reject belief in the Holy Mass where all of this comes together, to forsake the weekly obligation of Mass, to take away a sense of uniting everything in our day, to convince people from offering everything in our day to be made one with Christ in the Eucharistic offering of Himself on Calvary in the Holy Mass.
Satan hates the Mass more than anything else.
Now I would like to talk about suffering in light of Veronica's Veil.
This co-redemptive suffering we have been talking about becomes an opportunity to be charitable towards those we love, and towards those who persecute us. Even those who we may never meet in this life. There is so much suffering, and so much loneliness in the world, if only this suffering was offered to Christ it would become a veritable treasure for the world and for the Church.
The sorrows and loneliness that we experience in this life should become a stepping stone to God, because in the end the only relationship that really matters is our relationship with God. And in fact, if we turn to God in our loneliness we will be surprised to see that Christ is suffering over what we are suffering, even more than we are. And that is because He who is truly innocent understands sufferings as none of us can fathom.
So look at what happens to this suffering when you look first to Christ. You end up looking at Christ in a way you did not see Him before. You will SEE Him within, and suddenly you no longer feel alone and abandoned because you see Jesus, the truly innocent one who is alone in Gethsemane, suffering, and wanting your company. He wishes to suffer with you, and you with Him. He in you, and you in Him!
He is love in His essence as a Divine Person, and we pass Him by every single day like He is of no account. This apathy, this lethargy in our own souls can be changed, and a desire for God can come alive in your soul if you cooperate with His grace, if you look to Him in your suffering.
There is yet another way for you to understand your suffering. All suffering we endure can be given to God to become "creature comfort," meaning the sinful creature gets to console the sinless God/man. Just imagine what that means! And more, does the Creator want and appreciate the consolation of the sinner while He suffers for us? He SURE DOES.
Look at Veronica's veil. When Veronica stepped forward to wipe the face of Christ it was her sin which caused Christ's suffering, and she knew it. Yet, she stepped forward and wiped his face in compassion, and to prove He appreciated her gesture of compassion He miraculously left the image of His face on her veil.
We also have the example of the Angels. They are creatures who did not sin, but they are creatures nonetheless. They came and consoled him after his 40 days in the desert, and in Gethsemane an Angel came and ministered to Him after the apostles fell asleep.
We can approach Christ like Veronica did, knowing that we are sinners too, knowing that what He is suffering is caused by our own sin. But, nevertheless, we can approach Him and say:
"Lord, I know I have done this to you, I am sorry, but I don't want you to be alone. I don't like being alone myself, so take my suffering, take my loneliness. Regardless of the manner in which I suffer, take it, make it one with your suffering so that you can do whatever you wish with it in atonement for whomever you want. Lord, if by uniting my suffering to your suffering can in any way lighten the load of your Cross, let me help you. If what I am suffering can in any way be the cause of even a single less drop of your blood to be spilled as you sweat of blood, let it be done."
If you present yourself to Christ in this manner He will look at you, and you will look at Him, and you will be to Him as a willing Simon of Cyrene and Veronica who was moved to compassion for HIS sake, and there will be a look of love between you and Jesus that you could never have imagined. He will show you this is the greatest love known in the world. Your sufferings, which were once dumb anguish, and your loneliness, will now take on a redemptive value in HIM as He makes them one with his own afflictions, one with his own suffering on Calvary.
And for your act of compassion and kindness, as He did with Veronica, He will leave the imprint of His face on your suffering, and His face will manifest itself through you to others in the virtues of long patience, forgiveness, kindness, and all the transformative virtues.
So, in reality, your suffering becomes the equivalent of Veronica's veil which you can take in your hand and wipe the face of Christ, and others will see the face of Christ on the veil of your very person. His image will show forth in you, and your life will become fulfilled in God with a mission you did not know was possible as Christ turns your suffering from "Mission Impossible" to "Mission Accomplished."
The reality of what I am speaking about is manifest in the person of St. Padre Pio who was so deeply immersed in co-redemptive suffering that his union with Christ became physically manifest in His body as the stigmata.
In Holy Mass there begins a conversation between Christ and you where you will discover a new found love in Christ that He has for you, and that you have for Him. It is here that He will elevate you in the spiritual life. And whatever bitterness we may have in life can drop off like dross because we now experience what it is for Christ who forgives us and still loves us in spite of our sins against Him.
We are all unfaithful in our sinfulness, pride, ingratitude, ineptitude, shortcomings, failures, bitterness, and grudges against those who slight us in very small, or very serious ways. But we stand under the same shadow of Christ on the Cross who looks at us from the Altar at Holy Mass. He sees us as we are, and where we are. We cannot begin to fathom what we must look like to the eyes of pure innocence, but we hope to have some sense of what it would be so that we can approach Him with contrite hearts, and enter a union with Christ to console Him.
When you do, there will be more room in your heart for God to speak with you in a much more personal and tender way. He will make a heart of flesh where often enough there had been a heart turned to stone because of bitter sorrows, disappointments, and failures in those we live with, and even failures within ourselves.
In the Holy Mass we can live in this quiet relationship where Christ dwells in our heart, as he would, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is the indwelling of the Most Holy Trinity.
When you understand that the base of the Cross on Calvary is now planted in the Calvary of your own person suffering you too can say with St. Paul:
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His Body, the Church."
Within the heart of every man, woman, and child ever born into this world, there is a cry that calls out from within, each with a need to love and be loved, regardless of material wealth or status.
So, the heart of Christ is for us. He knows every thought and need we have. The tragedy is, we do not avail ourselves of this treasure as we should, the treasure of consoling Christ and suffering with Him whenever we are suffering.
Roger L.
No comments:
Post a Comment