25. The Offices of Christ - 2

Today’s Meditations on Christian Dogma is called “The Offices of Christ, Part 2.” It was submitted by Sister Mary Claire and her little sister Kathy from Camp Littlemore Farm, and comes from their very old book, Meditations on Christian Dogma by Father James Bellord, first published in the 19th century. Sister Mary Claire received the book as a gift from an elderly nun friend in County Kilkenny, Ireland, and she treasures it dearly.

The Offices of Christ. 2.

I. Jesus is our Light. “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death light is risen” (Isa. ix. 2). In consequence of the fall, our perception of truth has been obscured; error, ignorance, spiritual and mental darkness have prevailed. Redemption is an enlightenment, and Our Lord is the Light of the world. Without Him, in present as well as in past time, we are plunged in thickest darkness, we have no supernatural knowledge of God, and the natural knowledge of Him becomes erroneous. Many think now that passions, misery and death belong to man’s nature and are ordained by God; that happiness consists in possessions and sensual gratifications; that violence, falsehood, injustice and lust are man’s proper occupations and the irresistible needs of his being. No restraint is recognized but what is enforced by the state and its police, by convenience, public opinion, or “enlightened selfishness.” Jesus, in His Church, by revealing Himself, the future life and the nature of sin, changes our views, and gives us new principles of action that will ensure our well-being in this world and in the next. “He that followeth Me walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John viii. 12). How happy you are, first in possessing a light otherwise unattainable, and then in having the firm assurance that you possess it! It is one of your greatest privileges. Be not unfaithful lest you lose it.

II. Jesus is also a warrior and Conqueror. He says by the Psalmist: “Thou hast girded Me with strength unto battle: Thou hast subdued under Me them that rose up against Me, and Thou hast destroyed them that hated Me” (Ps. xvii. 40, 41). We have an enemy, potent, crafty and cruel, far stronger than we are, better equipped; and he has the aid of traitors within our camp, viz., our own perverse inclinations. He did not fear to attack the Eternal in heaven and His Son on earth. He subdued man, and held him in degrading slavery. The warfare against him involved labour and privation, suffering and death to our Champion. Hell seemed to have overthrown Christ, when Jews and Gentiles combined to reject Him, and chose Satan as their master instead. But it was by that defeat that He gained His victory. He suffered all, and so delivered us. The bondage of Satan is broken, sin is abolished (for those who repent), men are enabled to resist temptation and defy the enormous powers of evil, and all who wish can escape from sin, and enter into glory with Our Lord. Thank Him for gaining so much for you, and at such a cost. But remember that you too have to fight if you wish to share in the victory of Christ. No man is “crowned unless he strive lawfully” (2 Tim. ii. 5).

III. Jesus is also our Advocate. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just” (1 John ii. 1). This is yet another aspect of Redemption. We may consider ourselves as criminals who have outraged their Sovereign deliberately, refused His mercies, and who have been justly condemned and handed over to the executioner. We have no excuse, we do not even deserve a hearing, we have no claim for pardon. But Our Lord pities us because our malice is in part the result of inherited misfortune, and He sees that many of us will at last be amenable to His love. He therefore pleads our cause, He makes full reparation, He appeases offended justice, and He moves the Judge to mercy. For every one of us He beseeches, as He did on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke xxiii. 34). This office Our Lord continues in heaven, where His blood, shed on Calvary, is always making intercession for us, and never ceases until either His love or our obstinacy finally triumphs. Confess your unworthiness; make no excuses for yourself; do not allege your own merits; but rely exclusively on the powerful advocacy of Our Blessed Lord.