CHRISTOLOGY – AN INVITATION TO ENCOUNTER

A Christian must at all times be aware that the way he lives affects the lives of those around him for better or for worse. Whether I like it or not either I am a stumbling block in my neighbour’s path or I am a stepping stone to him on the road to salvation. Jesus is the centre and basic of Christianity. Christian preaching began with the proclamation of the Mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. I experience that Christianity means not only the following of the teachings of Jesus, but commitment to the person of Jesus Christ. Christianity becomes meaningless, if Jesus Christ did not really exist in this world. As St. Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins,” 1 Cor: 15:17. My concern here lies on the human nature but without denying the divine nature.

The descending Christological structure of Paul’s epistle which indicates the human nature of Jesus in Roman: 1:3 is expressed in the words: “He was descended from David according to the flesh”. Here I try to highlight the significance of human nature of Jesus who identified himself with the marginalized and the poor. He had a unique relationship with His disciples. He goes out of his way to seek and choose his disciples (Lk 6:12-16). He was not like that of Jewish rabbis. He transcends the law on His own authority and reveals its true meaning. He insists, not on the letter of the law, but on its spirit. He wants to free people from being blind slaves of the law (Mk: 2:27). Pauline expression gives that Jesus was born in the world where I am now. He challenged his society by the very way of his life and made a marvellous impact. He reminds me that I too have taken the form of the flesh- a human being. I have to live up to his expectations. I have an obligation to work for the growth of my neighbour.

   

Jesus has a unique relationship with God whom he dares to address by the familiar Aramaic word ‘abba’. Jesus was able to perform mighty miracles because he was mighty in prayer. At the end of a tiring day of service to people, when his energies were spent, he felt the need to go apart for refreshing himself in prayer. Jesus, though he was the son of God, lived a fully human life. If Jesus the Son of God needed prayer, what about me a faultering human being?  As a future diocesan priest, this aspect of Jesus towards God the Father invites me to spend my life faithful in prayer so to be saved. He has a very special and uniqueness type of consciousness. He is conscious that in Him the kingdom of God has come. His demands (Lk 9:59-62) are absolute, since he is confident that in Him God has intervened in human history. As a child of God, wearing the mind of Jesus, I need to understand and discern in my vocation and mission to serve Him and his people in this world where I can be a witness or at least a believer or follower of Christ- the son of God whose attitude must reflect in my life.

In spite of all the difficulties, St. Paul who encountered Jesus witnessed the Gospel and preached. For him, it was of external opposition. He challenges me with the question “Who do you say that I am?” (Mk: 8:29). To answer this question, I need to cheque my personal relationship with Christ. Like Paul in re-making my relationship with God and people I may find both internal and external opposition.  Jesus expects me to break away with all these things and come forward to create a new world of love and peace. The important thing is to ‘to encounter’ Jesus Christ, to experience Him. This ‘encountering’ implies acquiring a sense of what Jesus thinks and feels, of His vision of the world and of His values. It means “putting on” of the mind of Jesus Christ. Any one who is interested in the meaning of life and its ultimate questions can never ever ignore Him. At last I had found him whom I sought for. By encountering such a person in my life i can transform myself to be a stepping stone in the lives of my fellow beings.

Kirubakaran A.

I Year Theology

Papal Seminary, Pune