RCIA #7 Jesus Death & Resurrection, and the Liturgical Cycle. Psalm Response My God, my God, why have abandoned me? (Psalm 22)

Transcription

1 RCIA # 7 November 10, 2015 pg. 1 RCIA #7 Jesus Death & Resurrection, and the Liturgical Cycle Reading Isaiah 53:3-7 He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Psalm Response My God, my God, why have abandoned me? (Psalm 22) Gospel Luke 25:33-46 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." They divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his last. Review: Jesus is both truly God and truly man, 2 complete natures united in one person. If Jesus is not God, we are not saved; if Jesus is not man, we are not saved. We need divinity to bridge the infinite chasm/offense against God. We need humanity so we have a real share in his action. Heresies arise from not holding to orthodox doctrine; usually swayed by some quote or idea that makes Jesus seem either not quite human or not quite divine. Christ is equal to the Father according to his divinity, but less than the Father according to his humanity.

2 RCIA # 7 November 10, 2015 pg. 2 The hardest part to wrestle with is his soul, mind, and will. Think of a man in every way, shape, and action.and then add to it He s God too. Fr. Kelly s man becomes goldfish analogy: He knows what he needs to do for them, but he must really grow into the in s and out s of fishhood which is a totally different from his own nature and has to grow up from a baby fish in the natural path. The faith of Christ probably refers first to the human faith that Jesus put in the Father. Believing Jesus is God. We can establish that Jesus is historically believable as a man (through Roman and Jewish sources), and that the original gospels accurately reflect what he claimed about himself in his life (being in written within living memory of his claiming it), and that the gospels as we have them today are essentially identical to the originals (and they are know to be vastly more accurate than Lincoln, Shakespeare, or any ancient), then when Jesus claims to be divine equal to YHWH he puts us in a trilemma: He s a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. I. Prelude to Jesus Death: Why does Judas hand Jesus over? Why was Jesus killed? Reviewing C.S. Lewis trilemma :

3 RCIA # 7 November 10, 2015 pg. 3 Is Jesus trying to get killed? Did Jesus will his death? Does Jesus, since he s God and the cause of all, kill himself? So, why does He at least not stop it? Galatians 2:19b-20 I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me. II. The Paschal Mystery: The Last Supper The Garden of Gethsemane "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." --Mt 26:39 Surrender

4 RCIA # 7 November 10, 2015 pg. 4 III. Calvary: Covenant and Cult His Passion and Death His Last Words His Death

5 RCIA # 7 November 10, 2015 pg. 5 IV. The Resurrection: Believability Completing the Paschal Mystery V. The Liturgy and the Liturgical Year: The Temporal Cycle Paschal Seasons Christmas Seasons The Sanctoral Cycle