The basic Christian theology about Jesus as I understand it is that He is "priest, prophet and king": He is the high priest before the Father, petitioning for us; He is prophet, showing us the way; He is King of heaven and earth.
It says in the Catechism that we as Christians are to imitate Christ, and be like Him in all three of these aspects. We are to be "priests," helping others be reconciled with God; we are to be "prophets," guiding others; we are to be "kings," being the royalty of the family of God.
I have spent the past seven years exploring the "priestly" office. I have been wholly focused on interceding on behalf of my loved ones before the Father. Hebrews is the Book that discusses Jesus' priestly role, and it mentions His priesthood being in spite of His weakness. That is very helpful for me, as I am very, very weak, yet aspire to live out my priestly vocation nevertheless.
I learned from my wonderful friends in Louisiana how to "offer things up": how to offer pain to be joined to the Passion of Christ so that the pain would be redemptive for others. That has been a huge part of this priestly office. It is the offering I make before the Father: the offering of spilled milk, dirty diapers, hard conversations, disappointments. I offer these hardships to be united to the suffering of Christ, so that instead of raw and wasted pain, the suffering will have some value--in fact, fantastic, immeasurable value. This is what is upside down about Christianity: our failures and miseries are what is most powerful about our lives.
Well, last month, I had my first reflection on the prophetic role. Today, I had my first reflection on the royal office. More to come tomorrow. . . . :)
No comments:
Post a Comment