I grew up with a clear understanding that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Savior. As a student of a non-sectarian school, we were not really taught of who really is Jesus Christ. I transferred to a Catholic school for High School, and then this question is not anymore given thorough emphasis. It is a grave sin to ask this question because we were expected to know that He is our savior, He died for our sins, He is the only begotten Son, one in the Father and etc. Nobody even dared to question why He is our savior. As a student it’s a heresy to verify if Christ really died for our sins. We were just given instructions and mandate that Jesus Christ is our Savior and He is the Son of God. That’s it.
Though the inculcation of the doctrine of our faith, from our parents and teachers, greatly contributed to my concept of Jesus Christ, it was only when I left the seminary and studied Theology that this question has been answered. In our course in Christology, I have come to a realization that I really do not know who is Jesus Christ. I was scandalized and became confused, particularly on the question of His necessity. Is He really necessary in our life? Does Christ really take part on our salvation? What differed Him from the great men of our times, the likes of Ninoy Aquino, Jose Rizal or even Heneral Luna? The more I studied and tried to understand Christ the more questions and confusions did it bring to me.
I would like to take as my starting point of my reflection on the Christological perspective of the Triplex Munos. This evolves on the threefold mission of Christ. Christ being a priest, a king, and as a prophet. As priest Christ made himself an ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. I can remember in one of our discussions the question that; is it really necessary for Jesus Christ to be the sacrifice? In my humble understanding it was necessary for Jesus Christ to be the ransom for our salvation because it takes only a person such as Jesus Christ, the only Son of the Father, to do this. Only a God like the Father could do this for us. Only a person, one with the Father could be the ultimate sacrifice for the payment of our sins. We can offer anything, lamb for the Jews, chicken, pig, or even cow but it does not surpass the great offering, One like Him, Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to be human just like us. Though He is a King he came to serve and not to be served. He showed a great example for us, by being a person just like us to. Jesus’ kingly mission is a call for us to follow. He is the ultimate example of what service really means. We are called to be persons of service. As human beings, I tend to think that I am higher than others. I always seek for special treatment, most especially in the way I act in our home. I can consider myself as the bred-winner of my house and I could say that I deserve to have the special attention from my family. Yet here is this Man, the Man who not only changed the perspective of service but deconstructed it. He showed me the clear example that as an individual, it is okay not to think of yourself first but to think of others. As Christians we are called to do the same- to be selfless, humble and to be of service to other.
The prophetic mission of Christ denounced every form of evil and He gave witness to the life of the Gospel. In our discussion, however, I have started to question the reality of evil. What is evil then? Is evil a necessity for me to know Christ? I don’t know, but what I am certain of is that Christ denounced the evils of His time. He denounced the hypocrisies of the Pharisees; he fought against injustice, and gave hope for the sick, widows, and sinners. The evils of Jesus Christ are not different from our times. The evil still continues and the challenge of Jesus Christ continues as well. That is to denounce the evil of our time. In my personal life I am always confronted with different forms of evil. The injustices that are taking place in my workplace. Most especially when the managers and top management makes decisions that are not giving us the proper compensations and benefits, I for one speak in fornt of them to denounce and seek for what is just for us. The prophetic mission of Christ invites us to be a prophet, a prophet that challenges to the evils of our time. Jesus continues to challenge us to follow Him, not just a meek and mild lamb but as a prophet who denounces every form of evil. Jesus Christ who renounces every form of inequality and criticizes every form of oppression.
Amidst these images of Christ as a priest, a king and a prophet I would like to settle on the reality that Christ for me as my Father of Mercy and Compassion. Just this year I was very fortunate to be in Manila and be part of the youth delegates in the Pope’s meeting with the youth. Pope Francis gave me a clear understanding of what Jesus Christ is. Jesus Christ is my father, a father that does not look on my differences, short comings, failures and sins. He is a father for me who looks at me and still be amused with what I do. Will still find happiness in my actions, that even if I do not religiously follow the rules and doctrine of the Church he founded, yet He still finds me worthy of being a human. Jesus for me is continuously challenging me to become a good person yet he does not reject me if I fail to follow what He wants. He still has hope in me even if most of the time I follow what I want. Many times I feel guilty with what I do because most of them are not in accordance to the doctrine and teachings of the Church. Yet there is this Man, Jesus Christ, who says that its okay you don’t have to be guilty because I have loved you long before those teachings and this love is enough for you to be with me till the end of times. This was my realization during that short encounter with the Pope. It was very heart-warming to see the Pope hugging the street children who have come to realize that there is no more hope on their situation. His gesture of hug was an image showing that Jesus is not blind of our heartaches, trials, and injustices. He is there to give me that hug, as a gesture of mercy and compassion, and asking me to follow Him in the ways that I know. I don’t have to be strict to myself to follow what the Church really wants but I can be who I am and still be delightful to Him. Bottom line is, in the end I will still face Christ alone. And when He would ask me what I have done with my life, I will take hold on the fact that I have accepted His challenge in the way I know and in the way that I could. I don’t have to change my being me just to follow You, because I know that You have loved me unconditionally and everything else followed.
-danielangelolao
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