He is the Good Shepherd and I the beloved
sheep, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
The Master-Teacher, the Savior and Redeemer, the Doctor who can heal any
infirmity, the Faithful Friend, always there and always faithful, the Light of
the World, the Suffering Servant but Risen Lord, the alpha and omega, principle
and end, and finally the Bread of Life that satisfies the deepest and innermost
yearnings of the hungering heart. The
name of this Person is JESUS CHRIST!
Some pursue money, others power,
still others pleasure, and others fame and renown in an endless, frenetic
energetic striving. However, the end result, despite how much of these are
attained is emptiness, confusion and disorientation. St. Augustine concisely explains the reason
for this restlessness in his immortal class autobiography Confessions, “O Lord
you have made our hearts for thee and our hearts are restless until they rest
in thee.”
Therefore, JESUS is like a brilliant diamond
exposed to the ray lights of the sun; from the sun emanate the colors of the
rainbow. No matter how often or how much we say about Jesus, it will always
fall short. That is why John the
Evangelist asserted that all the books in the world could not contain the works
and words of Jesus! In a humble simple
manner, we will offer just a few “Christological titles”--- all taken from the
Bible--- to enhance our knowledge and love of He who we should love with all our heart, mind, soul and strength,
JESUS THE LORD!
1.
THE LAMB OF GOD (Jn. 1:29-36). With his disciples, John the Baptist sees
Jesus and points to Him as “The Lamb of God”.
On the cross on Good Friday, Jesus would become the Lamb of God
immolated and sacrificed, shedding His Precious Blood to purify our souls of sin
and open up the gates of heaven for our eternal salvation. Liturgically, in
every Mass, before giving Holy Communion, the priest lifts up the Consecrated
Host and says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,
happy are those invited to the banquet of the
Lamb”.
2.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD (Jn. 10/ Psalm 23) One of the most frequently used images in the
Bible is that of the Shepherd. Jesus
takes the clear image of Psalm 23, “The
Good Shepherd Psalm” and applies it to Himself.
“I am the Good Shepherd… I know my sheep and they know me… I give my
life for the sheep. (Jn. 10) In your
meditation, call to mind all of the noble qualities of Jesus the Good Shepherd
and apply it you personally. The Good Shepherd knows the sheep, calls each by
name, watches over intently all the sheep and each one individually, He seeks
out the lost sheep and heals it of its wounds; He feeds and nourishes abundantly;
the Good Shepherd loves the sheep so much that He is willing even to die for
that sheep and that sheep is me! How
important and precious I am in the eyes of the Good Shepherd!
3.
THE BREAD OF LIFE. (Jn. 6, “Bread of Life discourse”). The human
person has three fundamental desires: to know, to love and to live! We hunger for Truth which is found in the
Word of God interpreted by the Magisterium of the Church and the Papacy. Also,
our hearts and souls hunger for Jesus, the Bread of Life in Mass and in Holy
Communion. The theme song of the
Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia, 1976, sums it up: “You satisfy the hungry
hearts with gift of finest wheat; come give to us Oh Saving Lord, the Bread of
finest wheat.” As when the Shepherd
calls his sheep, they know and here His voice ; so when you call your children
Lord, we follow and rejoice…. The
Solemnity of Corpus Christi and The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus teach us to
hunger for Jesus the Bread of Life and the love of Jesus in His most Sacred
Heart--- both are uniquely present together in every Holy Communion!
4.
JESUSCHRIST! (Mt. 16:20, Rom
1:3) Jesus means “God saves”; Christ, is e Greek for the Anointed one! How often in life do we find ourselves in
danger, like Peter sinking in the waves who cried out: “Lord, save me!” In moments of doubt, “Jesus,
save me!” When buffeted by paralyzing fears, “Jesus, save me!” When all seem to have abandoned me and I
stand alone, “Jesus, save me!” My plans
fail and coming to nothing, “Jesus, save me, be my hope and strength!” When hell empties and all the devils seem to
be attacking me, “Lord Jesus, save me!
Come to my rescue!” The name of
Jesus is powerful! It heals, strengthens, raises the dead to life, and fills
the disheartened with limitless hope! “At
the name of Jesus, every knee must bend, in heaven, on earth and under the earth….”(Phil
3)
5.
EMMANUAL. (Mt. 1:3, and Isaiah)
The meaning of the word is, “God is with us!” Vatican II, the Dogmatic Constitution on the
Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, reminds us of the many ways that God manifests
Himself especially in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. That
is why the greatest prayer we can offer to God is the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass--- OPUS DEI, THE WORK OF GOD! Jesus is present in the praying assembly as He
said, “Where two or more are gathered in my name I am present among them.” In song!
St. Augustine coined it well, “He who sings well, prays twice!” God is present in the Bible which is indeed
the “Word of God”, but especially in the Gospels because that is when Jesus is
speaking to us. Then Jesus becomes
manifest in the person of the priest, “alter cristus”—another Christ! However, Jesus is truly Present in a “Real”
way(THE REAL PRESENCE), at the moment of Consecration and in the moment of
receiving Holy Communion, truly and substantially His Body, Blood, Soul and
Divinity! Therefore, our spiritual eyes of faith should be opened to see the
marvels of God’s presence every time Holy Mass is being celebrated. May Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament grant
us eyes to penetrate the height, width, and the depth of Jesus Presence at every Holy
Mass. “O come let us adore Him, O come
let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”
