Faith of Our Fathers

New Zealand Tablet, 6 October 1921, Page 33

Faith of Our Fathers

[A Weekly Instruction for Young and Old.] THE INCARNATION—(Continued.)

There existed at that time in Judea a sect-called the Pharisees, perverse hypocritical men, who exercised great influence over the people. This sect was composed of the higher classes of the people, and* numbered amongst its members most of the doctors of the law, the priests, and the ancients, who were senators, composing the Sanhedrim or great council of the nation. These Pharisees declared against Jesus Christ. Jealous of His popularity, and wounded in their pride by the superiority of His doctrine; embittered by the freedom with which He condemned their errors and unveiled their hypocrisy,—they conceived a great aversion towards Him, which soon deepened into a mortal hatred.

Blinded by their hatred and by the perversity of their hearts, instead of recognising in Jesus the character of Messiah, which shone so clearly through all His works, they persisted in despising His poverty and decrying His virtues and miracles; and finally they seized'upon His Person to 'deliver Him up to death.

Dragged before Caiphas, the high-priest and president of the Sanhedrim, and judicially interrogated by him as to whether He was really the Christ, Jesus declared that He was so. His enemies took His words as imposture and blasphemy, without examination, and ' condemned Him to death, delivering Him up to Pilate, the Roman governor) to suffer the torment of the cross.

Jesus was then put to death according to the custom of the Romans. , After having been cruelly scourged, and submitted to other most painful and ignominious tortures, He was at last nailed to the cross, on which He expired about three o'clock in.the afternoon of the Friday, which is'supposed by some to have fallen on March 25 of the year 29, or, according to others, in the year 33 of our era, and the eighteenth year of the reign of Tiberius at Rome.

Towards evening of the same day He was laid in a new sepulchre hewn out of a rock; and because He had said publicly that He would rise again three days after His death, the princes of the Jews sealed the entrance'to the tomb with the public seal, and caused it to be guarded by soldiers.

But on the third day, the Sunday morning, a little before daybreak, Jesus, in spite of His enemies, rose alive from His tomb, and showed Himself to His disciples, consoling and filling them with joy. ■ He remained forty clays among them, completing their instruction and delivering His Sacraments to them, and explaining to them the whole system of His Church, which they were chosen to establish in the world.

On the fortieth day after His resurrectoin He led them to the Mount of Olives; and there, after promising to send them the Holy Ghost, He raised His hands to bless them, and ascended into heaven in the sight of them all.

111. The Immortal Existence of Jesus Christ.

9. Though the immortal existence of Christ commences really from the moment of His resurrection, we shall take it ,from the time of His ascension, .when He ceased to converse visibly with men.

Christ, risen from the dead, and living an immortal life

in heaven, does not, however, cease to be present on the earth.

"Visible in heaven to all the blessed, and sitting in

supreme glory at the right hand of the Father, He intercedes for us, and sends the Holy Ghost the Paraclete to His Church, "to abide with her for ever." Such was the decree of God .the Father. He wished that His only Son, after accomplishing the redemption of the world, should return to heaven and sit on His right hand, thence to govern the Church throughout all ages. David had so predicted in these words: "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool"

(Pa. cix.).

Jesus Christ, though invisible, is present on the,'earth

(1) corporally in the Holy Eucharist; (2) spiritually in all His Church,'• which He assists continually, by the Holy Ghost; (3) morally; in a representative manner, in the per--4; ; sons of His Vicars, the Roman Pontiffs, the bishops, and \\i/' other ministers of His Church. In this way, whilst reign- |,. ' ' • - r ... ’'; !; •■ . V ■■

ing'in heaven, He still abides with His own on the earth to the end of the world. "Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world" (Matt, xxviii. 20).

When the end of the world comes, at the great day of universal resurrection, when the dead shall be risen and awaiting their Judge, He will come down from heaven visible, in the splendor of His majesty, and will sit on His throne of justice, to render to all men, sinners and the just, according to their works. The"\vicked He will condemn to everlasting torments, but to the good He will award the kingdom of heaven. Then, at the head of - His elect, the King of Glory will make His entry into the celestial Jerusalem, the city of eternal life.