Newspaper Page Text
FAGE 5-March 22,1973
S (AII Articles On This Page Copyrighted 1973 by N.C. News Service)
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Jesus Christ:
Lamb of God
BY FATHER CARL J. PFEIFER, S.J.
Jesus--Lamb of God
BY FATHER AL MCBRIDE, O.PRAEM.
A permissive age makes obedience seem like a weakness. In
other times, “doing what one is told,” did not seem like an
indignity. But we live in less authoritarian times and thus find
obedience to be more of a curiosity than a value. Obedience has
received a bad press because many authorities often abused the
willingness of the obeyer.
Instead of obedience today, we hear more of freedom and
self-determination. The individual will choose what he wants to
do. St. Paul certainly wouldn’t quarrel with this. He often spoke
of how Jesus came to make us free. The very role of authority
and law was to lead persons to grace and freedom.
But a flaw lurks in the garden of freedom. Associating
obedience with slavish and childish authoritarianism can reduce
it to an obscenity not to be thought about. The funny thing is
that once freedom is imagined to have eliminated obedience
behavior, cranky rebellion begins to take over. Honest
rebelliousness that leads to maturity instead becomes a pathetic
striking out. Flailing becomes a way of life.
This makes freedom the equivalent of a perpetual tantrum.
What is forgotten is that obedience, in its deepest form, is a
response to God’s desire for us. The divine desire on our behalf
in an unerring direction, which if we follow it, will lead to our
perfect fulfillment. The word obedience comes from the Latin,
“ob-audire,” which means “to listen.” The depth of God’s
hopes for us speaks to that which is most profound within us.
Obeying, in this instance, is hearing what absolute love has in
mind for us.
God calls us, even commands us, to the one true path of
becoming human. Because he does it out of love, he always
leaves us our freedom. This is why today’s freedom-seekers
often miss the point, for in doing their own thing, they listen
only to themselves. Thus they reduce their future to the
pathetic horizons their own wild wants dream up. They have
forgotten that personal growth demands dialogue, listening to
another - especially the divine other.
When the Bible calls Jesus the Lamb of God, it is
commenting on his radical obedience. It is common, even today,
to use an animal image for a human trait. Lions still bespeak
William Blake, the famous English poet, was a very religious
man. His poem, “The Tiger,” asks what sort of God must he be
who created that fierce and powerful jungle beast.
His poem, “The Lamb,” asks a similar question about a
different kind of animal: “Little Lamb, who made thee? Dost
thou know who made thee?”
The lamb does not reply, so the child who is asking goes on
to give it some hints:
“Little lamb, I’ll tell thee,
Little lamb, I’ll tell thee.
“He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a lamb.
He is meek and he is mild.
He became a little child.
I a child and thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
“Little lamb, God bless thee.
Little lamb, God bless thee.”
The sentiment and piety of this poem have inspired many
children’s prayers and Victorian holy-pictures. These build on
the idea that Jesus is called a lamb because, like lambs and little
children, he is not only innocent and appealing, but somehow
soft, cuddly and cute. The trouble with this is that it has
nothing whatever to do with the New Testament image of Jesus
as the Lamb of God.
courage, elephants remind us of memory, dogs tell us of
affection. Just so, lambs evidence trusting obedience.
Now some could say they are perfectly willing to be a lamb
before God; that is, they will render obedience to him, but they
aren’t going to obey people. Jesus gives the opposite example.
He always strove to do the will of his Father, and, equally, he
attempted to respond obediently to the authority of his day.
He is remembered as being an obedient child to his parents.
He is shown paying taxes to the state and following the ritual
requirements of Jewish religion. Now on ritual laws he shows an
independence of spirit, that is, he is not a slave of the law.
Hence he often breaks the letter of Sabbath observance, by
curing the sick and even recommending breaking the fast when
his starved friends needed food. In his freedom he teaches that
the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Despite these freedom gestures, Jesus is generally portrayed
as faithful to the ritual and cultural practices of his day. Even
the Last Supper is an act of fidelity and obedience to the
ancient Passover command. We know he was bringing new
meaning to the old acts, for he said he did not come to destroy
the law and the prophets, but to give them fulfillment-that is,
fresh meaning.
The Bible reserves the highest praise for Jesus’ obedience.
Saint Paul sees it as the very road that led Jesus to be our savior
and to his own glorification. “And being found in a human form
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even
death on a cross. Therefore, God has exalted him and bestowed
on him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:8-9)
I believe that after we have overcome our anger at the abuses
of authority, we shall come again to value the depth meaning of
obedience. St. Thomas Aquinas spoke of obediential potency,
by which he meant that persons are born with a special glory to
be attained by listening to the loving voice of God urging them
to become who they should be. Obedience like this is not
groveling slavery or immature childishness, but a humble and
honest openness to the vocation that comes from God.
It also means that obedience to persons and civil and ritual
requirements will be done with discrimination and civility and
dignity. This is being a “lamb” in the right sense.
the people through Moses that each family should find a lamb
“without spot or blemish” and kill it and eat its flesh “without
breaking a bone of it.” They should take the lamb’s blood and
smear it over the front of their houses. Then when the angel of
death came through the land to punish God’s enemies, that
death would pass over the families whose houses were marked
with the lamb’s blood. And so it happened. Therefore, every
Passover after that the Jews kept the same observance down to
Jesus’ day.
Jesus in the New Testament is the lamb who was slain that
we might be marked with his blood and be saved from death.
Peter writes: “you have been redeemed . . .not with perishable
things, such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of
Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” The
crucifixion scene in John’s gospel says Jesus’ legs were not
broken “that the Scripture might be fulfilled: Not a bone of
him shall be broken.” Paul writes: “Christ, our Passover Lamb,
has been sacrificed.”
At Mass we use the words of John the Baptist: “This is the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” He took
them away by dying for us.
We add a sentence from Revelation 19: “Happy are those
who are called to his supper.” This refers to “the wedding
supper of the Lamb,” held after he has won his victory and also
won a new people for himself -- his bride, the new and heavenly
Jerusalem.
We are among the happy ones called to that supper. Saved by
his blood, we eat his flesh. Together at his table in his kingdom
we renew our faith in the Christian idea of victory and
liberation through giving up our lives for others.
1%
“WHEN THE BIBLE CALLS JESUS the Lamb of
God, it is commenting on his radical obedience. It is
common, even today, to use an animal image for a
human trait . . .Just so, lambs evidence trusting
obedience.” A lamb in a Wyoming field. (NC Photo
courtesy National Wool Growers’ Association.)
“BUT THIS LAMB (Jesus Christ) is not cuddly, soft
or cute. Nor is he at all childlike. He is a powerful
conquerer. He is not at all like Blake’s little lamb. He is
very much like Blake’s tiger.” A high contrast study of
a tiger, his eyes “burning bright in the forest of the
night,” as poet William Blake described it. (NC Photo
by George R. Cassidy.)
When I was in high school, I worked after class in my Dad’s
bakery. It was a great experience. Making delicious pastries was
as satisfying as eating them. Each Easter brought a special
experience as we made dozens of pound cakes shaped like
lambs.
Decorating the lambs with rich white frosting and shredded
coconut was a challenge. Brown raisins became eyes, green
colored frosting provided the fresh spring grass on which the
lamb lay, and edible pink flowers added a final touch. The
finished lamb was beautiful to behold and tantalizing to taste.
At the time I was hardly aware of the symbolism of the
Easter lamb. Creating and sampling the pound-cake animals was
engrossing enough. But I was very much aware that the lambs
were made only once a year-at Easter time. Later I realized
more clearly that the lamb cakes were meant to recall not only
the new vitality of Spring life, but the very source of all life,
Jesus Christ, the “Lamb of God.”
The fact that we made the lamb cakes only at Easter
provided a clue to the meaning of the biblical reference to Jesus
as the “Lamb.” In the New Testament the title “Lamb of God”
symbolizes all that Jesus achieved in the events of Good Friday
and Easter Sunday-namely his death and resurrection by
which he freed all mankind for new life.
The last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, also
called the Apocalypse, describes Jesus throughout as a Lamb: “I
saw a Lamb standing, a Lamb that had been slain” (Rev. 5:6).
The symbolism is striking: the Lamb who had been slain is
standing! He who had died is alive, victorious over the power of
death itself. Surrounding the Lamb, as the vision of John in the
Apocalypse develops, a huge crowd from every nation and race
stood shouting: “Salvation is from our God, who is seated on
the throne, and from the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9-10). The Lamb saves.
That salvation is described later in John’s vision: “He will
lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17). In the New
Jerusalem, where there “shall be no more death or mourning,
crying out or pain” (Rev. 21:4), “darkness will dissolve in the
light of the Lamb, and death will be swallowed in the life-giving
waters flowing from the Lamb and God’s throne (Rev. 21:23;
22:1).
John’s mystical vision of Jesus, the Lamb, risen but still
bearing the marks of death, symbolizes the very core of
Christian faith. We believe the death and resurrection of Christ
is the radical source of our own triumph of life over death.
The lamb symbolism may not appeal to contemporary urban
dwellers as it did to the early Christians who lived in closer
contact with the land, and were at home with the Old
Testament ritual of the Paschal Lamb. But in any event the
biblical name for Jesus, “Lamb of God,” crystallizes Christ’s
role as savior of man from every form of death and
diminishment.
\
“Savior” can be a rather abstract theological term, but
translated into the “Lamb” image of the New Testament the
meaning of “salvation” may become more concrete. The Lamb
frees man from all that limits life-darkness of mind and spirit,
mourning, pain and every form of death. He renews us, refreshes
us with life-giving waters. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is able to free
us to grow in the full potential of life with him. At root this
involves a dying with him to the selfishness that is sin in order
to rise to a life of unselfish love.
With Jesus we can overcome the powers that diminish our
physical and spiritual vitality, discovering sparks of new life in
the dying embers of existence. For hundreds of thousands of
Christians faith in Christ, who triumphed over sin and death, has
provided motivation and courage to face and overcome sickness,
poverty, loneliness, captivity, persecution, pain, anxiety,
selfishness, death itself. The sight of the lamb standing after
being killed has suggested hope to people who seemed
overwhelmed with suffering, and has brought a joyful smile to
the face of persons steeped in sorrow.
The Easter Lamb can remind us all that because of Jesus, the
true Lamb of God, we can affirm life where others see only
death, and glimpse rays of light where darkness blinds others’
eyes. “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the
world. Happy are those who are called to his supper.”
The Lamb of God Conquers All
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the universe found worthy to open the seven seals of the M
mysterious scroll, from which the apocalyptic action of the
book develops.
There is no doubt about who the Lamb is. He is “Lord of
Lords and Kings of Kings.” He is “the Lion of the tribe of
Judah,” and the “Root of David.” He “stands before the throne
of God;” he even “shares the throne of God.” He possesses “the
seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.” He has “twelve
apostles,” and their names mark the foundation stones of his
new and heavenly Jerusalem. He has charge of the book of life.
The Lamb is certainly Jesus Christ.
But this Lamb is not cuddly, soft or cute. Nor is he at all
childlike. He is a powerful conqueror. He is not at all like
Blake’s little lamb. He is very much like Blake’s Tiger.
Jesus, the conqueror of Revelation, is called the Lamb
because of the special kind of conquering which Jesus did. He
overcame the kings of the earth, the power of the demons, the
wealth and pride of the Roman empire, by letting himself be
put to death in sacrifice.
This is not what most people mean by conquering and
victory. But it is what Christianity means. And so when
Revelation praises the Lamb for his mighty conquests, it calls him
“the Lamb who was slain.” He was killed that others might live.
This is the victory that overcomes the world. Jesus let himself
be sacrificed - like the Jewish Passover lamb.
In the book of Exodus (Chapter 12), God was going to* strike
down the Egyptian oppressors and set his people free. He told
BY FATHER JOSEPH M. CHAMPLIN
“Today’s Gift Bearers: 5:15 (Verdi family); 8:30 (Lena
Crisafulle and Alphia Trepasso); 9:45 (Pawlewicz Family);
11:15 (Calkins Family.)”
This simple announcement in our weekly bulletin has
significantly helped to strengthen the community spirit here at
Holy Family. Parishioners now wonder about the identity of an
attractive family which brought up the water, wine, altar breads
and collection basket during Mass. Reading the bulletin (handed
out at the door as they leave church) on their way home gives
them the answer.
That brief indication of the gift bearers for major Masses,
however, represents the results of hard work - some
computerized planning, numerous phone calls and personal
home visits.
One Sunday nearly a year ago, we replaced the homily with a
10 minute census survey at all our Masses. In addition to factual
data (name, address, phone number, usual Mass attended, age,
education, occupation, etc.), we asked for opinions on several
matters and, finally, requested help in different areas (e.g.,
school lunch program religious education classes, ushers). The
positive response greatly encouraged us and we then began the
lengthy process of converting check marks on a questionnaire
into hours of volunteer service.
Fortunately for us, we were able to use the services of a local
firm’s computer and specialists in that field both programmed
our survey and tabulated the figures. A first run of the
marvelous machine gave us an alphabetized print-out of
respondents, overall totals and an indication of who volunteered
for what.
Over 100 persons offered to participate in the presentation
of gifts. A second computer run then gave us another
alphabetized list of these people broken down according to the
usual Mass they attend with the code number of their original
census form. With this information at their disposal, the two
young Sisters of St. Joseph serving as parish helpers at Holy
Family were able in about an hour’s time to develop a master
sheet which included addresses and phone numbers of those
individuals who offered to assist with this function.
They then proceeded to call persons and line them up for
particular Masses. After an individual or family had agreed to a
particular date, one or both of the nuns, driving our stick shift
blue Vega, would stop at their home, explain the why and how
of this presentation ceremony, then arrange to meet the
volunteers before Mass in the back of church.
This extra bit of planning and preparation has yielded
handsome dividends. Just yesterday a dentist’s wife told me her
youngest daughter, upon learning the family would be bringing
up the gifts on Holy Family Sunday, jumped with joy and
considered the honor her finest Christmas present. I also have
heard of wives going to the hair dresser, parents stopping at
Confession, children shining shoes before their Sunday
“appearance.”
One woman told me that tears streamed down her cheeks as
she watched a particularly large and beautiful family bring (with
less than military precision) the offerings up the center aisle to
the priest waiting in the sanctuary. I wondered last week what
were the feelings of a non-Catholic father who joined his wife
and children in the procession. I wonder, too, about those in the
pews as they observe a family with 1 long-haired college boys and
bright eyed grammar school girls bearing gifts to the altar.
This ceremony may seem uncomplicated to those of us who are
priests or Religious or persons accustomed to leadership roles in
front of crowds. But I sense in such circumstances that most
people become quite nervous, even if proud, and breathe a sigh
of relief when they finally get back to their pews. All the more
reason for a sensitive solicitation of volunteers, a careful
attention to preparation, and a clear explanation of the spiritual
reasons behind this practice.
The Roman Missal’s General Instruction reads: “It is
desirable for the faithful to present the bread and wine, which
are received by the priest or deacon at a suitable place . . .The
rite of carrying up the gifts continues the value and spiritual
meaning of the ancient custom when the people brought bread
and wine for the liturgy from their own homes. This is also the
appropriate time for the collection of money or gifts for the
poor and the Church. These are to be placed in a suitable area,
but not on the altar.”