JESUS IS THE UNDERSTOOD in the New Testament as the "new Adam" or the "last Adam." Whereas "in Adam all died, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life." (1 Cor. 15:22) "So, too, it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living being,' the last Adam a life-giving spirit." (1 Cor. 15:45)
Church iconography reflects this unity between the first Adam--whose disobedience brought death and division into the world--and the second Adam--whose obedience brought life and the promise, as indicated in the new Adam's highly priestly prayer, that man "may be one" even as the Father and the Son are one(John 17:21)--by showing Christ's death on the Cross occurring at Golgotha, Calvary the "place of the skull" (Matt. 27:33, Mark 15:22) understood as being Adam's skull.
Adam's Skull below the Cross
(Detail from a Crucifixion by Fra Angelico, ca. 1435)
Jesus, the "new Adam," is at the center of the Church's understanding of the international community of nations, the nations to which she addresses the Gospel and seeks to baptize with its truths. "The Lord Jesus is the prototype and foundation of the new humanity." (Compendium, No. 431) Not Moses, not Muhammad, not Buddha, not Kant, not anyone or anything else.
(Compendium, No. 431)
This same Jesus promised to his disciples the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the Counselor, the helper who he stated would not come until he went away. "And when he comes," Jesus told his disciples, "he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned." (John 16: 8-11)
The Church's universality is explained by this "new humanity" that is to arise as the Church preaches its Gospel and fulfills her Lord's command to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 28:19). This is a "new humanity" not to be brought out by man's efforts, but a "new humanity" wrought by the mission of God in Christ.
The unity of mankind envisioned by the Church is deeply, fundamentally Patrological, Christological and Pneumatological, that is to say Trinitarian. It is informed by Christ, who taught us of the Father, and who promised the Holy Spirit. It is informed by the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Church therefore has a "divine agenda," a holy agenda, a Trinitarian agenda entirely separate and apart from the machinations and designs of men.
"The Christian message," to wit, the Gospel, "offers a universal vision of the life of men and peoples on the earth that makes us realize the unity of the human family." The Compendium makes clear that this unity is the work of God, and not the work of man:
(Compendium, No. 432)
The unity of all mankind, as the Church understands it, is a fruit of the Gospel, and not of any other religious, philosophical, or political tradition.
This is part and parcel of the mandate given to the Church by her Lord to preach to all nations, and bring them into her fold. The unity of men in nature, the nature of the Old Adam, is to made real in the supernatural unity promised them in Christ.
Grace, one may recall, supposes, builds upon, and does not destroy nature. Hence it is that the unity willed by God as reflected in the expressed will of Christ, the new Adam, recognizes a pre-existing unity of all men upon which this supernatural unity in Grace is to be achieved. It is with this understanding that the Compendium closes the introduction to its handling of the international community by quoting John XXIII's encyclical, Pacem in terris (292):
Why does the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church spend its opening paragraphs on the international community on the Biblical narrative? Why this sort of excursus?
Because the Compendium wants to communicate the fact that the Church's vision of the international community is not a secular humanistic vision, but is a Biblical vision, indeed a Christological vision, where "God may be all in all," omnia in omnibus, πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν. (1 Cor. 15:28)
The Church is not interested in building a "tower of unbelief," but she is interested in building the City of God. She looks to the Lord on the Cross, who uttered the words, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani (Matt. 27:46), a reference to the opening words of Psalm 22, a Psalm which itself contains the intendment of the Church's teaching, a Psalm which we may quote in the same languages as those contained under the sign that Jesus languished in the eyes of the world, but, in the eyes of God, emerged a victor over sin and death:
These are the words of the New Adam, the Son of Man.
______________________________________________
*Quoting from, and citing to, John Paul II, Address to the Fiftieth General Assembly of the United Nations (5 October 1995), 12: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 11 October 1995, p. 9.
Church iconography reflects this unity between the first Adam--whose disobedience brought death and division into the world--and the second Adam--whose obedience brought life and the promise, as indicated in the new Adam's highly priestly prayer, that man "may be one" even as the Father and the Son are one(John 17:21)--by showing Christ's death on the Cross occurring at Golgotha, Calvary the "place of the skull" (Matt. 27:33, Mark 15:22) understood as being Adam's skull.
Adam's Skull below the Cross
(Detail from a Crucifixion by Fra Angelico, ca. 1435)
Jesus, the "new Adam," is at the center of the Church's understanding of the international community of nations, the nations to which she addresses the Gospel and seeks to baptize with its truths. "The Lord Jesus is the prototype and foundation of the new humanity." (Compendium, No. 431) Not Moses, not Muhammad, not Buddha, not Kant, not anyone or anything else.
In [Christ Jesus], the true "likeness of God (2 Cor. 4:4), man--who is created in the image of God--finds his fulfillment. In the definite witness of love that God has made manifest in the cross of Christ, all the barriers of enmity have already been torn down (cf. Eph 2:12-18), and for those who live a new life in Christ, racial and cultural differences are no longer causes of division (cf. Rom. 10:12; Gal. 3:26-28; Col. 3:11).
(Compendium, No. 431)
This same Jesus promised to his disciples the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the Counselor, the helper who he stated would not come until he went away. "And when he comes," Jesus told his disciples, "he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned." (John 16: 8-11)
Thanks to the Spirit, the Church is aware of the divine plan of unity that involves the entire human race (cf. Acts 17:26), a plan destined to reunite in the mystery of salvation wrought under the saving Lordship of Christ (cf. Eph 1:8-10) all of created reality, which is fragmented an scattered. From the day of Pentecost, when the Resurrection is announced to diverse peoples, each of whom understand it in their own language (cf. Acts 2:6), the Church fulfills her mission of restoring and bearing witness to the unity lost at Babel. Due to this ecclesial ministry, the human family is called to rediscover its unity and recognize the richness of its differences, in order to attain "full unity in Christ."(Compendium, No. 431) (quoting VII, LG, 1)
The Church's universality is explained by this "new humanity" that is to arise as the Church preaches its Gospel and fulfills her Lord's command to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 28:19). This is a "new humanity" not to be brought out by man's efforts, but a "new humanity" wrought by the mission of God in Christ.
The unity of mankind envisioned by the Church is deeply, fundamentally Patrological, Christological and Pneumatological, that is to say Trinitarian. It is informed by Christ, who taught us of the Father, and who promised the Holy Spirit. It is informed by the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Church therefore has a "divine agenda," a holy agenda, a Trinitarian agenda entirely separate and apart from the machinations and designs of men.
"The Christian message," to wit, the Gospel, "offers a universal vision of the life of men and peoples on the earth that makes us realize the unity of the human family." The Compendium makes clear that this unity is the work of God, and not the work of man:
This unity is not to be built on the force of arms, terror or abuse of power; rather, it is the result of that "supreme model of unity, which is a reflection of the intimate life of God, one God in three Persons, ... what we Christians mean by the word 'communion'"; it is an achievement of the moral and cultural force of freedom.
(Compendium, No. 432)
The unity of all mankind, as the Church understands it, is a fruit of the Gospel, and not of any other religious, philosophical, or political tradition.
The Christian message has been decisive for making humanity understand that peoples tend to unite not only because of various forms of organization, politics, economic plans or in the name of an abstract ideological internationalism, but because they freely seek to cooperate, aware "that they are living members of the whole human family."(Compendium, No. 432) (quoting J XXIII, Pacem in terris, 296)
This is part and parcel of the mandate given to the Church by her Lord to preach to all nations, and bring them into her fold. The unity of men in nature, the nature of the Old Adam, is to made real in the supernatural unity promised them in Christ.
The world community must be presented, over and over again and with ever increasing clarity, as the concrete figure of the unity willed by the Creator.(Compendium, No. 432) The "figure of unity" is, of course, the new Adam, Christ.
Grace, one may recall, supposes, builds upon, and does not destroy nature. Hence it is that the unity willed by God as reflected in the expressed will of Christ, the new Adam, recognizes a pre-existing unity of all men upon which this supernatural unity in Grace is to be achieved. It is with this understanding that the Compendium closes the introduction to its handling of the international community by quoting John XXIII's encyclical, Pacem in terris (292):
"The unity of the human family has always existed, because its members are human beings all equal by virtue of their natural dignity. Hence there will always exist the objective need to promote, in sufficient measure, the universal common good, which is the common good of the entire human family."(Compendium, No. 432)
Why does the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church spend its opening paragraphs on the international community on the Biblical narrative? Why this sort of excursus?
Because the Compendium wants to communicate the fact that the Church's vision of the international community is not a secular humanistic vision, but is a Biblical vision, indeed a Christological vision, where "God may be all in all," omnia in omnibus, πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν. (1 Cor. 15:28)
The Church is not interested in building a "tower of unbelief," but she is interested in building the City of God. She looks to the Lord on the Cross, who uttered the words, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani (Matt. 27:46), a reference to the opening words of Psalm 22, a Psalm which itself contains the intendment of the Church's teaching, a Psalm which we may quote in the same languages as those contained under the sign that Jesus languished in the eyes of the world, but, in the eyes of God, emerged a victor over sin and death:
μνησθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται(Psalm 22:27-28 [21:28-29])
πρὸς κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς
καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου
πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν
ὅτι τοῦ κυρίου ἡ βασιλεία
καὶ αὐτὸς δεσπόζει τῶν ἐθνῶν
recordabuntur et convertentur ad Dominum
omnes fines terrae
et adorabunt coram eo
universae cognationes gentium,
quia Domini est regnum
et dominabitur gentibus
יזכרו וישבו אל־יהוה כל־אפסי־ארץ
וישתחוו לפניך כל־משפחות גוים׃
כי ליהוה המלוכה ומשל בגוים׃
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of nations
will bow low before him.
For kingship belongs to the LORD,
the ruler over the nations.
These are the words of the New Adam, the Son of Man.
______________________________________________
*Quoting from, and citing to, John Paul II, Address to the Fiftieth General Assembly of the United Nations (5 October 1995), 12: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 11 October 1995, p. 9.
the international community of nations
ReplyDeleteThere is NO such thing as a "community of nations".
The Lord Jesus is the prototype and foundation of the new humanity."
Christ did not bring a foundation of "new humanity".
for those who live a new life in Christ, racial and cultural differences are no longer causes of division
That is BS. I don't know how many ways you can twist things around but it if walks like duck and quacks like a duck---it's a duck. You want to say 2+2=5. Race and culture DO divide. How do you say that race and culture do not divide is by destroying race and particular culture! Are you mad? There is only way to skin a cat my friend.
The unity of mankind envisioned by the Church is deeply
This is not a Christan teaching. There is NO unity of mankind. That is Talmudic!
"The Christian message," to wit, the Gospel, "offers a universal vision of the life of men and peoples on the earth that makes us realize the unity of the human family."
Christianity is a R-E-L-I-G-I-O-N, not some socio-political movement! Are you crazy? This Compendium is about social politics---not religion.
The unity of all mankind, as the Church understands it, is a fruit of the Gospel
This is NOT the gospel. "The Unity of all mankind" is a Talmudic/Masonic teaching and trying to dress a wolf in a bishop's garb is not going to make a wolf "Christian". The unity of mankind is NOT a teaching of Christ.
The unity of men in nature
All men have the same nature as human beings, but that is NOT unity! A man is born into a Race that is a higher than the universal. The universal is shared unity that has a racial component that is attached to it. A man's loyalty is to his Race not to "mankind"!
"The unity of the human family has always existed, because its members are human beings all equal by virtue of their natural dignity. Hence there will always exist the objective need to promote, in sufficient measure, the universal common good, which is the common good of the entire human family."
You can spin it any way you can, but I smell a rat. Just because you put "Christ" at the foundation of this shenanigans doesn't make it kosher!
How do you know that the Popes and Cardinals are not Masons themselves? Do you know that for a fact? I've read Malachi Martin's The Keys of This Blood and the fight over globalization. It is about the rule of the world by the Vatican which was a power play by Pope JohnPaul II.
This Compendium that you keep referring to, is a Masonic document. The Modern Church is heretical. This is heresy you are talking about. You say this isn't liberal, or Marxist or Masonic, or Talmudic, but I don't care if you put the name of Christ on it--it doesn't change a thing.
You mean to tell me that Christ negates the Natural Law of "sense of belonging" or "volkenhass"? Do you know anything of the Natural Law? What operates groups? These two laws are the Natural Law or laws of nature that operate group dynamics. You mean to tell me that the Gospel nullifies the Laws of Nature or Natural Law that Christ the Logos created?
The so-called "Compendium" is a heretical document and the Modern Church is in heresy with this and most certainly "The Church" doesn't have a clue on the real orginal Natural Law.
If gender exists in Heaven, which it does. Does NOT RACE also exist in Heaven?
ReplyDeleteIs the Blessed Virgin Mary still a woman and a Jew in Heaven?
The Old Testament was produced in order to provide metaphors for the teaching of the New Covenant Faith called Christianity. In the Exodus, let me ask you, did all the Hebrews just set up their tents anywhere they wanted to around the Tabernacle?
No. The Tribes of Israel were commanded to camp in Tribes and in a specific Order around the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is a symbol of Jesus Christ.
The camping arrangements and order and milieu of the Tabernacle is a forshadowing of Heaven. In Heaven, we are NOT going to be milling around willy-nilly! God will not approve of that. All Christians are going to be in their racial groups around Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Division will remain in heaven! That is the plan of God. We will be seated in our racial groups. Volkenhass will remain in Heaven because that is the dictates of Righteousness. All Christians will be friends up there but their duty is to their Racial Group here on earth and up there in Heaven. The Natural Law is the same here and in Heaven. The Natural Law does NOT Change and God who created the Natural Law will not countermand it either.
Lindsay:
ReplyDeleteThese are all very harsh comments. It is as if your focus on one truth blinds you to another.
There is a "community of nations." There certainly isn't one global nation. There are man nations whose peoples share one thing: their humanity. As far as I can tell, there is no nation of apes or Untermenschen.
Scripture identifies Jesus as the "new Adam." I cannot think what else this is trying to tell us except that he is an analogue to the "old Adam." The "old Adam" was patriarch of all humanity, a fallen and unredeemed humanity. The "new Adam" is patriarch of a redeemed humanity. I think it is within the scope of this reality to describe humankind after Christ a "new humanity." Why, after all, we separate ages acknowledging that something of a watershed occurred when the God-Man walked on earth, dividing history into B.C. and A.D.
That culture and race divide in one way is certainly true. No one is arguing that, from a natural, empirical perspective, there are no more races or tribes or peoples. The proposition that this is what the Church intends is absurd. What the Church proposes is what St. Paul proposes in Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew, nor Greek . . male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Obviously, from one vantage point Jews and Greeks and men and women still exist. St. Paul is not saying that Greekness and Jewishness and femininity and masculinity disappear. He is saying that they have something know that helps them over come those divisions so that something greater that these divisions exist to bring them together.
The unity that is discussed in this article is not a socio-political unity; it is an ontological unity (based upon our common nature) and spiritual unity (based upon our common redemption in Christ). Jesus did not come to found a secular polity, much less a one world government. His Kingdom was not of this world. But unity he taught, and prayed for in the High Priestly Prayer, among other places.
Our human nature is the universal, and it is expressed, like all universals only in particulars. Humanity as such does not exist as such, but it exists in you, in me, in the Ayatollah Khamenei, in the Dalai Lama, and in Pope Benedict XVI, as well as all other billions and billions on this earth. It is expressed in different races and tribes and peoples of this earth. As such, humanity-as-universal is learned only from abstracting from the humanity-in-concrete. But to suggest from this that the concrete has no duty to the universal seems unfathomable. Which human being is it, in your view, to whom I owe zero duty? Which man on earth do I have no loyalty? Which man on earth may I lie to, kill though innocent, commit adultery with his wife with impunity? I say that there is no such man; ergo, I have a duty to mankind in general. This is not to say I do not have duties or loyalties to small subsets of mankind, to "our own" as Burke put it.
Christ does not negate any natural inclinations. I take your term "volkenhaas" to be a sort of hyperbole (like odium theologicum). We should be partial to our tribe, to our race, to our peoples. I have made this clear in prior responses to you. But we should not be so partial to these so as to neglect our common humanity. An extreme "volkenlieb" which treats other peoples as untermenschen is, of course, the racist error of Hitler, the tribal error of Islam. Worship of race is idolatry, a perversion by extreme of the natural order of things. What can be a virtue (partiality to one's own) can be come a vice by excess or defect. So someone who believes in "humanity" without regard to one's own (Rousseau is a perfect example) sins. Similarly, someone who believes in one's own without regard to humanity sins by excess.
To accuse the Compendium and the Church which issued it of heresy is a rather temerarious charge, and I wonder what favorable vantage point you have, and what insight and guidance you have, which the Church does not enjoy.
ReplyDeleteNot all the Compendium has teachings that are of the faith of or morals, and much is prudential and so open to argument and legitimate disagreement. But to accuse the Magisterium of heresy is to make oneself Pope.
I'm sure in our resurrected bodies, race, like sex, remains. We do not become some sort of bland "humanity," nor do we become androgynous. But while race and sex remain, so does our essential humanity. In fact, you cannot have sex or race unless you are human. Humanity is the substrate upon which sex and race are founded.
ReplyDeleteHow we gather around the Lord is unknown to me. I would have to split up in at least 16 different ways, in 16 different races and tribes, given my inheritance. I should not think heaven very pleasant if my body has to be chopped up into 16 parts to comply with your requirement that races, not men, gather around the Lord.