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I want to know Christ

(Phil 3:10)

           In the preparation for the Jubilee of the Year 2000, Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, declared that “the first year, 1997, will be devoted to reflection on Christ, the Word of God, made man by the power of the Holy Spirit.” With this in mind, Couples for Christ chose the theme “Fix your eyes on Jesus” (cf. Hebrews 12:2) for its 16^th Anniversary celebrations. Couples for Christ also launched Frank Padilla’s third book, Focused on Christ.

            Since God created us in His own image, and since “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1), our hearts and souls crave to know Christ, the Word of God. Like St. Paul, our spirits cry out: I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Phil 3:10-11).

            The Gospels are our best source of information about Christ. But we must clearly understand that the Gospels are not biographies of Jesus. The Gospels are exactly that – gospels. They are not meant to tell a life story but to proclaim the Good News. And the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John proclaim the good news that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of man, Son of God, who through his death and resurrection has given us eternal life.

            We will better appreciate the Gospels when we realize that the four evangelists have drawn somewhat different pictures of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark gives us more insight into Jesus as truly human, while the Gospel of John more insight into Jesus as truly God. If we imagine a scale where Jesus is portrayed from a lowly Servant to an exalted Messiah and Son of God, then the scale moves from the Gospel of Mark, to Luke, to Matthew and then to John.

            In the Gospel of Mark, we have a very human Jesus crying out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk 15:34). In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ last words are, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). The Johannine Jesus is in control even up to the end, accomplishing everything that the Father has given him to do. In Mark, Jesus is the Son of man who came to serve. In John, he is the Son of God who came to save.

            My brothers and sisters, we cannot read the Gospels and remain unchanged. When we read the Gospels, we encounter Jesus; and when we encounter Jesus we are transformed. Indeed Jesus comes alive in the Gospels. In Mark, he is the Suffering Servant, the Son of man; in Luke, he is the Prophet and Savior; in Matthew, he is the Great Teacher, the new and perfect Moses; and in John, he is the Word of God, the Son of God.

            As we read the Gospels, from Mark’s opening line, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk 1:1) to the conclusion of the Gospel of John, “But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:31), a picture will begin to form. It will then take on life, until a living person emerges. That person is Jesus of Nazareth who invites us to Come and see  (Jn 1:39), and who tells us, Follow me (Jn 1:43).

            If we come, we will see who Jesus really is. If we follow, we must join him all the way to the cross. To know Christ is to know the cross. Once we have come to terms with the cross, we can begin to know Jesus and proclaim him as Lord and Savior.

            The cross of Jesus is both language and parable. It is language because it communicates to us a message. The message is that the Son of God died so that we might live. It is parable because it conveys a lesson. The lesson is that our sins are the very nails that fastened Christ on the cross. But evil, sin and death are overcome by the power of the resurrection. And by sharing in the suffering of Christ, we will obtain our own resurrection from death.

            In his Apostolic Letter Salvifici Dolores, Pope John Paul II shares his reflection on Philippians 3:10-11: The Cross of Christ throws salvific light, in a most penetrating way, on man’s life and in particular on his suffering. For through faith the Cross reaches man together with the Resurrection: the mystery of the Passion is contained in the Paschal Mystery. The witnesses of Christ’s Passion are, at the same time, witnesses of his Resurrection. Paul writes: “That I may know him (Christ) and the power of his Resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Truly, the Apostle first experienced the “power of the Resurrection” of Christ, on the road to Damascus, and only later, in this paschal light, reached that “sharing in his sufferings” of which he speaks, for example, in the Letter to the Galatians. The path of Paul is clearly paschal: sharing in the Cross of Christ comes about through the experience of the Risen One, therefore through a special sharing in the Resurrection.

            My brothers and sisters, to know Jesus is to be “sharers in the resurrection of Christ.” But the power of Christ’s resurrection is experienced most forcefully in the weakness of suffering. And to know the cross is to “share in the sufferings of Christ.” Therefore, if we want to truly know Jesus we have to be prepared to get out of our “comfort zones.”

            We find it easy to serve in Couples for Christ while we enjoy the comforts of life as expatriates in Jakarta. But when our spouses are not around to assist us; when we feel that our leaders do not seem to appreciate our work; when we start hearing criticisms about our work or decisions; when we cannot have things done our way; or when we have to make adjustments in the schedules of our other activities, then our service begins to falter. We are unable to come out of our comfort zones!

            Unless we are able to share in the sufferings of Christ, we will never be able to truly know Jesus. But once we are able to make the decision to get out of our comfort zones and share even a little bit of the Cross of Christ, then we will begin to know Jesus and develop a personal relationship with him. And then we will have the courage to proclaim him and the Gospel.

            Once we know Christ, we are obliged to proclaim him. Woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! (1 Cor 9:16). We need to know Christ first before we can proclaim him because “the subject of proclamation is Christ who was crucified, died and is risen: through him is accomplished our full and authentic liberation from evil, sin and death; through him God bestows “new life” that is divine and eternal. This is the “Good News” which changes man and his history, and which all persons have a right to hear” (John Paul II: Redemptoris Missio).

            My brothers and sisters, our hearts crave to know Christ. We can know Christ through the Gospels. And only when we know Christ can we proclaim him. Indeed we must proclaim him. But when we make the decision to proclaim him, we must be ready to share his cross. For when we share his cross, we also share in his resurrection. And therefore we can share eternal life with him. This is the good news!

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