Since this inevitably shows up whenever the “great saint debate” rears its ugly head, let’s talk about Christ’s role as sole mediator for a second. We often use “mediator” and “intercessor” as interchangeable words, because they both involve action on behalf of another, but they’re not the same.
“Mediator” refers to a person reconciling two different parties. “Intercessor” refers to a person approaching a more powerful party on behalf of a less powerful party.
Jesus is the sole Mediator. In His Incarnation, human nature and Divine nature are united in a single Person. That seeming insurmountable gap between humanity and God is closed by the Incarnation specifically because of this hypostatic union. God became man so that man could share in the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The union of humanity and Divinity that occurs microcosmicly in Jesus is the source for the macrocosmic reconciliation between God and man. Does that make sense?
The statement that Jesus is sole Mediator occurs right after Saint Paul calls us to act as intercessors. He asks us to pray on behalf of worldly authorities. Throughout the epistles, we are called to act as intercessors for one another, and Paul himself acts as intercessor by praying on behalf of the Christian communities that he is writing to. We know that this intercession is efficacious as a result of this saving work of Jesus, as He said “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
So, long story short: Jesus is the only Mediator, but He is not the only intercessor. At the same time, however, all intercession is only possible because of Christ’s role as Mediator.
Tag: Catholic
“I remember thinking to myself, these Catholics believe so many strange things that I’ll never figure them all out, even if I have a lifetime, because they say it took the church thousands of years to figure them out. But I’ve reduced it to one question now: what was the early church like? Did Jesus found a Protestant church that went bad, that is, Catholic, in the Middle Ages, or did he found a Catholic church that went bad, that is, Protestant, at the Reformation? And I can find that out just by reading the Church Fathers, the earliest Christians. So I’ll read the earliest documents of church history, prove to myself how Protestant they were, and justify my staying a Protestant, and that’ll overcome my temptation to become a Catholic. Well, you know the rest of the story, especially if you’ve read Cardinal Newman’s conversion story; that was basically his point. It was really one basic point: is it a historical fact that Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church, or not? Is there continuity between the Catholic Church today and the thing the Gospels tell us that Jesus founded? If yes, be a Catholic; if no, don’t. And you don’t have to be a theologian to figure that out — just read the books.”
October dedicated to the Holy Rosary
“Since the prayers of the Rosary come from such excellent sources — from Our Lord Himself, from inspired Scripture, and from the Church — it is not surprising that the Rosary is so dear to our Blessed Mother and so powerful with heaven.
Tfw people ask for some of your Altoids only to realize that you are just very very Catholic
“There are more than forty reasons [I am Catholic]…here are forty of mine.”
3. Because Jesus is present in every consecrated Host
Jesus is available to me in His body and in His soul in every Mass, in my body and in my soul. And I need Him.
…I am God’s prodigal son, and I need to come home, and home is wherever Jesus is, and He is there. That is why I have to go there: because I need to fall at His feet in repentance and adoration and unutterable joy.
– Peter Kreeft, Forty Reasons I Am A Catholic
Since this inevitably shows up whenever the “great saint debate” rears its ugly head, let’s talk about Christ’s role as sole mediator for a second. We often use “mediator” and “intercessor” as interchangeable words, because they both involve action on behalf of another, but they’re not the same.
“Mediator” refers to a person reconciling two different parties. “Intercessor” refers to a person approaching a more powerful party on behalf of a less powerful party.
Jesus is the sole Mediator. In His Incarnation, human nature and Divine nature are united in a single Person. That seeming insurmountable gap between humanity and God is closed by the Incarnation specifically because of this hypostatic union. God became man so that man could share in the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The union of humanity and Divinity that occurs microcosmicly in Jesus is the source for the macrocosmic reconciliation between God and man. Does that make sense?
The statement that Jesus is sole Mediator occurs right after Saint Paul calls us to act as intercessors. He asks us to pray on behalf of worldly authorities. Throughout the epistles, we are called to act as intercessors for one another, and Paul himself acts as intercessor by praying on behalf of the Christian communities that he is writing to. We know that this intercession is efficacious as a result of this saving work of Jesus, as He said “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
So, long story short: Jesus is the only Mediator, but He is not the only intercessor. At the same time, however, all intercession is only possible because of Christ’s role as Mediator.
This morning at Mass, I witnessed something I have never seen, and words still mostly fail me.
Our priest gave a powerful homily. He explained how poor ecclesiology has disempowered lay people &, in simple terms, how we must view this crisis as systemic. He affirmed the statement on the bishops’ resignation. He concluded by calling for radical lay-led structural reform. /2
Then he sat down.
And then, in the fifth row, a dad stood up. “HOW?” he pleaded. “TELL US HOW.” His voice was shaking and determined and terrified. His collared shirt was matted to his back with sweat. /3Jaws dropped. My eyes filled with tears. I’ve belonged to call-and-response parishes. This isn’t one. This is a big, middle of the road parish in a wealthyish Southeast college town. In such contexts it’s hard to imagine a more subversive act than doing what that dad just did. /4
The priest stood up again. He looked the dad in the eyes, and he answered him slowly and haltingly and thoughtfully. The whole thing was so stunning I don’t even remember what he said. But what he didn’t say was, “Sir, please have a seat,” or “We can talk after Mass.” /5
He could have cited preservation of liturgical solemnity as an excuse to dismiss the man and thus escape this terribly uncomfortable moment. Instead, he let this father’s cry interrupt us. He allowed himself to be put on the spot, to answer for things he didn’t do. /6
“I have a son,” the dad said. “He’s going to make his first communion. What am I supposed to tell him?” In his searching, halting response, the priest made space for the wrenching inadequacy of every possible response to be laid bare. /7
This was not a brief, dismissive exchange. 10 minutes at least, and the two also talked at length after mass. At the end of mass, the priest offered to invite the Bishop to the parish for a listening session. “And if he won’t come, I will.” /8
The holy rawness of that dad’s lament and the renegotiation of power it effected transformed the experience of the liturgy in ways that far exceed my ability to articulate them in this moment. /9
People don’t want finessed press releases. They want to name their betrayal out loud, in public, in sacred space, before the tabernacle, before God and one another. They want to be listened to without condescension. They don’t want easy answers. They want contrition. /10
When I was a kid I had a boil on my leg. The doctor lanced it and the foul yellow pus poured and squirted out. The smell made me gag. A huge, repulsive, wicked boil in the Church is being lanced – have hope. Jesus is the Healer.
the prevailing narrative tumblr has about Jesus being “a cool dude” is so… tepid. like don’t get me wrong. he was a poor Jewish man in Roman-occupied Palestine and he spent his time with people who were shunned, disabled, disenfranchised, prostituted, oppressed. (and so should everyone, especially those who follow Jesus.)
but he did more than that. he so radically changed those people that they died brutally instead of saying he wasn’t God.
when you look at what Jesus said and did and how totally he affected the world, it’s just—“cool” does not cut it. like c.s. lewis said. this lukewarm stuff about Jesus being a good man, or even a progressive one—it’s just patronizing. he demanded all or nothing for a reason.
I remember back when I grew up in an anti-Catholic Baptist church, one argument I always heard about that “refuted” the Catholic Church was the existence of bad popes but now that I’m actually Catholic it’s kinda like, “The fact that we had these freaking weirdos and came out strong just shows the Lord is more generous than we deserve”
Wide Spread Interests 