FS #35: Dogmatic Christocentrism, Part 7 – Jul 10 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jul 10, 2023, where he continues his series on Franciscan Spirituality, explaining how the three mediations of Christ of creation, grace, and glory relate to the doctrinal Christocentric basis of this spirituality.

Franciscan spirituality centers on Jesus Christ as the mediator of creation, grace, and glory. If we question why Jesus exists, the answer lies in St. Paul's affirmation that everything and everyone exists for the glory of God and for Christ, alluding to '1 Corinthians 3:23 - All belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/3?23'.

St. Paul's words in 'Colossians 1:15-17 - Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and in him, all things were created - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/1?15', reinforce the concept of Jesus as the mediator of creation. Although Jesus arrives in time after Adam, his arrival marks the "fullness of time" according to 'Galatians 4:4 - When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/galatians/4?4'.

As the mediator of grace, 'John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, full of grace and truth - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?14', depicts Jesus' role in helping us connect with the supernatural. Grace comes from Him, making us divine children by adoption, as outlined in 'Ephesians 1:5-6 - God predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/1?5' and 'John 1:16 - From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?16'.

As the mediator of glory, Jesus embodies the divine purpose of creation. '1 Corinthians 2:8 - None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/2?8' and 'John 17:4-5 - I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/17?4', highlight this role. Through him, we achieve our glorious end.

Franciscan theology thus views Christ as the mediator of nature, grace, and glory.

00:00 – Introduction
00:13 – Dogmatic Christocentrism & Christ as Mediator of Creation, Grace, and Glory
00:25 – The Existence of Jesus Christ & The Purpose of Our Existence
01:36 – Christ as the Mediator of Creation
02:02 – The Sequential Creation & Arrival of Jesus
03:24 – Christ as the Mediator of Grace
05:18 – The Flow of Grace & The Church as the Body of Christ
06:34 – The Marvelous Plan of God & The Universal Sanctifying Mediation of Christ
08:16 – Christ as the Mediator of Glory
08:33 – Conclusion: The Works of God Realized through Christ

This is a continuation of his series of homilies on Franciscan Spirituality - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNN151zTIO4&list=PLejh_e0-LN4xgMllKrzSasL2Hljd5BHom

The material for this series comes primarily from Ciccarelli, Marciano M., "I capisaldi della spiritualità francescana" in Italian, which translates as "The Cornerstones of Franciscan Spirituality". No English translations exist at the time of this recording.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Veronica Giuliani - http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1954 
Readings: Monday 14th Week of Ordinary Time - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/071023.cfm
1st: gen 28:10-22
Resp: psa 91:1-4, 14-15
Gsp: mat 9:18-26

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=673&r=1438

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