To understand the meaning of Jesus Christ is a lifetime's work, and more than a mortal life!
One aspect that has been occupying me recently is what I term the 'cosmic' aspect - in other words the difference that the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ made for objective Reality.
I mean the sense in which 'things' everywhere and for everyone are intrinsically different AD from BC.
In other words, what differences did Jesus make aside from what we know of his life and teachings from inspired scriptures, tradition and the church (amplified by reason)?
One helpful concept is that since the death of Jesus and/ or the coming of the Holy Ghost (Pentecost) we have had Christ within-us; as a universal inner guidance system.
This means that, in principle - and perhaps necessarily also in practice - Anno Domini Christ is universally available and knowable by some kind of process of introspection and intuition; and available even to those who have not learned anything via there five senses (or who have been taught false things about him).
So, Christ is outside and inside, without and within, knowable by prayer and by meditation.
Furthermore, this kind of direct knowledge of Christ is probably both necessary and indeed sufficient for our understanding of The Gospels. What I mean is that the Gospels cannot be understood without the correct attitude and perspective for reading the Gospels - and also when the correct A & P have been established by direct knowing; then that is enough for us to understand the Gospels (not immediately in total - but to begin to build a correct understanding).
So the reality and nature of Christ is established in such a way that everybody, everywhere, can (in principle) can confirm their prayers via intuitions and vice versa. Can know the guidance both from without and from within.
And this is exactly what we need in a life of growth, development and transformation. We change, and are meant to change; and the agent of change can work from inside us as well as from outside us.
" One helpful concept is that since the death of Jesus and/ or the coming of the Holy Ghost (Pentecost) we have had Christ within-us; as a universal inner guidance system. "
ReplyDeleteNot to split hairs, but I'm pretty sure the situation was the same in Old Testament times.