The Catholic Proposal: Jesus Christ is Lord

The Catholic proposal articulates God’s plan for man to share in his own blessed life. This plan is made possible by Jesus Christ and entrance into the Church through the sacrament of Baptism. Through repentance, faith in Christ, and Baptism, men become the adopted children of God, and thus heirs to the kingdom of God.

By Deacon Frederick Bartels
29 April 2023

Our reading from Acts (2:14, 36-41) on this 4^th Sunday of Easter takes us back in time to that day on which the apostles in the Upper Room had received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Impowered by the Spirit of God, they stepped out into a world hostile to the saving gospel. The apostles faced an atmosphere of misunderstanding and persecution, even the threat of death from Jewish authorities as well as Roman rule under the morally corrupt emperor Nero.

Given these dangers, Peter nevertheless boldly and uncompromisingly proclaims the central message of the Church. He doesn’t mince words or tone anything down. He stands up with the other apostles, raises his voice, and proclaims: “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

When the people heard this, they were “cut to the heart.”

Who Crucified Jesus?

Now, not everyone there listening to Peter had literally crucified Jesus. But they were nevertheless implicated in bringing about the death of Christ on the cross in some way. What was the connection? Sin. Christ voluntarily offered himself on the cross in expiation for the sins of mankind. He did this for the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of mankind. It is by his sacrifice, by his death on the cross, that salvation is possible.

The sins of men brought about the crucifixion of Jesus.

But we are not innocent either, my brothers and sisters. Sin is a terrible thing, a deadly thing. Although we have been baptized into Christ, we too commit many sins. The Church has very strong words in that regard. The Roman Catechism from the Council of Trent has this to say:

“We must regard as guilty all those who continue to relapse into their sins. Since our sins made the Lord Christ suffer the torment of the cross, those who plunge themselves into disorders and crimes crucify the Son of God anew in their hearts (for he is in them) and hold him up to contempt…. And when we deny him by our deeds, we in some way seem to lay violent hands on him.”

When we hear these words and look upon Christ crucified, mindful of the many times we have fallen into sin, we too are “cut to the heart.”

What is the Solution?

For us, as Catholics and Christians, the solution is repentance and the sacrament of Confession. The Eucharist, too, is the solution, for when we receive it in a state of grace, with a repentant heart, our venial sins are forgiven and cleansed away.

It’s important to emphasize, however, that if we are conscious of having committed a grave, serious sin, we must not receive the Eucharist until we have first confessed any grave sins we have committed in the sacrament of Confession. For if we receive the Eucharist, which is Christ himself, in a state of mortal sin, we are guilty of yet another mortal sin. Let us, then, examine our conscience before coming forward to receive our Lord.

Jesus is Lord

But let’s return to the foundational message of the Church: Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord. He must be at the center of our lives. As Peter tells us in Acts chapter 4, “[T]here is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). In fact, it is only through Christ that anyone can be saved, as our Lord said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). And in today’s gospel (John 10:1-10) Jesus said, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

This is the message we must transmit today. Christ is the Lord and Savior. It’s not enough to speak about God in a generic way. As Catholics and Christians, we must speak about Christ. Many people desperately need to hear this message. For we are living in society that has fallen deeply into a new kind of paganism that is not entirely unlike that of the 1^st century. In its document Gaudium et Spes, Vatican II expressed it this way:

“[O]ften men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator. Or some there are who, living and dying in this world without God, are exposed to final despair” (LG, 16).

That is an apt description of our society today. To counter this sickness and darkness which leads to death of the soul, we must bear forth the message and light of the saving gospel. This message is the Catholic proposal. Everyone has a sacred duty to present it, young and old, regardless of your state of life. That is our mission. It can even be said that we were born for this mission.

The Catholic Proposal

But what is the Catholic proposal, exactly? The Catechism outlines it in its very first paragraph:

“God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life” (CCC 1).

Notice that at the center of the Catholic proposal is God’s plan for man to share in his own blessed life. This plan is made possible by Jesus Christ and entrance into the Church through the sacrament of Baptism. Through repentance, faith in Christ, and Baptism, men become the adopted children of God, and thus heirs to the kingdom of God.

The Catholic proposal never leaves out the fact that Christ is the way to salvation. And, while it is true that men can be saved outside the Church, the Catholic proposal never leaves out the necessity of holy mother Church. It is God’s will that all people enter the Church as their home—not just some, but all people. The Church transmits the fullness of God’s revealed truth. The Church is the instrument of Christ’s salvation in the world.

The Catholic proposal never leaves out the necessity of Baptism, through which men enter the Church and the life of faith as through a doorway. For our Lord said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

Recall also what we heard in our reading from Acts. When those listening to Peter were “cut to the heart,” they asked, “What are we to do?” Peter responded by saying, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you” (Acts 2:37-38).

The Catholic proposal never leaves out the essential nature of receiving the Eucharist, for our Lord said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). Yes, it is possible for Christians to be saved without receiving the Eucharist. Nevertheless, we must never compromise or water down its importance. For to do so is to contradict our Lord’s teaching.

To sum up, let us open our eyes once again to the serious, deadly nature of sin. Let us look upon Christ crucified and repent. Let us then live out our call from the Lord and present the Catholic proposal in the face of a dark and fallen society. Let us proclaim the saving gospel: Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. It is in him alone that we find our purpose, fulfillment, and our end.

Amen!