What a night!

What a night last Friday was! We had Adoration before and after the 7:30 Mass (for the Immaculate Conception), with a good-sized crowd showing up well before Mass and many who stayed well after Mass. Live music (by our 6 pm group, "Apostles Lips") was a powerful and welcomed addition to our Adoration experience. It also allowed me the opportunity to offer the sacrament of Reconciliation of which several people took advantage. I've heard that my reflection (on the titles of Jesus) went over well; the notes from the reflection are below.

This Friday night we will continue with the Advent series during Adoration; my reflection will be on the miracles of Christ. Ed Becker will provide the live music; I have played his CDs during Adoration before, and at least a few people have given positive feedback about his music. It will be another great treat to have him!

We will probably follow the same format as last week (minus the break for Mass) - exposition @ 7 pm, music, reflection, quiet prayer, opportunity for confession, music, and benediction. The plan is to finish @ 8ish, but it may go a bit past that, especially if confessions go for a while. Please come for at least a few minutes, and invite 2-3 friends or family members to join us. It's a great way to prepare for the coming of Christ together!
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Advent Series: Person of Christ

Dec 7: Titles of Jesus


I. Welcome
- to Adoration (every Friday)
- to series


II. Informal titles- friend, teacher, healer


III. Tonight – some of the formal titles
- Christ / Messiah
- Son of Man
- Son of God


IV. Jesus as “Christ”
- “Christ” very much in line with “messiah”
Christ: “anointed”
Messiah: God’s anointed one

- did Jesus think of himself as the messiah?
- he was profoundly conscious of being Messiah
One theologian (Wright) – if there was one thing that Jesus was conscious of, it was that he was the messiah

Mt 16:16ff
- Peter: “you are the Christ”
- not revealed by man, but by Father
- Peter exalted for using this title for Jesus

Paul uses ‘Christ’ constantly in his writings
- from day one
- indicated that Jesus took title himself


V. Jesus as “Son of Man”

- Jesus’s most common way to refer to himself
- as Jesus relates to us

- Mt 16:16ff
– “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve”
- Jesus is the servant of man

- why did God become man?
St Athanasius: “the Son of God became man so that we might become God”

- title has background in Judaism
- Daniel 7:14- Daniel’s vision of one like a “Son of Man” in glory
- compared to John’s vision in apocalyptic literature

-Christ is servant of man, but also judge of all mankind
Mk 14:62 – “you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven”


VI. Jesus as “Son of God”
- Son of Man (his relation to us), Son of God (his relation to Father)

- Resurrection is the main clue that he is Son of God
- the question for St Paul and for us
- if raised from dead, he is the Son of God
- the Father is the One who raised the Son from the dead

- Christ refers to himself as “the Son” in relation to God the Father
1) Mt 11: 25-27
“No one knows the Father but the Son…”

2) Mk 12:1-12
-parable of the wicked tenants; implies that Jesus is the son of the king (Father)

- very strong words from Jesus: many thought they were blasphemy
- No one ever called God ‘Father’- from total abstinence (OT) to total evidence (Jesus)
- new revelation about God: he has one Son, a man

- Jesus is unique Son of God
- Jews believed they were all sons of God
- Jn 5 & 15: Jesus claims to be unique Son of God

- vertical relationship w/ Father: Son of God
- horizontal rel’ship w/ us: Son of Man
- Cross
- fully human, fully divine


VII. Adoration: we are saying to the host in the monstrance:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”