Christ Lives Forever
From a letter by Fulgentius of Ruspe, bishop(468-533)
Christ lives forever to make intercession for us
Narrated by Frank Dugan, Huntington Beach, California
Notice at the conclusion of our prayer we never say, “through the Holy Spirit” but rather “through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.” Through the mystery of the Incarnation, Jesus Christ became man, the mediator of God and man. He is a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek. By shedding his own blood he entered once and for all into the Holy Places. He did not enter a place made by human hands, a mere type of the true one; but, he entered heaven itself, where he is at God’s right hand interceding for us.
Quite correctly, the Church continues to reflect this mystery in her prayer.
This mystery of Jesus Christ the high priest is reflected in the apostle Paul’s statement: Through him, then, let us always offer the sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of lips that profess belief in his name. We were once enemies of the Father, but have been reconciled through the death of Christ. Through him then we offer our sacrifice of praise, our prayer to God. He became our offering to the Father, and through him our offering is now acceptable. It is for this reason that Peter the apostle urges us to be built up as living stones into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. This then is the reason why we offer prayer to God our Father, but through Jesus Christ our Lord.
When we speak of Christ’s priesthood, what else do we mean than the incarnation? Through this mystery, the Son of God, though his state was divine . . . emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave. As a slave, he humbled himself and in obedience he even accepted death. Even though he possessed equality with the Father, he became a little less than the angels. Always equal to the Father, the Son became a little less because he became a man. Christ lowered himself when he emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave.
By this condition, Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, though himself ever remaining God, became a priest. To him along with the Father, we offer our sacrifice. Yet, through him the sacrifice we now offer is holy, living and pleasing to God. Indeed, if Christ had not sacrificed himself for us, we could not offer any sacrifice. For it is in him that our human nature becomes a redemptive offering. When we offer our prayers through him, our priest, we confess that Christ truly possesses the flesh of our race. Clearly the Apostle refers to this when he says: Every high priest is taken from among men. He is appointed to act on behalf of these same men in their relationship to God; he is to offer gifts and sacrifices to God.
We do not, however, only say “your Son” when we conclude our prayer. We also say, “who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit. In this way we commemorate the natural unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is clear, then, that the Christ who exercises a priestly role on our behalf is the same Christ who enjoys a natural unity and equality with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of Readings
Saint Fulgentius (468-533) was born in 468 of a noble Roman senatorial family of Carthage. He helped manage the family estate when his father died and was well known for his ability. He was appointed procurator and tax receiver of Byzacena but then, at twenty-two, he was led to the religious life by the writings of St. Augustine, whose influence remained with him the rest of his life. He entered a monastery governed by an orthodox bishop, Faustus, who had been driven from his see by Arian King Huneric. Fulgentius’ mother caused such an uproar with over Faustus accepting her son into the monastery that both Faustus and Fulgentius left to enter another monastery nearby. In 499 they were forced to flee the invading Numidians and went to Sicca Veneria. There they were arrested by an Arian priest who had them scourged and tortured. But they refused to apostatize from their orthodoxy and they were eventually released. Fulgentius went to Rome to visit the tombs of the apostles and on his return to Byzacena built another monastery there and became its abbot. He lived as a hermit but in 508 was appointed bishop of Ruspe.
He became a defender of the Catholic position upholding veneration of images of the saints when the Byzantine Emperors had issued edicts prohibiting this practice. Fulgentius produced a collection of outstanding written works, among them Fount of Wisdom, on philosophy, heresies, and the orthodox faith, and De Fide Orthodoxa, a comprehensive presentation of the teachings of the Greek Fathers on the main Christian doctrines. This work is one of the most notable theological presentations of antiquity. He died at Sabas in 533 at the age of 65, and was the last of the Greek Fathers of the Church. He was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1890.