Redeeming while being redeemed

THAT’S how we are in this life. We are both co-agents with

Christ in our own redemption as well as objects of such redemption

that is wrought out primarily by Christ and instrumentally by us.

            Yes, we are co-redeemers with Christ, concerned not only

of our own redemption but also that of everybody else. In fact, our

own redemption would depend on how we involve ourselves together with

Christ in the redemption of everybody else.

            This is not about falling into some psychological disorder

that some people refer to as the “Messiah complex.” It is not a

complex, because it is what we are meant to be, and who we ought to

be.

            Obviously, because of its supernatural character, it may

appear as unnatural. But what it actually does is to perfect our

humanity and elevate it to the supernatural order of the life of God

and to involve us in his redemptive work on us. That is because of all

the creatures, we are made to be his image and likeness, meant to

share in his life and in his work.

            This is a basic truth about ourselves that we need to be

most familiar with, so that we can conform ourselves to it and live it

as fully as possible. And the secret is, of course, to unite and

identify ourselves as closely as possible with Christ, assuming his

mind and heart, his desires and his life itself which he provides so

directly and easily.

            Remember that Christ as the second person of the Blessed

Trinity and the perfect image that God has of his own self is the

pattern of our humanity, and as the Son of God who became man, he is

the redeemer of our damaged or wounded humanity.

            He both does the work of redemption and shows us how we

can be redeemed by simply suffering and dying for our sin. That is why

from the beginning of his earthly mission, he already knew what was

going to happen to him. He was even predicting his passion, death and

resurrection, something that his apostles did not quite understand at

first and were hesitant to ask for an explanation.

            We need to assume the mind of Christ to be both

co-redeemers with him and the object of his redemptive work. This

means that we too need to suffer and die as Christ suffered and died

for us, so that we too can resurrect with him.

            As St. Paul said in his second letter to Timothy, “If we

died with Him (Christ), we will also live with Him. If we endure, we

will also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will also deny us. If we

are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

(2,11-13)

            What we can derive from this consideration is that our

attitude toward suffering and death in life should be the same as that

of Christ. It should be active, and not merely passive. We have to

look for it, not avoid it. As much as possible, if we are generous and

heroic, we have to look forward to a lot of suffering and to death

itself.

            That was the attitude of Christ as it was in all the

saints. The latter were not afraid to suffer and die. In fact, they

looked for it. We have to learn to look for suffering and to be happy

with it, but with the same motivation as Christ and the saints had.

            It is for the sake of our being co-redeemers with Christ

as well as the object of Christ’s redemption on us. Let’s leave behind

our fear for suffering and death. Let’s welcome them the way Christ

and the saints welcomed them.

            It’s when we assume the mind of Christ when we suffer and

die that we co-redeem with Christ as well as being redeemed by Christ.