When I was a child, I always had to memorize the Threefold Missions of Jesus Christ – Priestly, Prophetic, Kingly.
I pleasantly find out, in the Evening Prayer for this Easter Tuesday, that early on in Psalm 110 is one of the most important psalms, as early on, it had already been implying the forthcoming of Jesus the Messiah and His Messianic fulfillment as priest, prophet, king:
The Lord’s revelation to my Master:
“Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet.”
The Lord will wield from Zion
your scepter of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.
A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.
The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
“You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old.”
The Master standing at your right hand
will shatter kings in the day of his great wrath.
He shall drink from the stream by the wayside
and therefore he shall lift up his head.
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| Jesus Christ: Priest, Prophet, King |
Priest
Jesus offered Himself as sacrifice, on behalf of all, to God upon the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. This is the office of Jesus as priest. He conquered sin and death for His Resurrection, and sanctifies all those who believe with the resurrected life of the Holy Spirit. His priesthood is the perfect priesthood for it is eternal; being both divine and human, Jesus is the only and perfect mediator or the bridge between God and man, and the perfect sacrifice – the sinless lamb, for our reconciliation with God. Jesus is a unique priest for He is the offerer and the offered (the saving victim) at the same time. His priesthood is timeless, unbound of time and space, because He has sacrificed Himself for all those who came before Him, all those who were living during His life on earth, all of us in this present life, and all those who are yet to be born.
Who is Melchizedek?
He is the superior priest who blessed Abraham. Abraham defeated King Chedolaomer and his three other allied kings. And he was blessing Abraham with these words after giving him bread and wine: Blessed be Abraham by God Most High, the creator of Heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand (Genesis 14: 19-20). And that’s why I see this as parallel with it: Christ’s reign will last until all his enemies are made subject to him (1 Corinthians 15:25).
Prophet
Jesus fulfills the Law, Torah, and the Prophets, Nevi’im. The Father sent Jesus to speak for the Father and make His Father known, and bring men the Word of God in the flesh, which gives his teaching divine authority. But Jesus more than a mere prophet and teacher, “Jesus the prophet” (Matthew 21:11), as He is the Master – He teaches his own authority (Matthew 7:29). He is the messenger of God, with His holy words. Like the prophets, Jesus brought predictions of the future – He foretold his own Passion and Resurrection. Jesus calls Himself a prophet, “No prophet is accepted in his own native place.” (Luke 4:24). This is the office of Jesus as prophet. He is the best prophet – unlike Moses who just acquired the law from God, Jesus is God, the very source of the law itself. Moses brought the law from God, but Jesus is God Himself whom we hear speaking to us.
King
Jesus establishes the Kingdom of God on earth. He is not a human king. Jesus’ kingship is eternal and has no end. His kingdom is both spiritual and human. Christ is the Good Shepherd, and his flock is the Church, the people of God. Our Church is the seed, the sign, the instrument of the kingdom of God, distinct from Jesus and the kingdom of God, but is indissolubly united to both, ordered toward the kingdom of God. Jesus is the head of the Church, who is His mystical body, the king of the kingdom of Heaven and of earth. He legislates the laws, executes them, and judges. This is the office of Jesus as king.
The Jews wanted to have a political leader to claim back their greatness and reunite their kingdoms for their ‘peace’. To this day, Jews await for their ‘Messiah’. Since they couldn’t accept that Jesus was the Messiah, post-Christian Judaism is incomplete. Catholicism is the one true religion, the completion of the Jewish religion.
The Divine Plan for the organization of human society may be represented diagrammatically as follows:GOD
(in three divine Persons)
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Our Lord Jesus Christ who, as head of His mystical body, the Catholic Church, supernatural andsupranational, is High-Priest and King of redeemed humanity.
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His priesthood is shared in by the Pope, bishops, and priests, through the sacramental character of Order, and by the faithful, through the characters of baptism and confirmation.
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His Kingship is both spiritual and temporal. The spiritual kingship comprises the right of intervention in temporal affairs. The temporal royalty of our Lord is universal. Our Blessed Mother is queen of His kingdom.
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The spiritual kingship of Christ is shared in by the Pope and the bishops.
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The universal temporal kingship of our Lord is shared in by the rulers of states and nations.
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Politics
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Economics
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“Christ the King”
http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/a-priest-of-god-most-high.html
http://catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/judaism/conversion.htm#II
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2013-11-24
Now that I’m loving the Liturgy of the Hours so much, that I can fully appreciate and understand what they truly mean.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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