He sits at the right hand of God, the Father, almighty and He will come to judge the living and the dead.
Sitting on the left and sitting on the right are customs familiar to the cultures of the Middle East. Now I am left handed, so I should take offense--but I promise that I won't! The left is considered bad, evil and the like. Even the term for left hand in Latin is sinister. That term sinister has, indeed, taken on sinister meanings over the centuries. Those who were not worthy of respect were place to the left of a host, king or other in authority. The right hand was reserved for the special and worthy person. Now, who would ever be more worthy of respect and worship than Jesus Christ? Jesus takes His place at the right hand of God. Jesus takes his seat of authority.
We are also told in our Creed that Jesus is not yet finished. He is also in charge of judging the living and the dead. The power of Jesus reign is before us now. He is now at the right hand of God the Father ready to judge us. The glory of God shines forth in this statement and the very divine mercy of God is right before us in that Divine Judge, Jesus Christ. It was Jesus, himself, who ransomed us from death brought about by sin. The very death and resurrection that we just professed tells us that!
In returning to the Catholic Church, I gained a deeper understanding and a much deeper awe for this very simple, yet profound Creed. Yes, in my Protestant days, I studied all about the salvation history of Jesus Christ, but little emphasis was placed on the very simple, yet deep words of the Creed.When I left the Church, I had no idea of how much she really meant to me. The Church held the Truth all along, but my eyes were quite blind to the riches set before me. I needed to struggle to come to a meaningful appreciation for our One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church! The loving and saving power of God is present in every aspect of our holy Church! And this means that God is truly with us!
No comments:
Post a Comment