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Office Of Readings | Week 2, Wednesday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Letters Of Saint Fulgentius Of Ruspe | Christ Lives For Ever To Make Intercession For Us
‘Christ lives forever to intercede for us.’
In this reading, Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe reflects on the meaning of Christian prayer and its foundation in the priestly work of Christ. His focus is on why the Church consistently prays to the Father through Jesus Christ, and how this practice expresses central truths about the Incarnation and the Trinity.
Fulgentius begins with a detail drawn from liturgical practice. Christian prayer is addressed to the Father through the Son, not through the Holy Spirit. This pattern is explained by Christ’s role as mediator. Through the Incarnation, the Son of God truly became human and thus stands between God and humanity. Drawing on the Letter to the Hebrews, Fulgentius presents Christ as the eternal high priest who entered heaven itself, not an earthly sanctuary, and who now intercedes for humanity at the right hand of the Father.
This heavenly priesthood shapes the Church’s prayer. Because Christ has reconciled humanity to the Father through his death, believers are able to offer praise and prayer that are acceptable to God. Fulgentius links this to the teaching of Saint Paul and Saint Peter, showing that Christians participate in Christ’s priestly work. They do so not independently, but by being joined to him as ‘living stones’ who offer spiritual sacrifices through Christ alone.
A central theme of the passage is the inseparable link between Christ’s priesthood and the Incarnation. For Fulgentius, to speak of Christ as priest is to affirm that the Son of God truly assumed human nature. Only because Christ shared fully in humanity could human prayer and offering become redemptive. When Christians pray through Christ, they confess that he truly possesses human flesh and represents humanity before the Father.
The reading concludes by holding together Christ’s mediating role and his divine status. Although Christ acts as priest on behalf of humanity, he remains equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit. The concluding formula of Christian prayer recalls this unity, affirming that the one who intercedes for humanity is fully divine and shares eternally in the life of the Trinity.
Throughout the reading, Fulgentius presents Christian prayer as a participation in Christ’s own offering. Prayer is not simply human speech directed towards God, but an act made possible by Christ’s Incarnation, sacrifice, and continuing intercession.
A Reading From The Letters Of Saint Fulgentius Of Ruspe | Christ Lives For Ever To Make Intercession For Us
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 Melchisedech. 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 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.
Christian Prayer With Jesus Christ
Father of heaven,
you have reconciled us to yourself
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
We thank you that he lives for ever
to intercede for us in your presence.
Teach us to pray with understanding and faith,
knowing that our praise and petitions
are made acceptable through him.
Unite our lives to his offering,
that we may become a living sacrifice before you.
Strengthen us by the mystery of the Incarnation,
in which your Son shared our humanity
and raised it up to you.
Keep us faithful to the prayer of the Church,
grounded in Christ and open to your grace.
May we live and pray
in communion with the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Intercession | Prayer made on behalf of others
Incarnation | The mystery of the Son of God becoming fully human
Mediator | One who brings two parties into relationship
High priest | One who offers sacrifice and represents the people before God
Melchisedech | A priest-king of the Old Testament, seen as a figure of Christ
Holy Places | The heavenly presence of God
Sacrifice of praise | Prayer and worship offered to God in thanksgiving
Reconciliation | Restoration of the relationship between God and humanity
Living stones | Believers joined together as the spiritual house of the Church
Priesthood | Participation in Christ’s work of offering and intercession
Redemptive offering | A sacrifice that brings salvation
Human nature | The shared nature of humanity assumed by Christ
Trinity | The one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Unity of the Holy Spirit | The divine communion shared by the Father, Son, and Spirit
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