Articles by Brian Pizzalato
Understanding the Holy Spirit as a divine person
Nov 17, 2008 / 00:00 am"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:13).
St. Paul on Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
Nov 10, 2008 / 00:00 am“But may I never boast except in the cross of Christ...” – Galatians 6:14
St. Paul helps us understand truths about Jesus
Oct 6, 2008 / 00:00 amHe is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross" (Colossians 1:15-20).
At the intersection between old and new
Sep 24, 2008 / 00:00 amOddly enough, I would like to start a series of columns on the thought of St. Paul, during the “Year of St. Paul,” with a quote from St. Peter. Referring to St. Paul’s writings, he tells us, “In them there are some things hard to understand…” (2 Peter 3:16). In many ways, two millennia later, there are still some things hard to understand. However, there is one theme that runs through St. Paul’s thought that will help us understand other themes, making them at least easier to understand. It is the distinction between the old creation and the new creation, the present age and the age to come, the present world and the world to come. (cf. Dr. Brant Pitre’s CD set, The Apostle Paul: Unlocking the Mysteries of His Theology, www.brantpitre.com) St. Paul realizes that there is the old creation, and then there is the new creation inaugurated by Christ. As a result of the sinful disobedience of Adam the creation that God created “very good,” is now “subject to futility…We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now” (Romans 8:20, 22). But Christ, the new, or last, Adam, through righteous obedience, ushers in the new creation, leading us to a new heavens and a new earth. This notion is rooted in the Old Testament, through the prophet Isaiah, who proclaimed, “Lo, I am about to create a new heavens and a new earth…” (65:17). However, the definitive fulfillment of this by Christ comes only in heavenly glory. St. John, who was “caught up in the Spirit on the Lord’s day,” “saw a new heavens and a new earth…” (Revelation 1:10, 21:1). St. Paul is also undoubtedly drawing from rabbinic sources. The Jewish rabbis spoke about this present age and the age to come. But, they also spoke about overlapping period between the old and the new, and they referred to this as the days of the messiah, or the era of the messianic kingdom. If we think of all of this in terms of two overlapping circles we might get a clearer idea of what is being considered. (cf. diagram above). We have one circle representing the old creation, one circle representing the new creation, and the overlapping period representing the era of the messianic kingdom. This overlapping period begins with the incarnation, moving along with Christ’s redemptive acts in the Paschal Mystery and then to the definitive entering into the new creation with Christ’s second coming and final judgment. In the Nicene Creed, we profess belief in “the life of the world to come.” The messianic kingdom the rabbis spoke of is none other than the kingdom of heaven Christ established by giving the keys of the kingdom to Peter. Upon this rock, Christ built his church, or kingdom. St. Paul repeatedly emphasizes how the Christian life is lived at the intersection of the old and the new. We very much live in the old, which is passing. St. Paul said “...creation is groaning in labor pains even until now,” now meaning even after the death and resurrection of Christ. However, through Christ and his sacraments we truly participate in the new creation. St. Paul tells us, “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation…” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Also connected with this is the theme of the Exodus. Isaiah, throughout chapters 40-66, prophesies a new exodus. “When you pass through the water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not drown…Thus says the Lord, who opens a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, who leads out chariots and horsemen, till they lie prostrate together, never to rise, snuffed out and quenched like a wick” (43:2, 16-17). When the Messiah comes, he will inaugurate the new creation by means of a new exodus. It is not a coincidence that during the Transfiguration Jesus speaks to Elijah and Moses, the inaugurator of the old Exodus. And what does Jesus talk to Elijah and Moses about? They “spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). For St. Paul, the Christian life is a participation in this exodus from the old to the new. Getting a handle on this will help us understand St. Paul when he writes about redemption, marriage, the sacraments, flesh and spirit, law, the first Adam and the last Adam, Christ, etc. On the one hand, this overlapping period of the messianic age is much like the 40 years of wilderness wandering after the old exodus. On the other hand, it is also very much unlike those 40 years. The new Adam has come and we can truly participate in the new exodus, which brought about the new creation. Those who crossed through the Red Sea were merely “baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:2). During the 40 years they ate the old manna. We who crossed through the water of baptism are baptized into Christ, thus participating in Trinitarian life and love, thus we are able to partake of the new Manna – the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ.Printed with permission from the Northern Cross, Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota.