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III. CHRIST JESUS - “MEDIATOR AND FULLNESS of ALL REVELATION” [25 DV 2.] |
III. Christus Iesus « mediator simul et plenitudo totius Revelationis » |
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God has said everything in his Word |
Deus totum in Verbo Suo dixit |
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65 “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.”[26 Heb 1:1-2] Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one, perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2: |
65 « Multifariam et multis modis olim Deus locutus patribus in Prophetis, in novissimis his diebus locutus est nobis in Filio » (Heb 1,1-2). Christus, Filius Dei homo factus, est Patris Verbum unicum, perfectum et insuperabile. Totum in Eo dixit, et aliud quam hoc non habebitur verbum. Sanctus Ioannes a Cruce, post tot alios, id modo dilucido exprimit, Heb 1,1-2 commentans: |
In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has no more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behaviour but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty.[27 St. John of the Cross, the Ascent of Mount Carmel 2, 22, 3-5: LH, Advent, week 2, Monday, OR.] |
« Dando quippe nobis, sicut dedit, Filium Suum, qui est unicum solumque Ipsius Verbum, omnia nobis simul unaque vice in hoc unico Verbo locutus est nihilque amplius habet loquendum. [...] Id enim quod antea per partes loquebatur Prophetis, iam nobis totum in Ipso dixit, Ipsum nobis totum dando, id est, Filium Suum. Quamobrem ille qui nunc vellet aliquid a Deo sciscitari, vel visionem aliquam aut revelationem ab Eo postulare, non solum stultum quid faceret, sed videretur iniuriam Deo inferre, non defigendo omnino suos oculos in Christum vel aliam rem aut novitatem extra illum requirendo ».53 |
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There will be no further Revelation |
Alia Revelatio ulterius non habebitur |
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66 “The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”[28 DV 4; cf. I Tim 6:14; Titus 2:13] Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries. |
66 « Oeconomia ergo christiana, utpote Foedus Novum et definitivum, numquam praeteribit, et nulla iam nova Revelatio publica expectanda est ante gloriosam manifestationem Domini nostri Iesu Christi ».54 Attamen, quamquam Revelatio est completa, plene explanata non est; fidei manet christianae, saeculorum decursu, omnem eius amplitudinem gradatim intelligere. |
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67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called “private” revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church. |
67 Decursu saeculorum, revelationes sic dictae « privatae » habitae sunt, quarum quaedam Ecclesiae sunt agnitae auctoritate. Hae tamen ad depositum fidei non pertinent. Earum munus definitivam Christi Revelationem « meliorare » non est vel « complere », sed adiutorium praebere ut ipsa, in quadam historiae periodo, plenius deducatur in vitam. Fidelium sensus, sub Ecclesiae Magisterii ductu, id discernere et accipere valet quod pro Ecclesia in his revelationibus germanam Christi vel sanctorum continet hortationem. |
Christian faith cannot accept “revelations” that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfilment, as is the case in certain nonChristian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such “revelations”. |
Fides christiana nequit « revelationes » accipere, quae superare vel corrigere Revelationem contendunt, cuius Christus est completio. Sic quaedam se habent religiones non christianae atque aliquae recentes sectae quae in talibus nituntur « revelationibus ». |
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9. What is the full and definitive stage of God’s Revelation?
§ 65-66; 73
The full and definitive stage of God’s revelation is accomplished in his Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the mediator and fullness of Revelation. He, being the only-begotten Son of God made man, is the perfect and definitive Word of the Father. In the sending of the Son and the gift of the Spirit, Revelation is now fully complete, although the faith of the Church must gradually grasp its full significance over the course of centuries.
“In giving us his Son, his only and definitive Word, God spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word, and he has no more to say.” (Saint John of the Cross)
10. What is the value of private revelations?
§ 67
While not belonging to the deposit of faith, private revelations may help a person to live the faith as long as they lead us to Christ. The Magisterium of the Church, which has the duty of evaluating such private revelations, cannot accept those which claim to surpass or correct that definitive Revelation which is Christ.
This Webpage was created for a workshop held at Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California in 1990