Mar 25, 2025 Written by 

4th Sunday in Lent (2Cor 5,17-21)

(2Cor 5,17-21)

4th Sunday in Lent (year C)

 

2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away, behold new things have come into being.

2Corinthians 5:18 But all this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation.

2Corinthians 5:19 For it was God who reconciled the world to himself in Christ, not imputing their trespasses to men, and entrusting to us the word of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:20 We therefore act as ambassadors for Christ, as if God were exhorting through us. We beseech you in the name of Christ: be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 He who knew no sin, God dealt with him as sin on our behalf, that we might become through him the righteousness of God.

 

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold new things are born." Paul gives an essay of his view according to faith. Literally from the Greek it is: 'If one in Christ a new creation', without a verb. He does not say: 'If one believes in Christ...', but says 'If one in Christ'; he does not use the verb to be. If one is placed in Christ, that is, if there is this identification with Christ, then one is another reality, a new creature. What has come into being with Christ's resurrection is a new reality.

Faith makes us one with Christ, because it makes us one body in Christ. Christ is the newness of God. Christ is the new man who came to make all things new. If we are in Christ, we share in his newness of love and truth. What is the consequence of this newness? The abandonment of old things. Old, for Paul, is all the past lived without Christ or in expectation of him.

Another consequence is this: the old things in Christ no longer exist; if we make them exist, then we are no longer vitally united to Christ; we are in Christ by reason of our baptism, but we are not in Christ as a participation in his grace and truth.

This is another great principle of Pauline anthropology, which is then Christian anthropology. Having become new creatures in Christ obliges us to live as such. It obliges us to live in newness of life, and the newness of life for Paul is only one: to reproduce the life of Christ in our members, because we are his body.

The Church not only has the obligation to proclaim Christ, it also has the obligation to help each member of Christ to develop all the newness that Christ has created in him through his holy Spirit. The Church must be a teacher and guide so that each of her children manifests Christ in deeds and thoughts. That is why, in addition to being missionary, she must also be the formator of those who already believe in Christ. Without this work of formation, the mission itself vanishes. The Christian mission cannot be carried out except by those who live of Christ, in Christ and for Christ. It is the Church's task to commit all her energy so that God's people may grow in truth, grace, holiness and spirituality.

The Church will not be able to do this if it loses sight of being light in the midst of men. A light that fades is no longer seen by anyone; whereas a light that grows and grows ever larger can attract men from far and wide. This is the way of the Church: the spiritual, doctrinal, sapiential formation of her children.

"All this, however, comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation". Here we come to the great theme of reconciliation. Why is Paul writing this letter? To reconcile with the Corinthians. So he arrives at the summit by emphasising the love of Christ who gave himself; this is the cause that reconciles, that brings back together. Reconciliation is through Christ, but on this the disagreements begin, or rather the falsehoods begin. Everyone affirms redemption through Christ, but not redemption at the creation in us of the newness that is Christ. One cannot affirm that man has been made a new creature in Christ without affirming that he is called to live this new life.

A redemption conceived only as final salvation, without the newness that Christ has produced in us, is a Protestant redemption, it is not biblical redemption, it is not Catholic redemption, because this is not the redemption that Jesus Christ came to work in our midst.

"For it was God who reconciled the world to himself in Christ". Paul now explains what reconciliation consists in. By sin, man has contracted a guilt before Him. This guilt deserves a penalty, which is man's eternal death. God, by Christ's sacrifice offered on the cross, by His obedience unto death and death on a cross, no longer imputes this guilt. So the important action was done by Christ and he entrusted the apostles with the ministry of reconciliation. There is a quarrel, between God and man; it is evident that God is right and man is wrong. At this point, to achieve reconciliation, what is to be done? In the world he who is wrong pays! There is the penalty and there are the costs of the trial: the one who is wrong pays; after that one gets right and is reconciled. Here, on the other hand, reconciliation takes place by not making the wrongdoer pay, and this announcement of reconciliation without payment of the penalty and costs is entrusted to the apostles.

It should be pointed out that Christian reconciliation is not only the non-charging of the sins committed. This is only one part of reconciliation. Christian reconciliation on the one hand confesses the forgiveness of sins, on the other hand it is incorporation into Christ, it is being made new creatures in Christ. All these aspects of reconciliation are essential and must be taught, otherwise reconciliation can also be reduced to a purely legal fact. The Lord does not impute sin to us, but we remain as we are. This is not the Christian truth of reconciliation, but is Calvinist doctrine.

"We therefore act as ambassadors for Christ, as if God were exhorting through us. We beseech you in the name of Christ: be reconciled to God." The teaching now turns into a heartfelt invitation to accept God's gift. It is not enough that God has reconciled the world in Christ: it is urgent that each one of us allow ourselves to be reconciled in Christ by God, and allow ourselves to be reconciled by accepting the word of the gospel, the truth of Christ, into our hearts. Letting oneself be reconciled with God, inviting every man to welcome the word of salvation, is the ever new invitation that the Church must make to every man. This is the way of salvation. Others do not exist.

The missionary action of the Church begins with a strong invitation to conversion. The invitation to conversion, to reconciliation must be explicit, clear, evident. It cannot be assumed, nor made by half sentences or allusions. This is not the method of Jesus Christ, it is not the style of Paul, it is not the way of the saints.

 Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books 

- Revelation - exegetical commentary 

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers - Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ true God and true Man in the Trinitarian mystery

The prophetic discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

 Catholics and Protestants compared - In defence of the faith

 

(Buyable on Amazon)

 

 

 

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Argentino Quintavalle

Argentino Quintavalle è studioso biblico ed esperto in Protestantesimo e Giudaismo. Autore del libro “Apocalisse - commento esegetico” (disponibile su Amazon) e specializzato in catechesi per protestanti che desiderano tornare nella Chiesa Cattolica.

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Christians are a priestly people for the world. Christians should make the living God visible to the world, they should bear witness to him and lead people towards him. When we speak of this task in which we share by virtue of our baptism, it is no reason to boast (Pope Benedict)
I cristiani sono popolo sacerdotale per il mondo. I cristiani dovrebbero rendere visibile al mondo il Dio vivente, testimoniarLo e condurre a Lui. Quando parliamo di questo nostro comune incarico, in quanto siamo battezzati, ciò non è una ragione per farne un vanto (Papa Benedetto)
Because of this unique understanding, Jesus can present himself as the One who reveals the Father with a knowledge that is the fruit of an intimate and mysterious reciprocity (John Paul II)
In forza di questa singolare intesa, Gesù può presentarsi come il rivelatore del Padre, con una conoscenza che è frutto di un'intima e misteriosa reciprocità (Giovanni Paolo II)
Yes, all the "miracles, wonders and signs" of Christ are in function of the revelation of him as Messiah, of him as the Son of God: of him who alone has the power to free man from sin and death. Of him who is truly the Savior of the world (John Paul II)
Sì, tutti i “miracoli, prodigi e segni” di Cristo sono in funzione della rivelazione di lui come Messia, di lui come Figlio di Dio: di lui che, solo, ha il potere di liberare l’uomo dal peccato e dalla morte. Di lui che veramente è il Salvatore del mondo (Giovanni Paolo II)
It is known that faith is man's response to the word of divine revelation. The miracle takes place in organic connection with this revealing word of God. It is a "sign" of his presence and of his work, a particularly intense sign (John Paul II)
È noto che la fede è una risposta dell’uomo alla parola della rivelazione divina. Il miracolo avviene in legame organico con questa parola di Dio rivelante. È un “segno” della sua presenza e del suo operare, un segno, si può dire, particolarmente intenso (Giovanni Paolo II)
That was not the only time the father ran. His joy would not be complete without the presence of his other son. He then sets out to find him and invites him to join in the festivities (cf. v. 28). But the older son appeared upset by the homecoming celebration. He found his father’s joy hard to take; he did not acknowledge the return of his brother: “that son of yours”, he calls him (v. 30). For him, his brother was still lost, because he had already lost him in his heart (Pope Francis)
Ma quello non è stato l’unico momento in cui il Padre si è messo a correre. La sua gioia sarebbe incompleta senza la presenza dell’altro figlio. Per questo esce anche incontro a lui per invitarlo a partecipare alla festa (cfr v. 28). Però, sembra proprio che al figlio maggiore non piacessero le feste di benvenuto; non riesce a sopportare la gioia del padre e non riconosce il ritorno di suo fratello: «quel tuo figlio», dice (v. 30). Per lui suo fratello continua ad essere perduto, perché lo aveva ormai perduto nel suo cuore (Papa Francesco)
Doing a good deed almost instinctively gives rise to the desire to be esteemed and admired for the good action, in other words to gain a reward. And on the one hand this closes us in on ourselves and on the other, it brings us out of ourselves because we live oriented to what others think of us or admire in us (Pope Benedict)
Quando si compie qualcosa di buono, quasi istintivamente nasce il desiderio di essere stimati e ammirati per la buona azione, di avere cioè una soddisfazione. E questo, da una parte rinchiude in se stessi, dall’altra porta fuori da se stessi, perché si vive proiettati verso quello che gli altri pensano di noi e ammirano in noi (Papa Benedetto)

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