Christocentrism of Charism – Buggert - CarmelStream

This Rahnerian vision of Christ can help Carmelites today to articulate in a new way the
Christocentrism of our Rule and tradition.
So often the Christ of classical Christology was not truly one of us. Although Phil. 2:5ff.
exhorts us to have "the attitude which was that of Christ," who emptied himself and took upon
himself the form of a slave, being obedient, obedient unto death, and although Heb.12:2 exhorts us to
keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, so often Christians do not find
that Christ is truly imitable. Because Jesus has so often been presented as the big exception to the
rule, one could not truly follow him. After all, he is "God." He may be like us in his human nature.
But in his divine nature and person, he is quite unlike us.
So often the Christ of classical Christology was not truly tempted, despite the epistle to the
Hebrews saying that he himself was beset by weakness and was tempted in every way that we are
and hence can sympathize with our weakness. cxliii He did not experience the negative and shadow
side of human existence. He did not really have to grow in his relationship with God, as we do, even
though Luke says that he grew in wisdom, age and grace before God and people (Lk.2:52). He did
not have faith or have to grow in faith; he did not undergo the "dark nights" of faith as we do, even
though Hebrews speaks of his faithfulness to God, a faithfulness which exceeds that of all the Old
Testament witnesses, even Abraham. cxliv In fact the same epistle to the Hebrews speaks of Christ as
praying with loud cries and tears to his Father who had the power to save him from death. cxlv And
Hebrews also points out that Jesus had to learn obedience through his suffering and become
perfected. Because he was perfectly obediently, obedient to and through his death on the cross, he
became the perfect Son and High Priest. cxlvi
This is not a "plastic" Jesus who is above the human fray, a Jesus who "play acts" his way
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