CatholicTheology.info

Choose a topic from Part 3a:

• The Incarnation
• Our Blessed Lady
• Our Lord Jesus Christ
  • 31. Our Lord's Body
  • 32. The Conception of Christ
  • 33. The Mode of Our Lord's Conception
  • 34. The Perfection of Our Lord Before His Birth
  • 35. The Nativity of Christ
  • 36. The Manifestation of the New-Born Christ
  • 37. Legal Observances Regarding the Christ Child
  • 38. The Baptism of St. John the Baptist
  • 39. The Baptizing of Christ by St. John the Baptist
  • 40. Our Lord's Life
  • 41. The Temptation in the Desert
  • 42. The Preaching of Christ
  • 43. The Miracles of Christ: In General
  • 44. Miracles of Christ: In Particular
  • 45. The Transfiguration
  • 46. The Passion of Christ
  • 47. The Effecting Cause of the Passion
  • 48. The Efficacy of the Passion of Christ
  • 49. Actual Effects of the Passion of Christ
  • 50. The Death of Our Lord
  • 51. The Burial of Our Lord
  • 52. The Descent Into Hell
  • 53. The Resurrection
  • 54. The Risen Christ
  • 55. The Manifestation of the Risen Christ
  • 56. Causal Power of the Resurrection
  • 57. The Ascension
  • 58. Our Lord at the Father's Right Hand
  • 59. Our Lord's Power as Judge
• The Sacraments in General
• Baptism
• Confirmation
• The Holy Eucharist
• Penance

59. Our Lord's Power as Judge

1. Christ, by testimony of scripture (Acts 10:42) isappointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. Now, ajudge must have, in addition to jurisdiction, a zeal for justice;he must be wise; he must know truth. The Son of God is wisdomitself eternally begotten; he is Lord and lover of justice; hencehe has perfect qualifications for the function of a judge. St.Augustine (De Vera Relig. xxxi) says: "The Fatherjudges no man, but has given all judgment to the son." Ofcourse, speaking simply, the judicial power is in the Trinity. Forreasons here indicated, it is appropriated to the Son.

2. Even as man, our Lord has power and right to judge.Scripture says (John 5:27) that the Father "hath given himpower to do judgment because he is the Son of man."

3. The judicial or judiciary power belongs to Christ asman because of his divine personality, the dignity of his headship,and the fullness of his habitual grace. This power also belongs toour Lord by reason of his merit. For he who fought for God'sjustice, and won through to victory, though unjustly condemned,should, by divine justice, now be the judge.

4. Since, as scripture says (John 5:22), "the Fatherhath given all judgment to the Son," it is evident that ourLord is judge with reference to all human affairs.

5. A judgment takes place when a man dies. Scripture says(Heb. 9:27): "It is appointed unto men once to die, and afterthis the judgment." There will be another and generaljudgment when all human lives (and the effects of these lives thatcontinue after the lives themselves are ended) will be perfectlyand publicly judged. This judgment will take place on the last day.And Christ our Lord and God will be the judge.

6. Our Lord will also be judge of the angels. Christ hasthe authority to judge the angels; indeed, he delegates theauthority to the apostles, and St. Paul (I Cor. 6:3) says that theapostles will exercise the delegated authority. In the beginning,Christ as the Word of God judged and sentenced the rebel angels.But there are accidental rewards and punishments to bemeted to good and to bad angels; for these the judicial power isvested in our Lord as God Incarnate.

"There is nothing which gives greater security to our actions, or more effectually cuts the snares the devil lays for us, than to follow another person’s will, rather than our own, in doing good."
St Philip Neri

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"God gives us some things, as the beginning of faith, even when we do not pray. Other things, such as perseverance, he has only provided for those who pray."
St Augustine

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"A single act of uniformity with the divine will suffices to make a saint."
St Alphonsus de Liguori

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