Christ is not Jesus ¢â‚¬â„¢ last name. Christ is a much more inclusive
title, which we so consistently tack onto the name Jesus that we think
Jesus Christ is his full name! There is a wonderful and correct
phraseology in Peter’s first sermon after the Pentecost event; he says
“God has made this Jesus whom you crucified into the Christ” (Acts 2:36
[1]). That would probably be the correct way of starting to understand
what we mean by the Cosmic Christ. Most of us have believed in Jesus,
but we have not necessarily believed in Christ.

[1]: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%202:36&version=NIV

When we believe in Jesus CHRIST, we believe in something much bigger
than just the historical Jesus. The entire sweep of meaning of  ¢â‚¬Å“The
Christ ¢â‚¬  includes ourselves as the Body of Christ, and all of creation
too (Ephesians 1:10 [2], Colossians 1:16 [3]). Many people have a
personal relationship with Jesus, but have almost no relationship with
what we had relationship with ¢â‚¬”which is the full Christ Mystery! Maybe
this is the major reason that so much Christianity is so individualistic
and sometimes even petty. We know and love Jesus but not Christ.

[2]: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%201:10&version=NIV
[3]: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%201:16&version=NIV

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The three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are largely about
the historical Jesus who worked miracles, who taught, who promised us a
new way of seeing, a new way of life in this world.

It is seldom pointed out, however, that Paul is not talking about Jesus;
Paul is almost always talking about  ¢â‚¬Å“Christ. ¢â‚¬  Paul hardly ever
quotes the historical Jesus and never knew him in the flesh. Really
rather shocking when you realize that his letters are one third of the
New Testament! The phrase  ¢â‚¬Å“in Christ ¢â‚¬  is his most common
usage ¢â‚¬”over 100 times, I ¢â‚¬â„¢ve been told.

We take Paul as a touchstone of orthodoxy, the central, foundational
teacher of Christianity ¢â‚¬”and yet he hardly quotes Jesus! Something else
is going on here, which has largely been off of the Christian radar.
Paul has largely fallen in love with “the Christ ¢â‚¬  and it was Jesus who
pointed him there. Most Christians still need to make the same movement,
and to believe in both Jesus AND Christ. They are two distinct faith
affirmations.

****

Jesus is the microcosm; Christ is the macrocosm. There is a movement
from Jesus to the Christ that you and I have to imitate and walk, as
well. A lot of us have so fallen in love with the historical Jesus that
we worship him as such and stop there. We never really followed the same
journey which he made, which is the death and resurrection
journey ¢â‚¬”Jesus died and Christ arose.

Unless we make the same movement that Jesus did, from his one single
life to his risen and transformed state, we probably don ¢â‚¬â„¢t really
understand what we mean by the Christ ¢â‚¬”and how we are part of the deal!
That is why he said “follow me. ¢â‚¬  The Jesus that you and I participate
in, are graced by, and are redeemed by is the RISEN Jesus who has become
the Christ, which is an inclusive statement about all of us and all of
creation. Stay with this startling truth in the days ahead and it will
rearrange your mind and heart and change the way you see everything,
because you are the Christ Mystery too!

****

Jesus didn ¢â‚¬â„¢t move from Jesus to the Christ except through death and 
resurrection to a larger space and time. We don ¢â‚¬â„¢t move from our 
independent, historical body to the Christ consciousness without dying 
to our false self either. 

We, like Jesus himself, have to let go of who we think we are, and who 
we think we need to be. "Dying at 30? I am just getting started!" he 
must have thought. We have to let go of the passing names by which we 
have tried to name ourselves and become the  ¢â‚¬Å“naked self before the 
naked God. ¢â‚¬  That will always feel like dying, because we are so 
attached to our passing names and identities. Your bare, undecorated 
self is already and forever the beloved child of God. When you can rest 
there, you will begin to share in the universal Christ consciousness, or 
the  ¢â‚¬Å“mind of Christ ¢â‚¬  (1 Corinthians 2:16 [1]). 

[1]: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%202:16&version=NIV

Adapted from The Cosmic Christ (CD/MP3)
	CD: http://store.cacradicalgrace.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SP-C-28&Category_Code=&Store_Code=CFAAC
	MP3: http://store.cacradicalgrace.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SP-M-28&Category_Code=&Store_Code=CFAAC

Adapted from The Cosmic Christ (CD/MP3)
Adapted from The Cosmic Christ (CD/MP3)
CD: http://store.cacradicalgrace.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SP-C-28&Category_Code=&Store_Code=CFAAC
MP3: http://store.cacradicalgrace.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SP-M-28&Category_Code=&Store_Code=CFAAC

Starter Prayer:
Christ fills everything everywhere
with His presence.

+++===+++===+++

If you are inspired by Fr. Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations,
please consider both receiving
Radical Grace, the publication of the CAC,
http://cacradicalgrace.org/resources/radicalgrace/

and visiting the CAC Mustard Seed Resource Center!
http://store.cacradicalgrace.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=NR&Store_Code=CFAAC

****