The Consummation, commended to you [6th and 7th words of the cross]

This evening, we have combined the final two word of Jesus, consummatum and commendo, as He speaks to us saying:

“It is finished”

and

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”

“At the consummation of the ages” is a phrase made famous by the Bible. It is used to refer to when the ages will be ended. Consummation means “the point at which something is complete or finalized”. So, when the Scriptures speak of the consummation of the ages, it means the time when the purpose of earth and time itself will be completed, as in fulfilled all it was created to do. There will come a time when there is nothing left for earth and time to accomplish.

Thus, when we hear this word escape the lips of Jesus on the cross we seem a bit confused, because time does not stop after Jesus dies neither does the earth disappear. We see a consummation of nothing. Life goes on. Jesus is taken down and buried. Life goes on as usual. History goes on as usual.

But it doesn’t. Here in the act of dying, Jesus is finishing His work. It is not just a completion of what He has been doing since Christmas. It is the final sentences in the work that began with “In the beginning…” This is the final chapter in the history of all time. After the suffering and death of Jesus, there is no more to be accomplished.

St. Matthew knows this and he begins his gospel in this way: Mt. 1:1 says, quite literally, “The book of Genesis; of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.” St. Matthew knows he is writing holy Scripture and he knows he is writing the last book in the series.

Where in former times we consummated ourselves with sin, death and the devil, now we have been consummated in Christ and bear His easy yoke of forgiveness and His light burden of peace. Yes, the other strong aspect of consummation happens in marriage. Sin is a marriage to death and the devil. The Faith is a marriage to Life and Jesus; a relationship consummated on the cross and in the Sacraments.

So when the next word out of Jesus’ mouth is “commend”, He is simply turning in the final draft. In Jesus’ dying woes, He wraps up His history of salvation and hands it over to His Father Who heartily and fully approves.

What has been perfected and commended? A recreation. One where an Eighth Day of Resurrection rules, instead of 7 days of a serpent on a tree. One where life, light and salvation are commended to us instead of eternal death. One where the Gospel is commended to us, instead of only the Law. For the Spirit of Jesus which is commended is not just the solitary soul of Jesus the man, but it is His entire being, His entire work, His entire Church. Where the Lord goes, His sheep follow. There is no separation now that baptism has consummated and united us with God.

What is to be said then about the consummation and commendation of Christ? That He did his work now we do ours? That HE gets His comfort, but we have to wait for ours?

No, they are gifts to us even today, for Jesus “…being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (Heb. 5:9). The glory that Jesus has been given by the Father, He has given to us, that we may be perfectly one even as the Trinity is one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (Jn. 17:22-23)

And He in turn commends this salvation to us as a free give. Sets it before us as a King sets a table, commending His holy meal for the forgiveness of sins.

At this first conclusion of the seven words from the cross, we can see that the commendation also includes everyone of them in one complete and perfect gift. Forgiveness, Paradise, marriage; that we are wanted, not forsaken; that we are fed, not starved. All has been taken care of. All has been accomplished.

This is why it is hard to classify Christianity as a religion. If it weren’t for our piety and the fact that we still live on the earth doing work religiously, there would be no ground to say Christianity is a religion, because religion is all about “do”. Do this, do that. Always more to do and never done with it.

Whereas Christianity is about being done. God has done this. Christ has done that. So we say there are only two religions in the world: The one that says “Do” and the one that says “done”. We need only hear the Word of Jesus to know which is which: “It is finished”.