Charles Anang

New Christ Charles Anang

The Holy Spirit descends, so to speak, to transubstantiate the priest into "another Christ, Christ Himself." This configuration to Christ with His powers at Ordination must lead to an intimate friendship with Him ("I call you friends," Jn 15:15) for an interior substitution ("Christ lives in me," Gal 2:20)- the lack of which holiness is the ultimate root of all the Church's crises. The mass exodus from the priesthood after Vatican II stemmed principally from the loss of this priestly identity as "another Christ," and the recent spate of clergy sexual abuse scandals suggests that it has not yet been recovered. This book seeks to renew the priest's configuration to Christ the Shepherd, though the wider configuration to Christ in Parts I and III applies to the laity and religious as well. Part I describes the tools to become a new Christ: new Christ at prayer; plan of life and living the Eucharist; spiritual direction and Confession; discernment of spirits; interior journey to God. Part II dwells directly upon the seminary and priestly years, along with a program for the new evangelization. Part III sets the new Christ's mission against the horizon of eternity, with a discussion of the Last Things and the work of the angels.