caro salutis cardo

In Latin we have this famous principle coming from Tertullian, one of the Fathers of Church, which says, caro salutis cardo. Caro which means flesh, salutis which means of salvation, and cardo which means the hinge, the pivot, the axis. Caro salutis cardo means the flesh is the hinge of salvation. How did God save us? God saved us by permitting his Son to suffer and die for our salvation. Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus as God is Spirit and as Spirit it could not suffer. Only the flesh can suffer. Jesus as Son of God is spirit and the spirit cannot die, only the flesh can die. By his incarnation however Jesus the Son of God became man, or as we say, the word became flesh, and by becoming flesh, by becoming man he suffered and died and we are saved. Caro salutis cardo - his flesh became the hinge of salvation. If Jesus did not become man, without the flesh we could not been saved. Caro salutis cardo.


This principle is the same when applied to us. When you were baptized what was baptized? Your fleshed was baptized, it was our body that was touched by the sacred waters of baptism and because of that the soul is cleansed. When you confess your sins it is the mouth that utters the prayer of contrition, it is the ears that hear the words of absolution, it is the hand of the priest that is raised in blessing but it is the soul that is cleansed, it is the soul that is forgiven and revived. When you attend mass it is your ears that hear the word of God; bread and wine is used in the mass, you receive it through your tongue or hands, you eat it, you can taste it, you can feel it with your tongue, you swallow it and it goes to your stomach, it is absorbed in your blood but, but it is your soul that is nourished. Our souls cannot receive the bread and wine which became the body and blood of Christ; our souls do not have ears to listen to God’s words, our souls cannot be touched by the hand of a priest raised in absolution. It is in our flesh - in our human body, that receives and becomes the way to salvation. Caro salutis cardo - the flesh, your body becomes the hinge of your salvation. In fact in bringing salvation he uses elements of the material world - water, bread, wine, oil, words, gestures - something which our flesh and bodies can see, something our flesh can hear, touch, smell and taste - caro salutis cardo.
Why am I saying this? Because today Jesus promised us that he will not leave us orphans, he will not abandon us. In another passage he will affirm this by saying, know that I will always be with you until the end of time. He assures us by saying that he will send the Holy Spirit to be our advocate, our helper, the assurance that he is with us till the end of time.
So where is Christ now? Is he with us now only in spirit? Is he a ghost like casper moving around us, somebody we leave to our imagination? When Christ said he will not leave us orphans, he will not abandon us, he did not mean to stay here with us as a ghost. When Christ said he will send an advocate, a helper, he did not mean to leave us a phantom. Jesus is still using the same principle - caro salutis cardo using the flesh, using what the flesh can see hear, feel taste and smell to assure us of his presence. And what am I referring to? I am referring to the sacraments. Jesus is with us in sacramentum - Jesus is with us in the sacraments. When the scriptures are read it is Jesus who speaks. When hands are laid on the sick it is Jesus who heals, it is Jesus who comforts the sick. When water is poured on the head of a child, it is Jesus who baptizes, it is Jesus who cleanses. When we gather for the mass Jesus is in our midst, in his words, in the bread and wine that becomes his body and blood - his real presence.
If you notice when we speak of the presence of Jesus in the sacraments we always find too the presence of a priest. Again the principle caro salutis cardo - the person, the flesh and the body of a priest including his words, his gestures and the things that he uses are employed in order to communicate the assuring presence of Christ in our midst.
Kon wala ka pagtuo sa mga instrumento nga ginagamit sang Dios nga nagapasalig sa imo sang iya presensya sa imo kabuhi, ti testingi - kadto ka sa idalom sang kahoy kay bisan nagamurarat na ang mata mo indi mo man sa gihapon makita si Kristo unless nga si Sr. Faustina ka. The instruments by which we will come to know and be assured of Christ presence in our lives are in the sacraments including the priesthood.
Subong sa nasiling kaina this is the fifth Sunday of the month and our parish has designated every 5th Sunday of the month in the year 2011 as seminary Sunday. In this Sunday all the colecta for all masses celebrated this day will be given to the St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary. Suporta ninyo ini agod nga makapadayon kami sang amon hilikuton nga mag-provide sang maayo nga mga pari para sa bug-os nga arkidiosesis. Subong nga tuig nagdamo-damo gawa ang seminarista - halin sa 118 last year nahimo na kami nga 130 subong nga tuig. Ang College subong nga tuig halin sa 27 subong nga tuig nag-30 na. At least. Kabay pa nga indi mabuhinan. Ang appeal ko lang kuntani sa inyo nga kuntani makapadala man kamo sang inyo mga apo ukon kabataan sa seminaryo nga magpari. Kon wala ka na apo ukon bata nga makapari, at least kon may sarang ka makasuporta tani kamo ukon ang inyo grupo or organisation sang bisan isa nga magapari. Halimbawa ang CWL diri nagahatag at least 5,000 pesos a year, subong man ang Ladies of Charity - at least isa ka bulan ang nabuhin sa problema sa balayran.
Kadamo man tani ang luyag - halimbawa sa pre-college 15 kon tani ang nakapasar pero 11 lang ang nag-enrol kay ang iban wala inugbayad. Kanugon, apat pa kuntani. Amo gani nga suportahan gid ninyo ang commission on vocation sang aton parokya - subong may duha sila ka seminarista nga ginabuligan patuon nga taga-jaro man mismo.
Anyway sige lang a. Pangadi-i nyo gid ang amon ministeryo sa seminaryo kag subong man ang perseverance sang mga seminarista kag nagahangad nga magpari. As I have said this is an important duty in the archdiocese. Remember we are providing the diocese its future priests. If we do not do our work well the diocese in the future will suffer greatly. Kahapon may nagkadto naman didto sa seminaryo ngita pari. Wala gid ako ihatag. Ti anhon ko bi. Waay lang ako gatulok sa iya kay nasuboan gid ako sina nga situwasyon nga napatay ginikanan mo wala sing may ma misa. Ti amo ina - caro salutis cardo. You will always need the person of the priest to be assured of the salvation of Christ, and you will only come to realize something important when you lose it.
But today the Lord assures us, he will not leave us orphans. He will not leave us orphans.