“While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”
( Matthew 27:17-29)
A.) Personal Existential Experiences
a.1.) The Paschal Celebration
For some, if not all, non- Catholics, the celebration of the Holy Week, or the paschal mystery of Jesus, is a human cruelty, an exercise of irrationality and biblically unfounded. They have reached this condemnation to our Catholic practice simply because they found it improper to celebrate the passion of our Lord and to reminisce how he was brutally crucified in the hands of the Roman soldiers. It is, for them, totally unacceptable.
Nevertheless, for those believing Christians and Catholics in particular, this sacred tradition of the church is a perpetuation of Jesus’ command, “Do this in memory of me.,”(Lk. 22:19) referring to the living out of the Eucharist of which he, himself, instituted in the Last Supper. More so, those who continue to protest for the upholding of this tradition do not fully understand the meaning of the incarnation. Jesus was not a savior by chance; he chose to be our savior. He willed the will of the Father (Mt.26:42) and he died because that was the very reason of his birth (Jn.3:16).
The paschal mystery, in my personal perspective, should not be more focused on Jesus hanging on the cross but instead on the empty tomb. It is because the empty tomb which is the best portrayal of Jesus’ resurrection is the foundation of our Catholic faith. Hence, the whole commemoration of these events, the paschal mystery affair, should not end on Good Friday when Jesus was nailed on the cross but on Easter Sunday when Jesus was glorified and overcome the darkness of sin.
a.2.) Jesus’ Resurrection: A Personal Reflection
Jesus’ resurrection is our birth to new life; the foretaste of the life to come and the image of the new city of God. So for those who condemned this tradition as ridiculous remembrance of the dark past of the history of our faith is misguided in their theological understanding. The Catholic Church’s commemoration of the passion of Christ is a manifestation that our Church is not only a Church of the Good Friday but a Church of the Risen Lord. With that, it deserves a celebration for the victory of our faith.
But in a more personal level, I believe that the celebration of the paschal mystery that starts from the day when Jesus’ triumphantly entered into Jerusalem until the day when the disciple found the empty tomb is an experience of the mystery of the Divine. It is an experience of the mystery in a sense that I am in the fullness of the encounter of who God is. I know him as a God who created everything in this world, who sent His Son into the world so that the world may believe on him. I know him as a God who allowed that His only begotten Son be crucified for the remission of all the sin of the world and who on the third day His Son was risen from the dead to tell the whole world of His majesty and power. I know him as a God who despite everything the world has done, still sends His Spirit of love to continue to perform the ministry of His Son through the Church.
The perpetuation of the celebration of the paschal mystery, for me is an experience of the mystery of God. I am indeed fortunate that I, together with the Church, have given a privilege to witness again the event happened in Calvary and made it present through this sacred tradition of the Church. The whole celebration for me is not only a commemoration of our salvation and our victorious entry into his kingdom but also a commemoration of God’s endless love.
We keep on repeating, time and again this celebration of God’s marvelous love for us because, at times, we forget this event in moments we become unfaithful to him. The paschal mystery present in the Eucharist is, far beyond a practice, becoming an important part of our Filipino culture. It is in order for us to be reminded that we are saved by Jesus’ sacrifices and washed our sins through his blood. God wants us to know that salvation does not happen only in Calvary but in every day of our lives. And that this salvation will happen to us everyday if we choose Him over and above the world and if we live in His word and proclaim His word to every corner of the world. Salvation is an everyday event only if we are sensitive to God’s invitation everyday.
Finally, as a believer of the world became flesh (Jn.1:14), I am invited to reflect on the life of Jesus Christ – His sacrifices, His passion and death and more importantly His resurrection and ascension into heaven. More than my obligation, it is the demand of my faith to spread the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection and be part of transforming the world in the love of God.
“God does not destroy the wicked and godless with the fire and sword from heaven. He transforms what is evil, as we know from our own experience and he changes it into love.” – Raymund Schwager
B. Doctrinal Exposition
b.1.) Church Definition of the Paschal Mystery
In the language of the Church, the Paschal Mystery is the death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord into glory. The Paschal Mystery is the central mystery of the Christian Faith, celebrated at the Easter Triduum with a sublime and unique solemnity.
The Term 'paschal' is derived from the word 'pasch', not simply because the events from the Last Super through the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ happened to coincide with Passover. The event celebrated by Passover -- the deliverance of Israel from enslavement in Egypt -- is itself the anticipation of the full deliverance won by Christ for the whole human race.
b.2.) On His Resurrection
Jesus himself said that He came to "give his life as redemption for many" (Mt. 20:28) and to "shed his blood" in order to expiate the sins of men (Mt. 20: 28; Mk.lO:45). At the Last Supper, He celebrated the Eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood, poured out "for the remission of sins. (Lk. 22:19; Mt. 26:28). To His disciples on the road to Emmaus, He said His Resurrection was the fruit of His Passion (Lk. 24:25,26). In fact, both the Old and New Testament equally attest that in God's plan, "Christ must vanquish death by means of death" and, by means of death merit resurrection for Himself and for the Mystical Body.
If Christ be not risen, our faith is vain (1 Cor. 15:14). The whole of the New Testament revelation rests on this as an historical fact. On the day of Pentecost, Peter argued the necessity of Christ's resurrection from the prediction in Psalm 16 (Acts 2:24-28). In his own discourses also, our Lord in the gospel clearly prophesied his resurrection. (Matt. 20:19; Mark 9:9; 14:28; Luke 18:33; John 2:19-22).
The resurrection is important because it is a public testimony of Christ's release from his undertaking as surety, and an evidence of the Father's acceptance of his work of redemption. It is a victory over death and the grave for all his followers.
The importance of Christ's resurrection will be seen when we consider that if he rose the gospel is true, and if he rose not it is false. His resurrection from the dead makes it manifests that his sacrifice was accepted and the gospel is true. Our justification was secured by his obedience to the death, and therefore he was raised from the dead (Rom. 4:25).
His resurrection is a proof that he made a full atonement for our sins, that his sacrifice was accepted as a satisfaction to divine justice and his blood a ransom for sinners. It is also a pledge and an earnest of the resurrection of all believers. (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 6:14; 15:47-49; Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2). As he lives, they shall live also.
If Christ did not rise, the whole scheme of redemption is a failure, and all the predictions and anticipations of its glorious results for time and for eternity, for men and for angels of every rank and order, are proved to be chimeras. ‘But now Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept.’ Therefore the Bible is true from Genesis to Revelation. The kingdom of darkness has been overthrown, Satan has fallen as lightning from heaven, and the triumph of truth over error, of good over evil, of happiness over misery is for ever secured.”
b.3.) On His Ascension
For forty days after His Resurrection, Jesus remained on earth. Filled with the glory and honor of His Divinity, He appeared to His Disciples at various times and places. By eating and drinking with His followers and conversing with them about the Kingdom of God, Jesus assured them that He was truly alive in His risen and glorified Body.
Ascension falls on the fortieth day after the Resurrection. On this day, Jesus appeared to His Disciples and gave them His last commandment - to preach the Kingdom of God and the repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations, beginning with Jerusalem. Then He led them out of Jerusalem toward Bethany to the Mount of Olives. He lifted up His hands and blessed them. As His Disciples were looking on, He was lifted up - or "ascended" - and a cloud took Him out of sight. While they were looking up, two angels in white robes appeared and said to them: "Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus, Who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same was as you have seen Him go there."
The Ascension is, therefore, a sign and symbol of the Second Coming. Christ will return to the earth in the same manner as He left it. When the risen Lord returns again in glory, God's will for mankind will be fulfilled.
Jesus completed His earthly mission of bringing salvation to all people and physically was lifted up from this world into heaven. The meaning and the fullness of Christ's Resurrection is given in the Ascension. Having completed His mission in this world as the Savior, He returned to the Father in heaven who sent Him into the world. In ascending to the Father, He raises earth to heaven with Him!
b.4.) About Mary
Her Fiat
The entire salvation account will be incomplete without the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It started with the “YES” of Mary. “Yes” then is both the most painful and the most powerful word. It is painful because Mary suffered a lot in her yes to God. At the age of 14, she risked her life to obey the will of the Father to mother Jesus His Son. The choice of Mary to be the mother of Jesus was not an easy choice. She had suffered societal questioning and perhaps rejection. She had to bear the pain of delivering a child in the early years of her life. She had to be a mother of God – a responsibility that she never know how to fulfill. Despite all these things, Mary continued to say YES.
With this, Mary places an important image in our salvation. She conceived in her womb Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and yet remained a Virgin ever as before. And through that same power of the Holy Spirit made her the Immaculate Mother of God being conceived without the stain of the original sin. Since she had the privilege of “being full of grace” as the favored daughter of God the Father declared by the angel Gabriel, she did not experience death, instead, on the day of her passing she assumed, through the power of God, to heaven both body and soul. Her assumption into heaven was the greatest reward she ever had for unconditionally committing to the will of the Father and obedience to His command. If not for Mary’s “fiat,” there could be a different story of God to tell.
Her Magnificat
Her “Yes” to the will of God is a yes that comes from a joyful heart. She endangered herself to follow the message of the angel Gabriel because deep in her heart she knew that she was with God. To be a mother of the Son of God is a great privilege – a privilege that she kept it humbly and ponderly into her hearts that had led her to say: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
The magnificat of the Blessed Virgin Mary is rather, for me, a glimpse of her sorrows and exaltation of her greatest griefs and pains to come. Mary was deeply confused upon the message of an angel to be the Mother of God. She was on the state of shock. She could not help but say the words: ‘Be it done to me according to Your will.’ That was her first lash.
The magnificat of Mary is rather, for me, a song of faith. The most distinct character of Mary is that she always believes. Mary believes to the greatest impossibility to happen to her life. And she was right in never stop in believing. She is truly a model of faith and mother of believers. The destiny of Mary as a favored daughter of God was not an easy task and it would never be as accounted in history. To Mother the Son of God is an incredible thing and it needs an incredible faith. So, does Mary.
The magnificat of Mary is rather, for me, a melody of the soul. Mary firmly believed that the right tone of life can only be sung when God sets the music. Mary’s dancing in the music of God is her dependency to Him. Because of this she is raised to be the Queen of Heaven and Earth a title that she deserves very well, thus all generations will, indeed, called her Blessed One. There may be a lot of exegesis and hermeneutical explanation on Mary’s canticle but for me as a devotee of her, it only speaks of her sorrows, of her faith and of her total dependency to God.
Her Stabat
Hanging on the Cross, Jesus sees his mother and John standing at the foot of the Cross … Looking at them, Jesus says: "Woman, behold your son … Behold your mother" (Jn 19:26-27). Thereby Jesus gave Mary his mother to the Church. It was a pure gift and grace of our Lord Jesus to make available to humanity the maternal role of Mary.
The final hour of Jesus and the final fiat of Mary are interlocked at this moment. It is the pure grace of Jesus according to the plan of God. The Church and the world must have a Mother, the valiant Woman, chosen by God in the place of Eve, the Mother of all living.
Jesus uses the word "woman" and not "mother." Jesus has been progressively distancing himself from his mother and other relations, too. It is not the kinship, but the discipleship that will take one to the kingdom of God. One ought to be a believing disciple of Jesus Christ, who suffered and died and was raised. Mary was indeed a believer and disciple par excellence! Like her suffering son, Mary also suffered from the time of Annunciation through a series of fiats which reached the zenith on the Cross.
Though Jesus remains the central figure in all the Marian references in the New Testament, Mary is shown to play her significant role as mother, believer and a perfect disciple.
No comments:
Post a Comment