The Resurrection of the Incarnated Christ: Paschal Victory for Us to Do God’s Will on Mission

Christus resurrexit! Alleluiah! Christ is risen! Alleluia! 

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it! (Psalm 118:24)

This is the refrain of the Paschal Sunday responsorial Psalm to express our Paschal joy. 

Paschal Sunday is to celebrate the triumph of Christ, who sacrificed himself as Paschal Lamb, over death. So more words of this victory Psalm, Psalm 118, are sung:

The joyful shout of deliverance is heard in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand works valiantly; the Lord’s right hand is raised; the Lord’s right hand works valiantly.” I shall not die but live and declare the deeds of the Lord (Psalm 118:15-17, vv 16-17 are sung for Paschal Sunday Mass)

The right hand of the Lord (Psalm 118:15-16) symbolizes the immeasurably mighty power of the Lord (cf. Isaiah 52: 10).  The Lord’s right hand is also known as His holy hand and sung as His victory in another Psalm:

Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done marvelous deeds. His right hand and holy arm have won the victory. The Lord has made his victory known; has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations, He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God (Psalm 98:1-3, sung on the 6th Sunday of Paschaltide, Cycle B)

The Resurrection of the incarnated Christ, Jesus, on the third day from his death on the Cross, is the Paschal victory (i.e. Acts 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 2 Timothy 1:10; cf. Revelation 5:5-13). It shows the power of the right and holy arm of God Almighty (אֵל שַׁדַּי, El Shaddai). As reflected in Paschal proclamation, also known as the Exultet, this is what God’s constant salvific work throughout history has culminated. And the seven Old Testament readings (Genesis 1:1-2:2; Genesis 22:1-18; Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 14:15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28)  of Paschal Vigil Mass reflect how God has been working for us and our salvation ever since the Creation out of His חסד “chesed”, steadfast love. Thus, together with Exultet, these seven readings, are juxtaposable to Pesach Haggadah, as it recalls and retells how God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt, through Passover and crossing the Red Sea, In this sense, Paschal Vigil Mass is a grand celebration of how God’s salvific power has manifested through the incarnated Son, the Christ, as the victorious Paschal Lamb, fulfilling the prophesy in the fourth servant song (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). Indeed, Paschal Vigil Mass is Christian Pesach (Passover). 

As Passover cannot be observed and the Israelites could have not been saved without slaughtering an unblemished lamb as korban Pesach (Exodus 12:3-14), Jesus, the incarnated Christ the Son of God, died on the Cross as the Passover Lamb of God (i.e. John 1:29; 19:14-42), so that his previous blood, the new covenant, can save us. The resurrection, therefore, validates (i.e. 1 Corinthians15:12-19) the saving power of his blood (i.e. 1 Peter 1:18-19). And through his blood, we have become beneficiaries of the new eternal covenant (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; cf. Jeremiahs 31:31-34). 

Upon the establishment of the New Covenant through the blood of Christ shed on the Cross, confirmed and validated with his Resurrection, not only we are saved but called to do God’s will. So it is written:

May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21). 

Christ the risen Paschal Lamb is, indeed, the great shepherd (Hebrews 13:20), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), who is now leading us to Galilee (Matthew 28:10; cf. 26:32) in order to complete the preparation for our apostolic commission to do God’s will (i.e. Matthew 28:18-20). Of course, to us, Galilee is not the geographical Galilee but the basics of Christ’s teaching, as it is where he began (Matthew 4:12-25). Then, we will receive the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem on Pentecost (Acts 1:4-11; 2:1-13; cf. John 14:15-31; 16:5-16) to conclude Paschaltide, after the risen Christ ascends into heaven from the Mount of Olives (i.e. Luke 24:50-53; cf. 19:29).  Here, as Galilee is so, Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives are figurative. It means that we go back to Galilee, where Jesus laid the foundation of his salvific ministry, bringing it to Jerusalem, before walking to Calvary to offer up himself on the Cross as the Paschal Lamb. When we move from Galilee to Jerusalem with the risen Christ, he will commission us before his ascension on the Mount Olive. Then, we will stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit descends upon us. As we make this post-Resurrection journey with the risen Christ from Galilee to Jerusalem for the first 40 days of Paschaltide, we go over his teaching to make sure we understand, as the two disciples did when they walked to Emmaus with the risen Christ (Luke 24:13-32). With firm understanding of Christ and his teaching, we are ready to send him off to the Father in heaven and receive the powerful Holy Spirit be sent.

Now withthe  Paschal Victory, we return to Galilee with the risen Christ and journey to Jerusalem through Paschaltide to be ready for Pentecost, so that we will do the will of God on our respective apostolic missions with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

From Eden to Golgotha: Evolution of the Original Sin and the Death of Jesus on the Cross

We commemorate the death of Jesus, the incarnated Christ, on Friday of the Passion of the Lord, also known as, “Good Friday”. It is the Friday of Holy Week.  It is the day when Jesus goes through progressively increasing agonies and excruciating pain to death on the Cross. It is the day when we, the faithful, also walk with Christ on the road to Calvary (Golgotha), so that, as Paul has (Galatians 2:20), we are crucified with Christ, like the penitent crucified criminal, also known as “the good thief” , who said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”(Luke 23:42), so that we no longer live an ego-centric life but live a Christ-centric life, a life by faith, as Christ lives in us. 

Crucifixion was a method of execution given to most despicable non-Roman citizen criminal under the Roman law. And it is how Jesus was condemned. Gospel passion narratives (Matthew 26:36-27:61//Mark 14:43-15:47//Luke 22:47-23:56; John 18:1-19:42)  describe not only how Jesus endured beatings but also insults. Those who were expressively contemptuous to Jesus were those who demanded Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to crucify him, even though Pilate found no reason to be executed (John 19:38; 19:6b). And they were those who enthusiastically welcomed him , shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”(Matthew 27:9), thinking that he was the Messianic Davidic King, who was prophesized to triumphantly enter Jerusalem by riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9), coming from the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1; Ezekiel 43:2), on the first day of that week.

So why did these people of Jerusalem change their mind so fast, from fervent acceptance to hostile rejection within short five days? And why did the Pharisees, Scribes, chief priests, and the high priest, wanted kill Jesus obsessively to a point bringing false witnesses to the Sanhedrin to justify their hatred to him (Matthew 26:59-60).

As for the people, it was because Jesus turned out to be the kind of Messiah they had hoped and thought. Jesus did not come to Jerusalem to wage a war against Caesar to fee Israel from the Roman rule to recover Israel’s sovereignty, in restoring the mighty Davidic kingdom. Their bubble of hope was busted and turned into disappointment and resentment. This psychological state was a fertile ground for hatred and hostility to grow. Imagine you found out that what you had hoped for was nothing but a false hope. You would feel betrayed.  So the religious leaders poured highly flammable gas on the drowd's sparks of indignantation toward Jesus, persuading them to let the Roman authorities to execute Jesus (i.e. Matthew 27:20).

Religious leaders, such as the Pharisees, the Scribes, and chief priests, held grudge toward Jesus for a long time. They had an issue with him ever since he healed a paralyzed man on a Sabbath day (John 5:1-46).  Their animosity toward Jesus festered into murderous rancor (John 7:1, 25-32, 44-5; 8:59; 10:31. 39; 11:45-57). By the time Jesus entered Jerusalem on the first day of the week, they were determined to arrest and kill him. Then, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, betrayed Jesus and cut a devil’s deal with them for 30 silver coins (Matthew 26:14-16). This enabled them to arrest Jesus (Matthew 26:47-56//Mark 14:43-50//Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11).

Once Jesus was held in the blood-thirsty hands of the religious leaders, they put him on trial by bringing false witnesses against him to justify their murderous desire by charging him with blasphemy for all his teaching and signs (Matthew26:57-68//Mark 14:53-65). To justify their evil with the Law, they knew they were violating the Law against a false witness (Exodus 20:16. 23:7). And they sure knew that testifying falsely results in due condemnation (Deuteronomy 19:16-21). Nevertheless, they took the Law in their own evil hands to condemn Jesus. Their murderous desire was so out of control to a point of blinding themselves to the Law. 

So how did these religious leaders grow in blood-thirsty to Jesus even by violating the Law? 

To answer this question, Pilate had an insight on this matter and said it as their envy of Jesus (Matthew 27:18). In other words, out of their envy, their desire to kill Jesus grew. 

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1866, envy is one of the seven deadly sins, associated with pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, and sloth. These are psychological marks of a ego-centric life. And they certainly had many of these, especially pride and greed for self-glorification, instead of letting God be praised (i.e. Matthew 16:6; 23:5), as well as anger to feed their murderous rage (Matthew 26:65-68//Mark 14:63-64).

Now we see, this set of vices, stemming from ego-centeredness, grown into the seven deadly sins, especially a combination of envy and wrath, is what was driving for the Sanhedrin to conspire Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to have Jesus crucified. The former knew that there were no legitimate witness against Jesus. The later once declare Jesus innocent. But envy-driven rage, spreading to the crowd, who once welcomed him as their long-waited Messiah-King, put Jesus in excruciating agony into death on the Cross. 

We see how envy, which is a mark of ego-centric life had evolved in murdering Jesus, manipulating the crowd and Pilate. But we find the murder of Abel committed by Abel on the same spectrum, as a consequence of the sin of Cain’s parents, Adam and Eve.

In Eden, the Original  Sin resulted in ego consciousness, and its first symptom was shame (Genesis 3:6-7). So Adam and Eve hid themselves from God (Genesis 3:10). When God found them and confronted, they refused to take responsibility for sin. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the Tempter, the Satan in the disguise of a serpent, the tempter (Genesis 3:11-13).

The ego-consciousness from the Original Sin resulted in shame that Adam and Eve experienced, prompting them to hide from God. Then, in the first-born son of Adam and Eve, Cain, this manifested as envy of his younger brother Cain, resulting in Cain’s murder of Abel because God favored Abel’s offering but not Cains. (Genesis 4:1-8).

Cain was envy because God did not accept his offering but only Abel’s. The religious leaders were envy of  Jesus because he was gaining far great attention than they did to themselves (i.e. John 12:17-19). Jesus’ increasing popularity certainly hurts them as their ego-centricism and greet for popularity makes Jesus a threat to their egos. So, as Cain killed his younger brother, letting his envy of Abel manifest in murder, they also let their envy of Jesus lead to killing him.

Now we can see how the Original Sin in Eden has evolved in the killing of Jesus in Golgotha. 

In order to lean a critical lesion from how Jesus was put to death on that Friday, we must guard ourselves against these seven deadly sins. We cannot reduce the death of Jesus to our salvation. In fact, though we are saved by his innocent blood flew from his body on the Cross, we may not be fully redeemed in his Kingdom when he returns to judge us unless we overcome our ego-centric tendency to fall to these seven deadly sins.

Behold Jesus on the Cross and guard ourselves from envy and all other vices, resulting from our ego-centric disposition, which is a stain of the Original Sin.  This way, we will not crucify him again.  For this, we must crucify ourselves with Jesus for a new life, centered in him. This is reflected on our Paschal hope! 

The Conception of the Living Church at the Lord's Supper

On the first day of the week, the incarnated Christ, Jesus, entered Jerusalem from the city’s east side, coming through the Mount Olives, riding on a donkey. His entry was triumphant as the daughters of Zion enthusiastically welcomed him, shouting, "Hosana to the Son of David!" and waving palm branches, spreading cloaks on his path. Christ entered Jerusalem as the Messianic Davidic King to consumate his salvific ministry on earth to enter the passion and to die and to resurrect, besore returning to the Father, so that the Holy Spirit would be sent to let the Church be born. However, the crowd thought that he came to Jerusalem to liberate Israel from the heavy Roman yokes, a king to defeat Caesar. 

On Thursday of the week, the living Church was conceived in the hearts of the disciples by Christ’s love for them during the Lord’s Supper on the night before his death. As he washed the disciples’ feet, Christ planted the seed of his Church in each disciple. By commanding them to love one another as he had loved, Christ intended his living Church to build his Kingdom on earth with love he gave them, It is love of humble service, as demonstrated by Christ washing the disciples’ feet. 

At the supper, Christ established the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist with bread and wine, offering his body, blood, soul, and divinity. He reminded that his blood is the New Covenant. Under the New Covenant, unlike the Old Covenant, it was the incarnated Christ’s self-sacrifice once for all, instead of sacrificing animals year after year to remember Passover and to atone our sins with God on Yom Kippur.  

Following the supper, Christ spoke of his departure from this world, referring to his ascension in heaven to return to the Father. He also promised the Holy Spirit to be sent as another Parakletos, while he is the Parakletos. This way, he assured that he would not leave the disciples as orphans, because he is always with them, whether he is visible with his body or not. This way, he reminded them that they can remain in him and his love with a metaphor of a vine and its branches.  This, in fact, is a description of the Church to be born with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, because, as Christ the vine and the disciples the branches are one, the Church is one living body with many parts of Christ, as he is the head. So in his high priestly prayer, Christ prayed for oneness. 

Then, Christ entered the Passion and walked his path to the Cross.

Though his feet was washed and he shared the bread with Christ at the supper, Jusas, one of the twelve disciples, betrayed Christ, and helped those who wanted to kill Christ arrest him. These people whom Judas helped were religious leaders, members of the Sanhedrin, finding Christ "offensive" to their "business", because he did works of healing on Sabbath days, raised Lazarus from the dead, and cleansed the Temple, confronting how they had corrupted the house of God. 

Upon arresting Christ, first, they put a false charge of blasphemy on him to justify his death sentence according to the Mosaic Law, though they grossly violated this Law by setting up false whitnesses against him. Then, to let the Roman authority kill Christ, they brought him to the Roman Governor, Pilate, with a false accusation that he claimed himself as king of the Jews, a threat to Caesar and peace of the Roman Empire. But Pilate did not find Christ guilty according to the Roman Law.  Therefore, Pilate was thinking to relase Christ. But these members of the Sanhedrin pursuated the crowd to demand Pilate to erucify Christ. So they did fanatically. These were the same crowd who welcomed Christ on the first day of the week. In the meantime, except John, the rest of the disciples, whom Christ washed their feet and had the supper with, scattered away out of fear of being arrested for their association with Christ.  Even Peter, who once boasted of his loyalty to Christ to death at the supper, denied his association with him three times, when questioned.

Abandoned by his disciples, rejected by the daughters of Zion, Christ was beaten, mocked, forced to carry his heavy Cross, and nailed to it.

This was a prenatal Church's great crisis. 

While on the Cross, he gave his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the fetus form of the Church, the disciples, as the Mother of the Church.  Upon his expiration, blood and water flew out of his body on the Cross: the blood of the New Covenant and the living water, the Holy Spirit, going through kenosis for the Church to be born. 

On the third day from his death on the Cross, Christ rose, and the powerful Holy Spirit was involved. After 40 days, the resurrected Christ ascended into heaven  from east of Jerusalem. And 10 days later, on Pentecost, the mighty Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in unity, and thus, the living Church was born! 

In fact, the Bride of Christ was born, as she is the Church, whom Christ the Lamb is to marry, upon his return at eschaton, to live in union in New Jerusalem. The Eucharist will be served until that time in the Church until her nuptial union with Christ in heaven. 

After his resurrection and before his ascension, Christ commanded Peter, the first Pope, to make sure his sheep are taken care by the love he demonstrated and fed with the Eucharist, his body, blood, soul, and divinity, to make sure they are one and make the new exodus to heaven from this world. 

The living Church, Holy catholic apostolic Church, was conceived during the Supper of the Lord on the night before the incarnated Christ's death, out of his love to be propagated and to take care of his sheep, us the faithful, by the Eucharist, as established at the Supper, and other Sacraments. Even before her  birth, the Church experienced betrayal, denial, rejection, and traumatic violence  - aspects of humanity's darkness, manifestations of sins. Nevertheless, the Church was born on Pentecost by the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the darkness of the humanity with love of Christ so that eternal peace of the Christ's Kingdom will be established on earth.

What happened during Paschal Triduum will impact us all the way to heaven. 

Palm Sunday and Ad Orientem

 Mass of the Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord is preceded by blessing of palms and procession of presiding priest to the alter, while those who fill pews wave the blessed palm. Before this procession begins, Gospel narrative of Jesus’ triumphant entry in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11) is read. 

The way Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, from east, was to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy of the Davidic Messianic King’s coming (Zechariah 9:9). The fact that he entered from the east side of Jerusalem, as he was coming from Mt Olives, evokes Ezekiel22’s testimony of Yahweh’s coming to the post-exilic Temple as He returned to the restored Jerusalem and the Temple from east (Ezekiel 43:2). Before Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Babylonians, Yahweh left the Temple through east, upon promising of the new post-Exilic Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:23). Once Yahweh returns to the post-exilic Temple, the Second Temple, the city’s east gate was shut but His Son, the Prince, can enter through its portico and leave the same way for his priestly ministry such as fellowship offering (Leviticus 7:11-15) that priest consumes (Ezekiel 44:1-3). 

In fact, Jesus, the incarnated Christ, is not only the Messianic Davidic King (Luke 1:32-33; Isaiah 11:1-16;; Zechariah 9:9) and the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) but also the eternal High Priest of the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:1-10, 7:1-22), who comes to Jerusalem from east to offer himself as the ultimate Yom Kippur atonement sacrifice for us, sinners (Hebrews 7:27-28, 10:5-18; cf. ,Leviticus 16:1-33), as he is the merciful High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).

On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem from east as the Prince of Peace (i.e. Ezekiel 44:3; Isaiah 9:6) and the self-sacrificing High Priest (Hebrews 7:27-28, 10:9-12), riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:7-8; cf. Zechariah 9:9). So he offers himself on the Cross to complete his Priestly offering to save us. And when he returns to the Father in heaven, after his Resurrection, Jesus leaves Jerusalem from east, as his Ascension takes place on in the Bethany area, which is on the Mt. Olives (Luke 24:50), as Yahweh comes and goes (Ezekiel 11:23; 44:2) and the Prince comes and goes through east (Ezekiel 44:3).

The Palm Sunday procession, therefore, must be carried out from east to enter the sanctuary. This is why church buildings are to be built ad orientem, making their entrances face east. As Zechariah regarded the birth of Jesus as daybreak (Luke 1:78), he first came to us from east, figuratively speaking. So it is nice to let light of rising sun in the sanctuary everyday to remind Palm Sunday. and Nativity. 

The Annunciation of the Lord Points to Good Friday

 On March 25, the Church observes the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

This solemn feast is called “Annunciation” because it was the occasion when Archangel Gabriel offered greetings and announced to Mary of her conceiving the Son of the Lord God, the Most High, the eternal Davidic King, whose Kingdom has no end (Luke 1:31-33) and also of the pregnancy of Elizabeth, who is her relative of advanced age (Luke 1:36). 

The Annunciation is where Christology and Mariology meet and is reflected on the very first mystery of all the 20 mystery of the Holy Rosary as it is the First Joyful Mystery as it is the annunciation of Christ the Son reaching the earth from heaven and conceived in the womb of Mary who was betrothed to Joseph though she was virgin.

Christologically, this signifies the incarnation of Christ to dwell among us (John 1:1, 14), and Mariologically, this identifies her role as the handmaid of the Lord so that His will be done to her (Luke 1:38). This fiat (let it be done) statement of Mary, echoing God’s statement of “Let there be light”(Genesis 1:3), means “Let Christ the light (i.e. John 8:12) be”, Christologically speaking. This also means Mary’s submission to God’s will, making her the Theotokos, bearer of God, to serve Him as the human mother of His Son incarnated in the human flesh. In regard to this, Pope St. John Paul II sees the Annunciation, which is also the incarnation of Christ, as the initiation of the New Covenant (Redemptoris Mater). This also reminds us that we cannot appreciate Christ fully without Mary. In other words, there no complete Christology without Mariology, theologically speaking. 

As the Holy Rosary, which integrates Christology and Mariology, the very first mystery of its all 20 mysteries across the 4 categories of the mysteries, and it is the first Joyful Mystery. Moving from the Joyful Mystery to the Glorious Mystery, through the Luminous Mystery and the Sorrowful Mystery, we certainly see that the Annunciation is the moment of symbiosis of the incarnated Christ and Mary. On the third Joyful Mystery, which is the Nativity of the Lord, the incarnated Christ comes out of the symbiosis state and begins to grow outside Mary’s body. Then, moving to the First Luminous Mystery, the adult incarnated Christ is baptized by John the Baptist to initiate his public ministry, leading to his death and burial in the Sorrowful Mystery, and the resurrection to move to the Glorious Mystery, concluding with his reunification of Mary in heaven through the Assumption and Coronation of Mary, following the Ascension of the Lord. 

According to the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:26-38) of the Solemnity, Christ, the Theos-Logos (God the Word) (John 1:1) , was incarnated in the human flesh of a Jewish man, Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, the Blessed Virgin, who is the Immaculate Conception. This is also understood as the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Ahaz, a Davidic king, a virgin conceiving and giving birth to a son, described in the First Reading (Isaiah 7:10-14). 

Mary is understood as the Immaculate Conception, based on Archangel Gabriel’s acknowledgement of her as “kecharitomene (κεχαριτωμένη)”, which is translated as “gratia plena” in Latin and as “highly favored one” in English (Luke 1:28), based on Bl. John Duns Scotus’ interpretation. Based on this, Scotus argued that the human flesh of Jesus, the incarnated Christ, is unblemished because Mary is the Immaculate Conception, conceived completely free from any effect of the Original Sin, though humanly conceived in the womb of her mother, Anna. In 1854, Pope Bl. Pius IX promulgated the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, Mary, as an official doctrine of the Church in Ineffabilis Deus. 

So the question is why God sent His only begotten Son to us by way of what this solemn feast, the Annunciation, describes – letting Him incarnate in the human flesh in Mary, the Blessed Virgin, being the Immaculate Conception?

To answer this question, we find a key in the Second Reading (Hebrews 10:4-10).

This is about the incarnated Christ being the perfect sacrifice for Yom Kippur atonement with God rather than offering animal sacrifices year after year under the Law (Leviticus 16:1-19). In other words, only the blood of the incarnated Christ is truly acceptable to God once for all, not blood of sacrificial animals, to atone our sins. This also indicates the superiority of the New Covenant, which is represented with the blood of Christ (Luke 22:20; cf. Hebrews 9:15; cf. Jeremiah 31:31), over bull’s blood of the old covenant (Exodus 24:8). To further address the incarnated Christ being the perfect sacrifice offering for atonement and the New Covenant, we also find reference to Psalm 40:5-8 in Hebrew 10:5-7:

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.

These words from Psalm 40 are of David. As they also sound like words of Jesus, the incarnated Christ, there is a juxtaposition of Christ to David. And this reflects Archangel Gabriel’s announcement of Mary that the child conceived in her womb is the eternal Davidic King, as well as the Son of the Almighty Lord (Luke 1:32-33), fulfilling God’s covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:8-11).

Indeed, God has sent His only begotten Son by way of the incarnation of the human flesh of the Jewish man, Jesus, conceiving him in the womb of Mary, as she is the Immaculate Conception, in order to perfect the atonement sacrifice. This is why we have Hebrews 10:4-10 for the Second Reading of the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

Of course, the perfection of the atonement sacrifice by the incarnated Christ took place on the Cross, as commemorated on Good Friday, fulfilling the fourth servant song (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), which is the First Reading of Good Friday. 

There is another reason for God to have sent His Son incarnated through Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the Annunciation revealed. It is also to make Christ the perfect Korban Pesach (Paschal Sacrifice, Passover Sacrifice)(Exodus 12:5-14). Lamb to be sacrificed for Pesach (Passover) must be male and unblemished (Exodus 12:5). His flesh must be eaten, as roasted, and his blood protects, upon slaughtering him before sunset on the 14th day of Nisan (Exodus 12:6-13). So the incarnated Christ was killed on the Cross and placed in his tomb before sunset of that day, before the beginning of Pesach sabbath (John 19:38-42).  Thus, the incarnated Christ is Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi (The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world)(John 1:29), delivering us from the snare of sin as our New Pesach (New Passover). 

It is no coincidence this Solemnity, the Annunciation of the Lord’s incarnation in the Blessed Virgin’s womb, usually comes during Lent, as the incarnation points to his death on the Cross as the perfect Yom Kippur atonement sacrifice offering and as the perfect Korban Pesach (Passover Sacrifice). It is God’s will to save and redeem us, as He had done for the Israelites, delivering them from the slavery in Egypt through Passover. Because he was incarnated in the human flesh, his blood, the New Covenant,  enables us to atone our sins with God, making our salvation, instead of being condemned for our sins, making our Yom Kippur perfect. Not to mention, because he was incarnated, we benefit from the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the living bread of life and blood (John 6:32-58), established during the Lord’s supper on the night before his death (Luke 22:14-20).  Indeed, the Annunciation of the Lord points to the sacrifice of the Lord on Good Friday. 

A Reflection on Ash Wednesday to Begin a Lenten Journey of Salvific Transformation

On Ash Wednesday, also known as “Dies Cinerum” (Day of Ashes), we begin our Lenten journey, which leads us to the foot of the Cross on Good Friday so that we can celebrate the resurrection of the Lord on Paschal Sunday. Of course, our journey continues on beyond Paschal celebration in basking in the glory of our Lord’s resurrection. It will further take us to receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to solidify the inner transformation that begins on Ash Wednesday. 

Linking Ash Wednesday to Pentecost may seem strange or too-far-off. But, given extended contextual exegesis of the First Reading on Ash Wednesday Mass (Joel 2:12-18), returning to God with our whole hearts, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rending our hearts to God, will lead to be blessed materially and spiritually (Joel 2:18-3:2). The spiritual blessing of those who return to God with their whole hearts with contrition, mourning loss of their innocence and begging to God’s mercy (i.e. Joel 2:12-18) will further lead to eternal salvation in Jerusalem while their enemies are destroyed by Him (Joel 4:17-21). They are not condemned in His judgement (i.e. Joel 4:1-16). 

In the context of the Book of Joel, we are called to return to God with our whole hearts (Joel 2:12) because the day of the Lord is coming rather soon (Joel 2:1-11). In order to be saved, not to be condemned, on the day of the Lord, prophet Joel issues an alarm to abandon sinful life and whatever lead us to sin, so that we will be blessed and saved. In the Lenten context, the day of the Lord, the day of the judgement, is reflected on Good Friday. On that day, it is Christ who makes himself to be sin though he is sinless so that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). For this reason, Christ was incarnated (i.e. Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 14), and the incarnated Christ was baptized, saying that he needed to be baptized for all righteousness to be fulfilled (Matthew 3:15). Also remember, on Good Friday, we also die to sins as the incarnated Christ dies for our sins (i.e. 1 Peter 2:24).

Because he takes our sins on him and died and was buried (John 19:28-42), as Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ, of Loyola University, puts it, the incarnated Christ himself becomes ashes that we bear on Ash Wednesday.  It means that the ashes on our forehead reminds that we are ready to die to our sins when the incarnated Christ dies for our sins. Therefore, the ashes we bear on Ash Wednesday to begin our Lenten journey are not just ashes but a powerful symbol of our Lenten commitment to die to our sins so that we become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In order for us to commit to our Lenten transformational journey, not only that we need to acknowledge our sins and mourn loss of our innocence by bearing ashes and fasting, we also need to discipline ourselves so that our Lenten commitment, including prayer, almsgiving, and fasting, won’t become superficial, as reminded in the Gospel Reading (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18). Otherwise, we would make the ashes on our foreheads a show-off sign of our righteous acts. As Fr. Rosssmann puts it, these ashes on our foreheads are not anything like a “I voted” sticker. As we truly repent and mourn loss of our innocence, then we enter season of Lent with humility. So we pray at Ash Wednesday Mass:

Pour out a spirit of compunction, O God, on those who bow before your majesty, and by your mercy may they merit the rewards you promise to those who do penance. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ashes on our foreheads are, indeed, reminds us of our need of a spirit of compunction. Thus, the ashes also reflect what Paul described as a thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7), which keeps him from becoming haughty and prompts him to humbly seek grace from Christ (2 Corinthians 12:6-9). 

And our  Lenten humility and mourning of loss of our innocence and contrition shall be blessed by Christ, who said:

Blessed  are the poor in spirit, for there is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).

The Case of Good Samaritan: Fulfilling the Law by Our Actions of Love- the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

A theme of the Liturgy of the Word on the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, is the Law. In particular, it is about acting according to the Law, as we interpret it correctly, in orde to fulfill it.

Through Moses’ words, the First Reading (Deuteronomy 30:10-14) reminds us that the Law of God is so close to us and involves in our daily life. It is not abstract and incomprehensive.  Rather it is, indeed, a fabric of our life so that we stay on the right path with God. However, some experts of the Law abuse it to justify their certain sinful and immoral behaviors. So Jesus rebuked them quite harshly (Luke 11:39-52).

The Law of God is not meant to be contained in our heads. Rather, it is to be inscribed in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10; cf. Romans 2:15), and therefore it is to be carried out in our actions (Deuteronomy 30:14). Ultimately, the Law, as it is internalized in our conscience and serves as our moral intuition, is expressed through our actions of love toward God and neighbors. This is an important lesson from the Gospel Reading (Luke 10:25-37). Otherwise, we would commit abuses of the Law as the hypocrites did (e.g. Matthew 15:1-20//Mark 7:1-23).

In the Gospel Reading (Luke 10:25-37), a scholar of the law asked Jesus, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”, to test him (Luke 10:25). His motive was not sincere. It was like a wealthy official who asked Jesus the same question (Luke 18:18-23), because both the scholar of the law in Luke 10 and the rich official in Luke 18 asked Jesus a question on eternal life to justify themselves (Luke 10:29; 18:21).

In response to the scholar’s question, Jesus did not give a simple answer. Instead, he asked the scholar to find a reference in the Law (Torah) to inherit eternal life, saying:

What is written in the law? How do you read it? (Luke 10:26).

With the above question, Jesus is testing the scholar’s ability to read and interpret the Law. And the scholar cited two important commandments to answer his own question on eternal life: Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, saying:

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27).

Notice that this set of the commandments cited by the scholar of the Law does not say that loving God and a neighbor will entitle us to eternal life. However it is how he interprets these commandments to love. After all, he is an expert on the Law. He is confident in interpreting the Law. Though Jesus did not object, he did not simply affirm the scholar’s interpretation. So he commanded him not only to observe the Law as he interpreted but to live according to it for inheriting eternal life, saying:

You have answered correctly; do this and you will live (Luke 10:28).

An emphasis should be on “do this”, because the Law would not mean anything unless we “do” it. Interpreting the Law  is necessary but not sufficient for the purpose of it, for it must be observed in our daily actions. correctly.  That is why Moses also said this in regard to the Law:

It is something very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it (Deuteronomy 30:14).

The scholar of the Law could have promised Jesus to observe the commandments he cited to inherit eternal life, as commanded by Jesus, and go. However, he asked Jesus who his neighbor was to justify himself (Luke 10:29).

What does it mean that the scholar of the Law asking Jesus who his neighbor to love is for his self-justification?.

The scholar is certain that he already loves God, as commanded by Deuteronomy 6:5, which states, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength. This is absolute. On the other hand, however, he seems to think, in regard to the other commandment to love his neighbor as if he or she were himself (Leviticus 19:18), “neighbor” is defined rather relatively. In this thinking, whomever he considers as his neighbor is a neighbor, according to this thinking of hi, to justify the way he loves his neighbor.

To such a faulty thinking, Jesus speaks a parable about a Samaritan traveler, a priest, a Levite, and a man beaten by robbers, in order to let him answer his own question (Luke 10:30-36). This parable is known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan, only found in Luke’s Gospel. The parable says that a man, who was traveling to Jericho from Jerusalem, fell into the hands of robbers. The man was beaten, robbed, and left naked and half-dead on the road. A priest, who was traveling from Jerusalem, saw this victim of robbery but passed by on the other side, Then, a Levite was also traveling on the road and saw the beaten naked and half-dead man on the road. He also passed by on the other side, just as the priest did. But when a Samaritan traveler came to the sight, he was moved with compassion and came to the victim. Then he performed emergency treatment on the victim’s wounds with oil and wine. After this, he took the victim to a nearby inn and further cared for him. Next day, he gave the innkeeper money and aske him to take care of the victim and promised the innkeeper to pay more if the coast of care exceeds the amount he gave when he returns.

Having spoken this parable, Jesus asked the scholar of the Law, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”(Luke 10:36). “These three” refers to the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan traveler. To this question, the scholar correctly answered that it is the Samaritan traveler.  Then, Jesus said to him:

Go and do likewise (Luke 10:37).

There is no doubt that the scholar’s knowledge and abilities to interpret the Law were excellent. However, Jesus knew that he was not able to fulfill the Law as God desires, even though he was in the position to teach the Law. To let him recognize this problem, Jesus applied what is known as Socratic method, instead of simply answering the scholar’s question to be tested by him and to let him get way with his self-justification.  Telling the parable is a part of Jesus’ application of Socratic method.

Seeing the scholar correctly identifying who the neighbor to the victim, Jesus commanded him to be like the Samaritan traveler, whom he identified as the victim’s neighbor, in observing the commandment to love his neighbor. In doing so, perhaps, Jesus hoped that the scholar of the Law would not be like the priest and the Levite in the parable, who could use the Law as an excuse for their refusal to help the victim.

Then, what commandment in the Law that can be cited to justify the uncompassionate response to the victim?  

Actually, there is no commandment in the Law to excuse their callousness to the victim, because he was not dead (i.e. Leviticus 2:1-3). And his bleeding and discharge were not likely to be applicable to the prohibition in Leviticus 15:19-33. Therefore, the priest and the Levites rather had no love for their neighbor.

Being baptized and confirmed Catholics, we do not ask who our God is. If the Law is inscribed in our hearts, we are able to observe it in our actions of love, as the Samaritan traveler did to the victim. In fact, by our actions of love to our neighbors, the Law is fulfilled (i.e. Romans 8:10; Galatians 5:14).

Our neighbors are anyone being created in the image of the Triune God (Genesis 1:26-27). They are not limited to those who are in need, though they are our neighbors in priority of our love to fulfill the Law.  Everybody is a neighbor to everyone else, because we are many interrelated parts of one body of Christ, the Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). As reflected in the Second Reading (Colossians 1:15-20), we are not only neighbors to each other but also Christ’s neighbor, for he is the head (Colossians 1:18) and we are the rest of the body parts. We, together with all our neighbors, are created through him, the firstborn.Therefore, asking “Who are our neighbors” is just as ignorant as asking who is our Church and who is Christ.  Because Christ is also our neighbor, the head of the body, which we make up, loving our neighbors includes loving Christ (i.e. Matthew 25:34-36). If we fail to do this, we will forfeit eternal life (i.e. Matthew 25:37-46).

The Law is not found in the hearts of the self-righteous, who abuse the Law for self-justification,

The question that we must ask ourselves is:

Do we fulfill the Law by our daily actions of loving God and loving our neighbors?

It is a precondition that we know our neighbors are as we know God and the Church for us to fulfill the Law.

The Samaritan traveler, whom we call "Good Samaritan", is a good case study in regard to fulfilling the Law by way of our actions of love to God and our neighbors,