Light in the
Rising Conditions and Causes Behind the Fact that Immaculate Conception, Bodhi
Day, Guadalupe, Santa Lucia, Simbang Gabi, and Chanukah to be in Advent Season
December 8, is the solemn feast of Immaculate Conception of
Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, to the
Roman Catholics, as well as the Bodhi Day to the Japanese Buddhist. I do not
think it is a mere coincidence.
Am I just superstitious? No. I am more in to empirical
science with my psychology background. However, with my theology background, I
realize that there is just so much in reality but so little that we can
comprehend. The rest of the reality that we cannot comprehend at this time,
with our current sensory-cognitive capabilities, is accepted as a mystery,
which is not to be confused with a myth. Though I am Catholic, in fact, my study of and
family background in Buddhism, helps us see that there is nothing by
coincidence, as things exist and happen due to rising conditions and causes,
which we can understand only as little as a tip of iceberg. Given this background, I want to explore
possible rising causes and conditions that put the solemn feast of Immaculate
Conception in Catholicism and Bodhi Day in Japanese Buddhism not only on the
same day but also so close to the feast of Nuestra
Senora de Guadalupe (December 12), the memorial feast of Santa Lucia
(December 13), Simbang Gabi (December 15-24), and Chanukah (December 16-24, this
year – 2014). Given religious meanings of these sacred days in Christianity,
Buddhism, and Judaism, I believe that light, in particular, light of salvific hope,
associated with the coming Messiah, is what makes sense to have these sacred
says to fall on this time of the year – Advent .
There must be certain reasons or rising conditions and
causes, as Buddhism teaches, for light to be a common theme not only for
Immaculate Conception and Bodhi Day but also for the feasts of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, Santa
Lucia, Simbang Gabi and
Chanukah. In fact, as candle lights and
festively decorated lights are commonly seen at this time of the year, this is
a season of light, though it is the darkest time of the year, if you live in
the northern hemisphere, due to the proximity to the winter solstice. Though Mother Nature tells that it is the
darkest time of the year, God on the other hand, reminds us that this is when
we recognize light more, because God created light first (Genesis 1:3) in His Creation process.
In God’s Creation, light must be the foundation to
everything He created and blessed. This includes humans, which God created on
the sixth day in His own image (Genesis 1:26-31). At that time, there was no darkness of sin and its
consequences, though there were day and night to punctuate time. But, the focus of this punctuation is light
(Genesis 1:14).
***
As indicated in Revelation 12:7-9, Satan, as in a
serpent, came to Garden of Eden, which was the paradise on the newly created
earth, and tempted humans, as in Adam
and Eve, into sin against God, Original Sin.
That was when the darkness of sin and its consequences, such as
suffering and death, entered human life (Genesis 3). And, as the rest of the
books in the Scriptures, both the Old Testament and the New Testament,
describe, Original Sin resulted in a
vicious cycle of sins, called the deuteronomic cycle. This is an endless cycle,
so far, of darkness of sin, indicating the eviction from Garden of Eden
(Genesis 1:14-24) and not being in the Kingdom of God.
Throughout ages, as written in the Old Testament,
especially through the words of prophets, humans’ deuteronomic (repetitive)
sins have angered God to a point of punishing them, God’s mercy always
overrides His anger. God sure punishes
for our sins. Yet, He always wants us to be back in harmony with Him.
God always wants us back to Him. This is the nature of
God’s mercy. And, this reflects why God’s Creation process was not completed
until humans were created and why God created us in His own image. To God, losing humans would mean losing His
own image. It would bring so much grief to Him.
This is why God’s mercy always prevails to bring us back to Him when our
sins separate us from Him. And, as
Buddhists use light as a metaphor to address the light of Amitabha, who is the
cosmic Buddha, Christians view the mercy and benevolence of God as light that
shines in the darkness of sin and its consequences, such as suffering and
death. Believers are willing to return
to be in intimate harmony with God through repenting and reconciliation. So, we
sure desire to have something like what Adam and Eve lost, Eden, which
literally means “paradise”, more figuratively, as we hope to attain intimate
harmony with God. And, it is the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to teach us and
to usher us into. This is God’s redemptive plan, which will eventually win over
our deuteronomic cycle.
Immaculate Conception
Now, the above-mentioned Old Testament background is
very important to appreciate the solemn feast of Immaculate Conception as a
feast of light – light of messianic and redemptive hope. Immaculate Conception of Mary was God’s way
of preparing to bring the light of messianic and redemptive hope. In other
words, arranging Mary to be conceived without any stain of Original Sin in
Anna’s womb,, though it is not a virgin conception, is to prepare Mary to be fit to conceive and
give birth to Jesus as virgin.
Bodhi Day
Because of this light, Gautama in northeastern India (now
Nepal) became enlightened and began to see the light of Dharma through the Eightfold Path on Bodhi Day. Upon becoming
bodhisattva with enlightenment, the light of Dharma and the immeasurable mercy
of Amitabha have become accessible to those who seek, leading to Nirvana by practicing Gautama Buddha’s
teaching of the Eightfold Path and Paramitas.
About 500 years after Gautama opened his spiritual eyes to
the light, God, who first created light (Genesis 1:3) began His preparation to
send His light to the world, which has been infested with the darkness of sin,
by making the Word (logos), the Holy Spirit, become flesh in Jesus. But, for this
to take place, God needed the right human vessel. And, God chose Mary, before
her birth, to be conceived in Anna’s womb without any stain of Original Sin,
making this Immaculate Conception.
Because of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, she was able to conceive the
Son of God, as announced by Angel Gabriel (Luke 1:26-38, the Gospel reading for
the feast of the Immaculate Conception) and gave virgin birth to himthe divine
light, has come to this world, as Christ, and the Messiah, through Jesus, to
deliver us from the darkness of sins into the light of the Kingdom of God, as
said in John 1:1-14; 8:12; 9:5; and 12:46.
The light to the world, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came to
this world through the virgin birth in Bethlehem, as described in Luke 2:1-14,
Christmas Midnight Mass Gospel reading, and prophesized by Isaiah, about 700
years before (Matthew 1:18-25, the shorter version of the Gospel reading for
Christmas vigil Mass), because Mary was immaculate, full of grace, ever since
her conception. And, this light, Christ the Messiah, has begun God’s mission to
deliver us from the darkness of sins in this world into the Kingdom of God, our
ultimate “promised land”, which is envisioned in Revelation 22. Christ the Messiah is the guiding light to
us, shepherding us through the darkness, as sung in Psalm 23, while Buddha, an enlightened
one, who has received light, has begun teaching the Dharma to deliver us from the darkness of dukkha, suffering to Nirvana.
Nuestra Senora de
Guadalupe
The light of God has also touched us and the world we live,
through Mary’s apparition to Santo Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico,
December 9, 1531, as Nuestra Senora de
Guadalupe to bring the light of healing and hope, in response to people’s
cries. Mary, who is Immaculate
Conception, as she identified herself to Santa Bernadette of Lourdes, France,
in 1858, “Je suis l'Immaculée Conception”(I
am the Immaculate Conception), said these words to San Juan Diego:
I am truly your merciful Mother, yours and all the people who live
united in this land and of all the other people of different ancestries, my
lovers, who love me, those who seek me, those who trust in me. Here I will hear
their weeping, their complaints and heal all their sorrows, hardships and sufferings.
And to bring about what my compassionate and merciful concern is trying to
achieve, you must go to the residence of the Bishop of Mexico and tell him that
I sent you here to show him how strongly I wish him to build me a temple here
on the plain; you will report to him exactly all you have seen, admired and
what you have heard. As recorded
in “Huei tlamahuiçoltica” (The Great Event)
The
Marian apparition as Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe was to shine the world
with the light of God’s mercy through Juan Diego’s cooperation with her.
Santa
Lucia
Santa Lucia, St. Lucy, is a patron saint of eye sight for
the miracle of her eyes restored upon her burial, though her eyes were gouged
out for persecutory execution. Another legend says that Lucia was able to walk
as if she could see even after her eyes were taken out. Not to mention, etymological meaning of her
name is light (lux in Latin – luc) , which is deeply related to eye
sight. In Scandinavian nations, where winter darkness is much longer, the feast
of Santa Lucia is characterized with candle lights to lighten communities.
Not to mention, theological significance of Santa Lucia is
not just about eye sight but metaphorically about our spiritual abilities to
see God’s truth, as enlightened ones, bodhis, can see the truth of Dharma. The
eye sight in a spiritual sense, is the abilities to recognize God’s wisdom in
Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9), which is the truth – the teaching of Christ, the
Messiah, which continues on as parakletos (John 14:26).
God has given us eye sight to see the truth (Exodus 4:11),
even our physical eyes were gouged out. Thus, the feast of Santa Lucia reminds
us of the importance of keeping our spiritual eye sight to see the light of
God, meaning, seeing the truth of God. And,
the light (John 8:12) is also the truth and the way (John 14:6). Thus, our
spiritual eye sight enables us to see God as the light, the truth, and the way,
in the Messiah.
Simbang Gabi
The Filipino Catholic Christmas novena tradition, Simbang Gabi, is also about light of
God. Its prototype was Misa de Gallo,
which has been a popular celebration on Christmas Eve through Spanish-speaking
Latin America since 1587, given that the Philippines had been Spanish colony
for more than 350 years until 1898.
Though Misa de Gallo takes place on Christmas Eve, Simbang Gabi is celebrated for 9 days
leading to Christmas – from December 15 until Christmas Eve as it is a novena.
But, both Misa de Gallo and Simbang Gabi starts before dawn. When Mass is over,
the sun is rising or just risen.
Simbang Gabi is a
9-day preparation for the coming of Christ, the messianic light. And, each Simbang Gabi celebration takes place in a way to welcome
new light of a day, as it starts before sunrise and ends around sunrise. Interestingly, the color of celebrant
priest’s vestment color is always white for Simbang
Gabi, though this novena is during the season of Advent, for which purple
is used as the nature of Advent preparation is penance. White as a liturgical color symbolizes light.
Thus, Simbang Gabi is about light,
who is Jesus (John 8:12), the Christ, the Messiah, and the Son, who is coming,
juxtaposed with the rising sun at dawn. Perhaps, there is a bit of pun to put
the Son, who is coming, and the sun, which is coming on the horizon, in Simbang Gabi. That you must ask your
Filipino Catholic friend.
Chanukah
Chanukah is known as a Jewish festival of light. It is
because of the miracle of the menorah candle light still burning even on the 8th
day thought the oil for the candle was to last only for a day, when the Temple
in Jerusalem was redeemed for purification from the hands of Greek oppressors,
who defiled the Temple. The miracle menorah candle light that kept burning for
8 days, has become a symbol of God’s redemptive power, associated with
salvation of the faithful.
Chanukah prayer includes:
We light these lights
For the miracles and the wonders,
For the redemption and the battles
That you made for our forefathers
In those days at this season,
Through your holy priests.
Though the light that symbolizes the presence of God, God
being with us, Emmanuel, was kept for the Temple’s redemption in 165 BC, it was
not the case in 70 AD, as the Temple was destroyed completely into ruins by the Romans. Even
today, the Temple is not rebuilt.
This makes some people wonder why God did not keep His light
as He did back in 165 BC – why God did not make the second miracle of light for
another redemption of the Temple.
But, to those who believe in Christ’s resurrection, God did not leave the
Temple destroyed but rebuilt in a very different way already with the
Resurrection, as these words of Jesus are written, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John
2:19). Thus, the menorah light that kept
burning until the Temple redemption and purification upon Maccabean revolt’s
victory over Seleucids Greeks, who desecrated and defiled the Temple. In 165
BC, has been burning as the light of the risen Christ, even the Temple has been
destroyed physically ever since 70 AD..
Jesus said, “I am the
resurrection”(John 11:25). This statement of Jesus explains what he meant
by his words in John 2:19. Thus, the risen Christ is the New Temple, who sits
on the throne of God in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21, 22), where he
continues to shepherd us, through parakletos,
upon his Ascension (i.e. John 10:11, 14; 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), until the end
of time (Matthew 28:20). It means that
the light of Chanukah, the menorah light that lasted for 8 days in the Temple to signify God’s presence over God’s people’s
victory of the Maccabean revolt is never lost, in spite of the Temple’s
permanent destruction by the Romans in 70 AD., as the risen Christ’s presence,
as the rebuilt Temple, is no longer necessarily visible and tangible. The Chanukah light continues to burn and
shine in the hearts of the believers.
***
God's Salvific Light in the Rising Causes and Conditions Beyond Religious Boundaries, Accented by Immaculate Conception and Bodhi Day
The solemn feast of Immaculate Conception of Mary is about
how God had chosen Mary for the Messiah
to come to this world, as said in John 1:1-14 and 3:16. For the Messiah
to come as the Word in flesh (John 1:14), meaning as God’s tangible revelation,
Mary, who was chosen as the physical vessel to become pregnant with the Word in
flesh, has to be born immaculate, meaning, absolutely free from any stain of
Original Sin. And, the Messiah that Mary was prepared to be immaculate to serve
as a vessel of his advent (coming), is the light (John 8:12).
On the other hand, Bodhi Day is about historical Buddha,
Gautama Buddha, attaining enlightenment under the bodhi tree, awakening to the
Four Noble Truths, which leads to the Eightfold Path, in response to his long
quest of answers on causes of suffering (dukkha)
and a way to overcome it. Thus, it is the day to commemorate Gautama Buddha’s
enlightenment with the truths about suffering (the Four Noble Truths – the
nature, cause, cessation of, and liberation from suffering. And, the way of
liberation from suffering is the Eightfold Path.
When Gautama was born in Lumbini, Nepal about 2,500 years
ago, the world did not seem to know a way to overcome suffering. Suffering was like a business as usual.
People were more toward finding ways to avoid suffering. But, such efforts did
not see to get anywhere. People were living in the vicious endless cycle of Samsara, reincarnation. On the other
hand, when Jesus was born from the immaculate body of Mary, the blessed virgin,
about 2,000 years ago, in Bethlehem, Judah, the world was in the darkness of
the deuteronomic cycle of sins, which has been spinning ever since Original
Sin, because we keep sinning and sinning throughout generations.
About 500 years prior to the advent of the Messiah, Gautama
went on a journey of seeking an answer to the questions on suffering: what it
is, what it is caused by, what can stop, and how it can be overcome. For this,
Gautama even went through ascetic monastic life. But, such a life of
austerities did not bring any light to a tunnel of suffering, as he was
suffering tremendously. Gautama gave up an ascetic life style and came to a village
exhausted. Seeing Gautama, seemed almost
lifeless, a village woman, Sujata, offered him sweetened milk. Gautama regained
liveliness and bathed himself in the Najranjara River as his strengths returned
and began meditating under the bodhi tree. During the meditation, Gautama
fought forces of Mara (Satan), who tried to derail him from his seeking and
defile him with various temptations. Yet, Gautama overcame and attained the
light of Dharma wisdom, as Jesus overcame temptations inflicted by Satan when
he was about to complete his 40-days-and-night fasting in the desert (Matthew
4:1-11).
When Gautama overcome attacks by Mara (Satan), he came out
of his meditation and began his ministry for overcoming the darkness of kleshas (defilement), which brings dukkha (suffering). When Jesus overcame
assaults by Satan, he came out of his fasting and started his ministry for
overcoming the darkness of sins. Gautama Buddha taught the way of breaking free
from the vicious Samsara cycle of
suffering to be delivered into Nirvana.
Jesus Christ taught the way, by being the way, truth, life, and light, to
shepherd us from the endless deuteronomic cycle of sin into the Kingdom of God.
In approximately 500 years of time span, both Gautama Buddha
and Jesus Christ came to this world of darkness of sin to show the salvific
light. But, with Jesus, we have come to know that this light of salvation is
God’s constant work to deliver us from the vicious endless cycle of sin into
the Kingdom of God better than what Adam and Eve lost, the Garden of Eden.
Immaculate Conception of Mary had to take place so that God
can ensure that the Word becomes human flesh blessishlessly, as the Messiah –
so that the faithful will be delivered from the deuteronomic cycle and ushered
into the Kingdom of God.
Advent is the time to remember how our ancestors in faith,
at the time of John the Baptist, prepared for the coming (advent) of the
Messiah in human flesh, as a result not only of Annunciation (Luke 1:26-88, the
Gospel reading for Immaculate Conception Mass and feast Mass for Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe) but also
Immaculate Conception.
The apparition of Mary as Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe shows the salvific light of God is
always casted upon us. However, for this light to work, it takes our
cooperation to God’s salvific will, as exemplified by Santo Juan Diego. The memorial feast of Santa Lucia reminds us
that God’s light is never lost, even though our physical eyes are taken away or
lose their visions, as in the case with Lucia. As long as we kep our faith, we
can always see the salvific light of God.
Simbang Gabi teaches us how we can prepare for the coming
of Christ the light, in connection of preparing for the rising sun, in a unique
Hispano-Finilipo way. And, Chanukah, to Christians, is not only remembering
that God never abandons us even His Temple was physically defiled by enemies of
God’s people, as the miraculous menorah flame burning symbolizes, but also the
ultimate miracle menorah light is continuously burning in the hearts of the
faithful, preparing for parousia
(second coming ) of Christ, the light, for the judgement and deliverance into
the Kingdom of God at the end of time. And, these are all in God’s magnificent
salvific plan, which kicked off, when we started our deuteronomic cycle of the
darkness of sin, accented with Immaculate Conception and Christmas, during
Advent season. Though Bodhi Day seems to
have irrelevant to this God’s salvific plan, who knows, God may have let
Gautama become enlightened about 500 years before Jesus, the ultimate
enlightened one, came. Thus, like John the Baptist shortly before the beginning
of Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee, Gautama Buddha also prepared a way to see
the light by overcoming the darkness of sin (kleshas), though he did not mention God. If you study Buddhism –
the teaching of Gautama Buddha, you sure notice how Buddha’s teaching makes
sense in Christ’s teaching as the way
into the Kingdom of God.
Immaculate Conception, Bodhi Day, Nuestra Senor de Guadalupe, Santa Lucia, Simbang Gabi, and Chanukah are all connected through the salvific
light of God, as in the rising causes and conditions, , crossing three
religious traditions: Catholicism, Buddhism, and Judaism. And, December 8, the day for both Immaculate
Conception and Bodhi Day highlight this truth veiled in mystery.
