During Eastertide, First
Readings for Mass are taken from the Acts of the Apostles, though they are
usually from the Old Testament. Gospel Readings for this festive period are
taken from John, except for the Third Sundays on Cycle A and Cycle B. For these
two Sundays, the Gospel readings are taken from Luke 24.
It is likely that these
Eastertide Sunday Scripture readings are arranged this way to prepare us for
Pentecost, while deepening our intimacy with the risen Christ. Reading the Acts of the Apostles gives us
visions of how we are to become upon our Easter experience, as Eastertide journey
completes with Pentecost. First Readings
for Easter Sundays from the Acts of the Apostles describe how fruitful the
works of the Apostles were after they were empowered by the Holy Spirit on
Pentecost. The Easter Sundays First Readings from the Acts of the Apostles
gives encouraging visions of how our Eastertide journey to Pentecost will
entail with our productivities as disciples of Christ.
On the other hand, Easter
Sundays Gospel readings for the first three Sundays reflect how the Apostles
struggled in recognizing the Resurrection.
Quite contrary to how we celebrate Easter Sunday, the way the Apostles
began the Resurrection Sunday was characterized with fear, confusion, doubt, and
grief, as the Gospel Readings for the first three Easter Sundays remind. Nevertheless, as they encountered the risen
Christ and recognized him, they were immediately filled with joy. Perhaps, this
rather reflects how we celebrated Easter Vigil Mass – starting with darkness,
gradually giving its way to light of joy.
Then, there is a shift in the
Easter Sunday Gospel Readings on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, which is also
known as Good Shepherd Sunday. From this Sunday on, the Johannine Gospel Readings
for the rest of Easter Sundays are Christological, especially intended to
foster our intimate relationship with the risen Christ. These Gospel narratives are to help us become
drawn closer and closer to Christ. Given
the Johannine Chirstological insights, which put Christ the Son and the Father
consubstantial, grounded in the juxtaposition of “logos” in John 1:1. As a
matter of fact, this Johannine Christological motif, consubstantiality between
the Father and Christ the Son, stemming from John 1:1, leads to Trinity,
especially with John 14:16 on. It also suggests that Eastertide Sunday
Johannine Gospel Readings from Good Shepherd Sunday on not only prepare us for
Pentecost but also for Trinity Sunday, which follows Pentecost Sunday.
Having recovered from Lenten guilt
and Good Friday grief by the Third Sunday of Easter, we are more fit to
experience not only joy but also intimacy with the risen Christ. Given the consubstantiality between the Father
and Christ the Son, we are now drawn closer not only to the risen Christ but
also to the one who sent him, the Father. This Christological transformational
and growth process during Eastertide will also lead us to the infusion of the
Holy Spirit on Pentecost to consummate our Easter experience. Then, we shall
find ourselves so fired up with the Pentecost Holy Spirit and further growing
to be generative disciples of Christ, just as the post-Pentecost Apostles were.
Here, we can see how the Easter Sundays First Readings from the Acts of the
Apostles and the Johannine Gospel Readings in our post-Pentecost growth and
transformation.
What the Sunday Scriptures Readings
for Easter Sundays inspire us into becoming generative disciples, empowered by the
Pentecost Holy Spirit and grounded in intimacy with the Triune God. In the
Trinity, the Father the Sender, the Son the Savior, and the Holy Spirit the
Comforter are found in the hypostatic union.
In this mysterious divine unity, we are dawn intimately. This Easter
spiritual growth and transformation reflects Erik Erikson’s psychosocial developmental
concept and John Bowlby’s attachment concept.
Erikson argued that we, as humans, grow to become a whole person with
ego integrity, with the foundation of trust. On this developmental journey, we
attain generativity to show more compassion, following the attainment of
intimacy. In terms of intimacy, Bowlby emphasized the importance of forming
secure psychological attachment (not to be confused with upadana , which associated with suffering, dukka, in Buddhism, often translated as “attachment”) with the
primary care-giving being, usually a mother.
Attachment in Bowlby’s concept and trust in Erikson’s concept are in
parallel as both of these are considered to be the foundation of human psychological
development.
In fact, the paradigms of
these psychological concepts of Erikson and Bowlby are applicable to enhance
understanding of our Eastertide transformation and growth toward post-Pentecost
generativity. For the faithful, our
ultimate primary care-giving being is the Father, and Christ the Son is the
Good Shepherd, who leads us to Him, and is the gateway to Him. That is why we
need to form our secure attachment with Christ, as branches are securely
attached to the vine, so that we can be fruitful – generative – in our works of
mercy. This is our Christian
psychospiritual growth journey into our ego – self integration, finding ourselves
in Christ. When this Christian ego integration is attained, we can experience
what Paul meant by these words, “ I have been crucified with Christ; and it is
no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in
the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up
for me” (Galatians 2:20). Not to mention, Paul formed very intimate attachment
with Christ, who delivered him from the hands of Satan, and his service to
Christ was very generative.
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