Christ the Heavenly Tea Master to His Faithful Disciples Entered through the Nijiriguchi: Narrow Entrance – A Lesson from Bl. Justo Ukon Takayama

Jesus has taught us to enter the Kingdom through its narrow entrance. This evokes nijiriguchi, through which guests enter into their master's tea hut, demanding to bend their bodies on their knees to enter. Imagine Jesus being the ultimate tea master, looking forward to our arrival in his hut for the heavenly tea ceremony. For this, we continue to journey on our Exodus from Eden lost to new Eden, not to be fooled or tempted onto a wider path with a wider entrance. 

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In the Gospel reading for the 20^th Sunday on Cycle C, Luke 12:49-53, Jesus made it clear that his presence on earth is to bring division rather than peace (v. 51). Namely, in a hyperbolic way, Jesus is referring it to the judgement (Revelation 20:11-15) upon series of tribulations (Revelation 6-16). The division is to separate those who are saved and those who are not, like separating wheat from tares at the harvest time (Matthew 12:24-29, 36-42). Those whom God puts His seal on foreheads (Revelation 7:3-4) and those whose robes washed and made white in Christ’s blood (Revelation 7:15) and those whose names are in the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5, 20:15) are the saved ones. Because Jesus underwent the baptism of suffering (Luke 12:50), we can be saved by his blood (Revelation 7:15; St. Faustina’s Diary, 298-299), as it is the ultimate Passover Lamb’s blood (Exodus 12; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

The Gospel reading for the 21^st Sunday on Cycle C, Luke 13:22-30, describes that the division between those who are saved and those who are not is hinged upon the narrow door (v.24). The saved are those who entered the house of God, while those who are not saved are left outside.  Then, the master of the house, God the Christ, locked the door.

Those who are saved are inside the house, while those who are not are outside.  In juxtaposing Luke 13:24-25 to Matthew 7:13-14, those who failed to enter the house of God through the narrow entrance and, therefore, left outside are to be condemned. In fact, those who are saved and in the house of God are those who have done the will of the Father (Matthew 7:21), and it is to be the good stewards of what God has entrusted us in (Matthew 25:14-30) and to do the works of love for others (Matthew 25:31-46). And they remain vigilant for the return of Christ to be in the house of God – to be saved (Matthew 25:1-13).

There is a permanent division between the saved and the condemned – the insiders and the outsiders at the eschaton.

The narrow entrance to the house of God, which symbolizes the salvation in the Kingdom of God, is a metaphor for what it takes us to be saved and to be in the house of God. It is not as simple as some heretic preachers say, “You are now saved because you have accepted Jesus as your personal savior”.  The passage of Luke 13:25-27 is a reminder against such a heresy. It takes far more than accepting Jesus as the savior to be saved by him. And, narrow entrance (narrow door (stenes thyras, Luke 13:24) and narrow gate (stenes pules, Matthew 7:13)).  It takes to endure tribulation by sustaining faith in Christ and faithfully doing the will of God, while remaining in vigilant hope for the parousia.

The house of God that we enter through the narrow gate is actually the new heaven and earth, the Kingdom of God, envisioned in Revelation 21. In it, there is the ultimate Jerusalem (not to be confused with the geographical city of Jerusalem).  That is why the First Reading for the 21^st Sunday on Cycle C is Isaiah 66:18-21, with a glorious image of the faithful from all over the earth gathering in this heavenly city of peace, called Jerusalem, is read to correspond to Luke 13:22-30.  In fact, the ultimate Jerusalem in Isaiah 66:18-21, is what the Church is to become, the bride of Christ in the Kingdom of God. Thus, the we, the Church, must enter the new through the narrow entrance into the house of God. As we complete our entry into the house of God, the Kingdom, through the narrow entrance, then, Eden is restored to us anew (Revelation 22:1-5). And, this is the total consummation of God’s salvific scheme, which started just before Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden (Genesis 3:15).

It has been a very long way from Genesis 3, in which we lost Eden, to Revelation 22, in which we are in new Eden, as long as we enter the house of God through the narrow entrance. In fact, the journey from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22 is our ultimate Exodus. Like the Exodus that the Israelites took from Egypt to the Land of Milk and Honey in Canaan, first, crossing the Red Sea, and lastly, crossing the Jordan River, not everyone can make it through. Thus, to think of the narrow entrance (Luke 13:24; cf. Matthew 7:13), think of the Exodus: why God did not let the Israelites take a “short cut” from Egypt to the destination in Canaan but rather a longer and far more difficult way. God sure does not make our path to salvation easy. We have to endure in doing the will of God faithfully, while remaining vigilant for the Parousia.

Given that the Gospel narrative for the 22^nd Sunday on Cycle C, Luke 14:1, 7-14,    which addresses the virtue of humility, the narrow entrance to the house of God, also means that humility is another necessary factor, besides endurance in doing the will of God and vigilance for the return of Christ. The last sentence from the Gospel reading for the 21^st Sunday, “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (Luke 13:30) is echoed in the Gospel reading for the 22^nd Sunday, in addressing the virtue of humility:

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:8-11

Now, the above words of Jesus on the virtue of humility, applied in the proper manner for invited guests, evoke an image of a Japanese tea hut, where a host holds a tea ceremony with guests. Because guests for a tea ceremony must enter the hut through a very small entrance, called nijiriguchi, which literally means an entrance that requires guests to bend on their knees. 

If the house of God is to be juxtaposed to a Japanese tea ceremony hut, the narrow entrance definitely symbolizes humility. In front of Christ, we bend on our knee, in the sanctuary of Church. We are on our knees when bread and wine are consecrated into Corporis et Sanguinis Christi upon epiclesis on the alter. So, imagine, entering into a Japanese tea hut for tea ceremony is to meet the ultimate host of the ceremony, our Lord Jesus Christ, the grand tea master beyond Sen no Rikyu. Imagine, we, the faithful, enjoy Christ’s hospitality as he hosts the heavenly tea ceremony, acknowledging our completion of a long Exodus journey from lost Eden to the new Eden (from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22), enduring tribulations in faithfully doing God’s will and keeping vigilant hope for this tea ceremony, thus being able to make ourselves “stenos”(narrow) enough to enter through the nijiriguchi of God’s heavenly tea hut. 

It is no coincidence that Bl. Justo Ukon Takayama, 16^th century Japanese Catholic samurai lord, who is soon to be canonized by Pope Francis, was also an excellent student of Sen no Rikyu, a grand tea master of the 16^th Japan. He endured persecution, losing his castle and province, and ended as an exile to Manila, for his staunch refusal give up his faith in Christ. Bl. Unkon Takayama certainly endured in doing God’s will for him. His faithfulness with fortitudes is inseparable from his humility to be a good student of tea ceremony under Sen no Rikyu, who demanded samurais to leave their treasured swords outside his tea hut. There is no way for a samurai to enter a hut through its nijiriguchi, unless he detaches his swords. The swords represent the pride of samurai. But, Bl. Ukon Takayama, needed no sword – no pride, in entering the house of God – the tea hut of Sen no Rikyu. For him, the way of Christ – the way of tea mattered more than his swords. All he needed was his faithful adherence to what he was fully committed to: his faith in Christ, his practice of the way of tea.

In Bl. Ukon Takayama’s faithfulness, we can see a juxtaposition between Catholicism and Japanese way of tea in regard to entering the house of God through its narrow entrance – salvific joy in new Eden, where Japanese tea wabi-sabi simplicity blossoms into the grand splendor of paradise.

渡米３０年目の回想：英語をコミュニケーションの媒体とする私の異文化における人生

実は、今日、8月２５日は私がアメリカの土を始めて踏んでから丁度３０年目になります。

別にアメリカへ来たくて来たというよりも、寧ろ、日本で３浪したにもかかわらず志望校に合格しないまま根が張れない浮き草のような目的のない万年浪人になりかけていた当時の私に、アメリカ人の友人から、アメリカの大学に行くのはどうか？と言われたことがきっかけで、志望校に受からなかった腹いせもかねてアメリカの大学に矛先を変えてみることにしました。

高校の時の英語は総じてごく平均程度でしたが、オーストラリアにペンパル（そして、今でも彼女と３５年以上の長いおつきあい）がいたこともあって英語を通して、まだ直接触れることができない遠い異国の何かを新鮮に感じられる体験から、英語への興味は寧ろ高いほうでした。しかも、大学受験において、医学部を志望しており、医師となれば、脳外科医として活躍する前にアルベルトシュバイツアーのように発展途上国で医療活動をしてみたい、という“夢”も抱いていたので、理系とはいえ英語だけは人並み以上に勉強しておこうという心構えはありました。更に、修猷館高校３年の時の英語の先生（浅田正人先生）はドイツ文学を東大大学院で修められたすごい方で、英語とドイツ語の深い歴史的、言語学的、なつながりについて触れられ、英語への興味は更に高まりました。このことが理由で、当時、渡辺昇一先生が記された“英語の語源”という講談社新書を一気に読み、語源に注意を払いながら英単語を覚え、整理する習慣がつきました。

実は、暗記に比べて一見面倒のようかもしれませんが、語源に注意を払う英語の勉強法は、TOEFLは言うまでもなく、SATによく出てくる難解な語彙、それに、大学院受験に必要だったGREというテストでも非常に役立ちました。もちろん、大学、大学院、での学術用語をマスターする上でも語源に気を配った勉強は寧ろ、当然だと感じました。おかげで、大学院でラテン語やギリシャ語を嗜んだ際に、あの頃に身につけた語源に注目した勉強法が功を奏しました。そもそも、英単語の語源は大きくギリシャ語系とラテン語系に分けられますから。それに、浅田先生の比較言語学的な影響もあってか、渡米後、ドイツ語だけでなく、フランス語やスペイン語を学ぶ際、英語、特に、英語とのつながりを語源的に把握することができ、各々の言語を系統的にしかも歴史的、文化的背景を含めて学ぶことができました。

当時はまだeメールやネットが無かった時代、その友人出身のミズーリ州で私のような者でもほぼ確実に受かるような、しかも、費用もなんとかなるような大学をアメリカンセンターの図書館で探し、直接、大学に手紙を書き、書類一式を送ってもらい、横田の米軍基地内にあるハイスクールで在日米軍士官や兵士達の子弟と一緒にSATというアメリカ大学受験に必須なテストを受け、アメリカンセンターでアメリカ留学を目指す多くの日本人と一緒にTOEFLを受け、入学許可書（I-20）が届くとすぐにアメリカ大使館で学生ビザを申請し、インタビューを受ける、というように準備を進めてきました。これらのテストを受けてみると始めての割りに意外と点数が取れた（しかし、SATの総点数の大部分が数学で稼いだと記憶している）のは以外でした。そういうことで、”へ～、俺のような日本の大学受験戦争の落ちこぼれでもマジに拾ってくれる大学がアメリカにあるんだ、だったら一応行ってみようか”、という気持ちでした。当時、驚いたのはアメリカの大学には“入学金”というのが無いということでした。それに出願料は確か２５ドルだったと思います。日本の大学の出願料や入学金とは桁違いに安い。

あれは平成元年のこの日、たった一人で誰からも見送られることなく、死んだオヤジが海外出張で使ってたバッグ一つで先ずロスへ飛び、ロスからダラス、そして、ダラスからセントルイス。そして、その夜、セントルイスの友人の実家で一泊し、翌朝、セントルイスからグレハンバスでミズーリ州南東部のミシシッピ川沿いのケープジラードという元々フランスからの入植者達が先住民と交易していた田舎町に到着。そう、確か、高校の世界史の時間、1803年にアメリカがフランス領ルイジアナ（といっても今のルイジアナ州だけでなく、ロッキー山脈のすそから西海岸までのメキシコ独立以前のスペイン領までにミシシッピ川以西の広大な領土がフランス王であるルイ（ルイス）の名をとった当時のフランス領ルイジアナ）を購入したことを思い出しました。それまでは、ここはフランス人と先住民が一緒に暮らしてたんだ、と勝手に歴史的な想像にふけってしまいました。私が到着した時にはその面影はありませんでしたが。。

飛行機（アメリカン航空）の中やロスの空港で通じていた当時の私の英語が、大学への道を尋ねたケープジラードのおっさんになかなか通じず、しかも、私もこのおっさんの強い南部訛の英語がとても分りにくく、このど田舎の大学でこれから４年間学ぶのに、初日からこの地で話す英語が分らんかったらこの先真っ暗じゃないか、ってビビりました。しかし、なんとかキャンパスに辿りつき、寮でルームメートのアメリカ人学生、ティム、会って、自己紹介の後、話していると彼の英語は理解できるし、彼も私の英語を理解しているではないですか。で、だんだん打ち解け、話が進んでいくうちに、ティムは私に合い槌を打つかのように“cool!”という言葉を連発させます。しかし、その時の私は、どうして彼はこのくそ暑いときに”涼しい！“と私が話したことに対して言うのだろうか、と不思議でした。しかし、話の流れを止めることに気兼ねというか、日本からはるばるやってきたバカという印象を与えることが嫌で、その時、彼がどうして“cool!” を連発させるのか聞きませんでした。そうしている内に、彼が、”お前、おなか空いてるだろう。食べに行こうぜ。俺、車あるけん、連れて言ってやるけん。どこで食べたい？“って聞いてきたんで、”気を遣ってくれてありがとう。そうだな～、マクドナルド！“というと、彼は”何？“って聞いてくるので、通じていません。そう、あの時、私は彼にマクドナルドと”ジャパングリッシュ“で言っており、彼の耳にはちんぷんかんぷんだったんです。そこで彼は紙と鉛筆を差し出し、書いてみろ、というので、McDonaldとちゃんと書いたら、”Oh, McDonald！“（オ～、マ　ｯｸッドーナルド！”と初めて理解してくれました。その時、日本にいた時以来のマクドナルドの発音がアメリカでは通じない”ジャパングリッシュ“であると気つき、恥ずかしい思いをしました。そして、その夜、密かに辞書で”cool”という中学一年で習った言葉を調べてみると、なんと、それには”いいね“とか”いかすね～“とかいう口語的意味があるということが分り、納得でき、その夜はぐっすりと眠れました。

生まれて初めての海外。そして、アメリカでアメリカ人と話す英語は日本にいた時、在日外国人と話していた英語とは違うな～と既に感じ始めていました。

そこで、当時の私の英語にまつわる逸話をもう一つ。

ルームメートからどんどんアメリカ特有の口語表現を吸い取るようになり、セメスターの中ごろまでには私もかなりこうした口語表現やスラングなんかも使いこなせるようになり、キャンパス内での友達がぐっと増えました。そうした中、同じ寮の女子棟にいるかわいいクリスチーナという女の子にルームメートから習った口語表現の一つである“How is it hanging?、というフレーズで彼女に、”（調子は）どう？“という意味をこめて使ってみると、なんと彼女の反応が以外にも以外でした。私はてっきり彼女が、”マサ、あんた先日アメリカに来たばかりなのにもうアメリカ人のようにしゃべれるんだね“って思ってくれるだろうと思ってたのが、とてもびっくり、しかも、あまりいい意味でなく、驚いた顔をし、何も言わずにプイってそっぽ向いて立ち去ってしまったんです。私は即座に何か悪い予感がしたものの、事の成り行きがつかめず困惑してしまいました。で、クラスから帰ってきたルームメートにそのことを話すと、彼はいきなり大爆笑！でも、こっちはわけがわからないので、”なんだこの野郎、人が困ってるのに大爆笑なんかしやがって“, といった感じです。で、笑い終わったルームメートは、”マサ、いいか、あの表現は女の子にはつかっちゃいけないんだよ。と言うのは、女の子にあの表現を使うとあんたのおっぱいの垂れぐあいはどう？ってな意味になるからね。。しっかし、まさかお前、あの表現をよりによってクリスチーナにぶつけてみるとは、勇気あるな～“って感心してくれているではないですか。で、彼は、”すまん、すまん、俺ががちゃんと釘さしておけばよかった“と言いました。でも、もう後の祭り。その晩はクリスチーナのあの驚いた顔が走馬燈のように浮かぶのでろくに眠れませんでしたが、翌日、勇気をしぼって、彼女に事の成り行きを説明すると、さすがクリスチーナ、かわいいだけでなく理解もあり、”いいのよ。わたしも、もしかそうじゃないかなって思ったから“、と言ってくれただけでなく、軽くハグしてもくれました。その夜、このことをルームメートに話すと、”何だって、お前、あのクリスチーナとハグしたって？“　　こっちからしてみれば、やった～！です。塞翁が馬って、こういうことも含むんでしょうかね？でも、セクハラ問題が話題の今日この頃、今からおもえばあの時のこの体験、ぞっとします。クリスチーナ、異文化問題を理解してくれたので、私をセクハラで訴えたりしませんでしたから。

あの日から今日まで３０年間、たまに帰国した時意外、ずっと英語という母国語でない言語で暮らしてきました。大学、大学院、そして、社会人体験はすべて英語をコミュニケーションの媒体としています。今では英語の他、必要に応じてスペイン語も少し使いますが。

このように英語という中学入学早々習い始めた母国語でない言葉を人生の半分以上もの間あたりまえのように異文化の中で毎日以心伝心の媒体としていると、自分は今でも日本人なんだろうか、と自問することはありませんか？、とよく聞かれます。実は、そうした時がありました。しかし、今では、こうした自分のアイデンティティーの自問の結果、自分は今でも日本人だと自覚しています。いや、寧ろ、日本で暮らしていた時以上に自分は日本人なんだと強く自覚しています。これは、私自身が３０年という歳月をかけてきた異文化適応の必然的な結果です。

思えば、３０年前の今日、初めてアメリカへ来たときにバックに詰めていた物の中に、岩波新書の万葉集（上下、二巻、斉藤茂吉、による編纂）があります。別に誰からもアドバイスされたわけではないのですが、なぜか私は万葉集を持って行きたいと潜在意識的に考えていたようです。そして、アメリカでの留学において辛い時、時折、万葉集を開き、特に、故郷を遠く離れ、国防の任務に就く防人が故郷の親兄弟や恋人などへ詠んだ歌を涙を流しながら何度も読み、乗り越えてきました。

こうしたこともあって、表面上、いくらまわりのアメリカ人のように英語を媒体としてコミュニケートしながら、アメリカという多民族、多文化、の社会環境で人生の半分以上を費やしても、私の心はいつまでも日本人なのです。そして、それだからこそ、英語をいう媒体でコミュニケートするまわりの人達からも日本人であると見られ、日本や日本文化についていろいろ質問されることもあれば、他の国々から移民してきた人達からは私はどうやってアメリカの多文化ダイナミズムの波に溺れることなく日本人として生きてこれたのか興味津々に聞かれます。勿論、こうした質問に今ではしっかりとできるだけ分りやすく答えることができます。なぜならば、大学や大学院、さらにメンタルヘルスの臨床や病院チャプレンとしての実地研修において、幾つかの異文化コミュニケーションについての講座をとったからというよりも、私自身が異文化で紆余曲折しながら今まで生きてきた体験を共有することができるからなんです。先述した当時の私の英語についての笑い話も、こうした私の異文化適応における道のりの道程の幾つかなのです。幕末に当時ご法度だった海外渡航を試みた吉田松陰らが唱えた和魂洋才の教えの深さが今、やっと理解できるような気がします。

さて、今日の締めくくりに英語学習の面白さを一つ紹介いたします。

Fineという英単語、確か、誰でも中学一年の英語の教科書のLesson 1でお目にかかりますね。

“Hello! How are you?”

“I’m fine. Thank you. And you?”　というように。

だから、大抵の日本人はfineという単語には“元気だ”とか“調子はいいよ”といった意味があると覚え、連想できるようになっています。ところが、海外旅行や海外出張でレンタカーを借りて、ぶっ飛ばしすぎて、オマワリからスピード違反で捕まると、

“Your fine is $120”って言われると、ええ？それ、どういう意味と思う人がいるかもしれません。

確か、fineは元気とかいう意味なのに、なぜオマワリはスピード違反した私に“お前の’元気‘は120ドルだ、なんて言うのだろう？と不思議に思うことでしょう。

こうした体験、実は、先述したように、私が始めてアメリカ人のルームメートと話をしていた渡米翌日の夜、彼が連発していた“cool”の意味がわかっていなかったことと並行できます。”Fine“も”  cool“もどちらも中学一年レベルの簡単な単語ですが、どちらも中学一年で習ったこと意外の意味があるのです。それだからこそ、こうした一見簡単な単語でも時と場合によってversatileに活用できるのです。そうすることができれば、コミュニケーションの媒体としての英語も活き活きしてきます。

When I’m fined, I don’t feel fine at all, even it’s such a fine day.

It′s a hot day on the beach. And, her hot bikini looks are so cool. / It’s a hot day on the beach. And, look at that man with muscles! He is so hot! And, he looks so cool!

こういうようにfine やcoolという中学一年で習った同音異義語を楽しく学ぶといいでしょうね。

私なりの訳：

罰金科せられると、天気がよくても気分がぶち壊しだよ。

今日はビーチでの暑い日。彼女の“熱い”（セクシーな）ビキニすがた、いいね～（いかすね～）/　今日はビーチでの暑い日。ほら、見て、あの筋肉もりもりの男！彼って“熱い”（セクシー）ね～！とてもいかすわ～！

There is Something Mysterious about Mary: Immaculate Conception, Assumption, and Coronation

There’s something about Mary! No, I am not talking about a 1998 comedy movie, featuring Cameron Diaz. I am talking about Mary, the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of Jesus, the Theotokos, because there is something theologically mysterious about her. Some sects of Christians, who are obsessed with the sola scripture doctrine, find it very difficult to acknowledge the Marian mysteries not explicitly written in the Canonical Scriptures.

Just as Trinity is not written anywhere in the Canonical scriptures, the Marian mysteries of Immaculate Conception, Assumption, and Coronation are not written explicitly in the Bible. In fact, some Protestant Christians even argue if Mary was really virgin, in regard to interpreting the Greek word parthenos (Matthew 1:23) and the Hebrew word almah (Isaiah 7:14).

Obsessive sola scripture and word game in interpreting biblical Greek and Hebrew words sure can make us blind to great mysteries that are not explicitly written in the Canonical Scriptures. In fact, this blindness becomes an obstacle in recognizing a revelation of the mysteries even when the Holy Spirit makes mysteries in apocrypha into apocalypse.

Certainly, the Catholic Church’s doctrine on Mary is not only rooted in the Scriptures but also aided by apocalypse of the Marian mysteries through the Holy Spirit. This particularly the case with the Catholic doctrines on the Marian mysteries of Immaculate Conception (Ineffabilis Deus, 1854), Assumption (Munificentissimus Deus, 1950), and Coronation (Ad Caeli Reginam, 1954).  Though none of these are written anywhere in the Bible, the Holy Spirit has revealed these truth in apocrypha to the Church in the fullness of time.

It is very important to understand that these Marian mysteries are ultimately about Jesus, the Son, to whom she gave the virgin birth, and with whom she suffered and sorrowed greatly. There would not be anything special about Mary, if she were not for Jesus. If Mary were not for Jesus, from her own conception, Immaculate Conception, she would not be the Theotokos and, therefore, would not suffer and grieve for him. Then, she would not be Assumed into heaven to be reunited with him and to be crowned as the Queen of Heaven and All Saints.

The last two glorious mysteries of the Holy Rosary, Assumption and Coronation of Mary, cannot be understood without Immaculate Conception. Not to mention, these three Marian mysteries are revealed truths out of apocrypha to the Catholic Church by the power of the Holy Spirit, as to reassure the truth in Jesus’ statement on the Holy Spirit in John 14:26. It must be God’s will for us to deepen our Christological appreciation in connection with Mariology.

Mary was conceived in the womb of Anna without any trace of Original Sin, though she was conceived through an intercourse of Anna and her husband, Joachim, as revealed into the doctrine of Immaculate Conception, based on Protoevangelium of James. In order to fulfill what is said in Genesis 3:15, God the Father had a special favor for Mary even before she was Immaculately conceived in Anna’s womb, so that His Son, can be made into theophany to us in the human flesh of Jesus to dwell among us, as written in John 1:1, 14. It is because God so loved us (John 3:16), though we have offended Him grievously. And, at Annunciation, Mary conceived the Son of God while she was virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). Though it was a total surprise to her, Mary obeyed this will of God for her to serve as the Theotokos and accepted her mission as the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:38).

The obedience of Mary to God’s will (Luke 1:38) led her to bear great suffering, as Simeon prophesized as a part of redemptive suffering (Luke 2:34-35). Mary had to see her dearly beloved Son die through excruciating agony on the Cross (John 19:25), and her sorry is well-depicted in the image of Pieta. However, Mary’s sorrows and grief gave their ways to joy as she was reunited with her risen Son (Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Fourth Week, First Contemplation; St. John Paul II, Address to General Audience, May 21, 1997). Upon this reunion, however, her Son, Jesus, returned to the Father in heaven through Ascension. Following this separation, Mary, together with the rest of the disciples of her Son, received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and she became the Mother of the Church. As the Church has gone through persecution, she suffered as the Mother of the Church, while disciples shed their blood, following her Son’s Via Crusis. Because she was also made into the mother of the disciples by her Son on the Cross (John 19:27), Mary suffered as her sons and daughters suffered and gave their lives in following her Son’s way.

God the Father, as well as the Son, knows how obedient, and therefore, how much she suffered and how she endured all tribulations. So, as the consummation of her faithful life on earth, as the Theotokos and the Mother of the Church, she was Assumed into heaven, her body and soul, in order to be reunited with her beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the King, in glory forever, and to be installed as the Queen of Heaven and All Saints, thus becoming the object of our hyperdulia veneration.

Yes, there is, indeed, something about Mary, something mysterious about Mary the Blessed Virgin, gratia plena, Immaculata Conceptio, the Theotokos, Mater Dolorosa, Mater Ecclesiae, as she was made into Regina Caeli upon her Assumption, for her steadfast faithfulness to God’s will, through which God made His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, available to us for our salvation.  Mary is, in fact, inseparable from her beloved Son, Jesus the Christ. Now the Queen is with the King in glory, waiting for  the Church to become ready for her matrimonial union in heaven (Revelation 19:6-8, 21:9-21).

Jesus: Prince of Peace or Dividing Judge?

Have you been puzzled by the paradoxical nature in Christology? Like Jesus being peace-bringer and division-bringer?  Wondering how these two character can co-exist in one being. 

If we try to understand Jesus with the paradigm of dualism, we will get stuck in the paradox, left in confusion.  

That was the case with the Gospel reading for the 20th Sunday (Cycle C): Luke 12:49-53.

On the other hand, if we try to understand Jesus with the focus on the meaning of his mission as revealed toward the eschaton, we will rather appreciate Christological paradox.

                                                        ******

As I teach the Scriptures, I have noticed that many found the Gospel narrative of Luke 12:49-53 (20^th Sunday, Cycle C) very difficult to understand. Even they attended Mass and listened to homilies on this Gospel narrative, many are still feeling unsettled with the fact that Jesus will divide us. It is mainly because Jesus explicitly declares that he has come to bring divisions among us, not to establish peace on earth, in the Gospel narrative.

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?

No, I tell you, but rather division.

From now on a household of five will be divided,

three against two and two against three;

a father will be divided against his son

and a son against his father,

a mother against her daughter

and a daughter against her mother,

a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  

The above words of Jesus from Luke 12:51-53 sound contrary to our Christological image as the Prince of Peace, as prophesized more than 600 years prior to his birth (Isaiah 6:9). Then, when Jesus was born, a company of heavenly host with the angel announced, “On earth peace to those on whom Christ’s favor rests” (Luke 2:14). Furthermore, it was Jesus himself to offer peace, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you”, during the Last Supper (John 14:27), and again, on the evening of his Resurrection, Jesus offered peace to his disciples twice to turn their fear into joy (John 20:19.21).

So how can we reconcile Jesus as Prince of Peace and Jesus as a cause of division to really understand what Jesus meant by bringing division?

Of course, Jesus is the Prince of Peace, not a prince of division. However, as we also acknowledge that Christ will come to bring the judgement at the eschaton in professing both in the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed. This truth is also found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (678-682) and is ultimately envisioned in Revelation 20:11-15.

In fact, elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus calls our attention to possible divisions that his truth may cause, signaling the final judgement at the eschaton that he will bring. For example, in Matthew 13: 24-30, Jesus spoke of the separate the wheat and the weeds in the harvest time. In fact, before Jesus began his public ministry, it was John the Baptist indicating that Jesus as the dividing judge, saying:

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.   Matthew 3:11-12

And Jesus himself says of himself in regard to the final judgement:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.   Matthew 25:31-34

In this, Jesus makes it clear that he as the Good Shepherd will separate sheep from goats, taking only his sheep with him. It means that Jesus takes only those who follow him to the Kingdom when he returns to judge at the end of time.

Yes, Jesus gives us peace as the Prince of Peace. However, he also divides and separates as the Judge. It is because he wants to assure peace in the Kingdom. For this, he has to make sure that those who are not in peace with him will be separated from those who are in peace with him. For this separation, Jesus must come to divide.

Perhaps, it is easier to see this seemingly paradoxical peace-and-division character of Jesus with a metaphor of bag of apples.

When you see rotting ones among apples in a bag, what will you do? I am sure you will take the rotting ones out of the bag and throw them away. You will do this separation, dividing edible apples and rotting apples. What if you did not divide and separate? The rotting apples would spoil all apples in the bag in a matter of time.

Think of the Kingdom as a bag of apples.

No rotten apple will be allowed.

Jesus must come to divide us in order to separate the faithful from the unfaithful because the latter do not belong to his Kingdom – just as rotting apples should not be in a bag of apples. This way, Jesus can ensure peace and purity in the Kingdom.

The peace that Jesus brings will be secured in heaven’s purity as reflected in the below Psalm verses:

Glorify the Lord, Jerusalem; Zion, offer praise to your God, who has strengthened the bars of your gates, blessed your children within you, brought peace to your borders, and filled you with finest wheat (Psalm 147:12-14).

For those who believe in Jesus the Christ, “Jerusalem” in Psalms rather means the heavenly Jerusalem, namely, the Kingdom to come, the Kingdom that the faithful will be. In this Kingdom, there is peace through purity, because only those who are spiritually clean and pure (i.e. Revelation 3:5), according to the truth in his teaching, are allowed. And their names are found in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15, 21:27, 22:19).

Yes, Jesus offers us his peace as the Prince of Peace. To assure his peace to us, he must also be the Judge to divide good and evil, pure and impure. In his Kingdom, these cannot co-exist, unlike in this world. Jesus must be the Judge in order to be the Prince of Peace.

Transfiguration and Assumption: Offering Hope of Our Eschatological Glory in Heaven

August can be a good month to reflect on our eschatological hope in our resurrection that Jesus has promised (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54), described in detail by Paul (1 Corinthians 15:35-58), because of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on August 6 and the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15.  You also notice that Sunday Gospel readings begin to have an eschatological theme, signaling that this liturgical year is drawing near to its end.

The Transfiguration of Christ (Matthew 17:1-13//Mark 9:2-13//Luke 9:28-36) took place after he told his disciples about carrying the cross and self-denial as necessary conditions for the discipleship because Peter strongly protested a prospect of Christ’s death (i.e. Matthew 15:21-28). It is to show Peter, James, and John what Jesus meant by his words in Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done”. The brightness of the Transfiguration is the glory of the Father descending upon Christ, His beloved Son, on Mt. Tabor, eschatologically reflected in Matthew 24:30 and Revelation 19:11-12, ultimately leading into the glory in Revelation 21:19, 23, and 22:5. This glory that the Transfiguration gives a glimpse of is the glory not only of the Resurrection of Christ but the very glory that we are called to share at the eschaton as the ultimate reward of enduring all the tribulations because of our steadfast faith.  It is, indeed, our saintly glory at the end. 

The Assumption of Mary, on the other hand, offers an assurance of our eschatological hope that the Transfiguration of the Lord gives. It is because Mary represents us, the humans, as our mother upon Christ’s Crucifixion (John 19:27), and her entire body and soul were completely assumed into heaven to be reunited with her Son, Jesus Christ, and to be crowned as the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of All Saints, as well. For this reason, we hope that we are all be like Mary at her glorious Assumption when we are raised from the dead, clothed with the imperishable body (1 Corinthians 15:50-55) to be reunited with Christ and his mother, Mary, and All Saints. In the meantime, on earth, we are in communion with Christ and all the Saints, including Mary, and angels.  For this, Christ has offered his body and blood in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at Mass. 

Mary is the Saint above all the Saints in heaven. Thus, in heaven, she is the Queen of All Saints. Thus, she is the object of hyperdulia so that she can intercede for us, as Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on our spiritual Exodus from this world into heaven, while all other Saints can also intercede for us. Because Mary is also the Mother of the Church, as St. John Paul VI addressed in Signum Magnum (1967), we, as the Church, as well as the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), her glorious Assumption into heaven assures us of our presence in the eschatological glory of the heavenly matrimony of Christ and the Church (Revelation 19:7-9, 21:1-2). Remember, we are always with our Mother, Mary, to remain united with her Son, Jesus, whether we are on earth or in heaven. After all, the Father in heaven, has brought His beloved and only begotten Son, Christ, to us, through Mary the Immaculate Conception.

Transfiguration as a Teleological and Eschatological Vision of the Glorious Light to Complete Our Spiritual “Marathon”

One important thing in running a marathon successfully is to keep an image of you victoriously crossing the finish line. Visualizing yourself in a triumphant figure sure helps you ensure all the challenges on the course.  When your body is full of pain and aches after running so many miles, a temptation to quit increases its magnitude. At the same time, you know you do not want to give up. Then, you evoke an image of yourself basking in the finisher’s glory, you will find that all the pains and aches are becoming more manageable, if not necessarily dissipating, and you can complete the marathon.

In a way, the Transfiguration of the Lord (Matthew 17:1-13//Mark 9:2-13//Luke 9:28-36) has a similar effect on us as we continue on our journey of faith. Collectively, it is our spiritual Exodus from this world into our eternal home in the Kingdom of God, reflected in Dante Alighieri’s “Divina Commedia”, from Inferno into Paradiso via Purgetorio.  On this spiritual “Exodus” journey, which is juxtaposed to a marathon, we are accompanied and guided by Christ the primary Parakeletos (1 John 2:1) and another Parakletos, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 26), as Virgil did to Dante from Inferno through Purgatorio and Beatrice did into Paradiso.  Guided and empowered by the Parakletos, who is with God and is God, as in Trinity, we will complete our spiritual Exodus “marathon” in the glory of God.  The Transfiguration of the Lord is a glimpse into the eschatological glory of God, which will fill our home as envisioned in Revelation 21:23 and 22:5.  But, the light of Christ the Lamb at our eternal home, as described in Revelation 21-22, upon completing our spiritual Exodus “marathon” is far greater than the glorious light of the Transfiguration.

We know that this journey of faith: the spiritual Exodus “marathon” from this world of sins into our eternal home in the Kingdom of God comes with so many challenges and even tribulations (Revelation 6-19). We know this fact also from Jesus demanding us to carry our daily cross (Matthew 10:38,16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23, 14:27). This “marathon” really is ultimate one. But, it is worth pouring our whole life on for the sake of the Kingdom of God, filled with the glorious light, as envisioned in Revelation 21-22, after all the tribulations (Revelation 6-19). And, the Transfiguration of Christ is a reflection of this eschatological glorious light that we are entitled to upon successfully completing our “marathon” of Exodus from this world, where death is inevitable due to the Original Sin of Adam and Eve. 

In fact, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to Mt. Tabor to let them witness the glorious light of his Transfiguration after Peter, assisted by the divine power, identified Jesus as the living Christ (Matthew 16:13-20//Mark 8:27-30//Luke 9:18-21). Then Jesus foretold the disciples of his death in Jerusalem, to which Peter resisted and was rebuked (Matthew 16:21-28//Mark 8:31-38//Luke 9:22-27).  Given Peter’s protesting reaction to foretelling his death, Jesus probably realized that Peter and the rest of the disciples would need a bit of encouragement to accept his death in Jerusalem and a prospect of their own martyrdom. For this reason, Jesus must have shown his Transfiguration to the selected disciples: Peter, James, and John on Mt. Tabor, so that they would endure their apostolic “marathon” to share his glory of the Resurrection and ultimately his eschatological glory, which characterizes the Kingdom of God, where he reigns.  To reflect on this, the Transfiguration is always the Gospel theme for the 2^nd Sunday of Lent, so that we can endure our Lenten journey beyond the death of Christ on Good Friday all the way to the Resurrection Sunday and beyond. And, this Lenten “marathon” is actually a “marathon training” for our ultimate Exodus “marathon” from this world, juxtaposed to Dante’s Inferno, to the Kingdom of God, juxtaposed to Dante’s Paradiso. No matter how difficult this “marathon” may become, we can successfully complete, enduring through the tribulations, because we have already burned an image of the Transfiguration into our soul, creating an empowering vision to share Christ’s glorious light with us, along with Moses and Elijah in the Kingdom.