"Totus Tuus" to Christ! - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A): Concluding the Two Consecutive Sundays on Mission: Selflessness for Christ-Centeredness as a Key

Being Christian means being apostolic, as professed in the Nicene Creed. It also means to be able to carry our own respective crosses or to generously support those who carry their crosses on mission. Whether to be on mission or supporting mission, we need to let our self-centered life die and live a new Christ-centered life - so that we have no reason to hold back to ourselves out of fear of losing, whether losing life or possession. We must be "Totus Tuus"  to Christ!

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For the 12^th Sunday and the 13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle A, two Sundays in row, we are reading from Matthew 10, which is about Jesus giving detailed instruction to his twelve disciples on doing missionary works. For the 12^th Sunday, we read vv.26-33, and vv. 37-42.

We reflect on dealing with fear and anxiety regarding being sent out on mission with vv. 26-33 on the 12^th Sunday, as Jesus boldly reminded the twelve of danger on being on mission for persecution with this hyperbolic statement:

“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves “ (Matthew 10:16).   Danger that a missionary may face is like the danger of a sheep surrounded by wolves.  To this, Jesus reminded them that God is in control of the situation and therefore let God take care of the dangerous situation. So, he said:

“When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:19-20).

It means that we are not to fight or struggle with wolves, when surrounded.  Instead, we surrender ourselves not to the wolves but to God – God’s providence.  This does not necessarily mean that your life is spared from persecutors (the wolves), as the lives of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were miraculously spared even amidst of the fire of King Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Daniel 3:1-30).  Rather, you may end up becoming a martyr, like Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7) and a woman and her seven sons (2 Maccabees 7).

Is being killed by persecutors, as the mother, Chanah, and her seven sons is like a poor vulnerable sheep devoured by a bunch of wolves? Not so, according to 4 Maccabees 8-18.  In the below words, you can see why martyrdom is not giving in to the power of evil persecutors (though it may seem to those who do not understand what Jesus said in Matthew 10:19-20),  reflecting the significance of the martyrdom of the mother and her seven sons.

O mother, who with your seven sons nullified the violence of the tyrant, frustrated his evil designs, and showed the courage of your faith! Nobly set like a roof on the pillars of your sons, you held firm and unswerving against the earthquake of the tortures. Take courage, therefore, O holy-minded mother, maintaining firm an enduring hope in God. The moon in heaven, with the stars, does not stand so august as you, who, after lighting the way of your star-like seven sons to piety, stand in honor before God and are firmly set in heaven with them.  For your children were true descendants of father Abraham  (4 Maccabees 17:2-6).

O Israelite children, offspring of the seed of Abraham, obey this law and exercise piety in every way, knowing that devout reason is master of all emotions, not only of sufferings from within, but also of those from without. Therefore those who gave over their bodies in suffering for the sake of religion were not only admired by mortals, but also were deemed worthy to share in a divine inheritance. Because of them the nation gained peace, and by reviving observance of the law in the homeland they ravaged the enemy (4 Maccabees 18:1-4).

Think of the words spoken by Stephen and the mother (Chanah) and her seven sons to their persecutors. These words out of the mouths of the martyrs are spoken by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20).

Not to mention, it was Jesus, the Lord, himself submitted himself to his persecutors, like a lamb to a slaughter. No, he did not struggle with his persecutors.

Executioners and another crucified criminal mocked him why he cannot save himself (Luke 23:37, 39), thinking, “What a wussy king he is – the king of Israel, who thinks himself as the messiah but look at him! He is such a helpless man, who cannot save even himself! How can he be the messiah, then! ”. But, as what the martyrdom of the mother and her seven son contributed the Maccabean victory of Israel over the evil hands of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (2 Maccabees 8-9), the death of Jesus on the Cross has led to the victory of life over death through his Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 54-55; 2 Timothy 1:10), fulfilling Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14). Namely, surrendering ourselves to the providence of God when surrounded by evil persecutors, though it may look like surrendering powerlessly to slaughtering hands of evil persecutors, is to let something good happen according to the will of God. Therefore, we need to let the locus of control go off ourselves to God. Otherwise, how can we face a bunch of wolves as a sheep sent into?

It is not us but God. As long as we put our own egos at the center of our lives, we may never become apostles – to be sent out throughout the world to do the missionary works of the one who sends. It can be too fearful of a prospect of persecution. In other words, to be sent on our mission as apostles, our faith must be mature and strong enough to die for the Lord, who sends us. As our fear and anxiety make up a major obstacle to our mission, Jesus told the disciples not to be afraid three times in the 12^th Sunday Gospel Reading (v. 26, v.28, and v.31, in Mathew 10:26-33). Not to be afraid of demons because the Gospel truth is revealed to fight them (v.26), not to be afraid of persecutors, who may destroy our bodies (v. 28) because of God’s providence (vv. 29-30), and therefore not to be afraid of not having enough to be on mission, either (v. 31).

For the 13^th Sunday Gospel Reading (Mathew 10:37-42), there are two themes in regard to mission. One is to reflect the theme of dealing with fear and anxiety carried over from the 12^th Sunday Gospel Reading (Matthew 10:16-33)(vv. 37-39, and the other is the importance of support for missionary works (vv. 40-42).  While the Second Reading (Romans 6:3-4, 8-11) corresponds to the first part of the Gospel Reading (vv.37-39 of Matthew 10:37-42), the First Reading (2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a) is reflected in the second part of the Gospel Reading (vv. 40-42 of Matthew 10:37-42).  

For those who are sent must overcome fear and anxiety by replacing our own egos with Christ at the center of our lives (Matthew 10:37; cf. Romans 6:3-4, 8-11) so that we can carry our own respective crosses (Matthew 10:38). And those who overcome fear and anxiety on mission by living a Christ-centered life, first dying to old sinful self, letting self-centered old self die, and therefore are able to carry their own crosses all the way to completion of their missions will enjoy their due rewards from the Lord (Matthew 10:39).

For those who are not sent on mission now can also participate in active missions through your support, including hospitality,  are also entitled to their rewards because receiving those who are on mission also means receiving the one who has sent them (Matthew 10:40-42), reflecting how the extensive hospitality and kindness to Elisha by the Shunammite woman in the First Reading  (2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a) rewarded her with a son (2 Kings 4:16-18a) and even having him raised from the dead by Elisha (2 Kings 4:18b-37).  God sure rewarded the Shunammite woman for her support for Elisha, who was sent by God. 

So, in the 13^th Sunday Gospel Reading, Jesus tells that not only those who complete their missionary works by carrying their respective crosses receive their due rewards but also those who support missionaries (apostles) sent by him also have their fair share of wards.

Whether you are called to be sent or not yet, you are certainly called to take part in Christian mission, as missionary workers to be sent or generous supporters for missionary workers.

Either way, we must overcome our own self-centered tendency and live a Christ-centered life, as Paul has said in the Second Reading (Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; cf. Galatians 2:19-20). Otherwise, we cannot give our lives for Christ by carrying our crosses – or we cannot give our generous supports to Christ by giving generously to missionary workers sent by him. 

Participate in a mission is about giving. Whether it is your life and what you have, you cannot give willingly if you have not died to yourself and renew your life with the risen Christ living in you to center your life on.  Otherwise, you will be too anxious to give up your life for Christ or too worried not to have enough for yourself if giving for missionaries. Then, you sure will forfeit your reward from God.

Not everyone may give as martyrs. But, any of us may be called to give our lives for the sake of God. As Tertullian has famously said in his Apologeticus, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”. We as the Church thrive on the blood of the martyrs, upon the blood shed by Christ on the Cross. And, any of us can be next.

In this word, there are those who support God’s missionary workers, while there are those who persecute God’s missionary workers. But, persecutions will never stop the missionary workers from completing their missions because they are mature in faith and sent by the Lord, filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

So, what is your mission now?  Have you overcome obstacles on your mission, your own ego, weather to be sent on mission or to receive missionary workers?

Remember, how much God cares for us if He cares so much even for sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31)! God provides, even you may have to lose your life. And, He sure provides rewards for all of us, who contribute to the mission of God to build the Kingdom through salvation of all souls, for which the Church is being apostolic.  

天にまします父の為にいじめられた預言者エレミアの：”南無”で森田療法的な信仰心：か弱い神経を強靭にした信仰

今年（令和2年）の父の日は第１２主日にあたり、第一朗読はエレミアによる預言書、２０：１０-１３です。主人公であるエレミアは旧約聖書に登場する預言者の一人です。彼は、他の預言者達もそうだったように、まわりから酷いいじめに遭わされました。いじめの理由は、エレミアは父なる神の預言者、つまり、代弁者、として、父の意向にそむわない行動に明け暮れる人達に改心するように喚起していたからです。父なる神の意向なんぞ気にせず、自分達の思うままに振る舞い続ける連中にとって、エレミアがいう父なる神も、またその代弁者であるエレミア自身も寧ろ鬱陶しい存在だったのです。だから、エレミアの預言は彼らをいらだたせ、彼らはエレミアを必ずしも直接殺そうとはしなくても、彼に消えてなくなって欲しかったので、いろいろと四面楚歌に追い詰めるようにいじめをしたのです。

小学校では“あなたのお父さんについて書きなさい”というような作文の課題があります。そして、父の日にちなんだ授業参観日があれば、その時にこの作文を皆の前で読む機会もあります。

しかし、こうしたことがきっかけとなって、“おまえのお父さん，OOOOなんだ～！”と冷やかしたり、いじめたりされる子もいます。

父親の仕事が理由で差別されいじめの対象となるこは少なくありません。そして、こうしたことが理由で自殺したり、クラスの連中ともめごとになる子供もいます。また、このことが理由で、その子の親が学校を相手に訴訟を起こしたりするというような紛争にまで発展することもあります。

こうしたことは、別に父親のことが理由ということに限った事ではなく、母親のことが理由、また、家族そのもののこと、などとどんなことでもいじめの対象となります。しかし、今日は父の日でもあり、今日の聖書の第一朗読がエレミアによる預言書からなので、父親のことが理由でいじめられる子供と、父なる神との関係が理由でいじめられたエレミアとを対照させて考えているのです。

では、父なる神のせいでまわりから酷いいじめに遭わされたエレミアはどうだったんでしょうか？

エレミアは他の預言者にくらべてどうやら神経が細く傷つきやすい性格を持っていたようですので、まわりからのいじめは彼の心にとても深い傷を負わせ、鬱隣、絶望に陥り、時には自殺するしかない、と思うようになるまで追い詰められた程です。しかし、エレミアは結局、自殺したり、発狂して暴れたりはしませんでした。なぜでしょうか？

答えは、エレミアによる預言書を読めば、あぶりだされます。勿論、今日の朗読だけからでも分りますよ。

結論を先に言えば、それはエレミア自身の信仰心です。酷いいじめが度重なるにつれ、彼の信仰心も揺るがされ、落ち込んでいき、実存危機、にまで陥ってしまいました。しかし、揺るがされたとはいえ、根こそぎにされたわけではない彼の信仰心は再びその力を取り戻し始めました。そして、それは、エレミアが父なる神への不満や失望を賛美へと昇華させたことにあります。エレミアがこうして信仰の力を回復することで危機を乗り越えていくことができたのは、自分の小さい心がもたらす不安、そして、それが要因でもたらされた信仰の危機、そして、実存的危機、すべてを唯一の万能の父なる神に差し出し、神の対応にすべてを委ねたことにあります。あたかも、“天にまします万能のお父さん（אבא/Abba）、私は忠実にあなたの為にあなたの御言葉を皆に伝えていたら、こうして皆からいじめられ、まさに孤立無援です。もうどうしたいいのかわかりません。父なる神よ、どうか私の苦しみ、すべてを受け入れてください。私はすべてをあなたに委ね、捧げます”、と言っているようですね。

これは、不安障害に効果的な心理療法として大正時代以来よく知られている森田療法の臨床理論である“あるがままに現実を受け入れる”ということ、そして、浄土宗や浄土真宗で強調される”南無阿弥陀仏“の念仏の精神、つまり、無量寿の阿弥陀仏にすべてを”南無“することで自分の置かれた現実をあるがままに受け入れ、その結果、不安などから解放されるということ対照させても理解できます。勿論、苦境のどん底にあるエレミアが自分のすべてを”南無“（帰依）した対象は勿論、父なる神でした。

エレミアへのいじめは続いていましたが、彼は父なる神へ“南無”したことで、信仰の力を取り戻し、全能の父なる神を賛美し、乗り越えていけたわけです。こうして、エレミアはその回復した信仰により、精神的な強靭性を得たのです。この真理は、パウロがローマ人への手紙5章３－５で説いている、忍耐（ὑπομονή/hupomone）が私達の品性を磨き、この結果、希望と進行が連動して揺るぎないものとなることにつながります。だから、エレミアはいじめから押しつぶされることもなく、また、それによる絶望、実存危機のどん底からも這い上がることができたわけです。

さて、話を変えるようですが、いじめといえば、“じゃりん子チエ”の主人公、チエちゃん、もよくいじめられてましたね。とくに“マサル”はあたかもストーカーのようにチエちゃんを追い回していじめてましたが、その理由にはチエちゃんのお父さん、鉄、のだらしなさがあります。“おまえのお父さん、どうしょうもないから、おまえのお母さんに逃げられたや”。。。きっついこと言われたチエちゃんですが、彼女、そんなことでいちいち落ち込んでられません。あのチエちゃんの強さの秘訣は何なんでしょうか？おばあはんからの隔世遺伝？まあ、その可能性は否めませんが。。

チエちゃんの神経、エレミアより太くて強いことはわかりますね。

まあ、誰もがチエちゃんのような太くて強い神経ゆえにいじめからの免疫を持っているわけではありませんが、エレミアの例からもわかるように強い父なる神への信仰、そして、キリスト教徒にとっては、強い父なる神への信仰は同時にその御子であるイエスキリスト、そして、聖霊を三位一体として信仰することです。信仰とは揺ぎ無く信じるということが前提です。とはいえ、エレミアのように、信仰ゆえに、いじめられ、その信仰が揺さぶられる事もあります。しかし、いくらチエちゃんくらべて神経がか弱いがゆえ傷つけられやすいエレミアでも、信仰の火を燃え起こさせることで強く生きていくだけでなく、預言者としての任務を遂行し続けていくことができたのです。

エレミアの実例にあるような信仰心といじめなどの苦境にめげない精神的強靭性の相関性について、近年の研究からも科学的に示されていますよ。例えば、これらの著書や論文など。。

Cook, C. H. & White, N. H. (Ed.). (2020). Biblical and Theological Visions of Resilience Pastoral and Clinical Insights, London: Routledge

Ögtem-Young, Ö.  (2018). Faith Resilience: Everyday Experiences, Societies, MDPI, Open Access Journal, 8(1), 1-13

Pargament, K. I., & Cummings, J. (2010). Anchored by faith: Religion as a resilience factor. In J. W. Reich, A. J. Zautra, & J. S. Hall (Eds.), Handbook of adult resilience (p. 193–210). The Guilford Press.

Antidote to Fear, Anxiety, and Doubt on Mission – Confidence in God’s Providence Through Our Faith: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Having concluded 50-day celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord on Pentecost, following Ascension of the Lord on the 40^th day from the Resurrection, we have made a strong post-Paschaltide Ordinary Time kick-off, through the recent trifecta of Sunday feasts: Pentecost, Trinity, and Corpus Christi. It means that we are fully born by the Pentecost Holy Spirit and therefore born into the living Church, the one living Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), as we are partaking the Body of Christ with the Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). Because the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, as defined in the Nicene Creed, we are, indeed, apostolic. It means that we must be sent out by the power of the Pentecost Holy Spirit. Therefore, we have been sent into the world to carry out and expand the works of our Lord on our respective missions. That is why, at the end of Mass, it is said: Ite, Missa Est (Go now, as it is dismissed) with the spirit of these commissioning words of Jesus before his Ascension: Euntes ergo docete omnes gentes: baptizantes eos in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, docentes eos servare omnia quaecumque mandavi vobis: et ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus, usque ad consummationem saeculi (Matthew 28:19-20).

As we are sent on our mission, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we must address our God as Triune (Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti), and we must be fed with Sanctissima Eucaristia as our esca viatorum and nourished with Dei Verbum at Mass. In fact, the trifecta of Sunday feasts: Pentecost, Trinity, and Corpus Christi, for the post-Paschaltide Ordinary Time reflect the spirit of our Mass and our apostolic nature. And, the Scripture readings for the 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle A need to be reflected in this apostolic missionary spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit, nourished by the Word of God and the Holy Eucharist, at Mass.

The Scripture readings for the 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)(Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35; Romans 5;12-15; Matthew 10:26-33) are all relevant to our mission. The First Reading and the Gospel Reading reflect fear and anxiety that may arise as we go on mission, facing challenges and persecution. At the same time, these readings also remind us that faith in the one who has sent us, God the Father for Jeremiah in the First Reading and Christ our Lord in the Gospel Reading, is the powerful antidote to overcome fear and anxiety, thus, not letting these factor discourage us. The Responsorial Psalm sings our confidence in God’s providence, which we trust and enables us to carry out our mission, so that we are not distracted and discouraged from our mission. The Second Reading reminds us of the meaning of Christ being sent to us and his grace given to us, because it is what we model after for our mission and what we need to explain on our mission. We are sent for our mission to bring Christ’s Good News and to explain why the Father has sent him and why he has sent us by the power of the Pentecost Holy Spirit, upon nourishing us with his living Word and with his living Body with Blood. It is, indeed, to counter and reverse the evolving effects of what Adam and Eve had brought into the humanity through the Original Sin. Sickness and death, which Jesus reversed with his miracles, are consequences of the Original Sin. Jesus gave his disciples the authority to heal the sick and to raise the dead (Matthew 10:1), to let them experience his salvific mission firsthand, as he was sending the twelve (Matthew 10:1- 11:1).

What we need to take into our heart from the 12^th Sunday Scripture readings is that we have been called for our missions, just as the twelve, whom Jesus sent to practice salvific mission on his behalf, and just as Jeremiah, whom the Father commissioned to prophesize His Word. And, we also need to recognize, reflect, and overcome with firm resolution, what can distract and discourage us from carrying out our mission, especially fear and anxiety, as these are major obstacles. Remember, fear of persecution made the disciples abandon Jesus in the hands of persecutors, upon his arrest, on the night before his death (Mark 14:50). Fear can make us betray Christ’s trust in us – if we let the fear abandon our mission, commissioned by him. And, the First Reading tells us how Jeremiah overcame his fear, which led him to despair through depression, while the Gospel Reading reminds how Jesus prepared the disciples not to let fear become a stumbling block to their mission.

The Gospel text (Matthew 10:26-33) is taken from Jesus’ instruction to his disciples before sending them on mission (Matthew 10:5-42), after saying, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field”(Matthew 9:37-38). This statement of Jesus tells why he recruited his disciples and why he had to train them. He needs trusted and capable collaborators for his salvific mission – the mission to proclaim the Kingdom of Heavens through his Good News and to bring back life in fullness.

Jesus was fully aware of danger that comes with mission. So, as he was to send the disciples, he let them know of danger in this hyperbolical statement:

Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves (Matthew 10:16).

Jesus told them to be aware of danger and be smart in dealing with it. The wolves are those who persecute. And, he further advised the disciples, in case they have to confront the “wolves”.

When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you (Matthew 10:19-20).

It is important that we acknowledge that the one who speaks through our mouths is God the Holy Spirit, not us. This also reminds us that God is always with us on our mission, in the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls “another Parakletos”(John 14:16, 26), as he himself is Parakletos (1 John 2:1). And, the Holy Spirit, who has been with us since Pentecost, is the power (Acts 1:8) that comes like the tongues of fire (Acts 2:3). Therefore, we are always with Christ, as he has promised (Matthew 28:20; John 14:18). That is why he is Parakletos, which literally means one being called to be besides, to serve as a companion, in the flesh of Jesus, as well as, in spirit, the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos, and also rhema /dabah (spoken Word of God). So, why do we have to worry, as we let God speak through our mouth – as we have God as our companion on mission in the Holy Spirit, speaking His living Word?

There is a good example to illustrate the principle of Jesus’ advice on not to worry about what to say (Matthew 10:19-10) in Acts 4:1-22. Upon becoming Apostles on Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus were engaging on their missions. They certainly utilized what they had learned from their “mission practice” (Matthew 10:1-42//Mark 6:7-13//Luke 9:1-9; Luke 10:1-24). Peter and John were arrested  and jailed by the priests and the temple guard captain and the Sadducees for proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead, and were brought to the Sanhedrin for questioning (Acts 4:1-7). Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke of their mission works and of Jesus to the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:8-12). They were actually astonished by the courage, speech, and deeds of Peter and John (Acts 4:13-14). And they were not able to silence them but let them go with warning not to speak of Jesus any more (Acts 4:18-22).

Peter was not afraid as he had been filled with the Holy Spirit since Pentecost. He was no longer he who boasted to remain loyal to Jesus even to the point of dying with him (Matthew 26:33,35) but denied him three times upon deserting him out of fear (Matthew 26:69-75). Once he was filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, it was God the Holy Spirit speaking (Matthew 10:20) through Peter’s mouth. And, Peter was bold and fearless.

With this above-described background, in the Gospel Reading text (Matthew 10:26-33) for the 12^th Sunday, Jesus advises the twelve disciples not to be afraid of demonic people of what he called the household of Beelzebub, the prince of demons (12:24), and as he gave them the authority to drive out evil spirits for healing (10:1) and was about to send them on mission to proclaim to be ready for the Kingdom of heavens and to heal the sick and to raise the dead (10:7-8). In a way, this is for the disciples to “test drive” what it would be like to become the apostles and do the works of the Lord upon Pentecost (John 14:12).

There is no body is as annoyed by Jesus and his act and teaching as demons than anyone else. Thus, it is obvious that the disciples were likely to face challenges by these demons, the members of Beelzebub’s household.  Acknowledging this possibility, Jesus wants to make sure that his disciples are not discouraged and defeated by the demonic attacks. He wanted the disciples to remain bold in performing their missionary works on his behalf: healing the sick, raising the dead, and proclaiming the Kingdom, with the authority given by him. He also told them to embark on mission with perseverance to be saved, even facing persecution (Matthew 10:23), and for this, fear and anxiety must be overcome. For this reason, Jesus repeats, “not to be afraid”, three times (Matthew 10:26, 28, 31) in this Gospel Reading.

Besides not being afraid of persecution (Matthew 10:26), persecutors, who can kill our bodies but cannot kill our souls (Matthew 10:28), we need not to be afraid of insufficiency of what we have to carry out the mission (Matthew 10:31). Jesus says that we need not to be afraid of any of these, because God does not withhold or hide what needs to be revealed to us (Matthew 10:27). Keeping ourselves free from fear, he wants us to proclaim the messianic secret spoken by him to us in person boldly in public (Matthew 10:28). What matters most to us is our loyalty to Christ (Matthew 10:32-33), who entrusts us to send on his behalf, and whom we serve on our mission. Therefore, Jesus says that the one whom we need to fear is God, who can destroy both our bodies and souls when he judges, but not to be afraid of persecutors, who may destroy our bodies but not our souls (Matthew 10:29). And, he further reminds that the Father’s providence is given even to insignificant creatures, such as sparrows (Matthew 10:30). So, Jesus assures that His providence to us is far greater as He cares us enough to have created in His image (Genesis 1:27) and dispels our fear of not having enough to carry on mission (Matthew 10:31).

There are two things to help us overcome and keep our fears and anxieties on our mission: trust and loyalty. First, our trust in Christ, who stays with us on our mission, as another Parakletos, who provides whatever we need (John 14:26), enabling us to be God’s agents to let His Spirit speak through our mouths (Matthew 10:20). Second, our trust in the providence of God – through Christ and the Holy Spirit. Finally, our trust in Christ is strong enough to keep us steadfastly loyal to him.

Through the Gospel Reading (Matthew 10:26-33), Jesus teaches us how important our faith in him is for our successful mission works, as it also enables us to keep our trust in God’s providence and leads to our steadfast loyalty with him. And he reminds us that our faith is the antidote and inoculation to our fear and anxiety. Therefore, we understand that our faith is indispensable for us to go on mission.

The importance of faith for mission works, not only in countering demonic forces but also our own fears and anxiety is also reflected in the First Reading (Jeremiah 20:10-13) with a case study of prophet Jeremiah. The reading realistically reminds us how difficult it is to carry out a mission work through Jeremiah’s despair, as a result of constant persecution for serving God on his prophetic mission. In fact, he was even thinking about giving up as it was becoming difficult to bear all the suffering, incurring on his mission. He was in deep spiritual crisis. The flame of passion to serve God and to speak His Word on His behalf was growing weary in his heart, near extinction, as you can see in vv. 7-10. Nevertheless, Jeremiah did not let his despair end his mission as he was able to recover his confidence in God, who sent him (vv. 11-18). He realized that all the suffering he had to bear, even it had led him to depression and despair, was His way to test the just, and therefore, he entrusted himself to Him (v. 12). Basically, Jeremiah was able to move forward and go beyond his despair as he submit himself with his fear and anxiety altogether to the care of God. It was because the fire of his faith was not dead. It was in an amber-like state. But, with God’s providence, it began to grow into a flame, again. And, as a result, Jeremiah began singing his praise to God, reflecting his confidence in His care and power for justice, which he is assisting on his prophetic mission (v.13).

So, in the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35), we express our confidence in God’s love. We joyfully sing our praise to God for his providence for us out of His love, echoing our steadfast faith in Him. We know that God’s providence for us is far greater than that for sparrows. Jeremiah knows from his own struggles on his mission. And, Jesus reminds us to find confidence in His providence as it is His love.

The Second Reading (Romans 5:12-15) reflects the meaning and significance of our mission as extensions of the works of Jesus on earth. Though the humanity enjoyed being with God in Eden. But, suffering and death were brought into the humanity, resulting in a distance from God, symbolized with the eviction from Eden, through the Original Sin, committed by Eve and Adam, tempted by Satan. The love of God the Father has not left us as orphans upon losing Eden. He had already decided to save us and defeat Satan (Genesis 3:15), who prompted Eve and Adam to commit the Original Sin, bringing suffering and death, resulting in more and more sinful acts, keeping distance of us from Him. So, in the fullness of time, through Mary the Immaculate Virgin, by the power of the Holy Spirit, He sent His only begotten Son, in the human flesh of Jesus to be with us. And, now, Jesus, the Son, has sent us on mission to fight the evolving effects of the Original Sin, through healing and teaching, on behalf of Christ, letting the Holy Spirit speak through our mouths, for we have been filled with the Holy Spirit upon Pentecost. And, we are confident in this God’s providence that comes through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can overcome obstacles – external ones, such as persecutions, and internal ones, such as fear, anxiety, and doubt, as Jeremiah did. So, we bear these words of Paul as we embark on our missions.

“For if by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many” (Romans 5:15).

Though through Adam, sin has infected the entire humanity, and death through sin, through Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit, God the Father has been sending grace in its stream to disinfect us from sin and to bring us back to full life. So, Jesus the Christ began his salvific work in teaching and healing. Upon the completion of his Paschal Mystery through his death, resurrection, and ascension, the Holy Spirit has been poured upon us, first on the disciples, to be sent out on missions, as apostles to carry out and extend the works of Christ.

We hang on to our confidence in God’s providence through His overflowing grace. This strengthens our faith, thus, making more resilient and immune to fear, anxiety, and doubt. And, through grace, our fortified faith inoculates our fear and anxiety, so that we do not let these distract and discourage our missions.

For us to come this fear to be commissioned for our mission, we have gone through the “prep course” by the “professor risen Jesus” for the first 40 days upon his Resurrection until his Ascension. Then, for the next 9 days, as in a novena, we have prayed and contemplated on all the things we had learned in these 40 days, waiting for the Holy Spirit to empower and send us on Pentecost. This way, our faith must be mature and strong enough to remain confident in God’s providence through the stream of grace, out of His love, to keep fear, anxiety, and doubt from distracting and discouraging us from our mission. Also, Christ makes himself available for our esca viatorum as we continue on our mission journey.

The one who is sending us on mission has also said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9), as to reiterate these words of his to the disciples in sending on mission:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows “(Matthew 10:29-31).

Let us go forward on our missions with unshakable confidence in God’s grace and with the flame in our hearts, filled with the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Kingdom of God in Christ’s Good News and to heal the brokenness of this world, without fear, anxiety, and doubt.

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi Sunday): Remembering the Father's Love in Esca Viatorum, as well as Divine Mercy

God the Father in heaven so loved us in the world and hence He has sent His only begotten Son so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16). And, He did this by incarnating Logos-Theos so that he serve Him by giving eternal life to us by dwelling among us (John 1:1, 14), by impregnating Mary the Immaculate Virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35). Thus Mary, becoming the Theotokos, gave birth to the Son of God, in the human flesh of Jesus, in Bethlehem and placed him in the manger upon his birth (Luke 1:26-38).

Why Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem, or not in Nazareth, Capernaum, Cana, or Jericho or Caesarea, for the Son to be brought to us? Why in the manger, not on the hey, for the Son to be placed upon his human birth?

It is no accident that the Son of God was born to us in the human flesh of Jesus in Bethlehem because  Bethlehem means the city of bread (Beth Lechem) in Hebrew, as well as,  the city of meat eating (Beit Lahm) in Arabic. And, there is a reason for the Son to be placed in the manger because He was born in the human flesh to serve as food.

The way that the Father has sent the Son to us out of love, by making him be born in the human flesh of Jesus in Bethlehem, placing him in the manger, is to make him to be eaten as lechem (bread) and lahm (meat). And, by making Mary the Immaculate Conception, full of grace (Luke 1:28; cf. Romans 6:14), to keep her free from any effect of the Original Sin, the flesh of the Son in Jesus is not subject to sin, therefore, keeping him the truly unblemished firstborn. This way, the Son in the unblemished human body of Jesus is the perfect Korban Pesach (Passover Sacrifice), which must be free from any defect, to be slaughtered for its meat to be eaten roasted and its blood to be shed for protection (Exodus 12:1-14, 21-28; 1 Corinthians 5:7), in order to deliver us from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13), the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) to take away sin of the world (John 1:29).  So, he died on the Cross, shedding his blood along with water (John 19:34), just before the Passover beginning sundown (John 19:42).

For traditional Passover, unblemished a year-old male lamb is slaughtered for Passover for its meat to be roasted and eaten and for its blood to be sprinkled for protection. On the other hand, for the ultimate Passover, for which Christ the Son, sacrificed himself, laying himself down on the Cross as the Good Shepherd to save his beloved sheep, us (John 10:11), his body was offered up to be eaten as the bread of life for us to believe in him and do the works that God requires us (John 6:25-59), as to reflect God’s ordinance to eat unleavened bread for Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15-20; cf. 1 Corinthians 5:8).Though the lamb’s meat to be roasted for Passover has no life, as it is from slaughtered lamb’s body and its blood separated, the Body of Christ (Corpus Christi) , offered up to us as the ultimate Korban Pesach (Passover Sacrifice), is given to us as the living bread of life (John 6:51). It is important to note that Christ as the living bread of life is not just as bread, which has no life itself. Even manna was not a living bread, as it did not lead the Israelites in Exodus to eternal life (John 6:58). To put it in the Aristotelian metaphysical language, which St. Thomas Aquinas has adopted for his Eucharistic Christology, Christ the Son, as the living bread of life, has its species (form) of bread but its substance is the living flesh (sarx) of himself. That is why Christ says that partaking in the living bread of life means partaking in his flesh, living flesh (sarx), along with his blood, for eternal life (John 6:51, 53-55). And, this is so because of Christ’s resurrection. Christ did not offer us dead meant (kreas) but his living flesh (sarx) , hidden in the species of bread, and his blood (heima), hidden in the species of wine, in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, as reflected in St. Thomas Aquinas’ “Adoro te devote”.

The divine life is hidden in the species of bread and wine of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, as Aquinas’ “Adoro te devote” sings, “latens deitas, quae sub his figuris vere latitas”, reflecting the hypostatic presence of the divine life in the Eucharist. Therefore, it is not like manna, as the living flesh (sarx) of Christ is not the dead meat (kreas). And, it is all because of his resurrection by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11) as the firstfruits from the dead (Colossians 1:18).

Now we know that what makes the Corporis et Sanguinis Christi (Body and Blood of Christ) so special and different from the traditional Passover sacrifice lamb’s slaughtered body and drained blood is the presence of the life of God within. And, this divine substance of life makes his flesh as sarx, not kreas, as his living body is not found in the hypostatic presence of ordinary bread, even it is from heaven as in the case with manna, but only hidden under the species of the living bread of life, which is brought by the power of the Holy Spirit, through epiklesis during Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, through transubstantiation, as St. Thomas Aquinas explains.

St. Ephrem of Syria has put it so nicely:

In your bread hides the Spirit who cannot he consumed; in your wine is the fire that cannot he swallowed. The Spirit in your bread, fire in your wine: behold a wonder heard from our lips.  

According to St. Ephrem, the living bread of life, which is the living body of Christ with living flesh to be eaten, and his blood to be drunk for eternal life (John 6:51, 53-55) in the species of the Eucharistic bread and wine, upon consecration through epiklesis, are fully loaded with the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit is the giver of life (John 6:63), as reflected in the Nicene Creed, the living bread of life breathes the Holy Spirit, the essence of life, as breath of life (nishmat chayyim) (Genesis 2:7; cf. John 20:22).

Christ, the Son, himself is the life, as well as the resurrection (John 11:25; cf. John 1:4). And he offers himself, his living fresh (sarx) and blood (heima) altogether through the living bread of life (John 6:51, 53-55), to share himself, the life, with us to be in us and for us to be in him (John 6:56; cf. John 14:20). In other words, Christ offers his whole living body with his blood to be in full communion with us, to be one with us. This way, we shall become the living one Body of Christ, the living Church, by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13; cf. Romans 12:5) and by partaking the one living bread of life (1 Corinthians 10:17) along with one cup of blessing, filled with the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16).

Out of His love, the Father in heaven has sent His only begotten Son in the human flesh, born to Mary, in Bethlehem, being placed in the manger, to feed us to make us one with Christ, in full communion with him (John 6:56), as he is so with the Father (John 14:20; 17:21 cf. 10:30, 38), by becoming one Body of the living Christ, the Church, as we partake the one living bread of life, living flesh of the Son of God from one Body of Christ, fully loaded with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:13) . At the same time, the one Body of Christ is given to us as food on our Exodus journey from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13) into the freedom to approach the Father (Ephesians 3:12), namely, seeing Him with the Son at His throne in the Kingdom (Revelation 22:3-4). For this, the Son has become the ultimate Korban Pesach, shedding his blood, to set us free (Galatians 5:1; John 8:36) and also has become the food for our Exodus journey of freedom to face the Father with the Son in the throne. So, St. Thomas Aquinas called the Body of Christ, the living bread of life in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist as Esca Viatrum (food for travelers, food for the journey). And, this food leads us to eternal life.

O esca viatorum,             O food of wayfarers,

O panis angelorum,         O bread of angels,

O manna caelitum,          O heavenly manna.

Essurientes ciba,              Feed the hungry,

Dulcedine non priva        Do not withhold your sweetness

Corda quaerentium.         from the hearts of those who seek you.

O lympha, fons amoris,    O spring of love, streaming

Qui puro Salvatoris          and pure Salvation

E corde profluis                from the heart of the Savior

Te sitientes pota                I drink to quench thirst

Haec sola nostra vota,      This only wish

His una sufficis.                 is satisfied.

O Jesu tuum vultum,         O Jesus, whom we adore

Quem colimus occultum   veiled

Sub panis specie,              under the form (species) of bread,

Fac, ut remoto velo,         Grant, that when the veil

Post libera in caelo          has been removed in heaven

Cernamus facie.               we may behold your face

Amen

Sanctissimi Corporis et Sanguinis Christi (Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) to conclude the trifecta of Sunday feasts, moving from Paschaltide into Ordinary Time, following Pentecost Sunday and Trinity Sunday, is to celebrate and to remember how the love of God not only has delivered us into freedom to journey to see Him but also has provided the necessary food and drink on our journey: the living bread of life, angelic bread from heaven, in the living Body of Christ, the fountain, from which our drink, the Blood of Christ, along with water, flows to quench our thirst. And, this is also the Divine Mercy.

O Blood and Water, which gushes forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us, I trust in You (Diary of St. Maria Faustina, 84).

And, Christ has told St. Faustina:

The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross (Diary of St. Maria Faustina, 299).

St. Faustina has said to Christ:

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O fountain of life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty yourself out upon us (Diary of St. Maria Faustina, 1319).

Eternal Father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement of our sins and those of the whole world  (Diary of St. Maria Faustina, 476).

Yes, Sanctissimi Corporis et Sanguinis Christi (Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) is to remember that the Father has sent us the Divine Mercy, as His only begotten Son’s Body has become the fountain of mercy, to save us and atone us with Him, while this living Body of Christ is our esca viatorum (food on the journey) until we see the Father, together with the Son, in heaven.

Let us not forget how God, who is love (1 John 4:8, 16), always loves us, as we partake Corporis et Sanguinis Christi, the gift of Divinae Misericordiae.

Corporis et Sanguinis Christi – Food and Drink on Our Exodus Journey into Eternity – to the Kingdom of God

We have been on the journey of new Exodus – at least since the death and the resurrection of Christ, who died as our ultimate Passover Lamb, and was raised as the firstfruits of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20). We have been delivered from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13) into the state of grace (Romans 6:14).

Yes, the state of grace. It is the state that entitles you to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (CCC 1415). We journey in the state of grace, upon being delivered into the freedom of the Law of the old covenant (Romans 6:14), and this is how Christian life is to be lived: journey of faith to stay with grace, keeping from falling into sin, all the way to our destiny: the Kingdom of God, which is envisioned in Revelation 21-22.

From Christ’s death and resurrection on, we have been on this journey in the state of grace, and we have been given the food for this journey. And this food is the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Corporis et Sanguinis Christi, with the accidence (species) of unleavened bread and wine, upon the transubstantion of bread and wine into the divine substance of the body and the blood of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as willed by God. As Jesus said, this spiritual food entitles us to eternal life (John 6:51, 53-54, 58), unlike the Manna, which did not give eternal life (John 6:49, 58).

Though the Manna and Christ, who is the Living Bread of Life, are sent from heaven by the Father, the former is not for eternal life but the latter is. However, both are for Exodus journey. The former was the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land of Milk and Honey, while the latter is our new Exodus journey from the curse under the Law of the old covenant to the eternal Kingdom of God with New Jerusalem as its capitol. The former began on Passover, for which unblemished male lamb (Exodus 12:5) was slaughtered as Paschal Sacrifice and its blood to shield from God’s wrath, the latter journey has begun upon Christ’s Paschal Sacrifice (John 1:29; 19:31) and Resurrection, which proves his passing over death.

God has said that we cannot live with the Manna alone but also with whatever comes out of His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). No wonder, the Manna alone was not the sustenance for eternity but it was for temporal survival. So, what can come out of the mouth of God? His breath of life, Nishmah (Genesis 2:7), which is also understood as the Holy Spirit, as in the breath of risen Jesus in John 20:22.  And, His Word, Dabah, spoken form of the Logos. And, Logs is God (John 1:1) and incarnated in the flesh of Jesus to dwell among us (John 1:14) because the love of the Father for us (John 3:16). In fact, Christ was not sent to us just to dwell among us but to be our Parakletos, being called to besides us (1 John 2:1), also in spirit, so another Parakletos (John 14:16,26) has been sent to us by the Father in Christ’s name, so that Christ’s companionship is perpetual until we reach the Kingdom, as he promised (Matthew 28:20).

And what remains forever is not only him being Parakletos, in flesh, as well as, in spirit, but also his Word (Matthew 24:35). Furthermore, he is always available to be our food for the journey – to give us sustenance to eternity. For this reason, Christ invites us to eat his flesh and drink his blood from his One Body (John 6:51, 53-58). And, we eat the flesh of Christ’s body and drink his blood not alone by in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, as the grace of the Son, of the love of the Father (2 Corinthians 13:13). Thus, it is the Communion, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, giving thanks, at this table fellowship of the Lord, all the faithful in the state of grace partake (1 Corinthians10:16-17), in anamnesis of the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24).

This Exodus journey from the curse of the Law to the Kingdom in the state of grace still faces challenges, just as the Exodus in the wilderness of 40 years itself was filled with trials. But, it is to test our faith (Deuteronomy 8:1-3). God wants us to be pure with stronger faith in Him. And, when we mature completely in faith and pure, we are entering the Kingdom. Yes, it is far greater than the Exodus in the Old Testament. So, to make sure we can sustain ourselves on this new Exodus, God the Father has sent His Son to be our food and drink on the journey. He also has sent the Holy Spirit not only as another Parakletos to guide on the journey but also that accidents of bread and wine can be transubstantiated into Corporis et Sanguinis Christi, as we need at the Eucharistic celebration during Mass.