Seeking the Kingdom of Heaven First: A Case of St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius of Loyola learned to seek the Kingdom in a very hard way. Had he not hit by a cannon ball and gotten his leg shattered at a war between Spain and France over the Kingdom of Navarre in 1521, Ignatius would have never been awaken to Jesus' call to seek the Kingdom of Heavens first. 

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We are inherently seekers. We constantly seek what we need in order to sustain life. Food, water, and shelter are very basic needs.  However, what makes the human species stand out as homo sapiens above all other animal species is that we seek something beyond food, water, and shelter.  To some, this may mean to pursue gold, silver, jewelries, or simply to amass personal wealth and assets.  But to us, Christians, who follow Christ as our Lord, the most important object of our pursuit in our life on earth is the Kingdom of Heaven, where the Father is, along with His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). So, Jesus has given an advice:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, were moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For were your treasure is, there also will your heart be.   Matthew 6:19-21

 Pursuing the Kingdom means to work toward storing heavenly treasures. And it is where our hearts should be.

Jesus addressed this principle of seeking the Kingdom as our priority also in these parables in pair: The Parable of the Treasure in the Field (Matthew 13:44) and the Parable of the Pearl (Matthew 13:45-46). 

 The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.  Matthew 13:44-46

Through these parables, Jesus has challenged us to be like the person, who sold everything in his or her possession to purchase the land where he or she found the treasure, and to be like the merchant, who sold everything he had in order to buy the precious pearl of his desire – not to buy a land where treasure is buried or to buy a pearl but to pursue the Kingdom.

 St. Ignatius of Loyola understood this and followed this teaching of Jesus as he recovered from the near-mortal injury from the Battle of Pamplona, 1521, though he had pursued earthly glory in military heroism as a respected Spanish military officer. What was shattered by a cannon ball shot by the French Army was not only Ignatius’ leg but really his ambitious pursuit of self-glorification in military career. By that extent of his battle injury, Ignatius could have been dead.  It was rather a miracle that he not only survived but recovered from the injury. But, the recovery process had refined him, cleansing what had tempted him to pursue earthly power and fame in military career for the Spanish Empire and gradually guiding him to this teaching of Christ to pursue the Kingdom.

So, Ignatius gave up everything he had from his rather noble family in Loyola and left his family castle in 1522 to embark on his pursuit of the Kingdom. He became a mendicant with no home, having sold his prized sword, too. He moved from place to place in Spain while struggling greatly in his pursuit of the Kingdom. Coming to the Benedictine shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat, Ignatius made a confession and surrendered his prized sword to Our Lady by leaving it at the shrine’s alter. Then, he gave all his fine clothe to the poor and he himself wore simple clothe. This marked Ignatius’ pledge of his life to Christ and the Kingdom, which Christ had proclaimed. So, he moved on as his pursuit of the Kingdom continued.  

 After Montserrat, Ignatius came to Manresa. And, this was where his pursuit of the Kingdom was challenged so greatly, making him even clinically depressed. He must have felt lost in his pursuit of the Kingdom as it did not come easily. So, he withdrew himself to a cave, where he spent nearly 10 months for intense prayer. But, he was not lost. Rather, this was a critical phase of his spiritual growth and transformation in his earnest pursuit of the Kingdom.  And it also reminds us that seeking the Kingdom may take a significant amount of toll on us. Certainly, a pursuit of the Kingdom means to enter through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13). In fact, Ignatius managed to keep depression from having him lost by keeping his journal, paying attention to how God’s forces move through the Holy Spirit and how devil’s forces move through evil spirit in him and all other things. And, this journal eventually became his Spiritual Exercises.  Through the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius found a new direction to the Kingdom and came out of the cave refreshed.

Yet, Ignatius’ journey to seek the Kingdom threw more challenges.

Though his pursuit of the Kingdom took him to Jerusalem, he was sent back by the Franciscans. Obviously, he was deemed unfit to be in the Holy Land by them. Upon his returned to Spain, he was jailed for preaching without credential as he had no formal schooling to preach. So, he swallowed his pride to put up with youngsters to begin his formal schooling to earn necessary credential, and he was already 33. This pursuit of credential eventually took him to the University of Paris, where not only he earned a master’s degree but also he met with two other critical founding members of the Jesuits: Peter Farber and Francis Xavier. While Peter was determined to be a priest, Francis had an earthly ambition to become a rich merchant trader as the Spanish Empire continued to expand through conquest and colonization. However, it was Ignatius, who convinced Francis to turn his earthly pursuit into a pursuit of the Kingdom, by citing Luke 9:25, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit oneself ?” And it is reflected in Spiritual Exercises, 91 – 100, calling those who pursue earthly kingdoms to heed the call of Christ for his Kingdom. As a result, Francis’ ambition turned away from a prospect of pursuing earthly rich but to the Kingdom, together with Ignatius and Peter. Out of these three University of Parish students, the Jesuits were formed for the greater glory of God: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

 Following Christ’s teaching to pursue the Kingdom makes us sapiens (wise).  Being sapiens means being capable of discernment – sapio. Thus, by seeking the Kingdom above all things at all cost makes us authentically homo sapiens, fully equipped with the abilities to discern. And, to attain this ability of discernment, we may need our own Manresa Cave experience to be challenged so that we become capable of discerning the movements of God’s force from the movements of devil’s force. And, discernment means wisdom. In fact, the ability to discern was what Solomon asked God to be His servant (1 Kings 3:5-15).

 To pursue the Kingdom of Heaven as our priority, we also seek the wisdom (sapientia/sophia) to discern (sapio) so that devil cannot distract us from our path of seeking the Kingdom. This wisdom is the heavenly treasure (Matthew 6:20), also addressed in the metaphors of the treasure (Matthew 13:44) and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46).

 We can learn about how we attain necessary wisdom in our pursuit of the Kingdom from the example of St. Ignatius of Loyola. As we embark on the Spiritual Exercises, we can certainly find ourselves on the same path that St. Ignatius took in pursuing the Kingdom.  We will find then the gap between our hearts’ desires and the will of God for each of us become narrower and narrower as these will eventually become one. And, when they become one, the Kingdom on our pursuit is more tangible, while we store more wisdom as our heavenly treasures, with our ability to discern sharpened.

Completion of the Series of the Kingdom-Related Parables from Matthew 13 on the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle A – We Are Predestined to Serve as the Scribes of the Kingdom

For three Sundays in row, we have been reading Jesus’ parables from Matthew 13: vv. 1-23 for the 15^th Sunday; vv.24-43 for the 16^th Sunday; vv.44-52.  The Parable of the Sower (vv.1-9) and Jesus’ explanation on the parable (vv. 18-23) for the 15^th Sunday; The Parable of the Tares among the Wheat (vv. 24-30) and Jesus’ explanation of this parable (vv. 36-43), the Parable of the Mustard Seed (vv. 31-32), the Parable of the Yeast (v.33) for the 16^th Sunday; the Parable of the Treasure Hidden in the Field (v.44), the Parable of the Pearl (vv. 45-46), the Parable of the Net Full of Fish (vv. 47-48) for the 17^th Sunday.

On the 15^th Sunday, through the Parable of the Sower (vv. 1-9), Jesus has challenged us if we are good recipients of the seeds of the Word that he has sown in our hearts. Are our hearts are like the good soil on which the seeds sown grow into manifold harvest? Or, like the path on which the sown seeds area easily taken away by birds? Or, like the shallow soil on rocky ground on which the sown seeds may sprout fast but withers soon because they cannot spread the roots? Or , like the ground full of thorns, on which the sown seeds growth is choked?

The First Reading for the 15^th Sunday (Isaiah 55:10-11) further likens that the Word sown by Jesus is like rain and snow that keeps the ground fertile to bring forth good harvest. Also as the rain and snow are indispensable for sown seeds to grow by watering the earth, God the Father  continues to “water” the seeds sown by His Son on our hearts by “watering” down the Holy Spirit as another Parakletos to teach on the Word “sown” by the Son (John 14:26).

On the 16^th Sunday and the 17^th Sunday, the rest of the parables in Matthew 13: the Parable of the Tares among the Wheat (vv. 24-30) and Jesus’ explanation of this parable (vv. 36-43), the Parable of the Mustard Seed (vv. 31-32), the Parable of the Yeast (v.33) , the Parable of the Treasure Hidden in the Field (v.44), the Parable of the Pearl (vv. 45-46), the Parable of the Net Full of Fish (vv. 47-48) are all specifically referred to the Kingdom of Heaven. Through the Parable of the Tares among the Wheat (vv. 24-30), Jesus gives rather a counterintuitive teaching about the Kingdom: the Kingdom in progress on earth is like the wheat field, where the tares are also growing along with the wheat, indicating that it is where both sinners and saints co-exist. And, as the First Reading for the 16^th Sunday (Wisdom 12:13, 16-19) reminds, sinners who may do evil (likened to the tares) are allowed to coexist with those who are righteous in God’s eyes (likened to the wheat) because of the extraordinary mercy of the Father, who has not “eradicated” us even though we have offended Him countlessly ever since the fall of Adam and Eve. Because of this mercy of the Father, not wiping out sinners from the earth, they can repent and convert so that they may be righteous in His eyes. In fact, this has already taken place as many Saints used to be sinners, such as St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Ignatius of Loyola – just to name a few. Imagine if God the Father had “zero tolerance” to sinners. Then, how many Saints would we have? 

As the Parable of the Mustard Seed (vv. 31-32), the Parable of the Yeast (v.33) remind, the Kingdom has been growing – until the eschaton, which Jesus likens to the harvest time, when the tares are separated from the wheat to be burned,  as unrepentant sinners, along with the devil, who has sown the tares, are condemned as judged at the eschaton (vv.39-42).  The consummation of the growth of the Kingdom on earth takes place at the eschaton, and it is when only the children of the Kingdom, likened to the wheat, are allowed. However, until then, the growing Kingdom is like what St. Augustine of Hippo describes as ecclesia mixtra. And, this is why Pope Francis has likened the Church (ecclesia or ekklesia) to the field hospital, where the medicine of mercy is needed, as St. John XXIII has said.

The Kingdom is not in its pure state while it is in progress – as it is still growing. Because of the Father’s mercy, both sinners and saints coexist, as the tares are not uprooted from the wheat field, while they are growing, with the hope that the “medicine of mercy” will touch the hearts of sinners for repentance and conversion.

Finally, on the 17^th Sunday, the rest of the Kingdom-related parables are read from Matthew 13:44-52: the Parable of the Treasure Hidden in the Field (v.44), the Parable of the Pearl (vv. 45-46), and the Parable of the Net Full of Fish (vv. 47-48).  Just as the Parable of the Mustard Seed (vv. 31-32) and the Parable of the Yeast (v.33) for the 16^th Sunday are in pair to remind how the Kingdom of Heavens on earth grows out of something as small as a mustard seed or yeast into something great, like a huge mustard tree or enlarged leavened bread, the Parable of the Treasure Hidden in the Field (v.44) and the Parable of the Pearl (vv. 45-46) for the 17^th Sunday are in pair to tell that there is nothing more precious in the universe than the Kingdom of Heavens. Just as the person, who has found the hidden treasure in the field and sold everything in his possession to buy the field with the treasure and as the merchant who has found the perfect pearl and sold everything in his possession to purchase it, the Kingdom of Heaven is what we seek more than anything else. This teaching is echoed by how King Solomon sought a heart of understanding and wisdom, more than anything else, to serve as king of Israel from God in the First Reading (1 Kings 3:5, 7-12). Therefore, a lesson from the 17^th Sunday Scripture Readings is that we seek the Kingdom as the priority, because there is nothing more precious than this. There is nothing else we desire to attain than the Kingdom. This lesson echoes Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: Seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you (Matthew 6:33).

Is the Kingdom of Heavens (of God) the priority in our pursuit? Or, are we spending our lives to attain something else, such as material wealth, sensual pleasure, fame, and so on?

Finally, “last” parable in Matthew 13, the Parable of the Net Full of Fish (vv. 47-48) rather corresponds to the Parable of the Tares among the Wheat (vv.24-30) from the 16^th Sunday, as these parables are about the Kingdom in completion at the eschaton: how those who are unfit to be the children of the Kingdom are excluded from it by the judgement and thrown into the Lake of Fire (i.e. Revelation 19:20), as the tares are separated from the wheat to be burned at the harvest and as bad fish are separated from good fish at the shore and are thrown away.

Now, actually, the very last parable in Matthew 13 is in Jesus’ statement on an objective of understanding his parables in v.52: Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old. This is a parable because a scribe of heaven – a scribe of the Kingdom is likened to a household who brings both the old and the new from his storeroom.  And, with this Parable of the Scribes of Heaven, Jesus concludes all the parables in Matthew 13, which we spend three consecutive Sundays, from the 15^th Sunday to the 17^th Sunday, that understanding his parables will lead to become scribes of heaven (the scribes of the Kingdom), who are, of course, the children of the Kingdom, to teach the truth and wisdom both from the Old Testament and the New Testament from the treasure chest, called the Scriptures (Bible), on behalf of Jesus.

As God the Father has loved us so much, in spite of our countless offenses against Him through our repetitive sins, not only He has been allowing us to exist on earth rather than eradicating but also has sent His only begotten Son to let him dwell among us (John 3:16), by incarnating the Word, which is God, in the human flesh of Jesus (John 1:1, 14), through the womb of Mary, the Blessed Virgin, the Immaculate, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35). The Son has been sent to us to proclaim his Kingdom through his Gospel, as reflected in the Third Luminous Mystery of the Holy Rosary, echoing Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:43. So, he has sown the seeds of the Word on our hearts in order for the Kingdom to grow through us – on our hearts, as reflected in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9).  While this is also juxtaposed to how God sends down rain and snow to make sure that earth is able to produce harvest for food (Isaiah 55:10-11), first and foremost, our hearts must be in the condition likened to the fertile soil where seeds can grow into manifold harvest (Matthew 13:8). And, the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father as another Parakletos, in Jesus’ name will continue to nourish the growth from the seeds – just as rain and snow to water the earth ensures the growth of the seeds on earth for harvest, because the Holy Spirit as another Parakletos continues to teach us (John 14:26), just as the sower, the Son sent by the Father, the Parakletos (1 John 2:1), has taught.

Some reflecting questions to ask ourselves now in concluding these three consecutive Sundays in reading the series of the parables from Matthew 13 are: Are the seeds of the Word that Jesus has sown in our hearts growing healthily toward abundant fruition and harvest at the eschaton? Is there any condition that may compromise the growth of the Word in our hearts, because of weakened faith or waning faith or too much anxiety? If so, how can we restore our faith through the Holy Spirit, as one of His gifts is faith (1 Corinthians 12:9)?

Keeping our faith through the Holy Spirit is like keeping our hearts fertile for the seeds of the Word sown by Jesus to ensure their sustained growth toward abundant harvest.  And, the Father will continue to water down the Holy Spirit, who gives faith, just as rain and snow keep the earth fertile for seeds to grow. And, the seeds of the Word sown by Jesus may be as tiny as the mustard seed or may even be seen as insignificant as the yeasts to some. Nevertheless, as they are on the right type of the soil, they grow into something as great as the large mustard tree or they will raise the small batch of dough into enlarged leavened bread. Is the Kingdom in progress growing like the mustard tree or leavened dough in our fertile hearts?

As our faith is strong, we are fully engaged with the Word. It means that we listen to the Word with our full attention and interest. And, this also reflects that our priority is the Kingdom – because it is like the treasure hidden but found in the field, for which the person, who found, sold everything to purchase and like the pearl, for which the merchant sold everything to buy. Are we seeking the Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), as King Solomon sought out the heart of understanding and wisdom more than kingly power and fame (1 Kings  3:5, 7-12)?

Since the growing Kingdom is likened to the field, where the tares are also growing among the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30) and likened to the net full of all sorts of fish, good ones and bad ones (Matthew 13:47-48), it is not in its pure and perfect state yet. However, in the meantime, we are to strive for the perfection of the Father (Matthew 5:48) as we love our enemies among us (Matthew 5:43), just as the tares among the wheat can grow among the wheat (Matthew 13:29-30). And, the perfection of the Father (Matthew 5:48) is indeed His mercy, which allows us to exist on earth, even though we have sinned and may not yet fully reconciled with Him.

The Second Reading for the 15^th Sunday (Romans 8:18-23) reminds us that the growth of the seeds of the Word sown by Jesus is for the new creation that the earth has been in her groaning labor pain. And this new creation is the establishment of the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The Second Reading for the 16^th Sunday (Romans 8:26-27) reflects on our constant need of the Holy Spirit as our intercessor to overcome our weakness. This is to keep our hearts fertile for the seeds of the Word – the seeds of the Kingdom sown by Jesus through his words in his teaching can grow without any compromise. And the Second Reading for the 17^th Sunday (Romans 8:28-30) gives a very assuring and inspiring message that God the Father has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son for our justification of the Kingdom. It also means that the Father has already ordained us to serve as the scribes of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:52) to evangelize with the seeds of the Word, catechize with the wisdom and knowledge, and charismatize through the Holy Spirit. This way, we serve as active agent for the Kingdom to expand just as yeasts makes dough rise and expand.

By using parables in his teaching, Jesus knows that those whose hearts are likened to the fertile soil (Matthew 13:8) can find the kernel of truth in the Word spoken by him, as a person finds the hidden treasure in the field (Matthew 13:44), while others may never know of the treasure as it had been hidden.  It demands our attention and active listening for a parable to be appreciated. So, we must be actively seeking the kernel of truth in the Word buried in parables. But, parables actually help us understand the kernel of truth on the Kingdom better as Jesus has thrown things familiar to us, such as seeds, wheat, yeasts, treasure, pearl, fishing net, and so forth along with the truth. Parable in the biblical Greek, παραβολή (parabole), literally means to” throw (βάλλω/ballo ) + besides (παρά/para)” .  So, Jesus has cast out some familiar objects to us in his parables. And the question is: Do we see the kernel of truth besides these cast familiar objects? And, are we making most out of this kernel of truth discerned from the parables while the Kingdom continues to grow in our attentive hearts?

As our hearts remain fertile to the seeds of the Word, assuring the Kingdom’s growth in our hearts, we are able to understand all of Jesus’ parables, thus, becoming ready to serve as the scribes of the Kingdom in all nations to aid further growth and expansion of the Kingdom.

Jesus’ Counterintuitive Teaching on The Tares among the Wheat and the Enemies among Us: Juxtaposition between Matthew 13:24-30 and Matthew 5:43-48 for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, A

Teaching of Jesus can be counterintuitive to us. For example, his teaching on loving enemies (Matthew 5:43-48) is contrary to what we tend to think of dealing with enemies. Our intuition rather tells to fight enemies, keeping them from us. And Jesus knows this so well. That is why he has said: You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy “(Matthew 5:43), citing Leviticus 19:18 on loving our neighbors and reflecting the sentiment of Psalm 139:19-22 and Qumran/Dead Sea Scroll (1QS 9:21) on hating our enemies. And we tend to rationalize our hatred toward enemies. But, in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has taught us to love our enemies. What a contrary it is that Jesus telling us to love what we thought to hate!

In fact, his teaching on loving enemies is not necessarily unique to Jesus as we can find the teaching on benevolent treatment of enemies in the Old Testament. For example, it says: If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat, if thirsty, give something to drink (Proverbs 25:21; cited by Paul in Romans 12:20). Furthermore, also in Torah, God had commanded the Israelites: When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you must see to it that it is returned. When you notice the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you should not desert him; you must help him with it (Exodus 23:4-5). Interestingly, our benevolence toward enemies will hurt them so that we may win them over, perhaps, leading to their conversion, as indicated in Proverbs 25:22.

In fact, if enemies deserve vengeance for their evil doings, as Proverbs 20:22 reminds, it is God’s prerogative to inflict punishment on them whenever He wills. In the meantime, we treat our enemies with our love in the hope that our benevolence toward them will transform them.

Obviously, it is our weakness to fall oblivious that God does not want us to embark on vengeance on our enemies out of hatred. Rather, He expects us to treat them as our neighbors.  So, Jesus reiterated this teaching of treating enemies with benevolence rather than hatred from the Old Testament by commanding us to love our enemies just as we love our neighbors – challenging us to apply the spirit of Leviticus 19:18 not only on our neighbors but also on our enemies.

As a matter of fact, Jesus’ counterintuitive teaching on loving our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48) has some similarity to his Parable of the Tares among the Wheat (Matthew 13:24-30). In this parable, which is a part of the Gospel Reading for the 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle A (Matthew 13:24-43), Jesus offers another counterintuitive teaching.

Say, you work in the wheat field. You have noticed that tares are also growing along with the wheat that you have planted. Then, your instinct would nudge you to pull these tares that you did not plant out of your wheat field. On the contrary, with this parable, Jesus teaches not to pull the tares until the harvest time, because pulling them while growing with the wheat may inadvertently uproot the wheat along (Matthew 13:29-30a). Then, at the harvest time, when everything in the field is pulled, the tares are separated from the wheat and bundled to be burned (Matthew 13:30b).

As Jesus has said in this parable, the tares need to be destroyed upon being pulled at the harvest time because they are, in fact, poisonous weeds, though they resemble wheat. They are not just harmless weeds. If they were not detected and separated at the harvest time but processed and milled, you would fall drowsy as tare’s poison has a soporific effect. That is why tare is also called darnel, which is derived from “darne”, which in Walloon means “dazed, stunned, drunk”, as well as “darnelle”, which in Old French means “to harm”.

As enemies can hurt us, so do tares (darnels) as they are deleterious weeds. Our instinct tells to eliminate what can hurt us. However, Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:43-48 and Matthew 13:24-30 are rather contrary. He has taught to love our enemies, rather than hating them, in his Sermon on the Mount, and has taught not to pull the tares out of the wheat field until the harvest time in his Parable of the Tares among the Wheat.

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Jesus has explained what he had meant by his Parable of the Tares among the Wheat in Matthew 13:36-43. According to this, the tares are the metaphor for the children of evil ones, while the wheat represent the children of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:38). With this explanation of Jesus’ Parable of the Tares among the Wheat (Matthew 13:24-30), juxtaposed to his teaching on loving our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48), the tares are like enemies among us, enemies who may be difficult to distinguish because of their resemblance to us.  Though enemies can hurt us with their evil as tares can hurt us with poison, Jesus has taught us not to rush with our instinct for vengeance on them. Rather, we treat enemies among us as our neighbors with love, until the time of God to bring the judgment at the eschaton, as the tares are allowed to grow among the wheat until the harvest time.

So, where this counterintuitive teaching of Jesus across Matthew 5:43-48 and Matthew 13:24-30 leads to? 

Besides not reacting to our enemies out of our intuition for reprisal, the teaching is about to be like how God the Father treats us, the sinners, not with His vengefulness but loving-kindness and mercy, which represent God’s perfection.

Our sins hurt God and those who are perfectly faithful to Him, like the Saints. In this regard, we can be treated as God’s enemy among the Saints. We can be like the tares, which are deleterious with their soporific poison, among the wheat. Imagine that God had ordered His angels to pull us out of the world immediately because we have offended Him with our sins and had been thrown into the Lake of Fire (i.e. Revelation 19:20). Then, many of us would have been eliminated out of the world already.  But, we are still here in the world, as we have been given many chances to repent and convert, upon reconciling with God, though we have sinned countlessly – until the eschaton, when Christ will return to judge who are to be in the Kingdom of Heaven for eternal joy and who are to be thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternal damnation.

God the Father is the God of justice and mercy, as reflected in Wisdom 12:13, 16-19, which is the First Reading for the 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle A. And, His mercifulness is emphasized in Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16, the Responsorial Psalm to Wisdom 12:13, 16-19. In fact, this is what we are called to imitate God for: His “perfection” or “fullness”(telos), as reminded in Matthew 5:48.

Our intuition, which can prompt us to fight our enemies, like pulling the tares (darnels) among the wheat while growing, makes us forget Jesus’ counterintuitive teaching across Matthew 5:43-48 and Matthew 13:24-30. It is our weakness to act solely out of our intuition rather than God’s will for us. So, in order to overcome this weakness of ours, Paul has taught us to call for the Holy Spirit’s intercession so that we can act according to God’s will for us, rather than acting out of our intuition, as in Romans 8:26-27, the Second Reading for the 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle A.  As the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, we will not act out of our intuition for retaliation but observe Jesus’ counterintuitive teaching both in Matthew 5:43-48, on loving enemies as our neighbors, and in Matthew 13:24-30, on not to rush to pull the tares among the what, while we strive to be the children of the Kingdom. With the Holy Spirit, who is another Parakletos (John 14:16, 26), we do understand what God wants us – to be as “perfect”(teleioi) as He is (Matthew 5:48) by imitating His mercy (rachamim) and loving-kindness (chesed) by not reacting to our enemies merely out of our intuition or weakness. The Holy Spirit helps us understand that reacting to our enemies simply out of our intuition for vengence is like pulling the tares out of the wheat field prematurely, resulting in harming the growing wheat.  The Holy Spirit also reminds us that it is God’s prerogative to inflict vengeance on our enemies while we are to imitate God’s telos (perfection, fullness) in regard to His loving-kindness (chesed) and mercy (rachamim) toward those who offend Him with sins, allowing for repentance, reconciliation, and conversion. And, this is what the Kingdom in progress is about.

Let the Holy Spirit help us overcome our weakness to react merely with our instinct for retribution so that we can respond to enemies among us with our caritas, in our imitation of the perfect loving-kindness (chesed) and mercy (rachamim) of the Father. This way, we do not usurp His prerogative of judgement and just punishment, just as we do not prematurely eradicate the tares among the growing wheat, before the harvest time, when God-sent angels will come to sort the tares out of the wheat.

The Kingdom of Heavens right now is in progress, like the field where the wheat is growing for the harvest, though some tares are also growing. With the intercession of the Holy Spirit, we do better in imitating God’s perfect loving-kindness (chesed) and mercy (rachamim) towards enemies among us, who are like the tares among the wheat, in the hope that they will be touched by our benevolent love and convert.

Jesus Has Initiated Sowing the Seeds of the Word for Abundant Harvest, Sustained by the Daily Living Bread of Life and the Rain of the Holy Spirit – 15h Sunday in Ordinary Time, A

Even though a seed is on the good soil, it needs water to grow. Even the Word is received in eager and humble heart, the heart needs the Holy Spirit to "water" the seed on the fertile soil and the Eucharist to sustain our the heart's fertility. 

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God the Father sent His only begotten son out of His love to us (John 3:16) as our Savior (1 John 4:14). And he came to us as the Word incarnate to dwell among us (John 1:14), as Immanuel (God with us) (Matthew 1:23) in the human flesh of Jesus through Mary, the Immaculate Conception. In order to save us, Jesus has provides us with both the Word (John 5:24), which is the Spirit of Life (John 6:63), and the Living Bread of Life (John 6:51), which is the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Luke 33:29; 1 Corinthians 11:24), reflecting that we need both bread and every word out of the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4).

Because the Word is so important for our salvation, in his Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23), which is the Gospel Reading for the 15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle A, Jesus himself has indicated that the Father has sent him to sow the seeds of the Word on our hearts, to be precise. And it is up to us whether the seeds of the Word will grow or die. In other words, our salvation may be hinged upon how we receive the Word.

First, are we eager to receive the Word every day, along with the daily Living Bread of Life? In fact, both the Word and the Bread are Jesus himself (John 1:1; John 6: 35, 41, 48, 51). And, Jesus, the Son of God is God, consubstantial with the Father (John 10:30). Thus, Jesus is indeed, the greatest grace (gift) to us as he is what Karl Rahner, German Jesuit theologian, describes as God’s self-communication. Therefore, our desire to receive Jesus daily is a key for our salvation, as our response to God’s self-communication to us.

As Jesus has explained in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 12:1-23), simply receiving the Word does not suffice salvation. Some people receive the Word but waste it like a seed on the road, easily eaten by bird, or like a seed on a rocky ground, letting sprout but wither soon, or like a seed among thorns, sprout but choked its growth.  The heart like a road to let the Word be taken away by Satan is the heart that has no interest in receiving it. It is like a person, who may physically sit in the pew but his or her heart is not participating in the Liturgy of the Word at Mass. The heart like the rocky ground represents a person, who may quickly show his or her interest in the Word but loses interest quickly as well, for not following up on its meaning. It is like a person, who may come to a Bible study session with eagerness for a while but stopped coming for pursuing another interest. The heart like the thorny ground, where the seeds of the Word are choked to death represents anxious heart, in which excessive anxiety will occlude growth the Word.

Actually, even the fertile soil itself is not sufficient for a seed to sprout and grow into abundant harvest. Imagine if a seed you placed on a good soil will sprout and grow if you never water afterward. It may sprout but will not grow. Even sown on the perfect soil, a seed cannot be neglected. It needs our constant attention and care.

As reflected in the First Reading (Isaiah 55:10-11), God the Father, who has sent us His only begotten Son as the seeds of the Word, as well as the Living Bread of Life, makes sure that the seeds of the Word will grow in the heart with right condition.  Given the juxtaposition of Isaiah 55:10-11 to Joel 2:23-24, as well as Deuteronomy 11:14-15, God the Father wants the seeds of the Word will grow in our hearts, as long as we receive with our eagerness and sustaining responsibility to let the seeds grow into abundant fruition. So, as rain water will ensure the seeds on the fertile ground to grow into abundant harvest, the Father in heaven has been sending the Holy Spirit like rain so that the seeds of the Word will grow in our hearts of humility to bear manifold fruits. The Holy Spirit comes to us not just on Pentecost Sunday but every day, as seeds need to be watered every day.

The Second Reading (Romans 8:18-23) reminds us that the fruits grown out of the seeds of the Word in our hearts of humility are what this world much needed to be born into a new life – a new life in Christ (Romans 5), as well as a new life in the Spirit (Romans 8, Ephesians 5).  Otherwise, the world would die from corruption. You see the world has been made futile with corruption due to our sin yet fighting the pending death with the groaning of in long labor pain to give a new birth to be saved. If this new birth did not happen, then, the word would die due to its futility and corruption. In fact, it is the groaning of our conscience fighting corruption – fighting against vices with virtues, as reflected in Galatians 5:16-26, by living a life by the Holy Spirit and bearing manifold fruit of the Holy Spirit.

So, the seeds of the Word sown by Jesus in our hearts must receive the Holy Spirit every day, just as any seeds on fertile ground need to receive water to grow into abundant harvest.

Every Word that comes out of the mouth of God must be fulfilled by our response with graciousness and humility, as well as our eagerness to care.

So, we do not just hear and forget about the Word but listen with care, receiving also the Holy Spirit and the Body of Christ as our daily Bread. That is why the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is available to those who seek everyday – even on Holy Saturday after its Sunday for Paschal Vigil Mass. And, the rain of the Holy Spirit is sent to us every day to make sure that the Word sown in our fertile hearts will grow into abundant fruition to fight corruption of the world and to renew the world with new birth of life in Spirit and in Christ.

Remember, Jesus died on the Cross as the seed to bring abundant harvest (John 12:24), as he himself is the Word incarnate (John 1:1, 14). It means that Jesus’ death on the Cross has sown the Word on our renewed hearts upon Lent. And, throughout Paschaltide, we prepared the Word in our renewed and clean and joyful hearts to sprout and grow. Since Pentecost on, the seeds of the Word have sprouted and been growing and growing, as we are now well into Ordinary Time in Liturgical Calendar, enjoying the benefits of daily rain water of the Holy Spirit. We shall enjoy abundant harvest during the week of Christ the King to conclude this liturgical year, as we take a good care of the Word growing in our hearts, sustained by daily Living Bread and the Holy Spirit.

Let us receive daily rain of the Holy Spirit for the Word to keep growing in our hearts to multiply into abundant fruition and harvest. And Jesus himself has been given to us as our daily Living Bread of Life to ensure that our hearts will not lose fertility to sustain the growth of the Word. After all, this growth and fruition of the seeds of the Word is what we replicate on our evangelizing mission, as Jesus initiated sowing the seeds of God on our hearts.

Christ the Firstfruits of the Spirit Has Sawn His Word on Us to Grow, and Now We Have Been Sent on Mission to Saw the Word in the World Groaning for New Birth - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, A

The Liturgical Color for Ordinary Time is green.  It suggests that Ordinary Time is for us to grow in faith through the Word and the Eucharist at Mass. There is a very important motif of growth in the Scriptures for the 15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A.

During the post-Paschaltide Ordinary Time, we read and listen to the Word of God in order to remain as good disciples, which literally means “learners” (μαθήτριες /mathítries),  as we have been sent on our apostolic mission since Pentecost.  And, the Word (Λόγος/Logos) has been sent to us, as incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus, through Mary, the Immaculate Conception, the Virgin, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the greatest gift from the Father in heaven. This Logos incarnate is also God Himself. Therefore, God has sent His self-gift to us, and this greatest gift is found in the Word, as we read and listen.

Do we really read and listen to the Word, who is God Himself (John 1:1)? It means, do we really listen to  Christ, who is Logos incarnate in the human flesh of Jesus, full of grace, as the Father’s only begotten Son (John 1:14)?

In the Gospel Reading (Matthew 13:1-23), which is Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (cf. Mark 4:1-20//Luke 8:4-15), Jesus implicates that he wants us to really read and listen to the Word and take it to our heart so that we can grow in faith and wisdom as it grows from within us, as we receive it as good soil receives a seed. And those who understand the parables of Jesus are the ones who receive the Word in their hearts to grow as good soil receives a seed. Jesus speaks in parables so that only those who can understand and appreciate find the meaning of the Word out of his mouth and let it grow. He knows that those who cannot understand his parables are like rocky surface and thorn, upon which seeds are wasted. Just as the Father keeps His wisdom hidden from those who are arrogant and self-righteous but reveals only to those who are humble enough to seek to be yoked with His only begotten Son (Matthew 11:25-30, Gospel reading for the 14^th Sunday, A).  Both the Father and the Son understand that neither the Wisdom of God nor the Word of God shall be wasted.  Therefore, the Wisdom and the Word are not to be like pearls cast to swine – not revealed and given to those whose eyes are blind and ears are deaf to what God offers and send.

By the Word, dabar (דָבָר), which comes out of the mouth of God in his mighty breath , ruah (רוּחַ)(Psalm 33:6) has Created the universe, through and for His Son, Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:16), who is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creations (Colossians 1:15). And he is the Word incarnate (John 1:14) and the Wisdom (Proverbs 8:22-31), preexisting the Creation. In the fullness of time, the Father decided to send him as the greatest gift to us through Mary’s womb, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35) – making the Word, as well as the Wisdom, visible and tangible, to us.

During the Advent Season, we prepared ourselves to receive him on Christmas, and throughout Christmastide, we rejoice over receiving this greatest gift from the Father, while reflecting on how he grew from the infant placed on the manger to be a young man on mission upon his Baptism. Then, until Ash Wednesday to begin Lenten Season, we briefly reflected on his teachings and actions during his early mission during the pre-Lenten Ordinary Time.

Throughout Lenten Season into Paschal Triduum, we focused on how our sins brought him to death, and reflected on him as the Passover Sacrifice Lamb of God to take away sins of the world so that we may be saved. Then, throughout Paschaltide, we made more intense Christological reflections not only to better understand his salvific Gospel teaching but also to prepare ourselves for Pentecost to be sent out on mission.

As we go on our respective mission, we serve Christ as sower of his Word, reflecting his commissioning words in Matthew 28:20; Mark 16:15; Luke 14:23. But, for us to be qualified to be bearers and sowers of the Word in the world, first and foremost, we must have received the Word and let it grow in us, while the Father has revealed His Wisdom, as we are yoked with Christ, united with him (Matthew 11:25-30 cf. John 14:20) by Christ’s Ascension.  If not, we would need to start over at least from Ash Wednesday.

As the First Reading (Isaiah 55:10-11) reflects, what God has sent, including His dabar (Word) is not be put in vain and wasted in the world and among us. Karl Rahner considers that it is God’s “self-communication”, when He sends grace (gift) to us, including the Word, the Word incarnate, Christ the Son, in the human flesh of Jesus, Parakletos (1 John 2:1) ,and the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos (John 14:16, 26). We must receive not passively and let it be wasted but rather actively so that it grows into “constructed grace” through us and our works on our mission.

As reflected in the Second Reading (Romans 8:13-23), we have been sent on mission into the world, which has been groaning in labor pain for something new to be born. And, we are sent as agent of this new birth that the world has been suffering for.  It is, indeed, the establishing the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, growing out of the seeds of the Word that we sow on behalf of God. For this, we may suffer. But, our suffering on this mission is nothing, knowing that we do now have the firstfruits of the Spirit (the Holy Spirit), Christ, who was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). So, we, too, groan with hope for the redemption of our bodies, meaning that our bodied may be the second fruits from the dead (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20-58).

Reflections:

Do we desire to give a new birth to the word from a seed of the Word of God that we receive, willing to suffer for its labor pain?

Are we like the good fertile soil where seeds grow and yield abundant harvest in terms of receiving the gift of the Word, whether incarnated or not, through us, being fruitful in our mission work to sow the Word?

Do we recognize how the world we serve with the seeds of the Word has been groaning to bring new birth, which grows out of this seed we saw, the Word that we have received from God through Christ?

Are we willing to suffer for this mission, knowing that we are to be the second fruits of the Spirit, the second fruits from the death, having the firstfruits of the Spirit, the firstborn of the dead, in us?

Yoking Ourselves to Jesus - Making Us the Sacred Zygote with Christ: Taking the Yoke of Christ to Bring New Life

Jesus wants us to be one with him. He wants us to be one with him as he is so with the Father (John 14:20; 17:21). If we are not one with Christ, what would we be like?

We would wonder around the spiritual wilderness, easily attacked by evils of Satan, infesting the world, and die to our own sins. That would be like a poor ovum never yoked with the right sperm – wondering through the fallopian tubes and die within a day. But, if an ovum meets and yokes with the sperm, it becomes a zygote to bring a new body and life!

When Jesus sees us being like a dying ovum because of not being yoked with the right sperm, as we are weary and burdened with worries and anxieties, as well as stress, having our spirit dying, with sagging faith, he calls us to him and to take his yoke, surrendering a yoke that has burdened us.

So, he has said:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

For those who have enjoyed biology, in particular, embryology, it is easy to realize that the word, zygote, has something to do with the Greek word for yoke, zygos. In fact, based on this Greek etymological background, a zygote means that two haploid gamates are united as a diploid cell, sharing the same 46 chromosomes by the two haploid gametes, 23 pairs. And, this is what happens to ovum when it is given a new life by a sperm. Otherwise, a human ovum would die within a day from ovulation!

So, imagine, the Father in heaven has sent His only begotten Son out of love (John 3:16) , by incarnating Logos-Theos (John 1:1, 14), to yoke with us, so that we will not die. If we are not yoked with Jesus, the Son, God incarnate, we would be like an ovum without being yoked to a sperm. Just as sperms are not to be wasted as in the sin of Onan (Genesis 38:1-10), neither the life-giving sacred sperm from heavenly Father, to us! First, this was sent to Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35), so that the Father can bring His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ , to us. And, now Christ himself invites us to be yoked to him as an ovum travels to be yoked to a sperm to bring a new life.  Just as sperms are not to be wasted, we cannot make the existence of Christ, who has come a long way and all the way from heaven and the time before the Creation, vain, by not yoking ourselves to him. 

Remember, it is not just a sperm that travels but also an ovum also travels from the ovaries through fallopian tubes, while a sperm, along with more than 250 million ones, travels through vagina and uterus, to meet somewhere in fallopian tubes. And, there in the fallopian tube, an ovum successfully yoked to the strongest and fastest sperm, becomes a zygote, to show, “We are together as one!

By becoming the sacred zygote by yoking ourselves to Jesus, as an ovum travels to be yoked with the perfect sperm, who has traveled much more, we share all of his spiritual chromosomes! And, he wants us to share who he is with us because he wants us to be like him and grow with him and in him and him in us as one body.

As the sacred zygote with Christ, we are happily yoked to grow into a new life to come!”. Then, the happy zygote travels further down the fallopian tube to find a good spot in the uterus to become an embryo and grow. So, we can see us, yoked with Jesus, becoming the sacred zygote, to grow into the sacred embryo and a newborn body of Christ, with billions of cells and many parts, yet one body, as the Church, to be further yoked with Christ the King as his bride at eschaton!

Let Us Yoke to Jesus! – For Father’s Wisdom and Life in the Holy Spirit for Eternal Life and Fruitfulness Other Than Restfulness

The Gospel Reading for the 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Cycle A (Matthew 11:25-30), which is the same text of the Gospel Reading for the Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Cycle A) on Friday of the week of Corpus Christi Sunday. To most of us, these words of Jesus from the Gospel text are very familiar:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus is calling and inviting us to come to him to yoke with him, replacing heavy yokes imposed by self-righteous false teachers, who makes our religious practice a burden rather than a joy. It is because the teaching of Jesus is to share his joy with you so that our joy may be complete (John 15:11).  So, if you have been feeling being Catholic is a drag, then, these words of Jesus are something you can reflect on so that you won’t become so-called  a “recovering Catholic”. Being a Catholic is not a disease like alcoholism. It is a joy to be Catholic. And, for us to be joyous Catholic, we need to be yoked together with Jesus!

The Greek word used for “yoke” in the original Gospel text is ζυγός (zygos), which literally means a wooden bar to pair two farm animals together to work together. Figuratively, it means to unite as one. So, a man and a woman yoked together as one flesh (Genesis 2:24) by sharing the yoke of love, as they become husband and wife through the Sacrament of Matrimony, just as we, the Church, may become one with Christ as his bride (Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 19:7-9; 21:2), just as he is one with the Father (John 10:30, 38; 14:20; 17:21). Therefore, being yoked with Jesus means that be drawn closer to the one who has sent him, the Father in heaven – being united with Trinity  as we yoke ourselves with Jesus, the Son. And, this yoked unity with Christ brings us in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the center of the embodiment of the love of God, who is love (1 John 4:8, 16).  That is why a general theme for the Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Cycle A is God’s love, as the same Gospel Text for the 14^th Sunday on Cycle A (Matthew 11:25-30) is read along with Deuteronomy 7:6-11; Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 10; 1 John 4:7-16.

For Cycle A, we reflect Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as the heart of God, who is love. And, as St. Augustine wrote in his Confession, it is where our restlessness ceases and gives way to restfulness and peace.

Now, reading the same Gospel text (Matthew 11:25-30) for the 14^th Sunday, together with Zechariah 9:9-10 (First Reading), Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14 (Responsorial Psalm); Romans 8:9, 11-13 (Second Reading), we reflect other things we can enjoy, along with love of God, as we yoke ourselves with Jesus.

First, the Gospel text (Matthew 11:25-30) comes with two themes: Jesus praising the Father for keeping His wisdom from the arrogant self-righteous but reveals to the humble (vv. 25-27) and Jesus calls us, especially as we are burdened with legalistic religious teachings, to give the heavy yoke imposed on us to him and to take his light one, as we are yoked as one with him (vv. 28-30). Jesus surely knows that those who are self-righteous for their own wisdom and learning in their own secular world are blind to the Father’s wisdom. This is well-reflected in John 9, as Jesus rebukes those who called his sign of healing a man born blind a blasphemy, blind. They are blind the truth in Jesus. And our ego, which makes us pride and self-righteous and even narcissistic is a major blinder to the truth, which is Christ himself (John 14:6). But, Jesus is more than the truth. He himself is the wisdom, ever since before the Creation, the wisdom incarnate (cf. Proverbs 8:22-31). So, those who are self-righteous enough to say, “Why do I need Christ? Why do I need God? Only those who lack something in themselves need God or Messiah. They are rather in tune with Freud, who associated a religion with those are with “feeble mind” in his 1929 book, “Civilization and Its Discontents”.

Perhaps, in the eyes of arrogance and self-righteousness, those who seek God in Christ, are nothing but the “feeble minded”. But, in the eyes of Christ, they are the humble, to whom the Father reveals His wisdom, while He has made the wisdom unrecognizable to the self-righteous. And, the wisdom is Christ, the Son, embodied in Jesus. Therefore, to those whom the Father reveals His wisdom, they can joyfully recognize Jesus as the living Christ, besides the truth. And this is an absolutely necessary condition for us to be disciples of Christ to be sent as his apostles to engage both in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, including evangelization, catechization, and charismatization, to keep the growing body of Christ, the Church, healthy and active to be yoked with Christ as his bride.

So, by yoking ourselves with Christ, we can enjoy the wisdom of the Father, as Christ himself is the Wisdom, besides Love, which is the Triune God Himself. And, the First Reading (Zechariah 9:9-10) suggests, as the Father enables us to recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Wisdom, then, we know that he is rather easy to be yoked with, because he is meek enough to ride on a donkey, though he is actually the mighty King to conquer the world with his peace. But, if we are unable to recognize the truth and wisdom in this Zechariah’s prophecy for Christ the King, because the Father keeps them away, due to self-righteousness, we would mistakenly think of the Messiah King as some kind of Zionist political king to conquer the world. And, during the trial of Jesus, the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate was puzzled with the charge against Jesus: the King of the Jews (John 18:33-37). Obviously, the Father in heaven kept His away from him.

To those who are humble enough for the Father to reveal His wisdom, and humble enough to yoke with Jesus the Christ, we will enjoy being yoked with the mighty King, who is still humble enough to be yoked as one with us! And we can joyfully sing the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14), praising and blessing our mighty King, who is also merciful and kind to raise us as we bow down to him for reverence, as to remind that we are yoked as one. Therefore, because of his yoke on us, he can also lift us if we are falling. How wonderful and joyful it is to be yoked with Jesus, the mighty yet humble and merciful King, who is the Wisdom!

The Second Reading (Romans 8:9, 11-13) reminds us that being yoked with Jesus also entitles us to a life in the Holy Spirit so that we are entitled to eternal life, because the Holy Spirit is the giver of life, as reflected in the Nicene Creed, reflecting Jesus’ words in John 6:63. And, reflect this Second Reading text on Galatians 5:16-23, in terms of what it means to live a life in the Holy Spirit as we yoke ourselves with Jesus. It means that we are not living a life of sin, influenced by the flesh, but to be able to bear the multifaceted fruit of the Holy Spirit! How great it is to live a life so fruitful of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, as a result of yoking ourselves with Jesus!

Further more, by juxtaposing the Second Reading (Romans 8:9, 11-13) to Romans 5:12-21, we also understand that living a life in the Holy Spirit for eternal life also means to live a life in Christ. By yoking ourselves with Jesus, we enjoy a life in the Holy Spirit and in Christ. Being united as one with Christ through his yoke entitles us to live a life in Christ so that we can live a life in the Holy Spirit, and Christ is Parakletos  (1 John 2:1) and the Holy Spirit is another Parakletos (John 14:16, 26). What is in common in this juxtaposition of Parakletos essence that both Christ and the Holy Spirit share. And, we yoke ourselves with Parakletos, indeed for eternal life, the multifaceted fruit of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom, and peace. 

Now we know that taking the light yoke of Jesus, upon giving heavy yoke, under which we have suffered, gives us more than peace in his Most Sacred Heart but also the wisdom of the Father, as well as a life in the Holy Spirit to live a life more like Jesus as we bear the multifaceted fruit of the Holy Spirit, while inheriting eternal life. But, let us not forget that we must be humble enough to learn and obey the law of Christ in the New Covenant.