Authentic Belief in God vs. Problematic "Knowledge" of the Mosaic Law - Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

The Gospel Reading of Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 5:31-47), follows the narrative of yesterday’s Gospel Reading (John 5:17-30). These Gospel Readings contain Jesus’ verbal response to those who accused him because Jesus healed the paralytic man on a sabbath day, as described in the Gospel Reading of Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 5:1-16).

The entire Gospel Reading (John 5:31-41) is the continuation from Jesus’ words in response to the accusation against him: violation of the Sabbath commandment and equating himself with God by indicating that he healed the paralytic man on a sabbath day as his Father’s work (John 7:17-18). Apparently, his accusers did not know who Jesus really is. That is why Jesus began to speak about what he was sent by the Father for in the context of his unique relationship with Him to see if they would come to believe in him (John 5:19-47).

It is about understanding the Christological nature of Jesus in his relationship with the Father. Not to mention, Jesus’ relation to the Father is part of the Trinitarian relation among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  So, first Jesus speaks of who can give a valid testimony to him. No human but only John the Baptist can give a valid testimony to Jesus (John 1:19-34). Other than John, it is the very works performed by Jesus, which is also the works of the Father, and for which the Father has sent him, and the Father, make valid testimonies to who Jesus is (i.e. Matthew 3:17) (John 5:31-37).

Jesus now points out his accusers’ profound problem for telling that their inability to understand his works, including healing the paralyzed man on a sabbath day, is not only their blindness to see who Jesus really is, as the Christ the Son, sent by the Father, but really attributed to their problematic faith, not having the Word of God in them because they did not really believe in the Father who sent him (John 5:38). Therefore, their involvement with the Scripture is rather meaningless and give false testimonies to Jesus (John 5:39-40).

Then, Jesus presses on the hypocrisy in his accusers in contrast to him (John 5:41-47). Though Jesus does not accept human praise, they do (John 5:41, 44). Rather than seeking human praise, Jesus points out that they should strive to be worthy of God’s praise on them (John 5:44; cf. Matthew 23:12; 1 Peter 5:6). Their problem of seeking human praise, rather than to be praise-worthy to God contributes to their blindness to the Christological truth in Jesus and their problem of faith in God.

Because of their own sinfulness, which they were not aware of and unwilling to examine, they remain blind to the truth and are not able to truly believe in God, for which they are subject to be judged according to the Mosaic Law, the very Law that they used to accuse Jesus (John 5:44-46). Had they been able to understood the Mosaic Law, then, they would have believed in him through his words (John 5:47).

The question is: Would the accusers of Jesus, who are hypocrites, acting as if they were righteous with the Mosaic Law but they are not, as pointed by Jesus, would ever wake up so that they would not be subject to be judged by the Law, so that the wrath of God would not be upon them?

God’s wrath is real. But it can be averted through a competent intercessor, like Moses, as in the First Reading (Exodus 32:7-14). So, it is good to have such an intercessor. For us, Jesus is the most powerful intercessor (Romans 8:34). But, we need to wake up to our sinfulness so that we can repent and convert our hearts to be praise-worthy to God. Then, our vision is clear to see who Jesus is, the Christological truth in him in the context of the Trinity, and the meaning of his works on earth.

With an unrepentant heart, with blindness to our sinfulness, which often manifests in hypocrisy and arrogance, it is impossible to see who Jesus is in the context of the Trinity. Unless resolving this problem, your faith may remain pathological like the faith of those who accused Jesus. If we repent and convert, having a clear vision to see who Jesus is, you also see him as the greatest intercessor for us so that we understand that how we can benefit from God's mercy when we fall to sin again.

Do we hear Jesus speaking? Do his words increase your believe in him in the context of the Trinity? If not, we would be like a bunch of the accusers of Jesus. 

Jesus Begins to Reveal His Christological Truth in His Relation to the Father in the Inquisition against Him - Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

The Gospel Reading of Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 5:17-30) immediately follows the Gospel Reading of Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 5:1-16)

 First, the man whose paralysis was healed by Jesus was investigated by a certain group of people because he was carrying a mat on a Sabbath day.

Then, the man told investigators that the man who healed him told to carry the mat. At that time, he did not that the man who healed him was Jesus. But, after that, Jesus came to him and spoke to him. After that, the man told his investigators that it was Jesus who healed him.

Therefore, the investigator began to persecute Jesus for performing a healing work on a sabbath day (John 5:16).

At first, his accusers alleged that Jesus violated the commandment on the sabbath commandment (Exodus 20:8-11; 31:12-17; cf. Deuteronomy 5:15), which prohibits from doing any types of work, based on the fact that God rested on the seventh day upon completing the 6-day works of Creation and blessed that day (Genesis 2:2-3).

To this Jesus responded:

My Father is at work until now, so I am at work (John 5:17).

What does Jesus possibly mean by this statement?

This means, as Philo Judaeus (a.k.a. Philo of Alexandria) stated:

For God never ceases from making something or other; but, as it is the property of fire to burn, and of snow to chill, so also it is the property of God to be creating. And much more so, in proportion as he himself is to all other beings the author of their working. (Therefore the expression, "he caused to rest," is very appropriately employed here, not "he rested." For he makes things to rest which appear to be producing others, but which in reality do not effect anything; but he himself never ceases from creating. On which account Moses says, "He caused to rest the things which he had begun." (Legum allegoriae (Allegorical Interpretation, I-3).

God the Father, the Creator, did not go on retirement from the seventh day on – just because He rested on the seventh day upon the completion of His Creation works in the first six days. Jesus implied that the Father’s works continued on beyond the seventh day, which has become known as sabbath and encoded into the Law. Not only that, Jesus made it clear that he was now carrying the Father’s work as it is meant to continue on – until what the Father prophesized against Satan (Genesis 3:15) is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is completely established, as envisioned in Revelation 21:1-22:5. So, this reminds us that our God is not distant God, resting somewhere infinitely afar. God has been, is, and will be actively working and involved with us, through His only begotten Son, as well as, the Holy Spirit, by virtue of Trinity.

The above statement of Jesus also explains why the Father in heaven sent His only begotten Son to us out of His love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9). It is for us to be saved and to live, not to perish, by believing in God, through the work of the Father as performed by Jesus on earth. And, the Father’s work can be done even on a sabbath day by His Son, as necessary. This is also affirmed in some rabbinic tradition, such as Philo’s.

By this statement, Jesus apparently wanted to tell his accusers that performing the third sign: healing the paralyzed man by the mikvah of Bethsaida (John 5:1-9) on a sabbath day was an extension of his Father’s work done by him on His behalf.

Now, how did the accusers of Jesus react to his justification of doing a work (healing the paralyzed man by the mikvah of Bethsaida) as doing his Father’s work?

They grew more hostile to Jesus, increasing their desire to kill Jesus not only for violating the sabbath commandment but for calling God his father, thus, equating himself with God, in justifying his violation as doing the Father’s work (John 5:18).

This did not stop Jesus from speaking further truth about performing a healing work on sabbath and his Christological truth in his relation with the Father – though it endanger him even more. So, he went on saying:

Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:19-31).

And Jesus went on further, and the rest of his words to his accusers are in the Gospel Reading of Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 5:31-47).

In his words above (John 5:19-31), Jesus focused on his unique relationship with the Father (cf. John 10:30, 38; 14:10-11) , in response to the accusers’ indignant reaction to his justification of healing the paralyzed man on a sabbath day as doing his Father’s work (John 5:17-18).

Frist, Jesus tells that his work is in accordance with his Father’s will because he does not do any work on his own. He also speaks of his intimate relationship with the Father, referring to His love for him. Therefore, the Father has reveals to him what is in His will, all of His works. And the Father will show him even greater works later than the signs which he had performed so far: Turning water into the choicest wine (John 2:1-11), healing royal official’s son (John 4:46-54, in the Gospel Reading of Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent), and healing the paralytic man by the mikvah of Bethsaida (John 5:1-9). And Jesus also refers “greater works than these”(John 5:20) at least to the four more signs that he will perform: multiplying bread and fish to feed the crowd of more than 5,000 (John 6:5-14), walking on the water (John 6:16-24), healing the man born blind by the mikvah of Siloam (John 9:1-7), and raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:17-45).

In particular, in John 5:21, saying “just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes, “Jesus refers to Deuteronomy 32:39, where God the Father says, “It is I who bring both death and life, I who inflict wounds and heal them, and from my hand no one can deliver.” And raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:17-45), is an example of raising a person from the dead as the Father does. And because of this, we, too, will be raised from the dead upon his return, as Paul describes (1 Corinthians 15:36-58).

Then, in John 5:22-30, Jesus speak of another work that he does on behalf of his, and it is to bring the judgement to separate those who are with God for eternal life and those who are not, or against God, for condemnation. Father’s quality as the judge, lawgiver, and king (Isaiah 33:22) is entrusted and endowed in Jesus (John 5:22, 27). By saying, “the hour is coming” (John 5:25, 28), Jesus is making an eschatological statement on his return as the Judge and the King. It is when we all will be held accountable of ourselves to him (Romans 14:12) and he will execute the judgement as described in Revelation 20:1-15. And this will be done by Jesus because it is in his Father’s will. And his judgement is just because it will be done in accordance with his Father’s will (John 5:30).

A message from Jesus’ words in John 5:17, 19-30, is that Jesus is the servant of his Father in heaven. As the Father’s servant, Christ the Son, was incarnated upon the Assumption in the womb of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:30-35), namely, incarnating the Theos-Logos (Word-God) in the human flesh of Jesus (John 1, 14). Being sent to us, Jesus is authorized to carry out the Father’s work, which continues beyond the completion of the Creation, especially to fix many problems inflicted on the Creation ever since the fall of Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12-21; cf. Genesis 3:1-24).

The First Reading (Isaiah 49:8-15) reminds us that God did not send the Son in Jesus simply as the judge at the eschaton but to with His רַחֲמִים/rachamim, which is usually translated as “compassion”, as well as mercy (cf. חֶסֶד/chesed – covenant love, merciful love). Rachamim, along with chesed, really reflects another character of God, besides שָׁפַט/shaphat (judge), מֶלֶךְ/melek (king), חָקַק/chaqaq (lawgiver, commander). This is why God says:

Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you (Isaiah 49:15).

This is how God’s rachamim (compassion, mercy) works on us. That is why Jesus calls us to be merciful like Him (Luke 6:35). Not to mention, the Father has shown and bestowed His mercy to Jesus in sending him to us. Out of mercy, he works and perform signs, because God wants us to be with Him through him (i.e. John 17:20-23).

Though the Hebrew work for “womb” in Isaiah 49:15 is בֶּטֶן/beten, the Hebrew word, רַחֲמִים/rachamim (compassion, mercy) also in this verse, has its roots in רַחַם/rachem, which is another Hebrew word for “womb”.

Womb is the seat of compassion given by mother to her child. But, Isaiah 49:15 tells that God’s רַחֲמִים/rachamim is far greater than mother’s mercy for her child, especially through His Son, Jesus, whom He loves (John 5:20; 3:35; 10:17; i.e. Matthew 3:17; 12:18).

Are you with Jesus and destined to be benefited from his mercy, which is his Fathers’ for repenting and converting your heart, for eternal life? Or are you not with him, as these accusers were, and will be judged by him as you judge others, as they judged Jesus against the Law?

Jesus, the Eternal Temple Source of the Living Water, the Spirit of Life, the Divine Mercy– Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

 

About 70% of human body is made of water. It means that water is essential to life – not just to human life but to all other living beings, as our life is sustained not only with water to drink but by food sources from many other living beings. Imagine what a life would be like if water had evaporated from the earth.

The scripture readings of Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent (Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; John 5:1-16) call us to ponder and reflect on the importance of water to our life and the role of God for this. While the First Reading (Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12) gives a vivid image of the river of the living water turns from the Temple in an eschatological post-exilic Jerusalem, the Gospel Reading (John 5:1-16) describes Jesus as the source of the living water and how the living water from Jesus can affect life through the sign performed by Jesus on a paralytic man by the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem.  And this sign is the third sign that Jesus performed.

The source of the living water is the Temple in the eschatological image described in the First Reading (Ezekiel 4:1-9, 12). In contrast, the source of the living water in the Gospel Reading (John 5:1-16) is Jesus himself, his body. So, there is a juxtaposition between the Temple in the eschatological Jerusalem and the body of Christ, in regard to the source of the living water.

In fact, in his conversation with the Samaritan woman by the Jacob’s well near Jericho, Jesus revealed that he is the source of the living water (John 4:10-14). And as to echo his statement on the living water to the Samaritan woman, also in reference to Isaiah 12:3 (the fountain of salvation) and Ezekiel 47:1 (the Temple where the river of the living water flows from), Jesus later in Jerusalem exclaimed:

Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes n me, as scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow within him (John 7:37b-38).

Jesus made a reference of his body to the Temple rebuilt in 3 days after its destruction (John 2:19), suggesting that his resurrected body is the new Temple to be rebuilt after destruction. In fact, water, along with his blood, flew from the body of Jesus when a Roman soldier thrust his lance into the side of Jesus’ body on the Cross (John 19:34) to signal the imminent establishment of the new Temple through his resurrection.

Quite interestingly, Jesus, in his private revelation to St. Maria Faustina, taught her to pray:

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

And he further explained what the blood and that water gushed forth from his heart are when he appeared to her with the two rays coming from his chest:

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.

These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy. (298-299, ibid.).

Though John describes that the lance of the Roman soldier thrust a side of Jesus’ body, after his expiration (John 19:30, 33-34), it is obvious that the lance actually reached his heart.

The opening of the heart of Jesus shortly after he took his last breath on the Cross, letting the water along with the blood flow, is echoed in the tearing of the veil of the sanctuary (Holy of Holies), where the tabernacle was securely placed upon the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:51//Mark 15:38; cf. Luke 23:45, Luke indicates that this took place right before Jesus’ expiration). The veil of the sanctuary was like a closed gate sets between the limits of the human sphere and the divine sphere (tabernacle)(Exodus 26:31-36), through which only the high priest could pass through only on the day of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)(Leviticus 16:1-18).

But, upon Jesus’ expiration, this separation between God and us was torn open and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the depth of the Divine Mercy, was pierced open to let the blood and the water gush so that we can live, while our souls are kept righteous and pure. And all these were revealed even before the new permanent Temple was established upon the resurrection of Jesus – as the glory of his resurrection was revealed to Peter, James, and John, on the mountain as Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17:1-13//Mark 9:2-13//Luke 928-36).

This shows that even before his death and resurrection, Jesus, as the Temple to be rebuilt for good (John 2:19) already possessed the living water, which benefited the paralyzed man, who had been trying to seek healing effects from the water of the pool of Bethesda, as described in the Gospel Reading (John 5:1-16).

The Gospel narrative (John 5:1-16) has three parts: Jesus healed a paralyzed man by the pool of Bethsaida – the third sign performed by Jesus (vv. 1-9); the healed man was questioned by those who could not appreciate the sign of healing (vv. 10-13); Jesus met with the healed man again and the news of his healing began to spread and the hostility toward Jesus also began to grow (vv. 14-16).

The pool of Bethsaida is one of the mikvahs. Mikvah was a very important part of Jewish life as it was a ritual bath for cleansing, purification, and healing. Israelites bathed in mikvah for Yom Kippur. In John’s Gospel, another mikvah is mentioned, and it is the pool of Siloam, where Jesus performed the sixth sign, healing a man born blind (John 9:1-7).

It was Jesus who initiated the interactions between him and the paralyzed man, as soon as he saw the man, by asking:

Do you want to be well? (John 5:6)

Obviously, Jesus knew why the man was by the pool of Bethsaida, as it had been known as a healing mikvah. Like the healing water of Lourdes, springing from the ground of the Grotto of Massabielle, many people in need of healing, physically, mentally, and spiritually, flocked to the water of the Bethsaida pool. And they took turn in bathing for healing. However, this paralyzed man had not been able to bathe for 38 years because he was rather immobile on his own and nobody assisted him to get to the pool, as he told Jesus (John 5:7).

So, Jesus simply commanded the paralyzed man:

Rise, take up your mat, and walk (John 5:8).

Immediately, then, the man was healed and became able to walk by himself (John 5:9).

It is noteworthy that the paralyzed man never bathed in the mikvah of Bethsaida, for which he had spent the past 38 years in vain. All he needed was the commanding words of Jesus: Rise, take up your mat, and walk (John 5:8). And the man was healed immediately even though Jesus did not touch him physically at all.

See the power of Jesus as the source of the living water that heals!

The living water flew out of its source, Jesus, to the paralyzed man through his commanding words: Rise, take up your mat, and walk (John 5:8). Therefore the man was healed immediately and completely, without bathing in the actual mikvah of Bethsaida.

Why so?

It is because the living water that flows from Jesus (i.e. John 7:38) is the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of Life, which also comes through the words of Jesus (i.e. John 6:63).

No, the man never became wet with water. But, he sure had received not just water but the very living water from its source, Jesus, through his commanding words: Rise, take up your mat, and walk (John 5:8).

And the man gained a new life. His life was renewed as the reproach of his old paralyzed life was immediately removed by the living water from Jesus through his commanding words. Amazingly, so it happened even before the new eternal Temple was established upon the death and the resurrection of Jesus (i.e. John 2:19).  The new eternal Temple for which Jesus foretold, referring as a result of his death and resurrection (John 2:19) is ultimately the eternal source of the living water that heals and gives life. And as he revealed to St. Maria Faustina, the very source of it is his Sacred Heart, the very Holy of Holies, of this eternal Temple. Its eschatological image is reflected in the First Reading (Ezekiel 47:1-9).

In the second part of the Gospel Reading (John 5:10-13), the man whose paralysis was healed by Jesus had to face inquisition by those who were rather disturbed by this healing sign performed by Jesus.

At first, those inquisitive people were already accusatory toward this man for he was carrying a mat on Sabbath day (John 5:10). And the man told them that the man who healed him told him to do so (John 5:11). But the man did not know it was Jesus. Not to mention, he did know that the name of the man who healed was Jesus, and he did not know that Jesus is the Christ, either. So, he could not tell who healed him to those who asked him, and Jesus slipped away from the scene in the meantime (John 5:12-13).

The second part (John 5:10-13) shows that there were always people who did not appreciate what Jesus did – though he came to do the will of his Father (John 6:38). And soon after this scene, Jesus himself began to reveal why he did what he did in reference to his relationship with the Father, including the third sign, healing the paralyzed man, to those who questioned him (John 5:17-47), as we will reflect on this in the Gospel Readings of the next two days, Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 5:17-30) and Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 5:31-47). And for the remaining of the Lenten weekday reading, until Monday of the Holy Week, we will continue to follow how the consequences of the third sign (healing the paralyzed man by the pool of Bethsaida – John 5:1-9) will evolve into the intense hostility to kill Jesus.

In the third part of the Gospel Reading (John 5:14-16), we see Jesus returned to the man whose paralysis was healed by him. Then, Jesus told him:

Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you (John 5:14).

Does it mean that the man had to suffer from paralysis for 38 years because of his sin? Perhaps, because of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), or maybe not necessarily so (i.e. Luke 13:1-3; John 9:1-3).

Jesus was not interested in digging into the man’s past. Rather, he wanted to make sure that the man would not let his flesh trigger sin in the future, since the reproach of his past flesh was removed by Jesus’s living water through his commanding words: Rise, take up your mat, and walk (John 5:8).

Afterward, the man spread the news that Jesus healed him, and this ignited persecutory hostility toward Jesus for he violated the Sabbath command (Exodus 20:8-11)(John 5:16-15). And we will see how this hostility will grow into the killing of Jesus as we move forward on our Lenten journey into Holy Week, on to Good Friday.

We also know that Jesus has become the source, the fountain, of the living water to give us life and to restore our life, because he was killed. Because of his death, the fountain of the living water was opened so that the living water began to flow. And the living water which flows is also his words, which come with the Holy Spirit as the spirit of life. And this is the eternal Temple established upon his resurrection.

We cannot live by bread alone but we also need what comes out of the mouth of God, such as the Word, and the Holy Spirit in his breath (Deuteronomy 8:3; e.g. Matthew 4:4; cf. Genesis 2:7; cf. John 20:22). Likewise, we cannot live by water alone – though it is essential to keep our flesh alive. For eternal life, we do need the living water that only comes from Jesus (i.e. John 4:13-14; 7:38). And as it was reflected in the Gospel Reading (John 5:1-16, especially v.8), the living water, also with the spirit of life (i.e. John 6:63) comes out of the mouth of Jesus through his words. 

Jesus is the eternal Temple, from which the living water flows, along with his blood of life. And this is how the Divine Mercy flows from his Sacred Heart, the very Holy of Holies, toward us. 

"Jesus, I trust in you"!

Do You Need a Physical Sign to Believe in God and His Will to Make Something New? - Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

 From Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent until Tuesday of Holy Week, the Gospel Readings for week day Masses are drawn from the Gospel of John. And there is a reason for this.

John’s Gospel has a distinct way of addressing faith, compared to the Synoptic Gospels. We see a growing gap between those who come to believe and those who refuse to believe, as we read John’s Gospel narratives. So, as we move forward toward Holy Week, keep this in mind.

The Gospel Reading of Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent (John 4:43-54) describes how Jesus healed the royal official’s son in Cana in Galilee. Cana is also where Jesus performed his first miraculous sign by turning water into the choicest wine at a wedding banquet (John 2:1-11). Healing the royal official’s son in today’s Gospel Reading (John 4:43-54) is known as the second sign that Jesus performed.

The Gospel narrative tells that the royal official asked Jesus to save his son, as his son was on the blink of death shortly after returning to Galilee from Judea. To the official, Jesus said:

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe (John 4:48).

It seemed that this statement of Jesus did not register in the official, as he was desperate to have Jesus at his house to save his son. So, he asked Jesus:

Sir, come down before my child dies”(John 4:49).

Jesus replied:

You may go; your son will live” (John 4:50a).

Why did Jesus respond like this to the royal official’s request?

The official asked Jesus to come to his house, where his son was dying. But, Jesus simply dismissed the official in saying, “your son will live”.

Why was that? Why Jesus did not go to the official house, as requested?

To understand, we need to remember what Jesus said to the official earlier:

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe (John 4:48).

Jesus knew that the official would not believe in him unless he sees a visible or tangible sign. So, he dismissed the official and did not go to his house but simply said that his son would live in order to test the official’s faith. Faith means to believe but not just to believe but to believe without seeing or touching (i.e. John 20:24-29).

So, the royal official believed what Jesus said and went home, as dismissed by Jesus (John 4:50b).

Because he believed and went home without taking Jesus, while on his way, his servant came to inform him that the official’s son would live, and the official also figured out that the son began to recover when Jesus said that the official’s son would live (John 4:51-53).

Jesus did not go to the royal official’s house though it was what was requested of him by the official but dismissed him, simply telling of the official’s son’s recovery. It was to test the faith of the official – to test to see if he would believe what Jesus said even seeing without seeing. And the son was healed because the official believed what Jesus said and went home as dismissed by Jesus.

To better understand the importance of faith – believing without physical presence or physical signs, compare today’s Gospel narrative (John 4:43-54) to the Matthew’s narrative of Jesus healing a Roman centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13). While the Roman centurion did not ask Jesus’ physical presence, the royal official ask Jesus to be physically present.

The centurion’s servant was healed even though Jesus was not physically present with the servant, because the centurion believed in Jesus and what he said. In fact this is what the centurion said to Jesus:

Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed (Matthew 8:8).

Now compare this to what the royal official said to Jesus:

Sir, come down before my child dies (John 4:49).

Jesus found this Roman centurion’s faith and humility was impressive (Matthew 8:10-12) – no match to Jews in Galilee who would not believe unless seeing visible and tangible signs (John 4:45, 48).

Jews in Galilee welcomed Jesus upon his return from Judea because they heard about signs that he performed in Jerusalem (John 4:45; cf. John 2:23).

The First Reading (Isaiah 65:17-21) described an post-exilic eschatological vision of the Messianic Kingdom to be established on earth as it is in heaven. For this, Jesus has come to us, and he wants us to believe, preferably, without seeing. Obviously, Jesus wants us to believe that his Kingdom will come – though we have not seen it in our naked eyes yet.

The way the Kingdom is envisioned is that it is the ultimate manifestation of God’s will to make something new. It does not mean to simply bring back what has been lost but to make something totally brand-new. Thus, the Messianic Kingdom is not a restored Eden, which has been lost ever since the fall of Adam and Eve. It is totally new and it is not yet seen to anyone’s naked eyes – except John, to whom Jesus gave its vision, as written in Revelation 21:1-22:5.

God’s will to make something new is also reflected in His declaration to remove the reproach of Egypt when the Israelites celebrated Passover in Gilgal, as reflected in the First Reading of the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle C (Joshua 5:9a, 10-12). It was also found in the Second Reading of the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle C (2 Corinthians 5:17-21), making us new creations in Christ. And, it is further reflected in the transformation of the prodigal son, as he was lost to sin but found in his father’s mercy, as his old filthy clothes were replaced with new splendid garments, described in the Gospel Reading of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle C (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32).

It is ultimately our belief, namely, our faith, that makes it possible for us to enter the Messianic Kingdom. All of these seven signs performed by Jesus sure are to help us believe and have faith in him for the Kingdom to come. But, even without these signs, the Word spoken by Jesus is enough to find our way to the Kingdom (i.e. Matthew 8:8). Also the Holy Spirit is necessary for us to believe and enter the Kingdom as faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9).

If we receive the Word and the Holy Spirit, then, we believe, even without a sign. Then, we are on our way to the Kingdom, which reflects God’s will to make something new.

Without faith, no entry into the Kingdom. The question is: Do you need a sign to have faith or to keep faith? Or can you have faith without a visible and tangible sign, because the Word and the Holy Spirit are enough? 

As it is in His will, God is making something totally new toward the Messianic Kingdom. But without faith, we will not see it and cannot be benefited from it. Thus, for our eschatological and soteriological purpose, we need to boost our faith. 

Let Us Taste and Rejoice over the Mercy of God - Dominica Laetare in Quadragesima (Fourth Sunday of Lent )on Cycle C

On Cycle C, the Gospel Readings of Third Sunday of Lent, Fourth Sunday of Lent, and Fifth Sunday of Lent, reflect on mercy of God in various ways.

Third Sunday of Lent: Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:1-9)

God’s mercy delays the judgement so that we can convert and become fruitful to God, because He is patient, slow to anger, for He is rich with chesed.

God’s mercy manifests in patience.

Fourth Sunday of Lent: Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)

God’s mercy is an element of His immeasurable love, it is patient in waiting for our return and removes reproaches of our past sins and embraces us as new creation with joy.

God’s mercy to rejoice.

Fifth Sunday of Lent: Narrative on the Woman Accused of Adultery (John 8:1-11)

God’s mercy in Christ, gives a new chance to the condemned by humans according to the Law, thus mercy fulfills the Law, as the justice of God is completed with the mercy of God by Christ.

God’s mercy to forgive.

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In reflecting mercy of God for the three Sundays in row during the latter half of Lenten season before Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday), as shown above, we call the Fourth Sunday of Lent as Laetare Sunday (Dominica Laetare), which means “Sunday to rejoice”. This recalls the fact that Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday (Dominica Gaudete), “Sunday of rejoicing/gladness”.  In fact, these two Sundays are the only days in the Liturgical Calendar to have rose (pink) color as liturgical color, symbolizing joy amidst penitential season.

For Laetare Sunday, as its entrance antiphon signals, we rejoice mercy of God on us, as it was applied to Jerusalem for her post-exilic restoration and renewal.

Laetare, Ierusalem, et conventum facite, omnes qui diligitis eam; gaudete cum laetitia, qui in tristitia fuistis, ut exxultetis, et satiemini ab uberibus consolationis vestrae

Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts

Entrance Antiphon for Fourth Sunday of Lent: Isaiah 66:10-11

The antiphon reflects God’s call on Jerusalem to rejoice over His mercy on her for the post-exilic restoration of this holy city. This echoes God’s call on Jerusalem to be ready to have its reproach of her past sin, resulting in the Babylonian destruction and exile in Babylon, to be “dressed in splendor” for her post-exilic restoration and renewal as He did not want to lose His beloved, as he did to Egypt and Assyria in the past (Isaiah 52:1-12). And it is His mercy to have made it possible to restore Jerusalem in splendor with the post-exilic hope, having removing all the reproaches from her sinful past.

In comparison, Gaudete Sunday is about the anticipatory joy of the imminence of Christ’s coming, as reflected in its entrance antiphon.

Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete. Dominus enim prope est.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near.

Entrance Antiphon for Third Sunday of Advent: Philippians 4:4-5

Now, with all this in mind, let’s delve into the words for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday, on Cycle C.

The Gospel Reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle C, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32, is well-known as the parable of the prodigal son (vv. 11-32).

Jesus addressed the parable of the prodigal son (vv. 11-32) following the parable of the lost sheep (vv.4-7) and the parable of the lost coin (vv.8-10) in response to the Pharisees and the scribes complaining about his friendly association with sinners, while tax collectors and sinners were coming near to him (vv. 1-3).  All of these parables address the theme of “lost but found”, as the first two parables, the parable of the lost sheep (vv. 4-7) and the parable of the lost coin (vv. 8-10), were addressed to build up to address the parable of the prodigal son, who was lost his sin but later found in his father’s love and mercy (vv. 11-32), to teach how we can be found in God’s mercy though we have been lost to our sin.

In the parable of the prodigal son (vv. 11-32), the younger son, who is known as the prodigal son, demanded his father his share of the father’s estate while the father was still alive and squandered all of it (vv. 11-14). Because of this, he was reduced to eat what the swine were fed as he was abandoned by the world (vv. 15-16). Thus, he was lost to his own sins.

Then the son realized that he just could not take it anymore and that his father’s servants’ lives were much better than his (v. 17). So, he decided to return to his father as one of his servants rather than his son so that he would not die, pleading to his father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers” (vv. 18-19).

On the other hand, the father believed and hoped for his lost son’s return, therefore, waited for him patiently. Was he waiting for his son’s return so that he could demand his money back from the son? No. Was he hoping for the son’s return so that he could punish the son? No.

The father never lost his hope for his son’s return to have him back as his son, not as his servant – though he had offended him – sinned against him for treating him as if he were dead by demanding his share of the inheritance and squandering it. He kept his hope for this son’s return and patiently waited for him because of his mercy, so, he embraced the son, upon his return, with his welcoming kiss (v. 20).

No question about the lost inheritance was asked by the father to the son upon his return. The father rejoiced because his lost son was now found and ordered to have a banquet after clothing him with the finest robe, putting his finger a ring and sandals on his feet, removing dirty old clothes (vv. 21-24).  The “lost and found” motif from the two parables prior parables: the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15: 4-7) and the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15: 8-10, is reiterated in a more elaborated manner in the first portion of the parable of the prodigal son, who was lost to his sins but found with joy in his father’s mercy upon his return (Luke 15:11-24; cf. Isaiah 52:1-12).

Because of the father’s joy over his lost son being found in his mercy, this is Laetare Sunday (Sunday to rejoice). This is the Sunday during Lent to rejoice over the mercy of God, reflected on the mercy of the father of the prodigal son.

It is important to note that the mercy of the father removed the reproach of the son’s past sin without any judgement or inquisition. This is symbolically described how the son’s filthy clothes were removed and new splendid garments were put on him by his father’s mercy. And this also symbolizes how God’s mercy can renew us through our penance and conversion. Removing the reproach is done through the absolution process of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The prodigal son, who was lost to his sins against his father and heaven, was found with his father’s joy in the father’s mercy. And the son was made anew upon having his reproach from his sinful past removed. This motif from the first portion of the Gospel Reading (Luke 15:11-24) is echoed in the First Reading (Joshua 5:9a, 10-12), highlighted with these words of God:

Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you (Joshua 5:9a).

God proclaimed the removal of the reproach to signal the completion of the 40 years of Exodus from Egypt, which started upon Passover. During these years of Exodus, the Israelites sustained themselves with manna from heaven (Exodus 16:35). But, not anymore, as they were about to conquer Jericho, the last obstacle, to enter and settle in the promised land of milk and honey.

So, manna was replaced with the produce of the land for the Israelites’ sustenance (Joshua 5:12).

This change in the Israelites’ life just before entering the promised land, punctuated by God’s announcement of the removal of the reproach of Egypt , echoed with the ceasing of manna and the starting to eat the produce of the land in the First Reading, with the joy of celebrating Passover (Joshua 5:9a, 10-12) is another way to reflect how the father of the prodigal son celebrated the new life of his son, upon his return, removing the reproach of his past sinfulness.

The transformation of the prodigal son from a lost person in his sins to a found person in his father’s mercy is echoed in the Second Reading (2 Corinthians 5:17-21), as the transformation into a new creation in Christ upon removing old things to have new things to come through reconciliation with God in order to serve as Christ’s ambassador.

If you identify yourself with the prodigal son, who was lost in his sin but found in his father’s mercy with joy, then, you find yourself as a new creation in Christ, as a result of your Lenten penance and conversion. This is how you find yourself in transformation into a new being through God’s mercy through Christ on your Lenten journey from Ash Wednesday on. And you taste and see the mercy of God as goodness of the Lord for being a new creation in Christ the Lord, finding refuge in him (i.e. Psalm 34:9; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17).

But in the latter portion of the Gospel Reading (Luke 15:25-32), there is the description of the older son, who refused to join his father in celebrating the return of his younger brother became angry at the father.

What was his problem?

The older brother was like the Pharisees and the scribes who complained to Jesus for welcoming and eating with sinners (Luke 15:2). As the Pharisees and the scribes dutifully observed the Mosaic Law, this older brother of the prodigal son remained obedient to his father – unlike his younger brother. Now he found that his father is lavishly celebrating the younger brother’s return, though the father had never given him such a feast. So, he refused to join his father in celebrating and grew indignant.

Why?

Obviously, the older brother was jealous of his younger brother.

Why jealous?

Because of his pride for not being like his younger brother, who was disobedient to his father.

There is a parallel between how the prodigal son and his older brother were in the Gospel Reading of the Fourth Sunday of Lent on Cycle C (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32) and how the pharisee and the tax collector were in the Gospel Reading of Saturday of the Third Week of Lent (Luke 19:9-14), in regard to the contrast between the proud pharisee boasting himself for being “righteous” in his own eyes, while denigrating others, and the tax collector crying for God’s mercy. The elder son’s pride in being obedient to his father obviously put his younger brother down and prevented him from accepting his brother’s return, resulting in his jealousy as his father celebrating his younger brother’s return. His Pharisee-like pride kept him from sharing the taste of mercy but made him complain about his father for being so merciful to his returned brother. On the other hand, the prodigal son, the younger brother, returned to his father for his mercy.

Do you find yourself more like this older brother for not being happy to be faithful to God, because you feel God is not fair to you but only in favor of those who are more sinful than you?

If this is the case with you, then, you can ask for God’s mercy to remove the reproach of your pride, which prevents you from tasting His mercy.

Another lesson from the older brother of the prodigal son is the fact that God does not love us equally, as Francis Cardinal George said in his column, “Why doesn’t God love everyone equally?”(Chicago Catholic, Sunday, February 27, 2011), because God blesses us differently with different gifts (i.e. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11). In regards to the gifts that God endows us with, Paul writes, “But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes”(1 Corinthians 12:11). Note that the gifts are distributed individually according to each person’s uniqueness, but not equally. Likewise, God loves each of us uniquely, not equally as if we all had the same personality, the same DNA.

So, the father of the two sons: the prodigal son (the younger son who once squandered the father’s assets to his sinful acts) and the older son, who was superficially faithful to him loved them differently but not equally. But the older son became jealous of his younger brother and angry at his father because his pride blinded him from this truth: God does not love us equally but differently.

If you find yourself screaming, “That’s not fair!” (to you), then, this can be a symptom of being like the older brother or a Pharisee. If you desire to taste the mercy of God, as you need, then, your pride is to be on your Lenten giving-up list. If you pray to God for His mercy as the tax collector did (Luke 18:13; cf. Psalm 123:1-4). But, you must be willing to be humble to ask God for His mercy on you, as humility is a sign of a contrite heart. And without humility and contrition, no conversion and reconciliation is made, because pride blocks the mercy of God. Then, you may live with tormenting jealousy and envy, while anger festers to explode.

Remember, what made Lucifer into Satan was his envy of God. Thus, his envy contributed to making him the archenemy to God. And the first murder was committed by Cain to his brother Abel because of his jealousy (i.e. Genesis 4:3-8).

As reflected in the joy of the father of the prodigal son, God rejoices when we return to Him with our readiness to have our reproach removed by His mercy. This is why God calls us to return to Him, turning away from sins, as reminded by the First Reading of Ash Wednesday (Joel 2:12-18) and the First Reading of Saturday of the Third Week of Lent (Hosea 6:1-6). For this reason, He sent His only begotten Son out of His love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9) so that we are found in Christ as new creations, upon our reproaches of old sinful things removed, by God’s mercy. After all, it is Christ himself, who is love and mercy, as he revealed to St. Maria Faustina (1074, Diary of St. Faustina).

Let us rejoice (laetare) over the mercy of God for us sinners to be renewed afresh upon having our reproaches removed. This is a sweet aspect of our conversion and reconciliation so that we shall be sent on our respective apostolic missions as ambassador of Christ on the day of Pentecost, powered by the Holy Spirit.

No Space for Narcissism in Prayer, Only Humility: a Lesson from the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector - Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

I have met fellow Catholics who say things like, “I am a good Catholic. I go to Mass every Sunday. I give money to the Church. I pray Rosary every day. I have read the Bible from cover to cover more than twice”.

Yes, such are above-average Catholics, who are more likely to go to heaven, right?

That’s what they wish, perhaps.

But, based on the Gospel Reading (Luke 18:9-14), what do you think Jesus would say about such a Catholic?

In the Gospel Reading, which is a parable, Jesus described two types of prayers, one is said by a Pharisee and the other is said by a tax collector. The Pharisee said, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity-greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income (Luke 18:11-12).  The tax collector said, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner”(Luke 18:13).

And Jesus said that the tax collector was justified by God but the Pharisee was not, because:

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted  (Luke 18:14; cf. Proverbs 29:23).

Now you know what Jesus would say about Catholics who want to let others know their piety and righteousness – at least on the surface. The question is what is in the heart to say how righteous and pious they are to others.

Didn’t Jesus remind us, through the Gospel Reading of Ash Wednesday (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18), that prayer is not to be made ostentatious? Rather it is to be kept private.

Prayer is to be done in humility. Therefore, it is not to be abused to boast ourselves. This is why the Pharisee, who was simply boasting himself to God, while denigrating others, cannot be justified – even it is true that he fast twice a week, pay big tithes, and do all exemplary things to give himself a pious impression.
Do you think that the Pharisee’s righteous acts are motivated out of his for God, out of his faith? Or, out of his narcissism?

In the Gospel Reading (Luke 18:9-14), Jesus described two types of sinners: a sinner who is blind to his sinfulness and a sinner who is aware of his sin and repents.

Which is the Pharisee? Which is the tax collector?

And with which one do you find yourself?

Have you ever thought, “Thank God! I am not like him (her)!”?  No, you do not have to verbalize it. Just such a thought comes across to your mind is enough to make you just as guilty as the Pharisee in the Gospel Reading.

We all have the tendency to feel good about ourselves by comparing ourselves to those who have less, those whose life situation is not as good as ours, those who seem less “holy”, and so forth.  And we complain, saying, “That’s not fair (to me)!” when we find ourselves on the opposite side: so-called “less fortunate” side.

What are we, then? Are we a bunch of complainers, who find a source of our self-esteem by comparing ourselves to those who are in “lesser” situations?

Psychologically, this is a typical symptom of those who are insecure.

Where does this psychological insecurity come from?

Theologically, such insecurity is due to a condition of our object relation to God. Namely, it is due to our insecure attachment with God.

Think of what you have learned from college psychology course. Remember the attachment theory of John Bowlby and Mar Ainsworth? It is about the quality of the mother (or primary caregiver)-child attachment and how it can affect the child’s personality development. Likewise, the paradigm of this attachment theory can be applied to understand the quality of our psychospiritual attachment with God.

Remember, through the metaphor of the vine and its branches (John 15:1-17), Jesus addresses his desire for us to be securely attached to him so that we can bear fruits, especially this fruit of the Holy Spirit: love (Galatians 5:22).  So, for someone to be securely attached to God, how can this person to belittle others to emphasize his or her own righteousness?   And those who bear fruit of love never speak like the Pharisee, because love does not boast oneself and selfish (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

The First Reading (Hosea 6:1-6) calls us to return to God, evoking the First Reading of Ash Wednesday (Joel 2:12-18), which calls us to return to God wholeheartedly.  What does it mean to return to God?

It means conversion. It means to restore our secure attachment with God.

Now you understand why the tax collector was justified. It is because he repented and sought God’s mercy. And the mercy of God helped him return to God, bringing him back to the secure attachment with God. But, pompous Pharisee remained far from God, keeping his insecurity.  That is why he can only feel good about himself by putting others down. But, God makes him low.

Perhaps, the Pharisee could have prayed like this – if he were humble, even though he really were more righteous than the tax collector:

“O God, I thank you for keeping me  on the right path according to your Word, as well as, your Law. Thank you for strengthening me to handle all challenges and giving me the endurance.

Please help me with your grace through the Holy Spirit so that I can serve you as your instrument to reach out to my brothers and sisters in struggles.

O God, have mercy on me as I also sin. Help me overcome temptations and my blindness”.

Prayer is conducted with humility, never with arrogance. To restore secure attachment with God, we need to seek God’s mercy so that we can produce more fruit of the Holy Spirit: love. So, we can love our neighbors better, especially those who are in need. Rather than putting them down, we reach out to those who are in need with love.

So, is your Lenten commitment bringing you closer to God, making you more secure with God, making you more loving and compassionate, while keeping yourself humble?

There is the contrast between the Pharisee and the tax collector in the Gospel Reading (Luke 18:9-14): blind sinner due to his narcissism, masked with self-righteousness vs. repentant sinner seeking God's mercy for conversion. Which one do you identify yourself? 

Annunciation: the Window into the Unfolding of the Paschal Mystery and the Will of God to be Done

March 25^th is the solemn feast of the Annunciation. This solemnity is celebrated during Lent. Is there a significant meaning to it?

To reflect and ponder on this question, it is helpful to see the Annunciation in a big picture and see what the Annunciation leads to, what follow the Annunciation. The fact that the Annunciation is the very first mystery of all the 20 mysteries of the Holy Rosary, not simply the first Joyful Mystery in light of the Gospel text chronology, offers a clue to this reflection and pondering.

Our Lenten journey will take us to Paschal Triduum, and we will walk on Via Dolorosa and witness to the Paschal Mystery of Jesus unfolding. These three days leading to Paschal Sunday reflects the five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Because the Paschal Mystery completes with the resurrection and the ascension of the Lord, we will also witness the glorious resurrection and ascension of the Lord during the Paschal Season, reflecting the five Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

Then, you can link the Annunciation to the Paschal Mystery. And it is also important to understand that we can connect the Annunciation to the completion of the Paschal Mystery, because God trusted His will on Mary, and Mary responded with her fiat, saying to let His will be done on her. So, the Son of God was conceived in her womb and was given birth. Then, the Son came to do the will of the Father, and the Paschal Mystery is an integral part of His will.

So, what is the Annunciation?

To put is simply, it is the event when Archangel Gabriel saluted Mary for being the Immaculate Conception, saying, “Hail, favored one!” (Luke 1:28) and announced that she has conceived the Son of God in her womb by God’s will through the Holy Spirit to serve Him as the Theotokos (Luke 1:26-38).  Though Mary was troubled at first (Luke 1:29) and puzzled about the possibility of her pregnancy while being virgin (Luke 1:34), Mary accepted the Son of God in her womb also as her Son. So, she pledged to God her service to His will as His handmaid (Luke 1:38), knowing that it was done according to the will of God, with whom nothing is impossible (Luke 1:35-37).

Yes, Mary listened to God through Gabriel’s annunciation of the will of God on her and obeyed (Luke 1:26-38; cf. Jeremiah 7:23-28, First Reading of Thursday of the Third Week of Lent) – though she did not fully understand the whole things about her surprise virgin pregnancy. It is because Mary fully trusted God with all her heart (Proverbs 3:5; cf. Jeremiah 17:5-10, First Reading of Thursday of the Second Week of Lent), as demonstrated in her fiat, accepting His will and pledging to let it be done on her as the Theotokos (Luke 1:38) and in her Magnificat canticle, proclaiming and praising the greatness of Almighty God in a prophetic way (Luke 1:46-55).

It is the very first mystery of all 20 mysteries of the Holy Rosary as it marks the incarnation of the Theos-Logos (Word-God)(John 1:1, 14) in the human flesh of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:18). As the Annunciation is also the conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb, it commemorates the beginning of Christ’s life on earth – though the first 9 months of it were hidden inside Mary’s womb, and all the other 19 mysteries of the Holy Rosary reflects the life of Jesus and the life of Mary afterward, focusing on the unique object relationship between them from the relationship between the infant son with his nursing mother on earth to the King of the Universe and His Gebirah/ גְּבִירָה (Queen Mother) in heaven.

During the Annunciation, the Father sent His only begotten Son out of His love for us (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9),  by incarnating Christ, who pre-existed before ages, before the Creation (Colossians 1:16-17; cf. John 1;1-2; cf. Proverb 8:22-31), making Theos-Logos in the human flesh (John 1;1, 14) in Mary’s Immaculate womb by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31-35), out of her Immaculate flesh.  Gabriel also revealed to Mary that her Son, who is also the Son of the Most High and to be Davidic King (Luke 1:32), fulfilling Nathan’s prophecy to David (2 Samuel 12-15; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14), as well as, Isaiah’s (Isaiah 11:1-16).

And Mary gave birth to the Son of God Most High in Bethlehem (Luke 2:7), fulfilling Micah 5:1 (cf. 2 Samuel 5:2), echoing Gabriel’s revelation on Mary’s Son to be the Davidic Messianic King (Luke 1:32). This is also the complete fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, as the Annunciation was the beginning to fulfil this prophecy, God issued to Ahaz, who remained defiant to God, as reflected in the First Reading (Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10).

It is Bethlehem, not Jerusalem, not Nazareth, not Capernaum, where she Mary birth to the incarnated Christ. Because Bethlehem is where David was born as a son of Jesse (1 Samuel 17:12), it is fitting that the Son of Mary, the incarnated Christ, was to be the ultimate and eternal Davidic King, as announced by Gabriel (Luke 1:32), thus, fulfilling applicable prophecies under the old covenant (2 Samuel 12-15; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; Isaiah 11:1-16). The fact that Joseph, who hailed from the Davidic lineage (Matthew 1:6-16), whom the angel of the Lord called “son of David” (Matthew 1:20), accepted Mary as his wife and the incarnated Christ in her womb as his Son, naming him “Jesus” (Matthew 1:19-25) also affirms the incarnated Christ to be the Davidic King.

The birth of the incarnated Christ in Bethlehem also give another theological and Christological significance because it suggests that he was born to be the Living Bread of Life (John 6:35,48, 51), because Bethlehem (בֵּית לֶחֶם/beth lehem, beit lechem), literally means “house of bread”. And the fact that he was placed in a manger upon his birth (Luke 2:7) suggests that the incarnated Christ was born to be eaten by us for eternal life (John 6:53-58), instituted as the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist during the Lord’s Supper, for us to take until his return (Matthew 26:26-30//Mark 14:22-25//Luke 22:14-23).

Though he is the Son of the Most High, the incarnated Christ was born to abject poverty, being placed in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, because, together with Mary and Joseph, he was “rejected” while being in his mother’s womb, by the innkeeper (Luke 2:7), as to indicate that this Son of Mary, whom Gabriel revealed as the Son of the Most High, the Davidic Messianic King to be (Luke 1:32-33), was destined to rejected and killed by the world (i.e. Joh 18:1-19:42, Good Friday Passion Gospel narrative) in order to fulfil Isaiah 52:13-53:12, the First Reading of Good Friday).

Annunciation is the beginning of the gradual revelations of God’s salvific will to send the pre-existing Christ, His only begotten Son, by incarnating the Theos-Logos (Word God), in the Immaculate womb of Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the ultimate Paschal Sacrifice (Korban Pesach), whom John the Baptist called the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Agnus Dei, qui tolis peccata mundi )(John 1:29). So, he was killed by the time of the sundown when Passover Sabbath began, making his rejection by the world, suffering, and death on the Cross, as the preparation for Korban Pesach (Passover sacrifice lamb: Exodus 12:5-6) (John 19:42). But, because of his Paschal Sacrifice, we are able to receive his body, the very living flesh of his, and his blood, as the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at every Mass, in the species of bread and wine, and also have been beneficiaries of the Divine Mercy (i.e. Diary of St. Maria Faustina, 299).

Gabriel revealed to Mary at the Annunciation that the Son whom she was impregnated with  was the Son of the Most High, who was to be named “Jesus” and to be the Davidic Messianic King (Luke 31-33). And Zechariah, the priest and the husband of Elizabeth, prophetically envisioned the birth of the Son in Mary’s womb as the daybreak from on high to shine the divine light on those who are in darkness and to guide them on the path of peace because of the tender mercy of God (Luke 1:78-79; cf. Isaiah 9:1-6). And the Magi recognized the birth of the incarnated Christ through the rising star (Matthew 2:2), which evokes the messianic star in Balaam’s fourth oracle (Numbers 24:17). However, at the time of the Presentation of the Lord (Fourth Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary), Simeon prophesized that the Son whom Mary gave birth (Third Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary), as foretold by Gabriel at the Annunciation (First Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary), was destined to cause falling of those who do not listen to him but rising of those who believe in him and listen to him, to reveal people’s inner thoughts, but Mary would suffer because of this (Luke 2:34-35), indicating the contentious consequences of his public ministry to divide those who are bound to be condemned and those who are bound to be saved, as well as, suffering not only of him but also his mother, because of this, reflected in the five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary and the Seven Sorrows of Mary. In this, the Son is to be killed.

The Second Reading (Hebrews 10:4-10), however, gives meaning to the suffering and death of the Son, whom Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and carried in her womb and raised as his Mother upon his birth, as part of the Paschal Mystery, which is punctuated with the suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of the incarnated Christ. In his Second Reading narrative, the Son’s death was not only as the ultimate Paschal Lamb (Korban Pesach) (Exodus 12:1-13) to free us from the bonds of sins but also as the ultimate sacrificial offering of Yom Kippur atonement (Leviticus 16:1-34), once for all. And this is the will of God the Father. He wanted the perfect sacrifice offerings as He was not satisfied with the way the Israelites offered years after years, for generations (i.e. Hebrews 10:5, 8). And to do this will of the Father, Christ was incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus in Mary’s Immaculate womb, to do this will (Hebrews 10:7, 9) – as being the ultimate unblemished sacrificial offering once for all. Because he came to do this will of the Father, by being born of Mary and by coming to be Baptized by John the Baptist to initiate his public ministry to sort those who are to be saved and those who are to be condemned, those who believe in him, listen to him, obey him, and follow his way are made holy (i.e. Hebrews 10:10).

At first, as reflected in the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:26-38), God the Father trusted Mary to bring the divinity into the humanity, though it has betrayed His trust by breaking the covenant. So, He sent His only begotten So, the pre-existing Christ, to the humanity out of His love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9), through Mary (Luke 1:31-33), who is the Immaculate Conception (i.e. Luke 1:28, 30). At the Annunciation, this truth was revealed to Mary. In response, Mary did not disappoint the Father as she accepted this will of the Father on her, expressing her fiat – let His will be done on her (Luke 1:38).

Then, God the Father trusted Joseph to take Mary, who was already impregnated by His will, as his beloved wife (Matthew 1:18-24), to be an integral factor in fulfilling His prophecy to Ahaz, who did not follow Him. And he did not disappoint God for doing His will on him as the husband of Mary and the earthly father of her Son (Matthew 1:24-25).

So, supported by Joseph, Mary gave birth to the Son, in spite of the rejection by the innkeeper (Luke 2:1-7).

In the fullness of time, then, the Son came to do the will of his Father, first, to be Baptized, then, to perform his public ministry (e.g. Matthew 3:13-17), and to go through the Paschal Mystery in him: suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension (i.e. Matthew 26:39, 42). Therefore, Annunciation is a window to the Paschal Mystery of the incarnated Christ, who came to do the Father’s will to save us (Hebrews 10:7-9) and to make us holy (Hebrew 10:10), through Mary’s fiat:

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38).

And the Son whom Mary gave birth, by accepting God’s will on her, later said:

Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing; for what he does, his son will do also. For the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed.  For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes (John 5:19-21).

And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day (John 5:39-40).

In order to let the will of the Father be done on the Son, the incarnated Christ in the human flesh of Jesus said, as he was to let his Paschal Mystery begin to unfold with his passion:

My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will (Matthew 26:39).

My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done! (Matthew 26:42).

So, the Son began walking on Via Dolorosa. But, it was the only way to complete the Paschal Mystery with the resurrection and ascension, in order for the will of the Father to raise us from the dead and to make us holy.

For this, the Father sent His only begotten Son, through Mary, who accepted His will on her, so that the Son came to the John the Baptist to start doing His will on him.

And this is echoed by David’s expression to do God’s will in the responsorial Psalm (40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11), with its refrain (v. 8, v. 9):

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

What about you?

Have you come to journey your Lenten path, the “road less traveled” to do God’s will? Have you discern what His will on you? Are you willing to let it be done on you, as Mary was at the Annunciation?