Our Sheepgate is Our Good Shepherd, the Father's Beloved - Shepherding Us to the Father's House

The Fourth Sunday of Paschaltide is Good Shepherd Sunday. Through the three-year-cycle of the Church’s Liturgical Calendar (Cycle A, Cycle B, Cycle C), we go over John 10 as below, reflecting what it means that Jesus is our Good Shepherd:

John 10:1-10 (A) – I am the gate for the sheep (John 10:7), and whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture (John 10:9)

John 10:11-18 (B) – I am the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep, who knows his sheep and they know him (John 10:11, 14), just as the Father knows him and he knows the Father (John 10:15).

John 10:27-30 (C) – The Father and I are one (John 10:30).

First, we need to keep the contextual background of what prompted Jesus to identify himself as the Good Shepherd. In response to the blindness of those who did not believe in Jesus for his miraculous sins performed on a man born blind (John 9:1-41), Jesus spoke the Good Shepherd Discourse (John 10:1-21). And on another occasion, those who did not believe Jesus continued to attack him, accusing him for blasphemy, because Jesus explained his signs and his identity as the Good Shepherd, in his relation to the Father (John 10:21-42).

Right off the bat, Jesus rebuked those whom he called “blind” for not believing, by saying that they were like thieves and robbers who do not enter a sheepfold through its gate (John 10:1). In contrast, he said that the shepherd enters through the gate (John 10:2). And he identified the Father as the gatekeeper, who keeps the gate open for the shepherd, whose voice the sheep hears, and who call the sheep by name (John 10:3). Outside the sheepfold, the shepherd leads the sheep, who follows him (John 10:4).

Those who accused Jesus as a sinful man because of their “blindness” to the Christological truth in Jesus and his relation to the Father (John 9:16, 40-41) did not understand the contrast Jesus was making himself against them (John 10:6). This is the distinction between the true shepherd and false shepherd (i.e. Zechariah 11:4-16).

Then, Jesus first identified himself as: I am the gate for the sheep (John 10:7), and whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture (John 10:9). What does it mean that Jesus is the gate for his sheep (John 10:7)?

In juxtaposing the sheepfold (John 10:1) to the Father’s house (John 14:2), we may understand that Jesus as the gate of the Father’s sheepfold in connection to that Jesus is the way to the Father (John 14:7), besides being the truth (John 14:7; cf. 14:17; 16:13; cf. 1 Corinthians 5:8) and the life (John 14:7; cf. John 1:4; 3:15; 6:33,48-49,51. 53-54, 63; cf. 10:10b).

In addition to being the sheepgate (John 10:7,9), Jesus further unfolded his Christological identity as the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11, 18).  For this Peter sees the Good Shepherd as the one who reaches out to find lost and scattered sheep, redeeming them back to his heard and who is the guardian of our souls (1 Peter 2:25; cf. Matthew 18:10-14)

While we, like lost and scattered sheep, wondered away from God, because of sins, God placed our guilt on Christ (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24; cf. Zechariah 13:7-9; cf. Matthew 26:31), and he, like a lamb led to the slaughter, he submitted himself to shearers (Isaiah 53:7; cf. Isaiah 50:5-6).

There is intimacy between the Good Shepherd and the sheep because he knows the sheep and they know him, just as the Father knows the Son and he knows Him (John 10:14-15). And the Good Shepherd has other sheep that he intends to bring to his fold so that they may be one with ones in the Father’s sheepfold (John 10:16; cf. John 17:20-21). These sheep that Jesus referred to are those whom he wants the disciples to evangelize and make disciples in all nations (Matthew 28:19; cf. John 14:12), bringing them in the sheepfold of the Father(i.e. Isaiah 2:2; 56:7). And this is exemplified by the works of the apostles from Jerusalem to all the ends of the earth throughout the history since the day of Pentecost.

Jesus has already expressed his intimate relation with the Father, as the gatekeeper and the shepherd (John 10:1-3), knowing each other mutually so well, projecting to his intimate relation with the sheep (John 10:14-15). This is why the sheep only listen to him and follow him (John 10:3-4). He, then, further spoke of his intimacy with the Father, who loves him for his commitment to the sheep, especially for laying down his life for them (John 10:17; cf. John 5:20; 15:10;17:24; cf. Matthew 3:17; 17:5).

This intimate love that binds the Father and Jesus the Good Shepherd is absolute and inviolable (i.e. John 19:11), and this makes it possible for him to die for the sheep and be raised by the Father’s love (John 10:18; cf. Acts 2:24; 4:10; Romans 1:4).

To this Christological revelation of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the beloved shepherd by the gatekeeper, did those who were “blind” to the truth of Jesus come to believe? No. They called him “possessed” (John 10:19), as they remained “blind”.

On another occasion, during the feast of Chanukah (feast of dedication)(John 10:22), those who obstinately refused to believe instigated Jesus, demanding him to tell if he was the Messiah (Christ) or not father plainly (John 10:24).

In response, Jesus basically reiterated what he had said about himself, as the sheepgate and the Good Shepherd, who is loved by the Father, and who lays his life for the sheep, as it was the Father’s will (John 10:1-21) , summing it up in these words:

The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one (John 10:25-30).

The work of Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, as well as the sheepgate, are in the Father’s name, as they are according to His will. And they make him who he is Christologically. Those who believe and follow him – those who listen to the Good Shepherd and follow – are his sheep. And the Good Shepherd feeds them with his flesh and blood (i.e. John 6:51, 53-58) rather than grass. For he is the guardian (i.e. 1 Peter 2:25b), no one can take them from the Father. And, the Father the gatekeeper and the Son the Good Shepherd are one – in consubstantial hypostatic union, being in perfect homoousios -sharing the same “οὐσία/ousia”(substance, essence).

The Good Shepherd works for his sheep, the Father’s sheep, to keep them as one with him, just as he is one with the Father. And this oneness with Christ the Good Shepherd, as the Father and he are one, makes him the gate to and the way the Father and His house. For this, he is our guardian, assuring that we have eternal life as long as we listen to him and follow him obediently, just as he is so to the Father.

We are so grateful to God for having sent us the Good Shepherd out of His love (i.e. John 3:16). Now he is shepherding us to the Father, and we have nothing to fear, trusting our Good Shepherd, as reflected in Psalm 23.

 

St. Mark – St. Peter’s Close Associate

In the Roman Catholic Church’s Liturgical Calendar, April 25 marks the feast of St. Mark (no pun intended). He is the evangelist who penned the Gospel of Mark. Though it is put as the second Gospel in the New Testament, actually it is the first Gospel written (before Matthew’s Gospel). It is believed that both Matthew and Luke used Mark’s Gospel as one of their sources to write their Gospels.

In fact, Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of all four canonical Gospels.

While Mathew and Luke explain how Jesus was born (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-14) and put his extensive genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:28-38), Mark’s Gospel begins with Jesus’ adulthood. The beginning of Mark’s Gospel is how John the Baptist prepared the public appearance of Jesus (Mark 1:2-8), then describing Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:9-11). This style of Mark’s Gospel (Mark 1:1-16:20), beginning with a narrative of John the Baptist making the way for Jesus’ public ministry, as the voice crying out in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3), and ending with a narrative of Jesus’ ascension, resembles how Peter’s speech on Jesus at Cornelius’ house (Acts 10:37-43).

Unlike Peter and Matthew, Mark was not among the twelve chosen by Jesus. It means that he did not personally and directly witness any of what he wrote about Jesus. But he wrote his Gospel as if he were with Jesus and the twelve, like an accompanying reporter. So the question is – how did Mark know all the things about Jesus and his ministry and his interactions with the twelve, as if a reporter, who was present at the scenes, would write?

Mark was privileged to listen to Peter’s testimonies directly because of his close association with him. These words of Peter from the First Reading of Feast of St. Mark (1 Peter 5:5b-14) indicate this:

The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son (1 Peter 5:13).

“The chosen one at Babylon” is referred to the nascent church in Rome. “Babylon” was a code-name for Rome (e.g. Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2). The historical Babylon had been fallen. And in a metaphor of harlot, it was prophesized that Rome would follow the suit of Babylon for its paganism and anti-Christ nature (e.g. Revelation 17:1-18; cf. Daniel 2:41-45).

Peter affectionately called Mark as his son (1 Peter 5:13) for his intimate association.

It was in this close relationship, which he was blessed to have with Peter, that Mark wrote his Gospel, as Peter would speak of Jesus to the public. So, we shall think of Peter and his influence on him, in remembering Mark.

The First Post-Resurrection "Missa" with the Word and the Eucharist on the Way to Emmaus

 In the Gospel narratives, there is a flow that moves from Galilee, where Jesus began his public ministry, to Jerusalem where his earthly mission was consummated in glory. This is reflected in the Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. It was Jerusalem, where he entered triumphantly on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11//Mark 11:1-11//Luke 19:28-44 and John 12:12-19). It was in this holy city, where he hosted the Lord’s Supper, instituting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (Matthew 26:17-30//Mark 14:12-26//Luke 22:7-39) and giving the new commandment of love (John 13:31-35). And it was Jerusalem where he entered the passion and died to take away our sins as the Lamb of God, the ultimate Paschal Lamb (e.g. John 18:1-19:42; 1:29). Jerusalem is also where Jesus resurrected on the third day from his death on the Cross (Matthew 28:1-10//Mark 16:1-8, 9-14 //Luke 24:1-44 and John 20:1-29). And it was where he ordered the disciples to stay before his ascension to heaven until the descending of the Holy Spirit upon them on Pentecost (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5). So the First Reading (Acts 2:14, 22-33), an excerpt of Peter’s powerful speech on Pentecost, shows how the post-resurrection and Pentecost apostolic action began in Jerusalem – not elsewhere and how Peter explains who Jesus is, in reference to the Scriptures (Psalm 16:8-11; 2 Samuel 7:12; Psalm 132:11).

Matthew and Mark give an account that Jesus would have wanted the disciples to see him in Galilee (Matthew 28:7,10; Mark 16:7). And in John’s Gospel, risen Jesus actually met Peter and other disciples while they were on the boats fishing (John 21:1-14). But, Galilee was not where the disciples should stay.  The post resurrection actions begin in Jerusalem, as it is where everything about the Christological truth in Paschal Mystery of Jesus was unfolding to and where the post-resurrrection Pentecost action began, as we move from the Gospels to the Acts of the Apostles.

So, in the Gospel Reading of the Third Sunday of Paschaltide (Luke 24:13-35), why were Cleopas and the other disciples going away from Jerusalem to Emmaus, while the rest of the disciples remained in Jerusalem?

Apparently, these two disciples were going a wrong way, because they were blind to the Christological truth in Paschal Mystery, accentuated with Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, to fulfill the fourth servant song in the Book of Isaiah, as foretold by Jesus himself multiple times.  They seemed to have lost their hope and faith in Jesus, upon his death. They were in heavy grief and dismay. So, they left Jerusalem.

But wait a minute! If the resurrection of Jesus would have ended with such a sad story of the disciples, what would be a point of Christianity and Christian faith?

Risen Jesus will not let such lost disciples go further into darkness, just because they were ignorant and blind.

And the Gospel Reading of the Third Sunday of Paschaltide (Luke 24:3-35) describes how risen Jesus redeem these two lost disciples with the Word and with the Eucharist, by meeting where they were. The Gospel story reminds that Jesus is, indeed, our Good Shepherd, who not only has laid his life to save us but also to reach out to redeem his lost sheep back to his one herd, which has become the Church, one body of Christ.

Because of the Word and the Eucharist reflections in this Gospel Reading, there is a motif of Mass – Mass in motion of redemption and transformation.  Before Mass, the two disciples were lost. But after Mass, they were found and on fire to announce the good news of the resurrection.

Mass shall be celebrated at where there are pastoral needs are. Our one holy catholic apostolic Church is not a static and bureaucratic institution but the living Church, the very living body of Christ, constituted with us, the faithful. Therefore, wherever the Church is, there is living Christ with us, in us, and us in him, as one body with him as the head.

The Gospel Reading of the Third Sunday of Paschaltide (Luke 24:13-35) described how the first post-resurrection Mass was carried out to redeem the two disciples, who let their hope and faith go dwindled, if not necessarily lost, by enlightening their ignorant minds through the Word and by nourishing their bodies and souls with the Eucharist. As a result, their hope and faith are restored and placed back in God. And they were redeemed into the one heard with the rest of the disciples to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection in Jerusalem.

In this regard, this Gospel narrative also prepares us for the next Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Paschaltide, Good Shepherd Sunday, because we see risen Jesus as the Good Shepherd, who redeems his lost sheep and brings them back to his heard.

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Jesus is risen from the dead, upon his suffering and death (e.g. John 18:1-19:42), fulfilling the Scripture (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). So, our hope and faith shall be in God for the Lord in glory (1 Peter 1:21). But for Cleopas and the other disciple, walking toward Emmaus from Jerusalem, on the day of the resurrection, their hope and faith seemed to be lost or faded, as they looked downcast (Luke 24:17).

They must have heard from Mary Magdalene and other women, who announced the resurrection of Jesus to them, as told by two angels, who looked like men, but did not believe it because it seemed nonsense (Luke 24:1-7). So, they were in grief and dismay, thinking that Jesus was dead. Period. Perhaps, out of disappointment on Jesus, Cleopas and the other disciples decided to leave Jerusalem and go on their own lives, walking to Emmaus and talking about all the things about Jesus and what happened to him (Luke 24:13-14).

Then, risen Jesus joined these two disciples in their conversation, asking what they were talking about (Luke 24:15).

Not recognizing him as risen Jesus (Luke 24:16), Cleopas and the other disciples were amazed that he had no clue as to what was happening in Jerusalem in the past few days (Luke 24:17). So Cleopas explained to risen Jesus what happened to Jesus: being handed over to the Roman authorities by religious leaders, tried by Pilate,  scourged, and crucified to death (Luke 24:18-21). He also told risen Jesus what Mary Magdalene and other women, who went to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning, told them, about the empty tomb without Jesus’ body and vision of angels, who announced the resurrection (Luke 24:22-23). He also told risen Jesus that Peter and John went to the tomb and confirmed that Jesus’ tomb was empty (Luke 24:24; John 20:3-10).

To all of this, risen Jesus responded, saying:

Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory? (Luke 24:25-26).

Jesus pointed out how ignorant Cleopas and the other disciple were to the Christological truth in his Paschal Mystery: the Messiah is not to redeem Israel from the Roman occupation as a political king (i.e. John 18:33-38) but to redeem both Israelites and Gentiles from sin’s bonds to death into his Kingdom (Colossians 1:13-14). These disciples were, indeed, fool to have regarded the Messiah as a political king (Luke 24:21). It was their foolishness and ignorance that kept them blind to risen Jesus, even when he was walking with them and speaking to them directly.

Upon reminding them that Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, had to suffer and die to rise in glory, risen Jesus explained the whole Tanakh from the Torah to Navi’im and Ketuvim, in terms of him (Luke 24:27). These disciples definitely needed to have the Scriptures taught by risen Jesus. And this set their hearts on fire (Luke 24:32).

When they came near to Emmaus, risen  Jesus seemed to keep going further. But these two disciples urged him to stay with them for the evening, as it was near sunset (Luke 24:29). And Jesus accepted their invitation (Luke 24:29).

At supper, risen Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to these two disciples (Luke 24:30). It was then that the disciples’ eyes finally opened and recognize that the man who had been walking with them and talking to them, explaining the Scriptures, was, indeed, risen Jesus (Luke 24:31). And he suddenly disappeared from their sight because they became able to recognize him (Luke 24:31).

This was not an end. It was just the beginning for them to engage in a mission.

Risen Jesus did not need to tell these two disciples verbally to tell the rest of the disciples in Jerusalem about their encounter with him (Luke 24:33-35).

                                                          *****

On their way to Emmaus, risen Jesus opened the two disciples’ hearts and set them on fire (Luke 24:32). At Emmaus, he opened their eyes to recognize him at the dinner table, taking up bread, giving thanks, breaking it, and giving it to them (Luke 24:31), just as he did at the last Passover Seder on the night before his death, proclaiming that the broken bread was his body given to them (Luke 22:19). In other words, the two disciples received the Word on their way to Emmaus and the Body of Christ in Emmaus by risen Jesus, who is the eternal Great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 4:14-5:10; 7:11-28) and of a new covenant (Hebrews 8:1-13). And these two disciple’s journey to Emmaus with risen Jesus was, indeed, the first post-resurrection Mass, with the Liturgy of the Word, followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Ite, Missa est. When Mass is over, we are called to go in peace and proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, these two disciples ran back to where the rest of the disciples in Jerusalem, forgetting about whatever the plan they had in Emmaus and wherever they would go from there. And they shared with them their amazing encounter with risen Jesus.

It was indeed a walking Mass, from Jerusalem to Emmaus. This makes our Church mobile, truly apostolic, not static. It is because the Church is made alive with risen Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Accompanied by risen Jesus, who is truly the Parakletos(1 John 2:1), which literally means, “make a call (kaleo) to be besides (para)”, it was not just a journey but  moving Mass, from Jerusalem to Emmaus, because risen the eternal High Priest of Melchizedek as order was present as risen Jesus. He fed Cleopas and the other disciple with the Word and the Eucharist. So they were enlightened and nourished to be send out to bring a message on his resurrection to the rest of the disciples. Through this mobile Mass, their lives were transformed.

Even if we might not yet found or encountered risen Jesus, not recognizing him yet, even if we could go on a wrong way of life, let us not lose our hope and faith, because he will find us wherever we may be and redeem us back to his herd- so that we will be one with him.

Encountering Risen Jesus: Do Not Search Him Futilely, but Ubi Caritas et Amor

 The Church celebrates the glorious resurrection for 50 days from Resurrection Sunday (Paschal Sunday) until Pentecost Sunday. During this joyful period, we also commemorate the Ascension of the Lord on the 40^th day from his Resurrection. With his Ascension, the Paschal Mystery of the incarnated Christ is consummated, as his Paschal Glory is accentuated with his death, resurrection, and ascension. For us to be in this Paschal celebration, we must have a conviction that the incarnated Christ in the human flesh of Jesus has been resurrected on the third day from his death. And this should not come easily, given how difficult it was for the disciples to fully convinced that Jesus was risen from the dead, as he had foretold.

Because Paschal Mystery was initiated by God’s love and mercy for us by sending His only begotten Son to us (John 3:16-18), we must seek risen Jesus where there is agape.

                                                         *****

 Though there are some variations in the Gospel accounts on Jesus’ resurrection and his disciples’ reactions (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-14; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-21:24), one certain thing across all the resurrection narratives of all four canonical Gospels is that none of the disciples really believed and rejoiced in the resurrection of Jesus until and unless they encountered risen Lord Jesus Christ. Their initial encounter with the empty tomb of Jesus left them in fear and confusion (Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-7; John 20:1-7). And for Mary Magdalene, the empty tomb became a source of her grief over a loss of Jesus’ body, which she had thought to be taken away by someone (John 20:1-2,10-13).

Whether it was Mary Magdalene alone (John 20:1 ) or with the other Mary (Matthew 28:1 ) or other women (Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1,10), who came to Jesus’ tomb early in the morning of the resurrection day, being told of the resurrection by an angel or two angels, none of these women, including Mary Magdalene, seemed unconvinced. But when risen Jesus appeared in person to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew 28:9-10) or Mary Magdalene alone (Mark 16:9; John 20:10-18), their grief, fear, doubt, and confusion dissipated, as they were filled with Paschal joy. So, Mary Magdalene, alone or with the other Mary or other women, they announced of the resurrection to the rest of the disciples, but the eleven male disciples did not believe it (Mark 16:11) because it made no sense to them (Luke 24:11).

Because he is the Good Shepherd, who not only has laid his life to save the sheep entrusted by the Father to his care (John 10:11-18) but also who redeems a lost sheep back to his herd (e.g. Matthew 18:12-14), risen Jesus did not leave these eleven disciples in grief and disbelief. So, he appeared to them in their midst where they were hiding in a firmly locked room in the evening of the day of his resurrection (John 20:19-23; cf. Luke 24:36-49).  Even after his death and resurrection, Jesus remained to be among them (i.e. John 1:14) because he is, after all, “Immanuel”(Emmanuel), which means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14).  Then, finally, they overjoyed for seeing risen Jesus (John 20:20). However, this does not necessarily mean that they really believed in the resurrection yet, as they could have been simply carried over by joyful excitement (Luke 24:41a). So, risen Jesus had to demonstrate that his risen body is real by eating fish and to open their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:41b-45).

None fully believed when being told of the resurrection at the empty tomb by the angel(s) (i.e. Mark 16:8). None believed when being told by the one(s) who heard from the angel(s) of the resurrection (Mark 16:11; Luke 24:11). And Thomas did not believe when being told by those who had encountered risen Jesus in his resurrected body, insisting that he himself had to see the risen body of Jesus with his nail marks (John 20:25b).

So, did the disciples come to believe when they saw risen Jesus in his body?

Mary did not recognize risen Jesus at first even though he was risen Jesus until she heard him calling her by name (John 20:14-16). Cleopas and the other disciple did not recognize risen Jesus even he, in his resurrected flesh, was present, walking with them to Emmaus, until he broke the bread (Luke 24:13-32). It was not just Thomas (John 20:24-28) but the rest of the disciples, too, who were not convinced that Jesus was really risen until they recognize the nail marks of his body (John 20:20). But even seeing risen Jesus’ body with wound marks on his hands and feet, the disciples let their amazement carried away believing for a while (Luke 24:26-41a). That is why risen Jesus asked the disciples to offer him something to eat and ate fish in front of them to help them become convinced of his resurrection (Luke 24:41b-43).

Going over these resurrection narratives across the four canonical Gospels, as read throughout Paschal Octave (Matt 28:1-10 (A); Mark 16:1-7 (B);  Luke 24:1-12 (C)(Paschal Vigil); John 20:1-9 (Paschal Sunday); Luke 24:13-35 (Paschal Sunday Afternoon Mass); Matthew 28:8-15 (Monday); John 20:11-18 (Tuesday); Luke 24:13-15 (Wednesday); Luke 24:35-48 (Thursday); John 21:1-14 (Friday); Mark 16:9-15 (Saturday); John 20:19-31 (Paschal Octave Sunday), we realize how difficult it was for the disciples to fully recognize the resurrection with conviction. Prior to his passion into death, the disciples had heard directly from Jesus about his suffering, death, and resurrection, multiple times (e.g. Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19). However, Jesus’ message on his suffering, death, and resurrection did not seem to register in the disciples due to their problematic faith and ignorance of the Scripture, as this is to fulfill the fourth servant song in Isaiah (52:13-53:12).

The disciples’ lack of faith, in addition to their ignorance of the Scriptures, was a main factor of their blindness to the resurrection, making it difficult for them to fully recognize this Paschal Mystery truth. Because of this problem, they were not yet convinced of the resurrection, even seeing the very body of risen Jesus. They had to see the wound marks on his hands and had to see him eat fish to come to full terms with the resurrection (Luke 24:36-49).

Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”(John 20:29). Actually, this message is not just for Thomas but to all the disciples from the time of Jesus’ resurrection to now. It means that these words of Jesus are also for us.

Though God the Father sent His only begotten Son out of His love for us (John 3:16), by incarnating him (John 1, 14) in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31-35), making him visible to us (Colossians 1:15). And in his visible body, the Father’s deity dwells (Colossians 2:9; cf. 1:19; cf. John 10:38; 14:10-11, 20; 17:21). This is why seeing Jesus also means seeing the Father (John 14:9), though no one has seen Him, except the one who is from Him (John 6:46). Therefore, Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, through whom we have the access to the Father (John 14:6-7).

Are you more like Thomas and the rest of the disciples, for not being able to believe in the resurrection of Jesus until or unless you see him with his wound marks on his hands and feet?  Will you not to believe the resurrection is real unless you see him eating something?

Our faith – our belief – is not solely based on what we see in our human eyes. This is why Jesus said that those who believe without seeing are blessed (John 20:29), as it leads to the salvation of our souls, filling us with an inexpressible and glorious Paschal Joy (i.e. 1 Peter 1:8-9). We can see risen Jesus, and the Father through him, in the eyes of our faith.

So where and in what situation do you see risen Jesus? How does your encounter with him change you?

We do believe that Jesus’ very flesh and blood are present in the spices of bread and wine through transubstantiation upon epiclesis during the Eucharistic Rite during Mass. But does the consecrated host and wine look like Jesus’ body and blood to your human eyes? Not at all, as they still look as unleavened bread and wine to our human eyes. But we believe and know that the bread is the real body of Jesus and the wine is the real blood of Jesus.

Yes, we encounter risen Jesus whenever we receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (Matthew 26:26-29//Mark 14:22-25//Luke 22:14-20; cf. John 6:32-58) and engage in the Word (John 1:1, 14) and the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 26; cf. 1 John 2:1; cf. John 4:18).

Because of our faith, with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, another Parakletos, we see risen Jesus in us and us in him, as he in the Father, though the faithless in the world do not (John 14:16-19). Looking for risen Jesus elsewhere may be as futile as search him in his tomb. As the Church is born out of us, upon receiving the powerful Holy Spirit on Pentecost, in concluding Paschaltide, we are to be the one body of Christ with many functioning parts (1 Corinthians 12:27) and the body’s head is Christ himself (Colossians 1:18).  This way, we are one with him (John 14:10-11, 20; 17:23), as the branches are so with the vine, for what securely bonds us with him is love (John 15:1-17). After all, he is our Emmanuel. So, he promises to be with us always until the eschaton (Matthew 28:20).

Though this hymn is traditionally sung on Maundy Thursday during Holy Week, “Ubi Caritas” reminds us that risen Jesus is found where there is love, as God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), and we are bound with him with love (John 15:1-17).

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exsultemus, et in ipso jucundemur.

God is found where charity and love are found. Love of Christ has gathered us as one. Let us rejoice in him and be glad.

Our Paschal Joy comes with love, through which we encounter risen Jesus. And we are transformed to be the embodiment of love as we prepare to receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to conclude Paschaltide. 

Paschal Octave Sunday: Divine Mercy Sunday - Paschal Joy, No Longer Lukewarm Soul

Ever since Paschal Vigil Mass, throughout Paschal Octave, we have been reading excerpts from the resurrection narratives of all four canonical Gospels for Mass everyday.  

Paschal Vigil Mass	Matt 28:1-10 (A); Mark 16:1-7 (B);  Luke 24:1-12 (C)
Paschal Sunday Mass	John 20:1-9
Paschal Sunday Afternoon Mass	Luke 24:13-35
Monday of Paschal Octave	Matt 28:8-15
Tuesday of Paschal Octave	John 20:11-18
Wednesday of Paschal Octave	Luke 24:13-35
Thursday of Paschal Octave	Luke 24:35-48
Friday of Paschal Octave	John 21:1-14
Saturday of Paschal Octave	Mark 16:9-15

And these readings constantly remind us that how difficult and slow it was for the disciples to recognize that Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day from his death, as foretold by Jesus multiple times (Matthew 16:21-23; 17:22-23; 20:17-19), ever since when they were with him in Caesarea Philippi, Galilee, where Jesus asked them who they think he is (Matthew 16:13-23). And this was to fulfill the fourth servant song, description of the suffering Messiah in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, which is the First Reading of Good Friday.

Nevertheless, none of the disciples recognized the resurrection of Jesus when they saw and heard about the empty tomb. They needed to be told by an angel that he was raised from the dead (e.g. Matthew 28:5-6) to know that the empty tomb means the resurrection. But they did not believe it (Mark 16:11), because it made no sense to them (Luke 24:11), when Mary Magdalene told them as the angel told her about the resurrection.

Even when risen Jesus himself directly appeared to them, Cleopas and another disciples did not recognize him (Luke 24:13-15) until he broke the bread (Luke 24:30-34). Mary Magdalene did not recognize him, either, when he was right besides her, until he called her by name (John 20:16).

Now in completing Paschal Octave on the Second Sunday of Paschaltide, the Gospel Reading describes Jesus’ appearance to the disciples on the evening of the resurrection Sunday and the following Sunday (John 20:19-31).

In this Gospel Reading, risen Jesus mysteriously and suddenly appeared in the midst of the fear-stricken disciples, who were hiding in the firmly locked Cenacle. It was absolutely impossible for a human person to sneak in. Perhaps, not even a little mouse could enter that room. However, risen Jesus had no problem at all because he is God though he has been made fully human through the incarnation (i.e. John 1:1, 14) by the power of the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:30-35).

Then, the risen Jesus greeted them with peace, showing his wound marks on his hands and side. It was when the disciples’ fear, doubt, and confusion, dissipated and gave way to overwhelming joy. And risen Jesus said to them:

Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you (John 20:21).

So he gently poured his breath on them, saying:

Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained (John 20:22-23).

Too bad, Thomas missed this great encounter with risen Jesus on the first night. But they told him about it, saying to him, “We have seen the Lord”(John 20:25). However, Thomas did not believe it, protesting, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe”(John 20:25).

On the following Sunday, Thomas was with the rest of the “disciples in the Cenacle. And risen Jesus appeared again, offering peace. Knowing Thomas’ doubt, Jesus said to him:

Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe (John 20:27).

Seeing is believing, indeed. Thomas immediately recognized risen Jesus in the Paschal truth of the resurrection, uttering, “My Lord and my God!(John 20:28).

In response, Jesus said:

Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed (John 20:29).

What is a take-home lesson in this Gospel narrative of the Paschal Octave Sunday, which is also known as the Divine Mercy Sunday? Does this story have anything to do with the Divine Mercy?

Yes, the Gospel narrative is about the Divine Mercy in risen Jesus.

It is about the Divine Mercy because it describes how risen Jesus established the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And he charged them to offer this Sacrament on his behalf. So, he sent the Holy Spirit on them through his gentle breath. This is like a preheating oven before roasting a big turkey for dinner. Jesus warmed and softened the disciples’ cold stiff hearts, heavy with grief,  by the Holy Spirit in his breath. As their hearts were thawed with the warmth of risen Jesus’ mercy and love, they were filled with Paschal joy and set for receiving the powerful Holy Spirit on Pentecost to be sent out. It is not just a story about how the disciples came to recognize risen Jesus but how he established the Sacrament of the Reconciliation and pre-commissioned them toward their great apostolic mission on Pentecost.

The disciples’ sin of lukewarm faith, which prevented them from recognizing the truth of resurrection, resulting in doubt and skepticism, was forgiven in peace. So, we celebrate the Divine Mercy on Paschal Octave Sunday, as Jesus told St. Maria Faustina with these words:

My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy.

The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.

Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy (Diary of St. Faustina, 699).

We call Thomas “Doubting Thomas” for he did not believe that Jesus was raised from the dead even though the rest of the disciples told him that they had seen risen Jesus. But, we cannot single out Thomas. All the disciples doubted the resurrection.

When Mary Magdalene told them, “I have seen the Lord”(John 20:18), the disciples obviously did not believe it. When the disciples told Thomas, “We have seen the Lord”(John 20:25), he did not believe it. It took all of the disciples a personal encounter with risen Jesus to fully believe that Jesus is risen from the dead. And risen Jesus forgave their sin of lukewarm faith (i.e. Revelation 3:16-17), resulting in disbelief because of the Divine Mercy (cf. Revelation 3:19). Our lukewarmness really hurts Jesus (Diary of St. Faustina, 1228) because it thwarts his salvific efforts (ibid., 1682).

In the evening of the resurrection Sunday, risen Jesus entered where the disciples were hiding in a locked room without knocking (John 20:19). For us, risen Jesus may knock on the doors of our hearts to enter into our lives with the Divine Mercy so that our hearts are no longer lukewarm (i.e. Revelation 3:20-21).

Have you encountered risen Jesus? Has he entered in you, as you in him? Have you received the Divine Mercy? Unless you answer “Yes” to all of these questions, your Paschal joy is not complete.

With “Yes” to all of these questions, with our complete Paschal joy now, our faith and souls are no longer lukewarm. And we say, Jesus, I trust in you! , on this feast of the Divine Mercy and everyday.

On Paschal Octave and Paschaltide : Renewal and Personal Encounter with Risen Christ

The incarnated Lord Jesus Christ has risen and his resurrection has renewed us into a new life in him (i.e. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4; Colossians 3:9-10; Galatians 2:20)! Alleluia! This Paschal renewal of life is reflected from the First Reading to the Seventh Reading of Paschal Vigil Mass (Genesis 1:1-2:2; Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 14;15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17), with a running theme of water in juxtaposition to the Holy Spirit to renew our life. It is the Holy Spirit to give us new life upon the resurrection of the incarnated Christ because he was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). And the renewal’s effect on us is manifested in our Abraham-like faithfulness (Genesis 22:1-18) to enjoy God’s covenant with us, rooted in His faithful love (chesed)( Isaiah 54:5-14), seeking and benefitting from the fountain of God’s wisdom (Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4). Then, the Epistle of Paschal Vigil Mass (Romans 6:3-11) reminds that our Paschal renewal of life is, in essence, a result of our baptism into Christ and his death, so that we now live in a newness of life in Christ, having dead to sin but now living for God in Christ.

So, Paschal Sunday (Resurrection Sunday) is the day that a renewed life in Christ (Romans 6:1-14), who is also in us (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27), and a fresh life in the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-39) has begun! Yes, this the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad, for God has raised the cornerstone, which was rejected by those who could not believe (Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42). Indeed, risen Jesus has become the chief cornerstone of the holy catholic apostolic Church (Ephesians 2:10), as well as, the head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23)!

Having been renewed, now we begin our 50-day-festivity of Paschaltide, until Pentecost! It means that we have begun our preparation for the birth of the holy catholic apostolic Church born of the disciples, whose lives were renewed and enlightened upon the resurrection of the Lord. For this reason, all the First Readings for Mass throughout Paschaltide, from Paschal Sunday to Pentecost Sunday, are drawn from the Acts of the Apostles.

In this sense, Paschal Vigil Mass reflects our Passover (Pesach), and now we are on the feast of the Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot) (Exodus 23:15, Deuteronomy 16:16), followed by the feast of harvest season for seven weeks, known as Counting of Omar (Sefirat HaOmer) (Leviticus 23:9-21), culminating in Pentecost (Shavuot)(Exodus 23:16; Numbers 28:26). While the Jews offered firstfruits and commemorate the reception of the Torah on Shavuot, we offer our renewed selves and celebrate the reception of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. During these 50 days, the risen Jesus, the firstfruits from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20), is offered up into heaven, by means of his Ascension.

In the First Reading (Acts 10:34a, 37-43) of Paschal Sunday, in his speech at the house of Cornelius, we see how post-Pentecost Peter was. Peter gave his vivid testimony to Jesus’ public ministry and how it culminated in his death and resurrection. This is also a Christological summary statement with Paschal Mystery on Jesus and his ministry.  This needs to be read in conjunction with the First Reading of Monday of Paschal Octave (Acts 2:14, 22-23) and of Tuesday (Acts 2:36-41), as these are drawn from Peter’s Christological speech on Pentecost day (Acts 2:14-40),which netted about 3.000 people to join the nascent Church (Acts 2:41), making Peter a fisher of people (Luke 5:10; cf. Matthew 4:19).

The first option of the Second Reading of Paschal Sunday Mass (Colossians 3:1-4) is how we are to respond to the resurrection of the Lord. Because Christ is risen from the dead, we shall seek what is above – heavenly treasure – more than ever. As we have gone through Paschal renewal, we no longer set our minds on earthly things. We now truly seek heavenly treasure (Matthew 6:19-20).

It is important to note that Paul sees us one with the risen Christ in his glory. So he says, “When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory”. The risen Christ in glory is now also our life! Therefore, as implicated in the Transfiguration of the Lord, which we reflect in the Gospel Reading of the Second Sunday of Lent (Matthew 17:1-9(A)//Mark 9:2-10(B)//Luke 9:28-36(C)), it is no longer Peter, James, and John, but we all appear now in Christ’s resurrection glory! 

Paul, in the second option of the Second Reading of Paschal Sunday (1 Corinthians 5:6-8), calls us to start a renewed life, free from “yeast of sin”, in Paschaltide.  Readings of Paschal Vigil Mass have reminded that the incarnated Christ has renewed our life, along with the rest of the creation, through his death and resurrection, we must be clean. The Word and the Holy Spirit through Christ have purified us (Ephesians 5:25-26). Therefore, we shall be free of leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 6:16). And this is the post-resurrection life in the risen Christ, having him living in us (Galatians 2:20).

Though we have gone through Paschal renewal, it was rather a slow process for the disciples, as the Resurrection Gospel narratives, which are read from Paschal Vigil Mass and throughout Paschal Octave every day, and Second Sunday of Paschaltide and Third Sunday of Paschaltide. This was because they did not truly believe that Jesus would rise on the third day from his death, though he had foretold of his passion, death, and resurrection multiple times from the time he gave the keys to Peter (Matthew 16:21-23) to the night before hid death (Matthew 26:32). Through these resurrection Gospel narratives, we must ask ourselves if we still have a bout of doubt about the resurrection. If so, what it is.

The difficulties of the disciples to recognize the resurrection in these resurrection Gospel narratives remind us that we must have a personal encounter with rise Jesus, because they really did not believe until and unless they had met rise Jesus in person. It is not just doubting Thomas, who did not believe until having a physical encounter with risen Jesus. All the other disciples did not come to terms with the resurrection without meeting risen Jesus in person.

Unless we have a personal encounter with risen Jesus, we would not be ready for Pentecost. Thus, it is imperative that we meet risen Jesus during Paschal Octave – at latest, by Third Sunday of Paschaltide.

Paschal Vigil Mass: Renewed by the Death and the Resurrection of the Lord in the Unfolding Paschal Mystery of Christ

Christ is risen! Halleluiah! Through his death and the resurrection, the creation is renewed! We have received new life, as our old life, rugged with sins, was crucified with Christ. What a refreshing joy it is to have been renewed by the Paschal Mystery! 

Have you wonder why God the Father has made us into the image of God as everything that He created was good?

Yes, it is because we are His most beloved creation. But there is more to this. Let’s take a look at the First Reading of Paschal Vigil Mass (Genesis 1:1-2:2).

We have been created in God’s image also because God entrusts us to take care of the creation as the trustworthy stewards of His creation (Genesis 1:28). And this is also a principle concept that runs through Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si”.

Yes, everything was good. We were in good shape and in good terms with God.

And God has blessed humans to prosper, as He completed the creation.

Being reminded that everything in God’s creation, including us, who have been created in His image, was good, the death and resurrection of the incarnated Christ has renewed not only us but also the rest of God’s creation on earth with the Holy Spirit as the first optional Responsorial Psalm of Paschal Vigil Mass (Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35) reflects, though our sins have damaged the creation, and we failed to fulfill our role as God’s trusted servant in our stewardship to the creation. And as the incarnated Christ’s passion and death symbolically remind us, our sins have brought countless sufferings and deaths to fellow humans. Nevertheless, by his resurrection from the dead, human life has been renewed as this new life begins with and in the risen Christ!

Are you in Christ, the risen Christ, today? Is Christ, the risen Christ is in you? Are you renewed by the death and resurrection of the incarnated Christ as you find yourself in him and he in you?

We have died to sin but now alive in the risen Christ as sin is no longer able to rule us for we are under God’s grace (Romans 6:1-14), as we have moved from Lententide to Paschaltide.  As Paul has put it, we have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live as we had but from now on Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:19).

Remember, during the Lord’s Supper, just before he entered the passion and died, Jesus called us to be in him and he in you, as he is in the Father (John 14:20) to be one (John 17:20-23).

We become a new creation and your old sin-infected life is gone as we are in Christ, the risen Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). And this newness of us in the risen Christ is reconciliation, as reflected in the Gospel Reading of the Second Sunday of Paschaltide (Divine Mercy Sunday), John 20:19-31.

As our life is renewed with the death and the resurrection of the incarnated Christ, through the Holy Spirit, we become truly faithful, as Abraham was to God. This Abrahamic model of faithfulness is reflected in the Second Reading of Paschal Vigil Mass (Genesis 22:1-18).  And such faithfulness makes God’s covenant with us meaningful. So the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11) responds to this Second Reading with our absolute faithfulness to God, finding ourselves secure in Him and His providence.

In the Third Reading of Paschal Vigil Mass (Exodus 14:15-15:1), we recall how God’s providential care has saved us upon Passover into Exodus, by making dry land path in the Red Sea. God has delivered us from the slavery to sin and saved us from Satan’s attack, as He did to the Israelites, delivering them from the slavery of 430 years in Egypt (Exodus 12:40-41) and saving them through the safe passage in the Red Sea by His mighty power (Exodus 14:26-31).  So, we sing God’s such glorious saving power in the Responsorial Psalm (Exodos 15:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18) to the Third Reading.

The Fourth Reading (Isaiah 54:5-14) reflects God’s steadfast love, chesed, to us, in light of spousal covenantal love. God’s unfailing love, chesed, stands forever  and so does His covenant of peace with us, though the mountains and hills may be shaken and removed (Isaiah 54:11). And this enduring nature of God’s love is joyfully sung throughout Psalm 136. So, in our Responsorial Psalm (30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13), we praise the Lord for saving us with his faithful love, chesed.

Then, in the Fifth Reading (Isaiah 55:1-11), we further reflect God’s providential care on us while listening to His invitation to come to Him. Also we heed God’s call to make most out of the grace sent to us by Him. Namely, we are to be fruitful, as we are one with Christ and observing his commandment of love (John 15:1-17; cf. John 13:34-35). To this call of God to us, we respond in singing and praising with gratitude for drawing water of salvation for us in our Responsorial Psalm (Isaiah12:2-3, 4, 5-6). Yes, this water drawn by God is the living water that Jesus gave the Samaritan Woman (John 4:1-26), and namely the living water drawn by Jesus is the Holy Spirit (i.e. John 7:37-39).

The Sixth Reading (Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4) calls us to God’s Wisdom in His Law for prudence, strength, understanding, peace, and more. Though we neglected the Wisdom in the past, we now know that we are blessed with the Wisdom, for having been renewed through the incarnated Christ’s death and resurrection.  And the Wisdom of God sure comes with God’s words f everlasting life, as our Responsorial Psalm to this reading sings (Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11).  And the word of God is, namely, His wisdom for us to live a life of faith. The Wisdom of God through His word is, indeed, the word of everlasting life. No wonder that we cannot live on bread alone but on every word that comes out of God’s mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4). So we see a juxtaposition of the Word to the Living Bread of Life (John 6:35-51) for eternal life.

The renewed life through the incarnated Christ’s death and resurrection is also reflected in the Seventh Reading (Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28). In this reading, a motif of water, which is also found in the Fifth Reading (Isaiah 55:1-11), as the Holy Spirit, to give us  a new heart, replacing our old hardened heart, while cleansing us, as the water of the Baptism does. And this renewal is for the sake of God’s holiness (sacredness), which was profaned by our sins. In the Responsorial Psalm (42:3, 5; 43:3, 4), we seek the water of cleansing and renewal, the water of new life, the Holy Spirit, like a der that longs for fresh stream water, going to the alter of God with gladness and joy.  And in another Responsorial Psalm (51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19), if there is no candidate to be baptized during the Vigil Mass, with a humble and contrite heart, we cried out our desire for a clean heart by the Holy Spirit, a willing Spirit of God for our sustenance, once again, as we have during Lent.

Now the Paschal Vigil Epistle (Romans 6:3-11) reflects the Sacrament of Baptism, the first Sacrament of formation. In this, Paul reminds us that it is not only cleansing but to live a renewed life in the risen Christ, dying and buried with him into death, as he had died on the Cross. And the Baptism, being raised to a new life in the risen Christ means having been delivered from the slavery to sin.

Yes, through his death and resurrection, Jesus, the incarnated Christ, has given us the ultimate Passover, for delivering us into the freedom not in the desert in Exodus but freedom in him and in the Holy Spirit!

Now, the Gospel Reading of Paschal Vigil Mass (Matthew 28:1-10 (A)// Mark 16:1-8 (B)//Luke 24:1-12) and the Gospel Reading of Paschal Sunday Mass (John 20:1-9) recall how the disciples reacted to the resurrection. Rather than joy, it was fear that they had, in addition to confusion.  None of them was able to figure out that the open and empty tomb of Jesus meant his resurrection. An angel had to remind that the tomb was empty because Jesus had risen.

The Paschal joy did not really kick in until the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples in the firmly locked Cenacle in the evening of the day of the resurrection, as the Gospel Reading of the Second Sunday of Paschaltide (Divine Mercy Sunday(John 20:19-31) humbly reminds us. Nevertheless, the lives of the disciples were renewed and set to receive the powerful Holy Spirit on Pentecost to form one holy catholic apostolic Church.

Paschal Vigil Mass celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ to renew us and the rest of the creation. This is a pivotal point in the unfolding of the Paschal Mystery, which spans from the incarnation of Christ in Mary’s womb to the ascension of the Lord.

Good Friday: The Day Our Salvation was Hung on the Cross due to Our Evil

Good Friday admonishingly reminds how cruel we can become against each other and how God responded to this human evil at its worst. In fact, we have projected the ugliest of the ugly evil of the humanity against God the Son, Christ, incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus. So, he suffered in utmost agony and died as painfully as a human can, as the Passion Gospel of Good Friday (John 18:1-19:42) describes.

Seeing how our sins have led to the suffering and death of the incarnated Christ on this day, we do need to look deeply and thoroughly into ourselves if there is anything that can make us as evil as those had plotted to have him killed and as evil as those who shouted to Pilate to “crucify him”.

The Gospel Reading (John 18:1-19:42), in particular, John 18:38-19:16, tells how powerful people’s desire to have Jesus killed. Pilate declared Jesus to be innocent (John 18:38) though they had brought him to this Roman governor to be executed according to the Roman law. But they kept pressing Pilate to kill Jesus, telling that he would not be a fried of Caesar if he did not have Jesus killed when he tried to release him (John 19:12).

What had made them so fanatic in wanting Jesus to be killed? Many of them gave hero’s welcome, waving palm branches and spreading cloaks for Jesus to enter the holy city, Jerusalem (Matthew 21:8), while shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest”(Matthew 21:9), recognizing Jesus as the prophesized Messiah King riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). They recognized Jesus as the Son of David, the Messianic King, and welcomed him so enthusiastically. But within the same week, they had become so fanatic in their hatred toward Jesus.

In fact, this is a textbook phenomenon of mass persuasion to turn the crowd who welcomed Jesus into the murderous mob. It was the small group of religious leaders who had wanted Jesus to be killed out of envy (Matthew 27:19) managed to persuade them (Matthew 27:29). These leaders were the ones who brought a bogus charge against Jesus by putting false witnesses against him in order to justify killing Jesus (Matthew 26:59-60). Though these evil-hearted religious leaders charged Jesus with blasphemy (Matthew 26:63-68; cf. John 19:7), they pressed a different charge against him: being king of the Jews (John 18:28-38; 19:2-22). Because it did not matter to the Roman authority whether Jesus had committed blasphemy to the God of the Jews, and the Jews did not have the authority to execute anyone, the wicked religious leaders had to come up with a charge that could be regarded as a violation of the Roman law. By pressing charge against Jesus as a threat to Caesar for being king of the Jews, they had hoped that Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of the province of Judea, would execute. However, Pilate declared Jesus to be innocent. So, they mobilized the crowd to pressure Pilate by saying, “If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar”(John 19:12). And the evil chief priest said to Pilate, “We have no king but Caesar”(John 19:15), though he and his colleagues persuaded the crowd to release Barabbas, who led a violent attempt to rebel against the Romans, in order to have Jesus killed, instead (Matthew 27:20).

This Good Friday story is not just about the evil of the wicked religious leaders and the murderous mob persuaded by them, tenaciously pressuring Pilate to have Jesus killed. It is a story about an ugly side of the humanity being exposed and projected to God the Son. But, in the eyes of God, this had to happen for good to overcome evil. For this reason, God sent His only begotten Son to us (John 3:16), incarnated (John 1:14) in the human flesh of Jesus through Mary the Immaculate Conception and the Blessed Virgin, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:28-35). So, he has dwelled among us (John 1:14) as our great high priest obedient to God the Father so that he becomes the source of our salvation, as the Second Reading of Good Friday (Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9) describes.  And he endured the utmost agony and died on the Cross as the suffering servant of God the Father in order to fulfill the prophesy, which is the First Reading of Good Friday (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).

Jesus the incarnated Christ suffered and died greatly not only because of the evil that we inflicted on him but because he nevertheless loved us.  And through his suffering and death, Jesus hoped that our God-given capacity to love is awaken and activated by his greatest love to draw us to God. In other words, Jesus, suffered and died, as the Lamb of God who takes away our sin (John 1:29), washing whatever makes us evil with his blood (1 John 1:7-9; cf. John 19:34; Hebrews 9:22 cf. Revelation 7:13-14), and as our merciful high priest (Hebrews 2:17).

Whenever we hurt someone, we are hurting Jesus, again and again. Whenever an innocent person is killed, whether this person is still in one’s mother’s womb or out of the womb, Jesus is crucified again and again.

How many times do we need to let Jesus suffer and be crucified to truly love one another?  Remember, on this day which we commemorate the death of the incarnated Christ, we hung our salvation on the Cross.