Jesus Brings the Divine Mercy Through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection

Octave Sunday of Paschaltide, the Sunday after the Resurrection Sunday, is called the Divine Mercy Sunday, because it was Jesus’ expressed desire for his Church to solemnly cerebrate the Divine Mercy. He appeared and said to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, in 1934:

I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy (Diary of St. Faustina, 299).

In 1936, Jesus said to St. Faustina further more on the Divine Mercy Sunday:

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 (ibid. 699).

On this Sunday, the risen Jesus invites us to his tender mercy, the Divine Mercy, as he did to his disciples on the night of his resurrection and to skeptical Thomas on the night of the Sunday after the resurrection Sunday, as described in the Gospel Reading (John 20:19-31). In appearing to the disciples, the risen Jesus did not ask the disciples why they ran away from him, abandoning him, upon his arrest on the night before his death after his agonizing prayer in Gethsemane (e.g. Matthew 26:50; cf. 26:31; cf. Zechariah 13:7; John 16:32). He did confront and address their weak faith and compromised loyalty. Rather, he offered peace twice (John 20:19). But as to remind of their sin – the sin of the world, which condemned him, the risen Jesus showed his hands, where nail marks were (John 20:25), and his side, where a deep wound of Roman soldier’s lance (John 19:34) (John 20:20a). Of course, showing his wounds in his risen body was not to press on the disciples’ guilt but to show that his resurrection was a reality. So they rejoiced, seeing the real Jesus being risen (John 20:20b). This is, indeed, how the Divine Mercy began to manifest through the risen Jesus and how it turned the disciples’ fear and doubt into peace and joy. Being the embodiment of the Divine Mercy, the peace that the rise Jesus offered was the peace that he had promised during the Lord’s Supper, instituting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist:

Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid (John 14:27).

The risen Jesus offered his peace not just once but twice on the night of the day of his resurrection. When he offered peace for the second time, he was indicating the disciples’ apostolic mission upon receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. So the rise Jesus said:

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

Then he poured his breath upon the disciples (John 20:22) and said:

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

With the second offering of his peace, the risen Jesus poured the Holy Spirit through his gentle breath on the disciples to signal the coming of the powerful Holy Spirit on Pentecost (acts 2:1-4), after his ascension into heaven (Acts 1:6-9).. This reflects Jesus’ discourse on the Holy Spirit as another Parakletos during the Lord’s Supper on the night before his death (John 14:16-20, 26: 15:26-27; 16:5-16). Therefore, the risen Jesus’ offering of the Holy Spirit through his breath, along with his peace, to the disciples on that night was to foretell the disciples of their commissioning (Matthew 28:19-20//Mark 16:14-18; Luke 24:44-49).

It is also important to note that the risen Jesus also established the Sacrament of Reconciliation by giving the disciples the authority to forgive sins on his behalf, upon offering the Holy Spirit and peace (John 20:23).

In the first part of the Gospel Reading (John 20:19-23), we see the Divine Mercy manifested through the risen Jesus in his appearance to the disciples, who were hiding in fear, on the night of the day of his resurrection, and how the Divine Mercy was offered to them – through his peace and the Holy Spirit. Then, this Gospel narrative also describe how the Divine Mercy transformed not only the disciples fear and doubt into peace and joy but directed the disci0les’ life into a new one by foretelling of their apostolic commission and giving them the authority to administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation – to be sent out not only to testify the Divine Mercy but also to practice the Divine Mercy through their apostolic pastoral ministries, including taking care of sinners through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

The second part of the Gospel Reading (John 2:24-31) features how the Divine Mercy of the risen Jesus transformed skeptical Thomas into a disciple of firm faith (vv.24-29). Though he knew that Thomas would not believe without inspecting physical evidence of the resurrection by himself, Jesus did not rebuke him. Instead, he let Thomas do what he would need to believe – letting him use his finger and hands to examine the wound marks of Jesus’ risen body, to encourage him to believe (John 20:27). Then, Thomas immediately believed, saying, “My Lord and my God!”(John 20:28). This gives an example of how the Divine Mercy turns even stubborn doubt into strong belief. And the Divine Mercy allows the skeptics to examine thoroughly, if it is necessary for them to believe. The Divine Mercy does not criticize those who demand empirical evidence to believe. However, Jesus reminds that physical evidence is not necessary to believe. So he 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). 

In the context of the Divine Mercy, this statement of the rise Jesus was not to say that Thomas was less blessed because he needed empirical evidence to believe. Rather, it is to encourage him to strive for being able to believe even without tangible evidence so that he would be more blessed. 

The above words of Jesus to Thomas about believing without seeing physical evidence (John 20:29) is a sign of a new life as a result of being benefitted from the Divine Mercy, according to the Second Reading (1 Peter 1:3-9). In this reading, Peter describes that the blessed God gives a new life to a living hope in His great mercy, namely the Divine Mercy through the resurrection of Jesus, the Son (1 Peter 1:3). A living hope is essential to believe – to have faith. In fact, faith (believing) is defined in relation to hope in this sentence:

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

It is not just hope but a living hope that matters, because it is what the Divine Mercy brings upon the resurrection of Jesus. Indeed, the Divine Mercy is also associated with the Holy Spirit to augment our hope as a living hope to fortify our faith. So Paul wrote:

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance. In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will (Romans 8:24-27).

As the Divine Mercy manifests with peace and the Holy Spirit (i.e. John 20:21-22), we can pray for the Holy Spirit to intercede for us to overcome our weakness in faith because our hope is too weak to believe without evidence. This way, we can endure our groanings with a living hope. 

What the Divine Mercy that comes upon Jesus’ resurrection brings is not only a new life of a living hope for eschatological salvation but to the imperishable and everlasting heavenly inheritance, safeguarded by the power of God and through our faith (1 Peter 1:4-6).  So we can rejoice over such benefits of the Divine Mercy through hope and faith even though we may have to endure trials to refine our faith’s genuiness for praise, honor, and glory of Jesus’ return at the eschaton (1 Peter 1:7-8). This shall lead us to salvation of our souls as we become able to believe and love Jesus even we do not see him in our naked eyes with an indescribable and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Now we know how the Divine Mercy can strengthen our faith in Jesus, hope for his Parousia to us, and our love for him, with joy, through peace, empowered by the Holy Spirit! 

The holy catholic (universal) apostolic Church was conceived on the night before his death by Jesus with his new commandment to love one another as he has loved (John 13:34), demonstrated by him washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:13-17), and with the institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (e.g. Luke 22:14-21). The Church before the resurrection was in her embryonic form. Then, it was transformed into a fetus form on the night of Jesus’ resurrection with the Divine Mercy, as the risen Jesus offered his peace and the Holy Spirit in his gentle breath to her, telling her to be sent out as the Father has sent him, and instituting the Sacrament of Reconciliation by giving the disciples the authority to forgive sins (John 20:19-23). This fetus form of the Church is to be born with the powerful Holy Spirit on Pentecost to give testimony of the Divine Mercy, serving as a refuge and a shelter of souls, especially for poor sinners. Indeed, the Church being a vehicle of the Divine Mercy on earth means serving as a field hospital for souls wounded by sins, as in Pope Francis’ ecclesiological view, and as a dispenser of the medicine of mercy, as Pope St. John XXIII described. 

In the First Reading (Acts 2:42-47), we see how the nascent Church was as a community fully endowed with the Divine Mercy. It was where everyone was devoted to Jesus’ teaching, passed on by the apostles and to a communal life of sharing bread by breaking it. Not to mention, they were all devoted to prayers and praising God with sincerity of their hearts.  In this newborn Church upon Pentecost, everyone is willing to share what they had with others. There was no one to act egocentrically. Thus, there was peace, harmony, and joy, giving thanks to God for His mercy. And this is well-reflected in the refrain of the Responsorial Psalm: 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His love is everlasting (Psalm 118:1).

Here, His love is chesed in Hebrew. It also means mercy. There is another Hebrew word for mercy, rachem, derived from rechem, which means a womb. Compared to rachem, chesed as mercy refers to steadfast mercy, while rachem has more emotional connotation, as it often refers to compassionate mercy. By singing the above refrain, we acknowledge the Divine Mercy to be steadfast, therefore, it is everlasting. And we are so blessed to be beneficiaries of the Divine Mercy as the Church.  At the same time, we, as the Church, are ambassador of the Divine Mercy, taking care of souls wounded with sins, prescribing and dispensing the medicine of mercy, in a field hospital on the battle ground, as we fight against evil in the world. 

The Resurrection of the Incarnated Christ: Paschal Victory for Us to Do God’s Will on Mission

Christus resurrexit! Alleluiah! Christ is risen! Alleluia! 

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it! (Psalm 118:24)

This is the refrain of the Paschal Sunday responsorial Psalm to express our Paschal joy. 

Paschal Sunday is to celebrate the triumph of Christ, who sacrificed himself as Paschal Lamb, over death. So more words of this victory Psalm, Psalm 118, are sung:

The joyful shout of deliverance is heard in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand works valiantly; the Lord’s right hand is raised; the Lord’s right hand works valiantly.” I shall not die but live and declare the deeds of the Lord (Psalm 118:15-17, vv 16-17 are sung for Paschal Sunday Mass)

The right hand of the Lord (Psalm 118:15-16) symbolizes the immeasurably mighty power of the Lord (cf. Isaiah 52: 10).  The Lord’s right hand is also known as His holy hand and sung as His victory in another Psalm:

Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done marvelous deeds. His right hand and holy arm have won the victory. The Lord has made his victory known; has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations, He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God (Psalm 98:1-3, sung on the 6th Sunday of Paschaltide, Cycle B)

The Resurrection of the incarnated Christ, Jesus, on the third day from his death on the Cross, is the Paschal victory (i.e. Acts 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 2 Timothy 1:10; cf. Revelation 5:5-13). It shows the power of the right and holy arm of God Almighty (אֵל שַׁדַּי, El Shaddai). As reflected in Paschal proclamation, also known as the Exultet, this is what God’s constant salvific work throughout history has culminated. And the seven Old Testament readings (Genesis 1:1-2:2; Genesis 22:1-18; Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 14:15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28)  of Paschal Vigil Mass reflect how God has been working for us and our salvation ever since the Creation out of His חסד “chesed”, steadfast love. Thus, together with Exultet, these seven readings, are juxtaposable to Pesach Haggadah, as it recalls and retells how God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt, through Passover and crossing the Red Sea, In this sense, Paschal Vigil Mass is a grand celebration of how God’s salvific power has manifested through the incarnated Son, the Christ, as the victorious Paschal Lamb, fulfilling the prophesy in the fourth servant song (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). Indeed, Paschal Vigil Mass is Christian Pesach (Passover). 

As Passover cannot be observed and the Israelites could have not been saved without slaughtering an unblemished lamb as korban Pesach (Exodus 12:3-14), Jesus, the incarnated Christ the Son of God, died on the Cross as the Passover Lamb of God (i.e. John 1:29; 19:14-42), so that his previous blood, the new covenant, can save us. The resurrection, therefore, validates (i.e. 1 Corinthians15:12-19) the saving power of his blood (i.e. 1 Peter 1:18-19). And through his blood, we have become beneficiaries of the new eternal covenant (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; cf. Jeremiahs 31:31-34). 

Upon the establishment of the New Covenant through the blood of Christ shed on the Cross, confirmed and validated with his Resurrection, not only we are saved but called to do God’s will. So it is written:

May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21). 

Christ the risen Paschal Lamb is, indeed, the great shepherd (Hebrews 13:20), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), who is now leading us to Galilee (Matthew 28:10; cf. 26:32) in order to complete the preparation for our apostolic commission to do God’s will (i.e. Matthew 28:18-20). Of course, to us, Galilee is not the geographical Galilee but the basics of Christ’s teaching, as it is where he began (Matthew 4:12-25). Then, we will receive the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem on Pentecost (Acts 1:4-11; 2:1-13; cf. John 14:15-31; 16:5-16) to conclude Paschaltide, after the risen Christ ascends into heaven from the Mount of Olives (i.e. Luke 24:50-53; cf. 19:29).  Here, as Galilee is so, Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives are figurative. It means that we go back to Galilee, where Jesus laid the foundation of his salvific ministry, bringing it to Jerusalem, before walking to Calvary to offer up himself on the Cross as the Paschal Lamb. When we move from Galilee to Jerusalem with the risen Christ, he will commission us before his ascension on the Mount Olive. Then, we will stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit descends upon us. As we make this post-Resurrection journey with the risen Christ from Galilee to Jerusalem for the first 40 days of Paschaltide, we go over his teaching to make sure we understand, as the two disciples did when they walked to Emmaus with the risen Christ (Luke 24:13-32). With firm understanding of Christ and his teaching, we are ready to send him off to the Father in heaven and receive the powerful Holy Spirit be sent.

Now withthe  Paschal Victory, we return to Galilee with the risen Christ and journey to Jerusalem through Paschaltide to be ready for Pentecost, so that we will do the will of God on our respective apostolic missions with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

From Eden to Golgotha: Evolution of the Original Sin and the Death of Jesus on the Cross

We commemorate the death of Jesus, the incarnated Christ, on Friday of the Passion of the Lord, also known as, “Good Friday”. It is the Friday of Holy Week.  It is the day when Jesus goes through progressively increasing agonies and excruciating pain to death on the Cross. It is the day when we, the faithful, also walk with Christ on the road to Calvary (Golgotha), so that, as Paul has (Galatians 2:20), we are crucified with Christ, like the penitent crucified criminal, also known as “the good thief” , who said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”(Luke 23:42), so that we no longer live an ego-centric life but live a Christ-centric life, a life by faith, as Christ lives in us. 

Crucifixion was a method of execution given to most despicable non-Roman citizen criminal under the Roman law. And it is how Jesus was condemned. Gospel passion narratives (Matthew 26:36-27:61//Mark 14:43-15:47//Luke 22:47-23:56; John 18:1-19:42)  describe not only how Jesus endured beatings but also insults. Those who were expressively contemptuous to Jesus were those who demanded Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to crucify him, even though Pilate found no reason to be executed (John 19:38; 19:6b). And they were those who enthusiastically welcomed him , shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”(Matthew 27:9), thinking that he was the Messianic Davidic King, who was prophesized to triumphantly enter Jerusalem by riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9), coming from the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1; Ezekiel 43:2), on the first day of that week.

So why did these people of Jerusalem change their mind so fast, from fervent acceptance to hostile rejection within short five days? And why did the Pharisees, Scribes, chief priests, and the high priest, wanted kill Jesus obsessively to a point bringing false witnesses to the Sanhedrin to justify their hatred to him (Matthew 26:59-60).

As for the people, it was because Jesus turned out to be the kind of Messiah they had hoped and thought. Jesus did not come to Jerusalem to wage a war against Caesar to fee Israel from the Roman rule to recover Israel’s sovereignty, in restoring the mighty Davidic kingdom. Their bubble of hope was busted and turned into disappointment and resentment. This psychological state was a fertile ground for hatred and hostility to grow. Imagine you found out that what you had hoped for was nothing but a false hope. You would feel betrayed.  So the religious leaders poured highly flammable gas on the drowd's sparks of indignantation toward Jesus, persuading them to let the Roman authorities to execute Jesus (i.e. Matthew 27:20).

Religious leaders, such as the Pharisees, the Scribes, and chief priests, held grudge toward Jesus for a long time. They had an issue with him ever since he healed a paralyzed man on a Sabbath day (John 5:1-46).  Their animosity toward Jesus festered into murderous rancor (John 7:1, 25-32, 44-5; 8:59; 10:31. 39; 11:45-57). By the time Jesus entered Jerusalem on the first day of the week, they were determined to arrest and kill him. Then, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, betrayed Jesus and cut a devil’s deal with them for 30 silver coins (Matthew 26:14-16). This enabled them to arrest Jesus (Matthew 26:47-56//Mark 14:43-50//Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11).

Once Jesus was held in the blood-thirsty hands of the religious leaders, they put him on trial by bringing false witnesses against him to justify their murderous desire by charging him with blasphemy for all his teaching and signs (Matthew26:57-68//Mark 14:53-65). To justify their evil with the Law, they knew they were violating the Law against a false witness (Exodus 20:16. 23:7). And they sure knew that testifying falsely results in due condemnation (Deuteronomy 19:16-21). Nevertheless, they took the Law in their own evil hands to condemn Jesus. Their murderous desire was so out of control to a point of blinding themselves to the Law. 

So how did these religious leaders grow in blood-thirsty to Jesus even by violating the Law? 

To answer this question, Pilate had an insight on this matter and said it as their envy of Jesus (Matthew 27:18). In other words, out of their envy, their desire to kill Jesus grew. 

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1866, envy is one of the seven deadly sins, associated with pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, and sloth. These are psychological marks of a ego-centric life. And they certainly had many of these, especially pride and greed for self-glorification, instead of letting God be praised (i.e. Matthew 16:6; 23:5), as well as anger to feed their murderous rage (Matthew 26:65-68//Mark 14:63-64).

Now we see, this set of vices, stemming from ego-centeredness, grown into the seven deadly sins, especially a combination of envy and wrath, is what was driving for the Sanhedrin to conspire Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to have Jesus crucified. The former knew that there were no legitimate witness against Jesus. The later once declare Jesus innocent. But envy-driven rage, spreading to the crowd, who once welcomed him as their long-waited Messiah-King, put Jesus in excruciating agony into death on the Cross. 

We see how envy, which is a mark of ego-centric life had evolved in murdering Jesus, manipulating the crowd and Pilate. But we find the murder of Abel committed by Abel on the same spectrum, as a consequence of the sin of Cain’s parents, Adam and Eve.

In Eden, the Original  Sin resulted in ego consciousness, and its first symptom was shame (Genesis 3:6-7). So Adam and Eve hid themselves from God (Genesis 3:10). When God found them and confronted, they refused to take responsibility for sin. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the Tempter, the Satan in the disguise of a serpent, the tempter (Genesis 3:11-13).

The ego-consciousness from the Original Sin resulted in shame that Adam and Eve experienced, prompting them to hide from God. Then, in the first-born son of Adam and Eve, Cain, this manifested as envy of his younger brother Cain, resulting in Cain’s murder of Abel because God favored Abel’s offering but not Cains. (Genesis 4:1-8).

Cain was envy because God did not accept his offering but only Abel’s. The religious leaders were envy of  Jesus because he was gaining far great attention than they did to themselves (i.e. John 12:17-19). Jesus’ increasing popularity certainly hurts them as their ego-centricism and greet for popularity makes Jesus a threat to their egos. So, as Cain killed his younger brother, letting his envy of Abel manifest in murder, they also let their envy of Jesus lead to killing him.

Now we can see how the Original Sin in Eden has evolved in the killing of Jesus in Golgotha. 

In order to lean a critical lesion from how Jesus was put to death on that Friday, we must guard ourselves against these seven deadly sins. We cannot reduce the death of Jesus to our salvation. In fact, though we are saved by his innocent blood flew from his body on the Cross, we may not be fully redeemed in his Kingdom when he returns to judge us unless we overcome our ego-centric tendency to fall to these seven deadly sins.

Behold Jesus on the Cross and guard ourselves from envy and all other vices, resulting from our ego-centric disposition, which is a stain of the Original Sin.  This way, we will not crucify him again.  For this, we must crucify ourselves with Jesus for a new life, centered in him. This is reflected on our Paschal hope! 

The Conception of the Living Church at the Lord's Supper

On the first day of the week, the incarnated Christ, Jesus, entered Jerusalem from the city’s east side, coming through the Mount Olives, riding on a donkey. His entry was triumphant as the daughters of Zion enthusiastically welcomed him, shouting, "Hosana to the Son of David!" and waving palm branches, spreading cloaks on his path. Christ entered Jerusalem as the Messianic Davidic King to consumate his salvific ministry on earth to enter the passion and to die and to resurrect, besore returning to the Father, so that the Holy Spirit would be sent to let the Church be born. However, the crowd thought that he came to Jerusalem to liberate Israel from the heavy Roman yokes, a king to defeat Caesar. 

On Thursday of the week, the living Church was conceived in the hearts of the disciples by Christ’s love for them during the Lord’s Supper on the night before his death. As he washed the disciples’ feet, Christ planted the seed of his Church in each disciple. By commanding them to love one another as he had loved, Christ intended his living Church to build his Kingdom on earth with love he gave them, It is love of humble service, as demonstrated by Christ washing the disciples’ feet. 

At the supper, Christ established the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist with bread and wine, offering his body, blood, soul, and divinity. He reminded that his blood is the New Covenant. Under the New Covenant, unlike the Old Covenant, it was the incarnated Christ’s self-sacrifice once for all, instead of sacrificing animals year after year to remember Passover and to atone our sins with God on Yom Kippur.  

Following the supper, Christ spoke of his departure from this world, referring to his ascension in heaven to return to the Father. He also promised the Holy Spirit to be sent as another Parakletos, while he is the Parakletos. This way, he assured that he would not leave the disciples as orphans, because he is always with them, whether he is visible with his body or not. This way, he reminded them that they can remain in him and his love with a metaphor of a vine and its branches.  This, in fact, is a description of the Church to be born with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, because, as Christ the vine and the disciples the branches are one, the Church is one living body with many parts of Christ, as he is the head. So in his high priestly prayer, Christ prayed for oneness. 

Then, Christ entered the Passion and walked his path to the Cross.

Though his feet was washed and he shared the bread with Christ at the supper, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, betrayed Christ, and helped those who wanted to kill Christ arrest him. These people whom Judas helped were religious leaders, members of the Sanhedrin, finding Christ "offensive" to their "business", because he did works of healing on Sabbath days, raised Lazarus from the dead, and cleansed the Temple, confronting how they had corrupted the house of God. 

Upon arresting Christ, first, they put a false charge of blasphemy on him to justify his death sentence according to the Mosaic Law, though they grossly violated this Law by setting up false whitnesses against him. Then, to let the Roman authority kill Christ, they brought him to the Roman Governor, Pilate, with a false accusation that he claimed himself as king of the Jews, a threat to Caesar and peace of the Roman Empire. But Pilate did not find Christ guilty according to the Roman Law.  Therefore, Pilate was thinking to relase Christ. But these members of the Sanhedrin pursuated the crowd to demand Pilate to erucify Christ. So they did fanatically. These were the same crowd who welcomed Christ on the first day of the week. In the meantime, except John, the rest of the disciples, whom Christ washed their feet and had the supper with, scattered away out of fear of being arrested for their association with Christ.  Even Peter, who once boasted of his loyalty to Christ to death at the supper, denied his association with him three times, when questioned.

Abandoned by his disciples, rejected by the daughters of Zion, Christ was beaten, mocked, forced to carry his heavy Cross, and nailed to it.

This was a prenatal Church's great crisis. 

While on the Cross, he gave his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the fetus form of the Church, the disciples, as the Mother of the Church.  Upon his expiration, blood and water flew out of his body on the Cross: the blood of the New Covenant and the living water, the Holy Spirit, going through kenosis for the Church to be born. 

On the third day from his death on the Cross, Christ rose, and the powerful Holy Spirit was involved. After 40 days, the resurrected Christ ascended into heaven  from east of Jerusalem. And 10 days later, on Pentecost, the mighty Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in unity, and thus, the living Church was born! 

In fact, the Bride of Christ was born, as she is the Church, whom Christ the Lamb is to marry, upon his return at eschaton, to live in union in New Jerusalem. The Eucharist will be served until that time in the Church until her nuptial union with Christ in heaven. 

After his resurrection and before his ascension, Christ commanded Peter, the first Pope, to make sure his sheep are taken care by the love he demonstrated and fed with the Eucharist, his body, blood, soul, and divinity, to make sure they are one and make the new exodus to heaven from this world. 

The living Church, Holy catholic apostolic Church, was conceived during the Supper of the Lord on the night before the incarnated Christ's death, out of his love to be propagated and to take care of his sheep, us the faithful, by the Eucharist, as established at the Supper, and other Sacraments. Even before her  birth, the Church experienced betrayal, denial, rejection, and traumatic violence  - aspects of humanity's darkness, manifestations of sins. Nevertheless, the Church was born on Pentecost by the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the darkness of the humanity with love of Christ so that eternal peace of the Christ's Kingdom will be established on earth.

What happened during Paschal Triduum will impact us all the way to heaven. 

Palm Sunday and Ad Orientem

 Mass of the Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord is preceded by blessing of palms and procession of presiding priest to the alter, while those who fill pews wave the blessed palm. Before this procession begins, Gospel narrative of Jesus’ triumphant entry in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11) is read. 

The way Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, from east, was to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy of the Davidic Messianic King’s coming (Zechariah 9:9). The fact that he entered from the east side of Jerusalem, as he was coming from Mt Olives, evokes Ezekiel22’s testimony of Yahweh’s coming to the post-exilic Temple as He returned to the restored Jerusalem and the Temple from east (Ezekiel 43:2). Before Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Babylonians, Yahweh left the Temple through east, upon promising of the new post-Exilic Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:23). Once Yahweh returns to the post-exilic Temple, the Second Temple, the city’s east gate was shut but His Son, the Prince, can enter through its portico and leave the same way for his priestly ministry such as fellowship offering (Leviticus 7:11-15) that priest consumes (Ezekiel 44:1-3). 

In fact, Jesus, the incarnated Christ, is not only the Messianic Davidic King (Luke 1:32-33; Isaiah 11:1-16;; Zechariah 9:9) and the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) but also the eternal High Priest of the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:1-10, 7:1-22), who comes to Jerusalem from east to offer himself as the ultimate Yom Kippur atonement sacrifice for us, sinners (Hebrews 7:27-28, 10:5-18; cf. ,Leviticus 16:1-33), as he is the merciful High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).

On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem from east as the Prince of Peace (i.e. Ezekiel 44:3; Isaiah 9:6) and the self-sacrificing High Priest (Hebrews 7:27-28, 10:9-12), riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:7-8; cf. Zechariah 9:9). So he offers himself on the Cross to complete his Priestly offering to save us. And when he returns to the Father in heaven, after his Resurrection, Jesus leaves Jerusalem from east, as his Ascension takes place on in the Bethany area, which is on the Mt. Olives (Luke 24:50), as Yahweh comes and goes (Ezekiel 11:23; 44:2) and the Prince comes and goes through east (Ezekiel 44:3).

The Palm Sunday procession, therefore, must be carried out from east to enter the sanctuary. This is why church buildings are to be built ad orientem, making their entrances face east. As Zechariah regarded the birth of Jesus as daybreak (Luke 1:78), he first came to us from east, figuratively speaking. So it is nice to let light of rising sun in the sanctuary everyday to remind Palm Sunday. and Nativity. 

The Annunciation of the Lord Points to Good Friday

 On March 25, the Church observes the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

This solemn feast is called “Annunciation” because it was the occasion when Archangel Gabriel offered greetings and announced to Mary of her conceiving the Son of the Lord God, the Most High, the eternal Davidic King, whose Kingdom has no end (Luke 1:31-33) and also of the pregnancy of Elizabeth, who is her relative of advanced age (Luke 1:36). 

The Annunciation is where Christology and Mariology meet and is reflected on the very first mystery of all the 20 mystery of the Holy Rosary as it is the First Joyful Mystery as it is the annunciation of Christ the Son reaching the earth from heaven and conceived in the womb of Mary who was betrothed to Joseph though she was virgin.

Christologically, this signifies the incarnation of Christ to dwell among us (John 1:1, 14), and Mariologically, this identifies her role as the handmaid of the Lord so that His will be done to her (Luke 1:38). This fiat (let it be done) statement of Mary, echoing God’s statement of “Let there be light”(Genesis 1:3), means “Let Christ the light (i.e. John 8:12) be”, Christologically speaking. This also means Mary’s submission to God’s will, making her the Theotokos, bearer of God, to serve Him as the human mother of His Son incarnated in the human flesh. In regard to this, Pope St. John Paul II sees the Annunciation, which is also the incarnation of Christ, as the initiation of the New Covenant (Redemptoris Mater). This also reminds us that we cannot appreciate Christ fully without Mary. In other words, there no complete Christology without Mariology, theologically speaking. 

As the Holy Rosary, which integrates Christology and Mariology, the very first mystery of its all 20 mysteries across the 4 categories of the mysteries, and it is the first Joyful Mystery. Moving from the Joyful Mystery to the Glorious Mystery, through the Luminous Mystery and the Sorrowful Mystery, we certainly see that the Annunciation is the moment of symbiosis of the incarnated Christ and Mary. On the third Joyful Mystery, which is the Nativity of the Lord, the incarnated Christ comes out of the symbiosis state and begins to grow outside Mary’s body. Then, moving to the First Luminous Mystery, the adult incarnated Christ is baptized by John the Baptist to initiate his public ministry, leading to his death and burial in the Sorrowful Mystery, and the resurrection to move to the Glorious Mystery, concluding with his reunification of Mary in heaven through the Assumption and Coronation of Mary, following the Ascension of the Lord. 

According to the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:26-38) of the Solemnity, Christ, the Theos-Logos (God the Word) (John 1:1) , was incarnated in the human flesh of a Jewish man, Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, the Blessed Virgin, who is the Immaculate Conception. This is also understood as the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Ahaz, a Davidic king, a virgin conceiving and giving birth to a son, described in the First Reading (Isaiah 7:10-14). 

Mary is understood as the Immaculate Conception, based on Archangel Gabriel’s acknowledgement of her as “kecharitomene (κεχαριτωμένη)”, which is translated as “gratia plena” in Latin and as “highly favored one” in English (Luke 1:28), based on Bl. John Duns Scotus’ interpretation. Based on this, Scotus argued that the human flesh of Jesus, the incarnated Christ, is unblemished because Mary is the Immaculate Conception, conceived completely free from any effect of the Original Sin, though humanly conceived in the womb of her mother, Anna. In 1854, Pope Bl. Pius IX promulgated the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, Mary, as an official doctrine of the Church in Ineffabilis Deus. 

So the question is why God sent His only begotten Son to us by way of what this solemn feast, the Annunciation, describes – letting Him incarnate in the human flesh in Mary, the Blessed Virgin, being the Immaculate Conception?

To answer this question, we find a key in the Second Reading (Hebrews 10:4-10).

This is about the incarnated Christ being the perfect sacrifice for Yom Kippur atonement with God rather than offering animal sacrifices year after year under the Law (Leviticus 16:1-19). In other words, only the blood of the incarnated Christ is truly acceptable to God once for all, not blood of sacrificial animals, to atone our sins. This also indicates the superiority of the New Covenant, which is represented with the blood of Christ (Luke 22:20; cf. Hebrews 9:15; cf. Jeremiah 31:31), over bull’s blood of the old covenant (Exodus 24:8). To further address the incarnated Christ being the perfect sacrifice offering for atonement and the New Covenant, we also find reference to Psalm 40:5-8 in Hebrew 10:5-7:

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.

These words from Psalm 40 are of David. As they also sound like words of Jesus, the incarnated Christ, there is a juxtaposition of Christ to David. And this reflects Archangel Gabriel’s announcement of Mary that the child conceived in her womb is the eternal Davidic King, as well as the Son of the Almighty Lord (Luke 1:32-33), fulfilling God’s covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:8-11).

Indeed, God has sent His only begotten Son by way of the incarnation of the human flesh of the Jewish man, Jesus, conceiving him in the womb of Mary, as she is the Immaculate Conception, in order to perfect the atonement sacrifice. This is why we have Hebrews 10:4-10 for the Second Reading of the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

Of course, the perfection of the atonement sacrifice by the incarnated Christ took place on the Cross, as commemorated on Good Friday, fulfilling the fourth servant song (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), which is the First Reading of Good Friday. 

There is another reason for God to have sent His Son incarnated through Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the Annunciation revealed. It is also to make Christ the perfect Korban Pesach (Paschal Sacrifice, Passover Sacrifice)(Exodus 12:5-14). Lamb to be sacrificed for Pesach (Passover) must be male and unblemished (Exodus 12:5). His flesh must be eaten, as roasted, and his blood protects, upon slaughtering him before sunset on the 14th day of Nisan (Exodus 12:6-13). So the incarnated Christ was killed on the Cross and placed in his tomb before sunset of that day, before the beginning of Pesach sabbath (John 19:38-42).  Thus, the incarnated Christ is Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi (The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world)(John 1:29), delivering us from the snare of sin as our New Pesach (New Passover). 

It is no coincidence this Solemnity, the Annunciation of the Lord’s incarnation in the Blessed Virgin’s womb, usually comes during Lent, as the incarnation points to his death on the Cross as the perfect Yom Kippur atonement sacrifice offering and as the perfect Korban Pesach (Passover Sacrifice). It is God’s will to save and redeem us, as He had done for the Israelites, delivering them from the slavery in Egypt through Passover. Because he was incarnated in the human flesh, his blood, the New Covenant,  enables us to atone our sins with God, making our salvation, instead of being condemned for our sins, making our Yom Kippur perfect. Not to mention, because he was incarnated, we benefit from the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the living bread of life and blood (John 6:32-58), established during the Lord’s supper on the night before his death (Luke 22:14-20).  Indeed, the Annunciation of the Lord points to the sacrifice of the Lord on Good Friday. 

A Reflection on Ash Wednesday to Begin a Lenten Journey of Salvific Transformation

On Ash Wednesday, also known as “Dies Cinerum” (Day of Ashes), we begin our Lenten journey, which leads us to the foot of the Cross on Good Friday so that we can celebrate the resurrection of the Lord on Paschal Sunday. Of course, our journey continues on beyond Paschal celebration in basking in the glory of our Lord’s resurrection. It will further take us to receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to solidify the inner transformation that begins on Ash Wednesday. 

Linking Ash Wednesday to Pentecost may seem strange or too-far-off. But, given extended contextual exegesis of the First Reading on Ash Wednesday Mass (Joel 2:12-18), returning to God with our whole hearts, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rending our hearts to God, will lead to be blessed materially and spiritually (Joel 2:18-3:2). The spiritual blessing of those who return to God with their whole hearts with contrition, mourning loss of their innocence and begging to God’s mercy (i.e. Joel 2:12-18) will further lead to eternal salvation in Jerusalem while their enemies are destroyed by Him (Joel 4:17-21). They are not condemned in His judgement (i.e. Joel 4:1-16). 

In the context of the Book of Joel, we are called to return to God with our whole hearts (Joel 2:12) because the day of the Lord is coming rather soon (Joel 2:1-11). In order to be saved, not to be condemned, on the day of the Lord, prophet Joel issues an alarm to abandon sinful life and whatever lead us to sin, so that we will be blessed and saved. In the Lenten context, the day of the Lord, the day of the judgement, is reflected on Good Friday. On that day, it is Christ who makes himself to be sin though he is sinless so that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). For this reason, Christ was incarnated (i.e. Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 14), and the incarnated Christ was baptized, saying that he needed to be baptized for all righteousness to be fulfilled (Matthew 3:15). Also remember, on Good Friday, we also die to sins as the incarnated Christ dies for our sins (i.e. 1 Peter 2:24).

Because he takes our sins on him and died and was buried (John 19:28-42), as Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ, of Loyola University, puts it, the incarnated Christ himself becomes ashes that we bear on Ash Wednesday.  It means that the ashes on our forehead reminds that we are ready to die to our sins when the incarnated Christ dies for our sins. Therefore, the ashes we bear on Ash Wednesday to begin our Lenten journey are not just ashes but a powerful symbol of our Lenten commitment to die to our sins so that we become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In order for us to commit to our Lenten transformational journey, not only that we need to acknowledge our sins and mourn loss of our innocence by bearing ashes and fasting, we also need to discipline ourselves so that our Lenten commitment, including prayer, almsgiving, and fasting, won’t become superficial, as reminded in the Gospel Reading (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18). Otherwise, we would make the ashes on our foreheads a show-off sign of our righteous acts. As Fr. Rosssmann puts it, these ashes on our foreheads are not anything like a “I voted” sticker. As we truly repent and mourn loss of our innocence, then we enter season of Lent with humility. So we pray at Ash Wednesday Mass:

Pour out a spirit of compunction, O God, on those who bow before your majesty, and by your mercy may they merit the rewards you promise to those who do penance. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ashes on our foreheads are, indeed, reminds us of our need of a spirit of compunction. Thus, the ashes also reflect what Paul described as a thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7), which keeps him from becoming haughty and prompts him to humbly seek grace from Christ (2 Corinthians 12:6-9). 

And our  Lenten humility and mourning of loss of our innocence and contrition shall be blessed by Christ, who said:

Blessed  are the poor in spirit, for there is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).

The Case of Good Samaritan: Fulfilling the Law by Our Actions of Love- the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

A theme of the Liturgy of the Word on the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, is the Law. In particular, it is about acting according to the Law, as we interpret it correctly, in orde to fulfill it.

Through Moses’ words, the First Reading (Deuteronomy 30:10-14) reminds us that the Law of God is so close to us and involves in our daily life. It is not abstract and incomprehensive.  Rather it is, indeed, a fabric of our life so that we stay on the right path with God. However, some experts of the Law abuse it to justify their certain sinful and immoral behaviors. So Jesus rebuked them quite harshly (Luke 11:39-52).

The Law of God is not meant to be contained in our heads. Rather, it is to be inscribed in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10; cf. Romans 2:15), and therefore it is to be carried out in our actions (Deuteronomy 30:14). Ultimately, the Law, as it is internalized in our conscience and serves as our moral intuition, is expressed through our actions of love toward God and neighbors. This is an important lesson from the Gospel Reading (Luke 10:25-37). Otherwise, we would commit abuses of the Law as the hypocrites did (e.g. Matthew 15:1-20//Mark 7:1-23).

In the Gospel Reading (Luke 10:25-37), a scholar of the law asked Jesus, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”, to test him (Luke 10:25). His motive was not sincere. It was like a wealthy official who asked Jesus the same question (Luke 18:18-23), because both the scholar of the law in Luke 10 and the rich official in Luke 18 asked Jesus a question on eternal life to justify themselves (Luke 10:29; 18:21).

In response to the scholar’s question, Jesus did not give a simple answer. Instead, he asked the scholar to find a reference in the Law (Torah) to inherit eternal life, saying:

What is written in the law? How do you read it? (Luke 10:26).

With the above question, Jesus is testing the scholar’s ability to read and interpret the Law. And the scholar cited two important commandments to answer his own question on eternal life: Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, saying:

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27).

Notice that this set of the commandments cited by the scholar of the Law does not say that loving God and a neighbor will entitle us to eternal life. However it is how he interprets these commandments to love. After all, he is an expert on the Law. He is confident in interpreting the Law. Though Jesus did not object, he did not simply affirm the scholar’s interpretation. So he commanded him not only to observe the Law as he interpreted but to live according to it for inheriting eternal life, saying:

You have answered correctly; do this and you will live (Luke 10:28).

An emphasis should be on “do this”, because the Law would not mean anything unless we “do” it. Interpreting the Law  is necessary but not sufficient for the purpose of it, for it must be observed in our daily actions. correctly.  That is why Moses also said this in regard to the Law:

It is something very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it (Deuteronomy 30:14).

The scholar of the Law could have promised Jesus to observe the commandments he cited to inherit eternal life, as commanded by Jesus, and go. However, he asked Jesus who his neighbor was to justify himself (Luke 10:29).

What does it mean that the scholar of the Law asking Jesus who his neighbor to love is for his self-justification?.

The scholar is certain that he already loves God, as commanded by Deuteronomy 6:5, which states, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength. This is absolute. On the other hand, however, he seems to think, in regard to the other commandment to love his neighbor as if he or she were himself (Leviticus 19:18), “neighbor” is defined rather relatively. In this thinking, whomever he considers as his neighbor is a neighbor, according to this thinking of hi, to justify the way he loves his neighbor.

To such a faulty thinking, Jesus speaks a parable about a Samaritan traveler, a priest, a Levite, and a man beaten by robbers, in order to let him answer his own question (Luke 10:30-36). This parable is known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan, only found in Luke’s Gospel. The parable says that a man, who was traveling to Jericho from Jerusalem, fell into the hands of robbers. The man was beaten, robbed, and left naked and half-dead on the road. A priest, who was traveling from Jerusalem, saw this victim of robbery but passed by on the other side, Then, a Levite was also traveling on the road and saw the beaten naked and half-dead man on the road. He also passed by on the other side, just as the priest did. But when a Samaritan traveler came to the sight, he was moved with compassion and came to the victim. Then he performed emergency treatment on the victim’s wounds with oil and wine. After this, he took the victim to a nearby inn and further cared for him. Next day, he gave the innkeeper money and aske him to take care of the victim and promised the innkeeper to pay more if the coast of care exceeds the amount he gave when he returns.

Having spoken this parable, Jesus asked the scholar of the Law, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”(Luke 10:36). “These three” refers to the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan traveler. To this question, the scholar correctly answered that it is the Samaritan traveler.  Then, Jesus said to him:

Go and do likewise (Luke 10:37).

There is no doubt that the scholar’s knowledge and abilities to interpret the Law were excellent. However, Jesus knew that he was not able to fulfill the Law as God desires, even though he was in the position to teach the Law. To let him recognize this problem, Jesus applied what is known as Socratic method, instead of simply answering the scholar’s question to be tested by him and to let him get way with his self-justification.  Telling the parable is a part of Jesus’ application of Socratic method.

Seeing the scholar correctly identifying who the neighbor to the victim, Jesus commanded him to be like the Samaritan traveler, whom he identified as the victim’s neighbor, in observing the commandment to love his neighbor. In doing so, perhaps, Jesus hoped that the scholar of the Law would not be like the priest and the Levite in the parable, who could use the Law as an excuse for their refusal to help the victim.

Then, what commandment in the Law that can be cited to justify the uncompassionate response to the victim?  

Actually, there is no commandment in the Law to excuse their callousness to the victim, because he was not dead (i.e. Leviticus 2:1-3). And his bleeding and discharge were not likely to be applicable to the prohibition in Leviticus 15:19-33. Therefore, the priest and the Levites rather had no love for their neighbor.

Being baptized and confirmed Catholics, we do not ask who our God is. If the Law is inscribed in our hearts, we are able to observe it in our actions of love, as the Samaritan traveler did to the victim. In fact, by our actions of love to our neighbors, the Law is fulfilled (i.e. Romans 8:10; Galatians 5:14).

Our neighbors are anyone being created in the image of the Triune God (Genesis 1:26-27). They are not limited to those who are in need, though they are our neighbors in priority of our love to fulfill the Law.  Everybody is a neighbor to everyone else, because we are many interrelated parts of one body of Christ, the Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). As reflected in the Second Reading (Colossians 1:15-20), we are not only neighbors to each other but also Christ’s neighbor, for he is the head (Colossians 1:18) and we are the rest of the body parts. We, together with all our neighbors, are created through him, the firstborn.Therefore, asking “Who are our neighbors” is just as ignorant as asking who is our Church and who is Christ.  Because Christ is also our neighbor, the head of the body, which we make up, loving our neighbors includes loving Christ (i.e. Matthew 25:34-36). If we fail to do this, we will forfeit eternal life (i.e. Matthew 25:37-46).

The Law is not found in the hearts of the self-righteous, who abuse the Law for self-justification,

The question that we must ask ourselves is:

Do we fulfill the Law by our daily actions of loving God and loving our neighbors?

It is a precondition that we know our neighbors are as we know God and the Church for us to fulfill the Law.

The Samaritan traveler, whom we call "Good Samaritan", is a good case study in regard to fulfilling the Law by way of our actions of love to God and our neighbors, 

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus - the Redemptive Shepherd's Love - Cycle C

The Roman Catholic Church observes the Solemnity Of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday of the week of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi Sunday). This is because Jesus himself explicitly expressed his desire to have this solemn feast of his Sacred Heart on Friday of the Octave of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675. It makes sense to observe this Solemnity to honor and adore Jesus’ Sacred Heart on Friday during the Octave of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ because the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a part of the Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ.

According to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom Jesus appeared five times, it is his desire to redeem those who have been deceived by Satan from their ways to eternal damnation.  So she wrote on July 2, 1674, upon Jesus’ second appearance to her:

My Divine Master revealed to me that it was His ardent desire to be known, loved, and honored by men, and His eager desire to draw them back from the road to perdition, along which Satan is driving them in countless numbers, that induced Him to manifest His Heart to men with all the treasures of love, mercy, grace, sanctification, and salvation that It contains.

On Cycle C, the First Reading (Ezekiel 34:11-16) and the Gospel Reading (Luke 15:3-7) reflect the redemptive nature of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in connection with God the righteous shepherd who find and bring home lost and scattered sheep with him so that they can be nourished. This is echoed in the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 23:1-3a,3b-4,5,6).

Through deceptions and temptations, Satan distracts us from our way of salvation. As a result, we have become misled by him and put on a road to perdition. To this, those who were entrusted by God to care for us, God’s sheep, let Satan and his associates get away with their evil acts to steal God’s sheep into their way to destruction. To this, God expresses strong condemnation against Satan and his evil associates and useless shepherds. At the same time, God the Father vows to redeem these lost sheep by Himself. So, He has sent His begotten Son as the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18), being hypostatic union with one another and  being consubstantial with each other (John 10:30), for the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son (John 10:38).

Indeed, the above words of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque on the redemptive character of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus reflects these passages:

Thus says the Lord God: Look! I am coming against these shepherds. I will take my sheep out of their hand and put a stop to their shepherding my flock, so that these shepherds will no longer pasture them. I will deliver my flock from their mouths so it will not become their food. For thus says the Lord God: Look! I myself will search for my sheep and examine them. As a shepherd examines his flock while he himself is among his scattered sheep, so will I examine my sheep. I will deliver them from every place where they were scattered on the day of dark clouds. I will lead them out from among the peoples and gather them from the lands; I will bring them back to their own country and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and every inhabited place in the land. In good pastures I will pasture them; on the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down on good grazing ground; in rich pastures they will be pastured on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest—oracle of the Lord God. The lost I will search out, the strays I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, and the sick I will heal; but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them in judgment (Ezekiel 34:10-16).

God the Shepherd comes to redeem us in the incarnated Christ, Jesus, the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18) through his Most Sacred Heart. This was prophesized by Jereimah against “false shepherds” who can be Satan and his evil associates in disguise. So Jeremiah wrote on behalf of God:

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of my pasture—oracle of the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them, but I will take care to punish your evil deeds. I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have banished them and bring them back to their folds; there they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear or be terrified; none shall be missing—oracle of the Lord.  See, days are coming—oracle of the Lord— when I will raise up a righteous branch for David; As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name to be given him: “The Lord our justice” (Jeremiah 23:1-6).

The Good Shepherd who comes to redeem us from a road to perdition, Jesus, is Davidic King (Luke 1:32-33; Romans 1:1-4; cf. Jeremiah 23:5; cf. 2 Samuel 7:12–16). And it is his Most Sacred Heart that comes to redeem the lost and scattered so that he can nourish and lead them to salvation and to his Kingdom.

The Second Reading (Romans 5:5b-11) reflects that redemptive nature of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in an image of the Good Shepherd, represents God’s love. And these words of Paul reflect the redemptive love of God in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus:

God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life (Romans 5:8-10).

Indeed, Jesus himself spoke of his Most Sacred Heart as such redemptive love to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque during his fourth and final appearance to her in June, 1675:

Behold this Heart which has so loved men that It spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and consume Itself, to prove to them Its love. And in return I receive from the greater part of men nothing but ingratitude, by the contempt, irreverence, sacrileges and coldness with which they treat Me in this Sacrament of Love. But what is still more painful to Me is that even souls consecrated to Me are acting in this way. Therefore I ask of you that the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be dedicated as a feast in honour of My Heart, and amends made to It in an Act of Reparation offered to It and by the reception of Holy Communion on that day, to atone for the outrages It has received during the time It has been exposed on the Altars. I promise you that My Heart will open wide and pour forth lavishly the influence of Its Divine love on all who will render and procure for It this honor.

In the Year C, we regard the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as the redemptive love of God, who is the righteous shepherd to find and bring us to His fold from the danger of perdition, through His only begotten Son, the Good Shepherd and the eternal Davidic King.

The Beatitudes Hinge Upon Trust in God - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

First, let us connect the Gospel Reading of the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C (Luke 6:17, 20-26) with the Gospel Reading of the 5th Sunday (Luke 5:1-11).

After recruiting the first batch of the disciples (Luke 5:1-11, Gospel Reading of the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C), Jesus healed a man with leprosy and commanded him not to tell anyone about it but show himself to the priest (Luke 5:12-14). But the news about this man’s cure of leprosy spread, resulting in more people coming to Jesus to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments (Luke 5:15). Then, he withdrew to pray in deserted places (Luke 5:16). Afterward, he healed a paralytic man, who was brought down to Jesus through the roof as the man’s friends put him on a stretcher, lifting up to the rooftop, opening the roof, and lowering him on the stretcher to right in front of Jesus, as the house was so packed with the crowd who wanted to listen to him (Luke 5:17-26). Then, he recruited Levi (Matthew), tax collector, as his disciple, and Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus and his disciples, with a large crowd of his tax collector friends (Luke 6:27-29). But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to the disciples for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners, resulting in Jesus explanation of his reason to associate himself with the tax collectors and sinners:

Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners (Luke 5:31-32).

This was to tell the self-righteous people, like the Pharisees and the scribes that those who are not aware of their problems do not seek help but those who recognize problems do. 

Then, they questioned Jesus why his disciples eat and drink, though the disciples of John the Baptists and the Pharisees and the scribed fast (Luke 5:33). In response, Jesus used a metaphor of a bridegroom to remind that those who are with the bridegroom feast rather than fast with him until his departure (Luke 5:34-35). This suggests that those who feast with him are considered to be his disciples, while those who fast because of their take on the Law under the old covenant but find it difficult to feast with Jesus are not. 

Because it is a matter of those who follow Jesus for the new covenant and those who do not for the sake of their belief and observance of the Law of the old covenant, Jesus spoke of the set of parables of patching old cloth with new one and of pouring new wife into old skin (Luke 5:36-39).

On another occasion, Jesus taught on the priority to do life-saving works even on sabbath, as lord of sabbath (Luke 6:5), in response to an inquisition by some Pharisees why he did not strictly observe sabbath (Luke 6:1-6). And he healed a man with a withered hand on sabbath while the Pharisees were present (Luke 7:1-10). This teaching of Jesus on justifying a work to take care of life’s need touches on the spirit of פיקוח נפש (pikuach nefesh). However, they were enraged and began to discuss what to do with Jesus (Luke 6:11).

Then, on the mountain where he prayed in the night (Luke 6:12), Jesus gathered his twelve disciples, whom he also call apostles (Luke 6:13-16). Afterward, he and his twelve disciples came down to the plain with his twelve disciples, as a great number of people not only of Galilee but also from Judea and Judea, as well as, Tyre and Sidon, gathered to hear him and to be healed by touching him (Luke 6:17-19). Then, he raised his eyes to the disciples and began his sermon on the plain (Luke 6:20-49). On the 6th Sunday, we read vv.20-26, and on the 7th Sunday, we read vv. 27-38.

Jesus delivered the sermon on the plain to his disciples and to the large number of people from many places (Luke 6:17, 20a).

First, Jesus described those who are blessed (μακάριος /Makarios) (vv. 20b-23). In contrast, he addressed those who are subject to woe (οὐαὶ /ouai)(vv. 24-26).

20  Blessed are you who are poor, 

for the kingdom of God is yours.

21  Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who are now weeping,

for you will laugh. 

22  Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude e and insult you, and denounce your name as evil

on account of the Son of Man.  

23  Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.

vs

24  But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation. 

25  But woe to you who are filled now,

for you will be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will grieve and weep. 

26  Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.

These words of Jesus on who are blessed and who are subject to woe make it clear that he is for and with those who are poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, insulted, and denounced, because of their association with him. However, he considered those who are rich, filled, laughing, self-righteous, are rather pitied. The Greek word, οὐαὶ/oua, which is translated as “woe” has a nuance of “alas”, while it also gives an impression of being doomed. 

Those who are blessed in the eyes of Jesus may be seem pitied in the world. On contrary, those who may been seen as “blessed” in a worldly standard are objects of pity in the eyes of Jesus. It is because their wealth, satisfaction, pleasure, self-righteousness are not rooted in their faith in Christ but in carnal and worldly matter. 

This contrast of being blessed in the eyes of Jesus but being pitiable by the world and those who may seem “blessed” by a worldly standard but rather pitied by Jesus can be understood in connection to the First Reading (Jeremiah 17:5-8), in which God speaks those who are cursed and those who are blessed. 

7  Blessed are those who trust in the Lord; the Lord will be their trust.

8  They are like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It does not fear heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still produces fruit.

vs

5  Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 

6  He is like a barren bush in the wasteland that enjoys no change of season, but stands in lava beds in the wilderness, a land, salty and uninhabited.

A key to be blessed to trust in God. The Hebrew word for “to trust” is בָּטח(batach), and it has a nuance to secure oneself in. In other words, those who trust in God are secure in God but in nothing else. In contrast, those who secure themselves in humans tend to find their strength and security in the flesh but turn away from God. In other words, their source of security is in what is perishable. This is, indeed, foolish as it goes against Jesus’ these words of wisdom:

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

Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal (John 6:27).

This is why they are like a barren bush in the wasteland (Jeremiah 17:6). 

In contrast, those who are wise rather secure themselves in God – by putting their full trust in nothing but in God (Jeremiah 17:7). As a result of their trust in God, they are blessed to be like a tree that remain fruitful and green even heat and draught strike for their roots are stretched to the stream (Jeremiah 17:8). And those whom Jesus describes to be blessed (Luke 6:20b-23) correspond to those who trust in God and therefore they are like a tree that stays fruitful and green regardless of climate challenges (Jeremiah 17:7-8). 

The constant and undisturbed livelihood and fruitfulness, regardless of world’s conditions of those who trust in God (Jeremiah 17:8) reflects the great reward to be rejoiced in heaven (Luke 6:23). 

When Jesus preached in the synagogue in Nazareth, those who listened to him were at first amazed but soon rejected (Luke 4:16-30). They trusted in worldly convention, and it resulted in rejecting him and disabling them to have faith in him. Then, ever since those whose commitment to the Law under the old covenant, such as the Pharisees who accused Jesus, challenged Jesus, the division between those who were with Jesus and those who were against Jesus began to grow, as the old wineskin cannot receive the new wine, which is the new covenant that Jesus brings (i.e. Luke 5:12-39). 

The division between those who are with Jesus and those who are against him (Luke 5:12-39) reflects the division between the blessed and those who are subject to woe (Luke 6:20b -26) and those who are blessed by God and those who are cursed by Him (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

A key is to enjoy the greater rewards for being faithful to Christ, even though it can make us poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, and insulted (Luke 6:20b-23) is to put full trust in God to stay fully alive and fruitful in spite of climate challenges (Jeremia 17:5-8). To put trust in God means to keep faith in Him, as the Greek word of faith, πίστις/pistis, also means trust. 

In the Second Reading (1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20), Paul justifies the faith in Jesus, attributing to his resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ words on the beatitudes (Luke 6:20b-23) and God’s words on the blessedness (Jeremiah 17:7-8) are fully validated by Jesus’ resurrection. 

God Rather Calls Those Who Are Not “Qualified” to be at His Service – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

 When God calls you to serve His will, are you willing to respond affirmatively, saying, “Here I am! Send me!”? Or, are you going to say, “Sorry, not me. Find someone better qualified than me”? If the latter is the case with you, is it because you think you are not “qualified” to serve Him? Then, what makes you think that you are incompetent to serve? In other words, what is your disqualification to be at God’s service? 

The readings of the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, (Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11), challenge us to ask ourselves how we will respond to God’s call to be at His service – regardless of what we think of our own “qualification”.

The readings also remind us that God rather calls those who are not so “qualified”. God called Isaiah, who was with עָוֹן/avon, guilt and חַטָּאָה/chattaah, sin (Isaiah 6:7). Risen Christ called Paul, who was ἔκτρωμα/ ektroma, “abnormal birth”, untimely birth (1 Corinthians 15:8). Jesus called Simon (Peter), who was with sin (Luke 5:8). Given these facts, we cannot assume that we are not fit to serve God because we think we are not good enough to be at His service. 

In the eyes of humans, none of these three figures, Isaiah, Paul (Saul), and Peter (Simon), seems fit to be at God’s service because of their respective sinfulness. 

It was in the year of Uzziah’s death when God appeared to Isaiah in a vision of heavenly King on His throne with seraphim, who were glorifying Him (Isaiah 6:1-4). This timing suggests that God made His revelation to Isaiah as to tell that death of Uzziah did not mean Judah lost its king for the Lord God Himself is the King in heaven. Given that Uzziah was a popular king of Judah for the kingdom thrived during his reign (2 Chronicles 26:1-15), though his pride resulted in contracting leprosy, which eventually took his life (2 Chronicles 16-23), Isaiah must have been grieving of Uzziah’s death. But, God wanted him to make something better for him than mourning Uzziah’s passing. So He appeared to him in such a way. 

However, when God revealed Himself to him, Isaiah must have been frightened, as he said:

Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! (Isaiah 6:5)

He must have thought that he had a vision of God with seraphim because God was about bring a judgement upon him for his uncleanliness. Because it had been said that one would no longer live upon seeing God (Exodus 33:20), Isaiah must have feared to have seen Him on His heavenly throne. And it instantly made him painfully aware of his guilt and sinfulness. Isaiah must have thought that a seraph was coming to him to burn him into ashes for his sinfulness, for seraph (שְׂרָף/serap) literally means “to set on fire”. But the seraph flew to Isaiah to touch his unclean mouth with burning coal from the heavenly alter for cleansing (Isaiah 6:6-7). Upon the purification of Isaiah, God on His heavenly throne spoke:

Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? (Isaiah 6:8a)

And Isaiah responded:

Here I am! Send me! (Isaiah 6:8b).

Isaiah was willing and enthusiastic to serve for God and heavenly hosts, including seraphim. Thus, he served God as a prophet to convey His words to kings of Judah. He was instrumental for Hezekiah’s reign to be in accordance with God’s will (2 Kings 18:1-20:21; Isaiah 38:1-39:9).

Though, at first, it was a frightening surprise see God on His throne in heaven, because a prospect of his death was evoked and his own guilt of sinfulness were reminded, Isaiah must have thought that he would be condemned to death. However, by His grace, he was purified to serve Him as a prophet. And the grace came to him through as an ember that was placed on his mouth by a seraph. This transformed Isaiah from a man frightened of God to a new man who was eager to be sent by Him to be at His service. Rather than being mournful of the death of Uzziah, a popular king of Judah, as God’s prophet, Isaiah helped kings of Judah govern in accordance with God’s will. 

In Paul’s (Saul’s) case, he was once an enemy of Christ as he was a zealously persecuting those who believed in Christ (Acts 8:3; Philippians 3:5-6). He and his colleague were on their way to Damascus to arrest those who follow the way of Christ and bring them to Jerusalem in chain when a lightening struck him to the ground (Acts 9:1-3). Then, the ascended Christ spoke to him:

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4)

Paul sure wondered who it was. He could have also been frightened, wondering if it was ghost of one of those whom he had persecuted. Paul had to find out who was speaking to him in such a way. So he asked:

Who are you, sir? (Acts 9:5a)

And the reply said:

I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (Acts 9:5b).

Representing those who believed in him and followed his way with the Apostles Christ directly spoke to Paul in such a way. Christ represents those who constitute his Church, for she is his body and they are many parts of this body (1 Corinthians 12:12-17; Colossians 1:18).

At that moment, Paul could have thought his life would be taken away by him for all the offenses against him. Indeed, it was not to condemn him but to convert this fervid enemy of Christ and his Church into a ardent servant of Christ. So Christ commanded Paul:

Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do (Acts 9:6).

From that point on, Paul was no longer against Christ and his Church but for him and in his Church as the newest addition to the college of the Apostles. He was baptized by Ananias in Damascus (Acts 9:10-19) and began preaching astonishingly, proving that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ), as they wondered if Paul was the Messiah (Acts 9:20-22).

Also to the church in Corinth, Paul gave his testimony of Christ’s appearance to him, with reference to himself as the least among the Apostles:

Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me. Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed (1 Corinthians 15:8-11).

In regarding himself as being born abnormally (Acts 15:8), Paul indicated that was not worthy for Christ to appear to him as he was baptized untimely by Ananias (Acts 9:10-19), while all the other Apostles were believed to have been baptized before by Jesus (i.e. John 3:22). At the same time, he was so grateful that Christ appeared to him and called him to serve as an Apostle, though he considered himself to be the least qualified to serve as Christ’s Apostle, for he had been an enemy and destroyer of the Church.

The Gospel Reading (Luke 5:1-11) describes how Jesus, the incarnated Christ, appeared to Peter (Simon) and his fishing partners, and how their lives changed upon their encounter with him. 

First, let us review Jesus’ activities prior to his appearance to Peter and his fishing partner . 

According to Luke, following his Baptism to initiate his public ministry (Luke 3:21-23a),  being led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus spent 40 days in fasting and fended off the temptations from Satan (Luke 4:1-13). Then, in the power of the Holy Spirit, he returned to Galilee from Judea and began teaching in the synagogue, while news about him spread through the region, and everyone praised him (Luke 4:14-15).

Jesus taught in his hometown, Nazareth, and indicated his Christological (Messianic) identity by proclaiming the fulfillment of a scripture passage from Isaiah (61:1-2) (Luke 4:14-21). Those who heard his were astonished. But they also questioned if this amazing prophetic and messianic person was just Joseph’s son (Luke 4:22b). Then, Jesus described himself as a rejected prophet in his own hometown and by his people, in connection to Elijah and Elisha, who were also rejected by their own people (Luke 4:23-27). In response to this, though they spoke highly of him (Luke 4:22a) violently rejected him (Luke 4:28-30).

Then, he moved to Capernaum and taught in the synagogue there with authority to the audiences’ astonishment (Luke 4:31-32). While in the synagogue, Jesus also rebuked an evil spirit in a possessed person, to further amazement of his audience (Luke 4:33-36). So the news about Jesus spread through Capernaum and its  vicinities (Luke 4:37), though he was rejected in his hometown, Nazareth (Luke 4:22b-30). 

From the synagogue, Jesus came to the house of Simon (Peter) and cured severe fever of his mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39). After sabbath, Jesus healed more people in Capernaum (Luke 4:40). However, while exorcising, demons shouted Jesus’ Messianic (Christological) identity, but he rebuked them and prohibited them from speaking about it (Luke 4:41). Then at daybreak of the day after sabbath, Jesus left Capernaum and taught in the synagogues in Judea though the crowds in Capernaum tried to keep him (Luke 4:42-44).

It looked like Jesus did not stay in Judea long. He was back in Galilee, as indicated in the Gospel Reading (Luke 5:1-11).

The crowd must have remembered Jesus, as he was impressively popular in Capernaum (Luke 4:31-42). As they listened to him, the crowd was pressing in on Jesus, when he was teaching by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee) (Luke 5:1). Then, he saw two fishing boats alongside the lake and fishermen washing their nets (Luke 5:2). So, he embarked on Peter’s boat and asked him to put the boat a little bit off the shore and taught the crowd from the boat (Luke 5:3) so that he would be pressed by the crowd. And Jesus certainly knew Peter well enough to get on hi boat and asked him to move the boat for him, because he cured his mother-in-law in his house before on sabbath day after teaching in the synagogue (Luke 4:38-39).

After teaching from the boat, Jesus asked Peter:

Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch (Luke 5:4).

Peter replied:

Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets (Luke 5:5).

This response of Peter suggests that he wondered why Jesus had to bother him to put the nets for a catch again, after spending all night for fishing but catching none. Nevertheless, Peter regarded Jesus above him in terms of fishing capabilities and skills, calling him “master”(ἐπιστάτης/epistates)(Luke 5:5). 

Then his nets were filled with fish to the point of tearing them (Luke 5:6). The other boat had to help but the great catch resulted in filling both boats to the point of endangering them to sink (Luke 5:7). 

This must have prompted Peter to suspect something divine in Jesus, for what Jesus possessed and exercised to make him and his partners to catch so many fish at once was absolutely supernatural. Sensing the divine power in Jesus, Peter must have internally trembled, knowing that he was sinful. Perhaps, Peter was thinking, “Jesus, you are not only a mater fisherman and amazing teacher and healer but you are more than human because you just showed us your divine power by making us catch so many fish after catching nothing myself.  It was like you gathered countless fish in no time where there was no fish! Now what? What are you going to do with me through your divine power?” 

Seeing the amazing power of Jesus and suspecting the divine power in him, Peter fell at Jesus’ knees and said:

Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man (Luke 5:8).

This time, Peter identified Jesus as “Lord”( Κύριος/kurios). This suggests that Peter was at least sensing the divine power in Jesus, if not necessarily convinced yet. This evoked a sense of shame and fear in Peter, he became so aware of his sinfulness to have interacted with an astonishing man with the divine supernatural power. Also, perhaps, it was Peter’s pride as an experienced fisherman in Galilee, to feel like being kept away from Jesus, as he must have felt loosing his faith in regard to fishing skills. So, it resulted in Peter asking Jesus to depart from him. 

In response, did Jesus confronted and rebuke Peter’s sinfulness, saying, “Oh, yeah, you are a sinful man. No wonder you caught no fish. So it was a lesson for you to be aware of your sin”. No. Jesus did not touch on Peter’s sinfulness at all. Instead, while Peter and his fishing partners awestruck, Jesus said to Peter:

Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men (Luke 5:10).

And they left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:11).

Instead of addressing Peter’s sinfulness, Jesus gave this Galilean fisherman his assurance to make him a new person – a fisher of men from a catcher of fish. This assurance from Jesus also means that Christ found great potential in this sinful fisherman to transform him to make a great catch of men. Fast forward about 3 years from this point, Peter indeed became a great fisher of men, as he about 3,000 people at once for the nascent Church on Pentecost day (Acts 2:14-41).

God does not want us to be afraid just because we are not perfect due to our sinfulness, though it is important that we are humbly aware of our own sinfulness so that we can attain reconciliation. This is why Jesus assured Peter, saying, “Don’t be afraid”. 

If we let fear keep us from Christ, who was sent for us to live fully (i.e. 1 John 4:9; cf. John 10:10), then, we may end up being slaves of fear because of sin. It means that fear can keep us from salvation. But as in the case with Peter, Paul, and Isaiah, accepting God’s call to be at His service, whether as fishers of men to make more disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) or as prophets, we can enjoy meaningful life toward salvation by being its agents. And God choses those who do not seem “qualified” for this, as Peter, Paul, Isaiah, all knew their sinfulness.

Awareness of our sinfulness can frighten us especially when encountering God lest condemnation. Perhaps, it may make us utter, “Woe is me!” But, God reveals Himself to transform us from being sinful and disqualified into being well-qualified by His grace. Through the readings of the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C (Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11), we see it was the case with Isaiah, Paul, and Peter. 

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful song. Know that the Lord is God, He made us, we belong to Him, we are His people, the flock he shepherds (Psalm 100:2-3).