There is Something Christologically and Soteriologically Special about Mary: Having Had the Feast of the Annunciation and Good Friday on the Same Day !

Without Mary accepting the impregnating the Holy Spirit as God’salvific will, there would not have been the Nativity of the Lord, no Word becoming flesh. Without the Nativity of the Lord as the incarnated Word, there would not have been the Passion and Death of the Lord. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen has said, without Good Friday, no Easter.  Therefore, without Mary’s “Yes” to the content of the Annunciation, in spite of her fear, there would not have been paschal mystery, including the Resurrection.

There is something very special about this year’s Good Friday. It is that Good Friday was also the Feast of Annunciation, March 25, in the year of 2016. How often would this happen, indeed?!

Is this a mere coincidence? Some may say so – but, theologicallym, in particular, Christologically and soteriologically, it is not a coincidence.  I believe that Buddhists would also agree that it is not a coincidence, based on the doctrine of pratitya-samutpada (緣起), which is understood as interdependent arising and causes.  The Buddhist concept of pratitya-samutpada makes sense to the Christian view, as well, for we can consider this as some sort of God’s intention, as a mutually interdependent arising to put the Feast of the Annunciation and the Good Friday on the same day this year to call our attention to something theologically important.

Then, what is the theological significance that relates Good Friday to the Annunciation?

In fact, reflecting and pondering upon this question will usher us to the realization that it is not just about the Annunciation and the Resurrection but something Christologically very important about Mary. Yes, there is something about Mary in deepening our understanding of Christ and salvation – our appreciation of paschal mystery.

John’s Gospel tells that there was the Logos (Word) in the beginning (John 1:1).  In juxtaposition to the Book of Genesis, the Logos may correspond to Ruah, which was blowing over the waters, in the beginning of the Creation (Genesis 1:2) , as in the very first reading for Easter Vigil Mass. John says that the Word was made flesh (John 1:14), meaning that the Word was incarnated, because God loves the word, us, so much (John 3:16). It means that God sent the Christ for our salvation, in spite of our deuteronomical cycle of sins. For this, Matthew’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel describe, God sent the Holy Spirit to Mary (Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:35), as announced by Angel Gabriel. Therefore, the Feast of the Annunciation reminds us that Mary was the God-chosen immaculate human medium for the Holy Spirit to bring the Son to this world, incarnating the Logos. It is an announcement of God’s new creation for salvation.

Mary being full of grace, being immaculate, the fruit of her womb, the Son, Jesus, was born on Christmas, to bring not just glad tidings to the poor (Isaiah 61:1) and comfort to those who mourn (Isaiah 61:2) (Luke 4:14-21), but to suffer and die in order to satisfy God’s salvific will as the ultimate asham (Isaiah 52-53, as Isaiah 52:13-53:12 read for Good Friday First Reading), accomplished through the Crucifixion.  In this regard, the Annunciation is not only to announce the birth of the Savior as fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 for Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:14-21, but for Isaiah 52-53 to be fulfilled.  Unbeknownst to her, this was also the announcement of Mary’s suffering of sorrows,  because the self-sacrifice was required of her son to satisfy God’s will for salvation and resurrection (i.e. Isaiah 53:10-12), as later Simeon prophesized at the presentation of baby Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:34-35).

As John’s Gospel describes, Mary was with her Son, Jesus, at the foot of the Cross, bearing her sorrows to watch her son suffer and die.  In the presence of her at the foot of the Cross, Jesus indicated that Mary is not just the mother to him but to his disciples, as represented by John, who was also at the foot of the Cross with her (John 19:26-27).

The Scriptures remind us that Mary was present at the Annunciation to bring Jesus to the world and at time of the Crucifixion to watch the Son die, in fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 52-53.  As his mother, Mary had been fully present in Jesus’ earthly life from its conception in her womb all the way to his death on the Cross, perhaps, except some of his young adult years before his baptism and public ministry.

Imagine if Mary had not said, “Yes”, to God’s will to be impregnated to bear and to bring the Son of God.  There would not have been Christmas. There would not have been the Messiah as we know. Consequently, there would not have been Good Friday and Easter, as the Isaiah’s prophecy on the suffering Messiah and its relevant Old Testament prophecies would not have been fulfilled.

Imagine if Mary was absent at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was dying, simply because she could not bear her psychospiritual pain, which Simeon had prophesized when Jesus was about 40-day old.  Then, imagine how Jesus would have felt not to see his mother when he died.  Mary would not have been the mother of the disciples, now, us, the faithful, either.

In other words, if Mary had said “no” to God at the Annunciation, then, there would not have been our salvation through Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter.

Fortunately, in response to the Annunciation, Mary said, “Yes”, to God’s will, though she was frightened and did not understand.  Good Friday reminds that Mary’s “Yes” in response to the Annunciation resulted in the Crucifixion of the Son, in juxtaposition to Jesus’ “Yes” to the will of the Father, whom he called “Abba”, during the hour of agony, on the night before his death (Matthew 26:36-46//Mark 14:32-42//Luke 22:39-46).  Therefore, our salvation, as the fulfillment of Isaiah 52-53, began with Mary’s “Yes” in response to the Annunciation and completed as a result of Jesus’ “Yes” to the will of his “Abba”.

Having had both the Feast of the Annunciation and the Good Friday on the same day this year, it is important that we, once again, reflect on Christological and soteriological significance of both Mary’s “Yes” and Jesus’ “Yes” to the will of God, in light of paschal mystery.  It is also important to remember that Mary was fully present to the will of God, when Jesus’ earthly life began with his conception in her womb, upon the Annunciation, and fully present when his earthly life ended up on the Cross, as she was at the foot of the Cross.  After all, she is the mother of Jesus. Mary, indeed, the Theotokos, who has faithfully served God to bring the Messiah as the incarnated Logos, so that God’s grand salvific scheme has been completed, as prophesized in Isaiah and other relevant Old Testament narratives.  Just before this prophetic  fulfilment of salvation, Jesus called his mother and also dedicated her as our mother. Therefore, Mary is essential to Christology and soteriology from an anthropocentric angle.

Now, Christ has been risen, as we rejoice in the Eastertide, as he has overcome sin and death on our behalf (i.e. 1 Corinthians 15: 55-57, Hosea 13;14).

Given Mary’s special Christological significance, as I have reflected in regard to the Feast of the Annunciation and Good Friday being on the same day this year, it makes sense to believe that the risen Jesus first appeared to Mary, the Theotokos, rather than Mary Magdalene.  Some Gospel narratives, John 20:14-16 and Mark 16:9, indicate that the risen Lord first appeared to Mary Magdalene. However, there is a possibility that he had appeared to his mother, Mary, before anyone else, including Mary Magdalene.

Remember, John indicates that there are much more about Christ than what has been written in the Gospels (i.e. John 21:25). Therefore, the absence of explicit description in the canonical Gospels does not necessarily nullify a possibility of Jesus first appearing to Mary – before appearing to Mary Magdalene.

In fact, unlike Mary Magdalene who tends to react impulsively and panicky , Mary the mother of Jesus is a woman who tends to respond to mysterious phenomenon contemplatively, as known from the way she responded to the nativity of the Lord (I.e. Luke 2: 13-19). This makes it possible that Mary did not necessarily tell everyone about seeing the risen son of hers. Rather, it is likely that she was contemplating on the Resurrection of her son, just as did so in response to his birth. The Resurrection of Jesus is a new birth – as the fruit of Mary’s womb is now becoming the firstfruit from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). Mary always respond to a birth with her contemplation.  For some reasons, this could have been omitted by the evangelists in their Gospels or somehow, edited out later.

Nevertheless, because this undeniable possibility of Mary to be the very first one to encounter the risen Lord,  the Filipino Catholic tradition of Easter morning, “Salubong”, is a great way to illustrate Mary’s perpetual presence in the life of Jesus beyond his death and into his resurrected life.  “Salubong” is a procession, reflecting that Mary and the risen Jesus are coming to meet. “Salubong”, in Tagalog, means “welcoming” and “meeting”. So, it is like the risen Jesus, as the firstfruit from the dead, is meeting his mother, being welcomed – perhaps, as he, as the fruit of her womb, first met her when he was born.

If you are familiar with the Filipino Easter morning tradition of “Salubong”, I invite you to ponder upon Mary’s Christological and soteriological importance in putting the Annunciation (the First Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary) and the Crucifixion (the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery of the Holy Rosary) together, in conjunction with St. Pope John Paul II’s address to the general audience on May 21, 1997, as well as nos. 218-224 of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Then, as St. John Paul II, said in this address, you will appreciate Mary’s presence and witness to the entire paschal mystery.  In his address to the general audience on April 3, 1996, St. John Paul II said that Mary alone remains to keep alive the flame of faith preparing to receive the joyful and astonishing announcement of the Resurrection.

Yes, there is something so special about Mary for us to appreciate Christ and his paschal mystery, which is essential to salvation.  There was Mary at the time of the annunciation of the incarnation of the Logos and the annunciation of the Resurrection.

What the risen Lord first announced to Mary, the Theotokos, is in the First Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary, and the Glorious Mystery concludes with the Crowning of Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Earth, following her Assumption.

Yes, there is, indeed, something about Mary, and how can we understand Jesus – Christology and Soteriology without Mary? How can we fully rejoice in the Resurrection without Mary, who is also our mother?

Mary’s Christological and soteriological significance – persistent presence to paschal mystery is a pratitya-samutpada behind the Feast of the Annunciation and the Good Friday to be on the same day this year to give us special appreciation and joy of the Eastertide for this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

During this Eastertide, upon having had the Feast of the Annunciation and Good Friday on the same day, perhaps, we can be more like Mary, being a persistent primary other (what John Bowlby may regard as the primary attachment object, in his application of the object relations theory), to the life of Jesus, from the conception (the Annunciation) to the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and beyond, as reflected in the aforementioned portion of the Spiritual Exercises.   For this, it is worth reflecting these words of Mary, as the effect of the Annunciation sinks into her heart, as we let the effect of the Resurrection steep into our heart, because the announcement of the Resurrection is like a new Annunciation to us.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.  Mary’s “Magnificat” canticle – Luke 1:46-55

As Mary has said, it is God’s mercy (chesed – favor, eleos) that brought the Annunciation to Mary, impregnating her, for the Logos to be incarnated, in order to save us. It was God’s mercy to let the son of Mary, the Messiah, to suffer and die, to satisfy this God’s salvific plan, as prophesized in Isaiah 53. This salvific scheme completion with the death of Christ is followed by his Resurrection, to prepare us for the empowerment of the Pentecostal Holy Spirit, to complete the Easter effects on us.

Let us contemplate on God’s mercy as we are ready to celebrate the Divine Mercy Sunday, following the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection now.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  1 Peter 1: 3-7

Eastertide – 50 Days to Transform Our Fear, Anxieties, and Skepticism, into Unshakable Joy and Trust in the Risen Lord.

During Easter Vigil Mass, after the last Old Testament reading is done, followed by its responsorial Psalm and prayer, lights of the sanctuary are turned on as we sing Gloria – just before the Epistle reading, followed by the Gospel reading. This is to signal the moment of the resurrection. The fact that there was no Gloria at Mass during Lent indicates that singing out Gloria at Easter Vigil Mass reminds that our sinful life was crucified with Christ and now we live a new life as the risen Christ lives in us (i.e. Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6-10), leading to a new life in the Spirit (i.e. Romans 7:6). In fact, Eastertide leads to the feast Sunday of Pentecost, which commemorates the receiving the Holy Spirit as the power and the parakletos (advocate), to turn our life into a new life in the Spirit – as a new life in freedom as children of God (i.e. Romans 8:1-27).

Easter Vigil Mass really gives an impression as if the disciples were so joyous as we sing Gloria, after refraining during from it  the Lenten season. However, the Gospel readings that describe how the disciples actually responded to the resurrection first (Matthew 28:1-10 (A), Mark 16:1-8 (B), Luke 24:1-12 (C)) remind us that their initial feeling toward the resurrection at the empty tomb was far from joy but in full of fear and anxieties. 

The original Easter Sunday did not go as Easter Vigil Mass goes. 

Though Christians throughout the world rejoice in the resurrection of the Lord on Easter Sunday and during the Eastertide until Pentecost Sunday, according to the scriptures, nobody encountered the resurrection with joy. In fact, Mary Magdalene, who first witnessed the resurrection through the empty tomb of Jesus, was in fear, wondering what happened to his corpse.  She knew that the body of Jesus was securely placed in the tomb, sealed with a heavy stone. The tomb was also guarded by the Roman soldiers, as the religious leaders and the Roman colonial authorities were afraid of someone among the disciples of Jesus might steal the corpse of Jesus to cause social turmoil by proclaiming his resurrection (i.e. Matthew 27:62-66). So, how could the tomb became empty? This question is the same as, “How did Jesus rise – come out of the tomb?” 

Obviously, Mary Magdalene and the rest of the disciples who encountered the resurrection through the empty tomb on that morning of the Lord’s resurrection, about 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, did not understand the resurrection, as we do. Mary Magdalene did not go to the tomb of Jesus with a basket full of Easter eggs. In fact, what she and other women brought to the tomb was spices to put on the corpse of Jesus, for the care of the body (i.e. Luke 24:1-12). None of the disciples, including Mary Magdalene and other women, had thought that Jesus would come out of the tomb as he would resurrect. Thus, they expected the body to remain in the tomb, just as the Roman colonial officials and the religious leaders, who conspired the Roman authorities to execute Jesus, did. 

Imagine how the disciples felt upon realizing that the tomb of Jesus was empty, on the early morning of the third day from his death? Fear of someone having stolen the body, anxiety over not knowing exactly what happened, confusion over the phenomena that “should not happen”, just to name a few. 

Given the way that the disciples reacted to the resurrection with fear and anxiety, at first, it is evident that they did not understand what Jesus meant when he said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days"(John 2:19), when his authority was questioned upon cleansing the corrupted Temple. They did not realize that Jesus was referring the “temple” to his own body. On another occasion, Jesus implicated his death and resurrection through his story on the sign of Jonah, saying, “For just as Jonas was three days and three nights in the belly of sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth”(Matthew 12:40). Obviously, nobody really understood what Jesus meant by the sign of Jonah. Otherwise, at least, someone among the disciples, even if not Mary Magdalene, could have spell out everyone’s fear and anxiety, by reminding that the empty tomb was the sign of Jonah or the sign of the new Temple to replace the old one. Then, everyone could have rejoiced with the empty tomb – before the risen Jesus would appear to them. 

In fact, at least 600 years before his first coming, not only birth (Isaiah 7:14) and suffering death (Isaiah 53:1-10) but also resurrection (i.e. Isaiah 25:8, 26:19, 53:11) of Jesus (as the firstfruit of the dead  -i.e. 1 Corinthians 15:20) were already prophesized to be fulfilled. Though the suffering prophecy is clear, the resurrection prophecy is rather ambiguous. Nevertheless,  if the disciples had understood – at least, these prophesies of Isaiah, perhaps, then, they would not have panicked upon the empty tomb, while those who put Jesus to death, the religious leaders and the Roman officials, were. They could have been rather  calm, reflecting on Isaiah 26:19 and Isaiah 53:11, what it means that God is satisfied with Messiah’s death (Isaiah 53:11) in light of the Messiah’s purpose to swallow up death (Isaiah 25:8) and the dead will rise (Isaiah 26:19). 

As we read the post-resurrection narratives in the Gospels, we notice that it was rather a gradual process for the disciples to come to terms with the resurrection – connecting the risen Christ, who appeared to them multiple times and the scriptures. Given this fact, it is rather natural for us that we still grapple with what the resurrection is about. Just as it is not straightforward to understand the resurrection of the Lord through the Old Testament prophecies (i.e. Isaiah 25:8, 26:19, 53:11), it may not easy for some people, especially those who continue to struggle and suffer in life, even on Easter Sunday and afterward. Perhaps, some of us feel that Easter is something foreign because of prolonging suffering, struggle, or grief, in life. 

“The Lord is risen – so what? My pain has not gone away!” A person I ministered to and provided a pastoral counseling uttered this during Eastertide some years ago. She said to me that she found Easter to be very difficult as it rather increases her pain, rather than easing it. She explained that she felt as if being cut off from the rest of people as they rejoice in Easter. It sure makes sense, because it was very difficult for her to feel joy while everyone else was rejoicing in Easter. So, I suggested her to juxtapose her difficulty with Easter to how Mary Magdalene could have felt and Peter, who betrayed Jesus, could have felt upon witnessing the empty tomb – before reflecting how their initial difficulty in coming to term with the resurrection eventually turned  into  joy.

Just as a sound clinical advice on grieving says, there is no need to feel as if we had to feel like everyone else in order to “get over” this psychospiritual dryness soon. Mary Magdalene and other disciples who witnessed the resurrection firsthand continued to live with grief, fear, anxiety, and doubt, for a while. The scripture passages that prophesized the death and resurrection of Jesus, as well as the meaning of these, and words of Jesus on his own death and resurrection, did not take their effect in the heart of the disciples immediately. However, as God took the initiative in Creation and giving life to us (i.e. Genesis 2:7), it is also God who takes initiative in guiding us from suffering, grief, pain, struggles, and so forth, into a new life of hope and joy. That is why our Lord God is the greatest healer. 

We need some reflective time during Eastertide for the Easter (Resurrection) effect of joy and hope to really settle and have traction in our life. During this time of 50 days of Eastertide , we also need to deepen our understanding of the Word of God, as our preparation to celebrate Pentecost – the receiving of the Holy Spirit in a more powerful way. At least until we are showered by the Holy Spirit, which is the power (Acts 1:8) and advocate (John 14:26), we may not recognize the Easter effect to its fullest extent.

Rather than feeling as if we had to feel joy, let the Holy Spirit, who raised the Lord from the dead (Romans 8:11), and the risen Lord himself, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, come to us to guide us into a new life of hope and joy – just as he appeared to the disciples multiple times to transform their fear, anxieties, and doubt, into joy.

To ensure this Eastertide transformation, we must trust in the Lord, as the Second Sunday of Easter, which is the feast Sunday of the Divine Mercy, reminds us with these words in the sacred image of the Divine Mercy: Jesus, I trust in you.  In fact, the very undercurrent of the death and the resurrection of the Lord, as well as the healing effects of Easter, is the mercy of God. Therefore, let us trust in the Lord and his mercy to make Eastertide a meaningful spiritual journey into a new life of joy and hope.

Happy Easter!