Our Preparation for Christ’s Arrival Leads to Partaking Christ’s Salvific Works – Monday of Second Week of Advent

The incarnated Christ, whose arrival into our hearts, for which we have been diligently preparing with vigilance during Advent Season, will restore and renew our lives, which have been damaged, wounded, and disabled. Christ is coming to restore our lives to their original goodness (i.e. Genesis 1:24-31; cf. Revelation 21:3-4). And in the First Reading for Monday of Second Week of Advent (Isaiah 35:1-5), we see some reflections of Christ’s acts of healing – restoring life to its original perfect condition.  In the Gospel Reading (Luke 5:17-26), we see the incarnated Christ at his act of healing a paralyzed man brought by his friends.

Here is an important element that we cannot afford to miss in the Gospel Reading (Luke 5:17-26). This is not just another Gospel episode of Christ’s healing in action. This is also to remind us that Christ is coming to us in order to make us not only his disciples to follow him but to send us on apostolic missions to partake his works, including healing (i.e. John 14:12).  In fact, we received the same message from the Gospel Reading of last Saturday (Saturday of First Week of Advent), Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8,  extending Christ’s works of compassion on a greater scale as the disciples were sent to do their mission works on behalf of him, in order to completely fulfill and keep Isaiah’s prophesy about Christ’s compassionate response to our cries (Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26), as in the First Reading of Saturday of First Week of Advent.

The action of the paralyzed man’s friend: climbing to the rooftop of the house in which Christ was teaching to the crowd, removing some roof tiles, and bringing their paralyzed friend down right in front of Jesus to get his attention for sure (Luke 5:19) is not just an act of faith-based compassion but also it is an action that we must prepare ourselves to do for our friends and neighbors on our apostolic mission, for Christ whose arrival that we prepare will commission us to this before Pentecost.

We are not just hoping and looking forward to Christ’s arrival and what he will bring upon hearing our cries – providing for our needs and restoring our lives to the original perfection. In order for this, we were reminded by John the Baptist that we need to make the path of Christ’s coming straight and smooth by removing any obstacles that get in his way as our preparation through the Gospel Reading of Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle C (Luke 3:1-6)

Our Advent preparation for the incarnated Christ’s arrival in our hearts will not only to result in restoration of our lives to the wholeness but in our apostolic mission pastoral work, partaking and expanding his works.

Our Advent Preparation: Not Just for Christ’s Coming but for Our Commissioning for Apostolic Pastoral Works – Saturday of First Week of Advent, Cycle I

In concluding the First Week of Advent, Cycle I (odd numbered year), we are reminded that we have been preparing not just for the arrival of the incarnated Christ in our hearts but also to be commissioned to carry out his pastoral works upon his Ascension (i.e. John 14:12) until his return.

The readings for Saturday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 and Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8, teach us that the one whose coming we have been preparing through Advent Season hears our cries so that our weeping shall transformed into tears of joy. Not only that he hears our cries and restore our life’s fullness but also he will commission us to partake in his mission works of restoration with compassion.

The prophesy in the First Reading (Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26) is fulfilled by the incarnated Christ, as described in the Gospel Reading (Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8). The way Christ completely fulfills the prophecy of the First Reading requires our active participation to carry his pastoral mission works on beyond his departure from this world through Ascension until his return as the King and Judge at the eschaton. So, in concluding the First Week of Advent in an odd-numbered year, Cycle I, we are reminded that our Advent preparation for the incarnated Christ’s coming into our hearts is not just for his arrival but also to prepare ourselves to become his disciples and to partake in his pastoral mission works to meet increasing demands.

No more weeping (Isaiah 30:19;cf. Revelation 21:4) because gracious Christ, whose coming that we prepare, hears our cry (Isaiah 30:19; cf. Psalm 27:7-12). And we will no longer be like a bunch of lost sheep (i.e. Mathew 9:36) because we will hear our Good Shepherd’s (John 10:11, 14; cf. Psalm 23:1) voice, saying, “This is the way” (Isaiah 30:21; cf. Psalm 27:11).  In fact, “This is the way of salvation into eternal life” (i.e. John 10:27-28). Indeed, the one who shepherds (John 10:1-18) us is the way, as well as, the life, and the truth (John 14:6), leading to the verdant pasture (Psalm 23:2-3).

So, no more weeping. In this pasture of the Good Shepherd, no one is in suffering as the Good Shepherd will bind up the bruises and wounds to heal, and nobody is in hunger as his provision is abundant, and nobody will be walking in darkness at all as the light of the Good Shepherd makes the sun shines seven times brighter and the moon shine as bright as the sun (i.e. Isaiah 30:26).

And the Good Shepherd commissions his disciples on apostolic missions to meet increased and diverse pastoral needs (i.e. Matthew 9:37-10:14; cf. Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18; cf. John 14:12).

Therefore, our preparation for the incarnated Christ’s arrival means to prepare ourselves to take parts of his pastoral works as more labors are needed for busy abundant harvest season in the field.

We are to become additional hands of Christ, as well as, other parts of One Body of Christ (1 Corinthians  12:12-27) to meet greater pastoral demands of the world so that no more weeping – no more bruises and wounds – no more hunger and thirst. We are preparing ourselves to receive Christ in our hearts to serve on our apostolic mission for this purpose. And we are to be one with Christ, whose coming into our hearts that we prepare for, in his pastoral ministries.

Prepare the Way of the Incarnated Christ to Come into Our Heart, Clean and Splendid in Joy - Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle C

In the Gospel Reading of last Sunday, First Sunday of Advent (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36), we were reminded that vigilance is a persistent virtue throughout our Advent preparation to welcome the incarnated Christ at his arrival in our hearts. This way, not only that we can remain diligent in our preparation but also that we will not miss any important signs and signals as the adventus of Christ draws nearer.

So, have you been attentive in your preparation so far? A week has passed since we began this liturgical year’s Advent journey. And now we are on Second Sunday of Advent.

In the Gospel Reading for Second Sunday of Advent (Luke 3:1-3), we see John the Baptist, the son of Zachariah the priest and Elizabeth, Mary’s relative, was busy preparing the way of the incarnated Christ to come, as the last prophet under the Old Testament covenant. Having received the Word of God (Luke 3:2), John the Baptist realized that it was time for him to start his prophetic preparatory ministry in the Jordan valley region of Judea to let the Israelites know to make the way of Christ to come. John the Baptist was certainly vigilant for the Word to come to him in knowing when to begin his preparatory ministry.

According to John the Baptist, it is how we prepare the way of Christ to come is to have baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3). What it means to us in today’s context is that we need to confess our sins and let Christ, as acted in a priest (in persona Christi), absorb our sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation as our Advent preparatory work to welcome the incarnated Christ in our hearts. And Second Week of Advent (this week) is a good time to have our sins absorbed. Imagine what it would be like for Christ to be in a heart filthy with sins. This way, we prepare ourselves – prepare to make our hearts pure and therefore pleasing to Christ (i.e. Colossians 1:10) at his arrival.

Yes, we have received the Sacrament of Baptism to initiate Christian life. So, it served as vitae spiritualis ianua (the gateway into life of the Spirit), allowing us to  receive other six Sacraments (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1213), including the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Therefore, removing sins out of our hearts to make sure our hearts are pleasing to Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation is an essential part of our Advent preparation.

By urging the Israelites to be baptized for repentance and forgiveness of sins to be ready for the coming of Christ, John the Baptist, as the voice crying out in the wilderness (Luke 3:4; Isaiah 40:3a), served to fulfill this prophesy of Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3b-5):

Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.

Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low.

The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God  (Luke 3:4b-6).

 To prepare the way of the Lord by making straight his paths, filling valleys and flattening mountains, winding roads made straight, rough ways made smooth. This is what John the Baptist calls us today to focus on our Advent preparatory work for the Second Week of Advent.

 This means to remove anything that can be obstacles in the way of Christ’s coming. Namely, it is to remove our sins and sinfulness out of our hearts through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 No wonder the liturgical color of Advent is penitential – purple, just as that of Lent.

 This way, we shall see and recognize the Christ in the human flesh of Jesus upon his arrival. However, it might not be so – if we did not do our preparatory work, letting our sins absorbed and making our hearts clean and pleasing to Christ, as John the Baptist characterized in Luke 3:4b-6, fulfilling Isaiah 40:3b-5.

So, a focus on our Advent preparatory work for the Second Week of Advent is the cleanliness of our hearts by having our sins absorbed – all obstacles in Christ’s way of coming removed. And, a refreshing and joyous image of cleanliness in renewal is reflected in the First Reading (Baruch 5:1-9).  So, God said:

Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on forever the splendor of glory from God: Wrapped in the mantle of justice from God, place on your head the diadem of the glory of the Eternal One (Baruch 5:1-2).

Take off robe of mourning and misery… Literally, this means to transition from the exilic mourning and misery for having Jerusalem destroyed by the Babylonians, because God was ready to renew the post-exilic Jerusalem with His splendors for renewal, shining with the glory of Christ. Historically, the exile in Babylon ended and Jerusalem was rebuilt and renewed with its new Temple (the Second Temple). Yes, indeed, the Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy! (Psalm 126:3), as sun in the refrain of the Responsorial Psalm (126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6).

Sins can make us grieve and mourn because we may lose so many things to them. We can lose our good relationship with God for sins – breaking God’s covenant with us as we sin. If we were in this state, we cannot offer a straight way for the incarnated Christ to come into our hearts.

By taking off robe of mourning and misery, filthy of our sins, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we shall be fitting to receive new clean splendid garment with Christ’s glory on top!

So, there are parallels between Baruch 5:1-2 and Isaiah 40:3b-5, as cited in Luke 3:4b-6.

And what John the Baptist was calling to fulfill Isaiah 40:3b-5 in Luke 3:4b-6 is also reflected in God’s commanding words here:

Every lofty mountain and the age-old hills be made low, that the valleys be filled to make level ground, that Israel may advance securely in the glory of God   (Baruch 5:7).

While we prepare the way of the incarnated Christ’s coming, making it straight and smooth, by removing what make it rough and bumpy, namely our sins, out of our hearts, God is leading us in joy by His glorious light, with His mercy and justice (i.e. Baruch 5:9).

Are we vigilant to see this leading and guiding light of God’s glory while keeping ourselves busy with our Advent preparatory works – not with shopping and all these worldly things that stress us out? Remember, God is leading us in joy. So, we shall also rejoice with God, as we are heading to Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) to taste our anticipatory joy for the great joy of welcoming the incarnated Christ in our ready hearts, pleasing to him soon!

So, as reflected in the Second Reading (Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11), we shall pray for one another with joy as we are in partnership for the Gospel so that our love for Christ and one another will further grow, discerning what is of value for this and increasing our hearts’ purity, to become ready to welcome Christ in with great joy!

Memorial Feast of St. Francis Xavier on Friday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I – Extraordinary Apostolic Zeal to Set the Fire of Faith in Extending the Eastern Border of Christendom to the Isles of the Rising Sun

 December 3 is the memorial feast of St. Francis Xavier (Santo Francisco Javier), a 16^th century Jesuit missionary priest, who extended the eastern border of the Christendom all the way to the isles of the rising sun, Japan, on the feast day of Assumption in 1549. He is one of the founding core “three musketeers” Jesuits, with St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Peter Fabar.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, St. Francis Xavier, whose heart is on fire, is a man of extraordinary faith in Christ, full of zeal for establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth as it is in heaven, while winning souls salvation. It is fair to say that his zeal for apostolic works matches that of St. Paul of Tarsus. As St. Paul passionately debated with philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:16-34), St. Francis Xavier zestfully argued for Christ with Buddhist priests in Japan. And those who were impressed by the way Francis Xavier preached on and argued for Christ converted to Catholicism and received the Sacrament of Baptism. One of them is Lorenzo Ryosai, who used to be a Japanese Buddhist string playing story teller, becoming Jesuit himself upon his conversion to Christianity and a great preacher, converting more fellow Japanese people across the feudal classes. Because of Lorenzo Ryosai’s impressive preaching on Christ and logical disputing of Buddhist priests’ challenges, a samurai provincial lord, Tomoteru Takayama, decided to convert himself to Christianity and urged his son, Ukon Takayama to do so, as well. And now Ukon is beatified by Pope Francis and bound to be canonized as he became a zealous lay evangelizer, especially to his fellow samurais.

If St. Francis Xavier did not come to Japan and made an impressive evangelization in the isles of the rising son, then, we would not have Lorenzo Ryosai as a Japanese Jesuit preacher to have more converts. Then, we would not have Ukon Justo Takayama, as a beatified samurai evangelizer, who brought more people, especially his fellow samurais, to Christ. Because Ukon was the driving force of the establishment of the Azuchi Seminary, the first Jesuit seminary in Japan, we would not have St. Paul Miki, one of the 26 Martyrs in Nagasaki, 1597, who hailed from the Azuchi Seminary.

See how the seeds of Christ’s Gospel initially sown by St. Francis Xavier in Japan from 1549 to 1551, sprouted and took their roots, bearing seed-bearing fruits of evangelization. Lorenzo Ryosai, Bl. Ukon Justo Takayama, and St. Paul Miki are just few of such fruits, who also sow more seeds to bear much more seed-bearing fruits of evangelization – even through harsh persecution, under which St. Paul Miki lost his life for Christ and Bl. Ukon Justo Takayama lost his province, castle, lordship, expelled to Manila, Philippines. Because Ukon’s presence in Manila inspired and invigorated the faithful in the Philippines, more and more missionaries came to Japan from Manila, though persecution in Japan were increasingly intensified. Therefore, the impacts of St. Francis Xavier’s evangelization in Japan went beyond Japan, at least, reaching to the Philippines, echoing back to Japan.

What these three fruits of the seeds sown by St. Francis Xavier in Japan, Lorenzo Ryosai, Bl. Ukon Justo Takayama, and St. Paul Miki, share is the zeal for evangelization, comparable to that of St. Francis Xavier and St. Paul of Tarsus. And their zeal has sustained and strengthened the faith of Christians in Japan for generation during the persecution. And it been passed on to Christians in Japan today and has impacted also on the faith of Christians in the Philippines because of Bl. Ukon Justo Takayama, for he would not have been a great evangelizer had St. Francis Xavier did not planted seeds of Christian faith in Japan.

After all, we would not have St. Francis Xavier as we know, if his life path did not cross the life path of St. Ignatius of Loyola, a fellow Basque native with zeal.

Francis had no interest whatsoever in evangelizing and making disciples. When he was in college, Francis was dreaming to make himself rich through global trading business as Spanish Empire was rapidly expanding its overseas colonies. He was thinking to profit from selling goods from Spanish colonies in Europe. But, this original ambition of Francis was challenged by his college buddy, more like a fraternity brother, Ignatius, who was already determined with firm resolve to serve Christ in a heroic way. Perhaps, Ignatius was already planning to form the Jesuits and wanted to recruit at least a few other good men for this order to start. So, Ignatius urged Francis to become a priest and work with him for greater glory of God, rather than for his own personal worldly wealth. But, Francis was not interested in Ignatius idea and rather annoyed by his persistent attempts to turn his heart for God from amassing wealth from global trading. So, it is believed that Ignatius said to Francis, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but woever loses his life for Christ’s sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” Or what can one give in exchange for his ife?”, citing from Matthew 16:25-26. And this really impacted on Francis. So, the rest is as we know him as St. Francis Xavier.

It was, perhaps, easier for St. Francis Xavier to work in Goa, which was a Portuguese colony in India, compared to working in Japan. In Goa, Portuguese and Spanish were in politically and economically advantageous position. But in Japan, Europeans were considered as “ barbarians” at that time. Therefore, unlike in European colonies, Christian missionaries from Europe did not have power to press on the subjects of evangelization in Japan.  Coming to Japan after working for evangelization in a Portuguese colony in India, the threshold was so high in Japan. Thus, working with authority figures in the feudal Japan at that time for St. Francis Xavier to carry out his missionary work was quite challenging. In spite of this obstacle, he made his way into the tight feudal social system of Japan to start sowing seeds of Christ’s Gospel and started winning many souls for Christ there, because his zeal to win as many souls as possible for Christ. Nothing could stop him from carrying out his apostolic mission.

The Gospel Reading for his memorial feast, Mark 16:15-20, is about Jesus commissioned the disciples for their apostolic mission to sow seeds of his Gospel in every nation for greater salvation. It is fitting to reflect how St. Francis Xavier turned his original ambition to gain the whole world for his own wealth into the zeal to conquer every nation for Christ with his Gospel so that more and more souls could be saved, upon St. Ignatius of Loyola persuading him to establish the Jesuit order with him, citing Matthew 16:25-26. So his zeal fueled St. Francis Xavier to set the fire in a culturally and politically challenging place, like Japan, making more zealous disciples like him, such as Lorenzo Ryosai, who contributed to make more passionate disciples, like Bl. Ukon Justo Takayama, whose pastoral work was instrumental to bring St. Paul Miki and increase the fire of faith in Manila, where he exiled upon being expelled from Japan for refusing to denounce his faith. And the zeal of St. Francis Xavier, which made his peaching of the Gospel and argument for Christ impressive and convincing, prompting Lorenzo Ryosai not only to convert to Christianity but to become Jesuit, is well reflected in the First Reading (1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-23), as he and St. Paul share their devotion in preaching Christ’s Gospel to win souls for Christ.

We honor and celebrate St. Francis Xavier’s extraordinary and zealous apostolic life during Advent Season. This means that we prepare ourselves to welcome the incarnated Christ at this arrival with our zeal comparable to that of this Jesuit saint. Reflecting the life of St. Francis Xavier on his memorial feast during the First Week of Advent inspires us to set our hearts on fire so that Christ will enjoy enough warms in us upon his arrival, ready to move forward with him in us to set the world on fire with his Gospel, making more zealous disciples, who will make more such disciples, to build the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. And this means that we, too, will be instrumental in bringing Christ’s salvific effects and justice in every nation, as reflected in the First Reading of Friday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I (odd-numbered year), Isaiah 29:17-24, as his feast falls on this day in 2021. And where salvation takes place, more and more people believe so that Christ can heal us to see him and his soteriological truth more clearly, as reflected in the Gospel Reading of Friday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, Matthew 9:27-31. As exemplified by St. Francis Xavier’s extraordinary zealous apostolic life, we are also commissioned by Christ, whom we prepare ourselves to welcome in our hearts, to do likewise. 

In order to facilitate healing of Christ, as reflected in Matthew 9:27-31, continue on to bring salvation and vindication for anawim in all nations on earth, as Isaiah prophetically envisioned in Isaiah 29:27-24. For this, not only we need to prepare ourselves to welcome incarnated Christ into our hearts but to increase the fire of faith burning in our hearts so that we can set all nations on fire with our zeal comparable to that of St. Francis Xavier. This means that the fire we set on will not end with the ones whom we evangelized but those who evangelize will continue passing on the fire for generations to come – until we will welcome Christ again upon his return. So, the fire of St. Ignatius of Loyola set fire on St. Francis Xavier in order to establish the Jesuit order. Then, St. Francis Xavier brought the fire to the isles of the rising son, setting Lorenzo Ryosai on fire. And he passed the fire on to Bl. Ukon Takayama, who passed the fire to St. Paul Miki and to many faithful in the Philippines, prompting them, like St. Antonio Gonzales and St. Lorenzo Ruiz,   to go to Japan amidst of severe persecution to keep the fire of faith in Japan burning, through their martyrdoms, not letting the persecution extinguish the fire original set by St. Francis Xavier, so that salvation and vindication for anawim, as imaged and reflected in Isaiah 29:17-24 (First Reading of Friday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I) and Matthew 9:7:21, 24-27 (First Reading of Friday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I) will prevail in Japan and beyond, as the fire of faith set by St. Francis Xavier in Japan further spreads.  Amen.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

聖フランシスコザビエルについて － ロレンソ了斎、高山ユスト右近、聖パウロ三木、細川ガラシャ、などへのつながり

 カトリック教会の典礼暦では１２月３日は聖フランシスコザビエルの福音伝道の功績を讃える祝日です。それまでの任務地だったインドのポルトガル領、ゴア、を後にしたザビエルはご存知の通り１５４９年に鹿児島に上陸し、日本にキリスト教をもたらしたスペインはバスク地方出身のとても情熱的なイエズス会士です。私の母校であるシカゴのロヨラ大学の姉妹校である上智大学などのイエズス会系の学校ではザビエル祭のようなイベントもやってますね。しかし、“日本にキリスト教を伝道した張本人”という中学の社会科の知識程度以外、どれだけ私達はこのザビエルという熱血男のことを知っているでしょうか？

ザビエルが日本になくしては、ロレンソ了斎は普通の盲目琵琶法師でしかなかったでしょう。そうであったなら、高山友照とその息子、高山右近、は熱心なキリシタン大名とはなっていなかったでしょう。高山右近が熱心なキリシタン大名でなければ織田信長の本陣地であった安土に日本で始めてのイエズス会のセミナリオ（修道院）が設立されることなどなく、長崎２６聖人の一人である聖パウロ三木（上智大学の三木図書館はこの日本人イエズス会士聖人にちなんでいる）などもいなかったことでしょう。

右近はキリスト教迫害において最後まで棄教しなかったキリシタン大名の一人だったので, 城も統治していた領土もすべてを没収され、聖パウロ三木、そして、日本ではじめてキリスト教病院を京都に設立したフィリピンからやってきたスペイン人フランシスコ会神父、聖ペドロバウティスタ、と彼のの手伝いをしていた当時１２歳の聖ルドビコ茨木、などと共に長崎で磔にされることになっていました。そして、右近もそれを覚悟していたのですが、秀吉は武将としての右近を尊敬していたことや石田光成の計らいもあり、磔にはされなかったものの、徳川幕府となり、迫害が更に厳しくなると、信仰を捨てない家族と家来と共にフィリピンへ一文無し同然で”島流し”の刑に処されました。

ところが、粗末な船での困難な航海の末にたどり着いたスペイン領マニラでは、多くの信者が右近の信仰心に感化され、迫害が厳しくなる一方の日本に潜入して伝導したいと自分の身の危険を顧みずに日本への更なる伝道に心を燃やす人が増え、ザビエルがつけた信仰の火はこうして、迫害中においても日本で燃え続けることができたのです。そして、聖書の朗読からも、なるほど、イエスが説き、ザビエルが実践し、それに感化された信者達も実践した救いへの信仰心とは、伝統とは、こういうことだったのか、と頷けるはずです。詳しくは私が書いた英語版の“Memorial Feast of St. Francis Xavier on Friday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I – Extraordinary Apostolic Zeal to Set the Fire of Faith in Extending the Eastern Border of Christendom to the Isles of the Rising Sun”をお読みください。

因みに、“ザビエル効果”について更に言うなれば、” 散りぬべき　時知りてこそ　世の中の　花も花なれ　人も人なれ”という有名な辞世の句を残した日本キリシタン最高の美女ともいわれる、明智光秀の娘（明智珠）で織田信長の仲人で細川忠興のところへ嫁いだ細川ガラシャ（細川珠、お珠さん）の魂をキリシタンへの改心によって救うことのきっかけとなったのは細川忠興の親友でもあった高山右近です。右近の熱心な勧めで、信長没後、父光秀の”汚名”を被り、長引く戦国の乱世に精神的にかなり苛まれていたガラシャは信仰によって救われたのです。しかし、ザビエルなくして右近改心のきっかけとなったロレンソ了斎もなかったわけですから、細川ガラシャの魂の救いの背後にはザビエルあり、と言えるでしょう。

Prepare to Inherit the Kingdom : Prepare Our Hearts to Welcome Christ - Thursday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I

The Scripture Readings of Thursday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I (odd number year), Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21, 24-27, are about what Christ will bring with him upon his adventus. We have started our preparation to welcome the incarnated Christ’s coming to us for Advent Season.

Christ came in his human incarnation of baby Jesus, born of Mary, in Bethlehem, about 2,000 years ago – historically. And every year, he comes to our hearts, to establish the Kingdom in us and among us. Therefore, preparing for the coming of the incarnated Christ in Jesus to our hearts during Advent also means to prepare ourselves to be fitting place for the Kingdom to be built.

The Gospel Reading (Matthew 7:21, 24-27) is taken from the latter part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In this, Jesus said it clearly about a necessary condition to enter the Kingdom of Heaven:

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21).

Furthermore, Jesus indicated that “doing the will of the Father” is to act wisely upon listening to his words, like building a house that endures, built securely on a solid rock (Matthew 7:24-25).

Those who are fool, like a man who builds a house on sand (Matthew 7:26), to forfeit the Kingdom, are also like the five foolish virgins who were not allowed by the bridegroom to enter for the wedding feast, because they let their lamp oil run out and fell asleep (Matthew 25:1-10). So, we need to be as wise as a man who builds a house on a solid rock to make sure the house can endure harsh climate conditions in order to enter the Kingdom (Matthew 7:24-25).

This reminds us that we would forfeit the Kingdom if we were fool in the eyes of God – even though the world may consider us as wise. Those who are wise in a worldly sense are not necessarily wise to God.

In the Gospel Reading of Tuesday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, Luke 10:21-24, Jesus praised the Father for keeping the wisdom in the words spoken by Jesus from those who are proud of their own human wisdom and learning.  And their pride prevents them from doing necessary preparatory works to enter the Kingdom. The world may see them wise and learned. But, according to Jesus, God rather see them fool.

In the First Reading (Isaiah 26:1-6), we see that God does not want those who are too proud to listen to words of Jesus and act accordingly in the Kingdom (i.e. Isaiah 26:5). So, besides excessive richness that is not be used for anawim (i.e. Matthew 19:16-24), pride for our own wisdom and learnedness becomes obstacles to enter the Kingdom. And the Kingdom is imaged as a strong city built by God for His anawim – those who keep their steadfast faith in God and remain humble, in the First Reading (Isaiah 26:1-6).

At the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that the Kingdom belongs to those who are blessed for their humility – for being poor in spirit, namely, anawim (Matthew 5:3). But, for those who are not humble, those who do not listen to the words of Jesus and act on the words – because they are too proud – will not enter the Kingdom.

Ultimately, as reflected in St. Augustine’s City of God, as well as, Leo Tolstoy’s philosophical treatise in 1894, The Kingdom of God Is Within You, the Kingdom is found not in the geopolitical world but only within us  - in our hearts, depending on their conditions.  This is why Pontius Pilate struggled in trying to figure out if Jesus was a king to be a threat to Caesar (John 18:28-38). Jesus said:

My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here…… For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice (John 18:36-37).

Jesus said that the Kingdom belongs to those who listen to the truth in Jesus’ voice (John 18:37), and the truth is found in Jesus and in his words, delivering those who listen to and follow him from what would keep them from the Kingdom (i.e. John 8:31-32). After all, he is the truth, as well as, the way and the life (John 14:6). Not to mention, he is the Word incarnated (John 1:1, 14). And, according to the Gospel Reading (Matthew 7:21, 24-27), the truth in Jesus’ words makes us wise and humble, as we listen to it and act on it, to enter and inherit the Kingdom (cf. Matthew 5:3).

Remember, we are to welcome the incarnated Christ in our hearts so that the Kingdom of God which he is bringing in, shall be established in our hearts. So, what we prepare on our hearts throughout Advent Season for the Kingdom to be established on our hearts upon Christ’s arrival in our hearts. In the Kingdom, there shall be the House of the Lord (i.e. Isaiah 2:1-5), as reflected in the First Reading of Monday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, and in there, there will be a banquet (Isaiah 25:6-10a; cf. Revelation 19:6-9), as reflected in the First Reading of Wednesday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I.

In his November 23, 1986, homily in Wellington, New Zealand, Pope St. John Paul II asked his audience:

If we do desire to belong to the Kingdom of God, what are the ways in which this Kingdom of God begins to take root in the human heart? How do reconciliation and peace come about in our innermost self?

And, he listed, prayer, accepting the Gospel message, seeking the truth through dialogue, and the Sacraments, to help us let the Kingdom take its roots in our hearts.

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1986/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19861123_athletic-park-wellington.html

We are not merely preparing to receive the incarnated Christ but to let the Kingdom that he brings take its root and grow in our hearts through our Advent works. Let us build the Kingdom with the House of the Lord on the solid rock faith in our heart to please Christ!

Journey toward the Banquet on the Holy Mountain of the Lord to Come – From Sunday to Wednesday of the First Week of Advent, 2021

Now we are already halfway through the First Week of Advent this liturgical year. How is your Advent preparation to welcome the incarnated Christ to your heart so far?  Are you vigilant all the time so that you won’t miss the signs of his coming, while working on the preparation diligently, as reminded by the Gospel Reading of the First Sunday of Advent, Cycle C, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36? Remember, what we are preparing for during Advent Season will lead us to enjoy salvific benefits of the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring the Lord of justice, a just shoot raised up from the Davidic royal lineage, as prophetically envisioned in the First Reading of the First Sunday of Advent, Cycle C, Jeremiah 33:14-16. 

The Lord of justice, a just shoot raised out of the Davidic royal line (Jeremiah 33:14-16) shall dwell in the House of the Lord established on the Mount Zion, where the faithful from all nations gather to worship as one, as in the prophetic vision from the First Reading of Monday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, Isaiah 2:5-1. And Jesus himself has affirmed this in this statement to a faithful Roman centurion, “Many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11), from the First Reading of Monday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, (Matthew 8:5-11).

The Lord of justice, a shoot sprung up from the Davidic royal lineage (Jeremiah 33:14-16), residing in the House of the Lord on the Mount Zion (Isaiah 2:1-5) is, indeed, a shoot sprout from the stump of Jesse, the father of David, to blossom, as the Spirit of the Lord, namely, the Holy Spirit, is upon him, endowing him with the gifts of the Spirit, primarily wisdom, which leads to the gift of understanding, and so forth, for justice, as reflected in the First Reading of Tuesday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, Isaiah 11:1-10.  And the Gospel Reading of Tuesday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, Luke 10:21-24, the incarnated Christ in Jesus fulfills the shoot sprout from the stomp of Jesse, blossoming with the gifts of Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-10), who is the shoot sprung up from the Davidic royal lineage (Jeremiah 33:14-16).

In fact, Christ has been wisdom ever since the time before the Creation, ever since the pre-incarnation period (i.e. Proverbs 8:22–31).  Therefore, in the Gospel Reading of Tuesday of the First Week of Advent (Luke 10:21-24),  the wisdom hidden from those who are proud of their own human wisdom but revealed to anawim , whose who are poor and humble and righteous in God’s eyes, means Christ, incarnated in the human flesh of anav , named Jesus (Luke 10:21-22). And those whose faith makes them worthy to be Christ’s disciples are blessed to be able to see this wisdom, hidden from the faithless but revealed to the faithful (Luke 10:22-24).

So, on Wednesday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, in its First Reading (Isaiah 25:6-10a),  Christ, whose coming in incarnation, is not only the Lord of justice, a just shoot raised out of the Davidic royal line (Jeremiah 33:14-16),  the one who resides in the House of the Lord on the Mount Zion (Isaiah 2:1-5), and the blossoming with the wisdom and other gifts of the Holy Spirit, sprout from the stomp of Jesse, the father of David (Isaiah 11:1-10), but also the Lord of hosts, who provide for anawim, treating them to a splendid banquet, upon removing what divides us and restoring our wholeness, taking place on the holy mountain of the Lord, the Mount Zion. This image is reflected as the splendor of God’s restoration for joy in Isaiah 35:1-10. And, the Gospel Reading of Wednesday of the First Week of Advent, Cycle I, Matthew 15:29-37, which describes Jesus restoring people to their health and feeding four thousand hungry people on the mountain in Galilee, reflecting the healing and banquet on the holy mountain of the Lord, the Mount Zion, hosted by the shoot out of the root of Jesse, the just shoot out of the Davidic royal lineage.  And, the banquet on the holy mountain of the Lord, Christ, is eschatologically envisioned in the heavenly wedding banquet at the nuptial union of Christ, the Lamb of God, to the Church (Revelation 19:6-9).

So, stay tuned as we further advance on our Advent journey, as we continue to remain vigilant for the signs of the coming of the incarnated Christ, in reading the scriptures for this Advent Season.  We will see more and more of the Christ, who has been already incarnated since the Annunciation but still hidden in the womb of Mary.