My Ecclesial World

June 4, 2006    Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday (B) - Red

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 104 “Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
Sequence: Veni, Creator Spiritus
Gospel: John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.” (Jn 15:26)

    The Holy Spirit is God’s Gift to us, after the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity – therefore, he proceeds from the Father and the Son, and the Father and the Son are revealed through him. Jesus didn’t want to leave his disciples orphans, so he promised the gift of the Holy Spirit – “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.” (Jn 14:16) – for this entity will lead them to all truth and make them feel the living presence of Christ.

    At Pentecost, this promise was fulfilled, when the Holy Spirit “appeared to them as tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3) and the apostles were filled and “began to speak in different tongues.” (Acts 2:4). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost marked an inner transformation in the apostles. This also marked the start of their mission – to proclaim Christ’s Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came not to change what the Lord Jesus Christ has done, but to prolong and perfect what Jesus has done for everyone.

    God continues to fill us with the Holy Spirit – “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.” (Rom 8:11) – and continues to transform us into better Christians. We should always remember that when we accept the Holy Spirit and when the Holy Spirit fills us, God himself and Jesus Christ are within us. This transformation leads us to participate fully in Christ’s work of redemption. We can also say that we do not only live in this world as mere creatures of the Creator, but we are “those led by the Spirit of God” who become “children of God” (Rom 8:14). Because of this we are worthy to call God, “Abba! Father!” (Rom 8:15).

    The Holy Spirit continues to work in us and “bears witness with our spirit” (Rom 8:16). Imagine life without the sign of the Holy Spirit? Life would have been very problematic and hopeless. The Holy Spirit is God’s Divine Ambassador here on earth. He sustains us and provides us with the instruments that make us live our own faith dynamically.  How do we respond to the Spirit? “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (Jn 14:15) and the Holy Spirit will help us fulfill our obligations to God. He will help us rise from our downfalls. He will make us hopeful in times of hopelessness. In short, he is always with us in times of joyful and sorrowful experiences that make us better people. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not only a sign of a continuity of Christ, but also marks our own transformation as children of God.

May 28, 2006    Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (B) - White

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47 "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy; a blare of trumpets for the Lord!"
Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Gospel: Mark 16:15-20

"They went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs." (Mark 16:20)
    The Paschal Mystery of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection exposed to us profoundly the dynamic nature of Christ being human and divine. Most importantly, his Resurrection from the dead demonstrated his full divinity, being the only Son of the Most High and “the king of glory, the conqueror of sin and death.” (Preface of the Ascension I). Our celebration of Easter does not end with Jesus’ apparitions, but instead it stretches until the day “He ascended above all the heavens,” and “poured into the hearts” of his disciples “the Holy Spirit” (Preface of the Holy Spirit I). Hence, the celebration of the Ascension is an integral part of the Easter mystery, for it brings into completion the work of the Resurrection. Ascension did not put an end to Jesus’ presence in this world. Rather, the Ascension merely continued the work of Christ here on earth through his disciples and his Church and paved the way for him to reveal more about his nature and mystery, that his “return to the Father was necessary for sending the Spirit,” that promised day when the Church will find her beginnings. (CFC 650). 
    The Ascension of our Lord brings out basic truths about our Christian Faith that we must be able to know by heart and live our daily lives (cf. CFC 651).
    The Ascension marks Jesus exaltation. “The Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took his seat at God’s right hand” (Mark 16:19). Jesus’ exaltation began during his Paschal Mystery. But as we said it, the Ascension completes the Paschal Mystery; hence, this event marks continuity in Jesus’ revelation of his own exaltation. The Ascension must also be understood as a farewell of Jesus to his humanity to open the doors for his divinity upon the heavenly realm. The Ascension concretizes and makes visible the exaltation of Christ. “As they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight…suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them” (Acts 1:9-10).
    The Ascension does not separate Christ from us. Jesus’ going up to heaven does not signal an end but rather it signals a start. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to continue his work here on earth. He is seen through the Spirit. He is felt through the Spirit. One passage from the Gospel of John alludes to his ascension: “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (Jn 12:32). Jesus does not separate from us, but rather, because of the Ascension, he gathers us to himself and makes us come to share in his place in the kingdom of the Father.
    Christ’s Ascension continues the mystery of his own Priesthood. Christ does not go back to the Father simply to live a life for himself and rest from his earthly ministry. Rather, Jesus was taken back by the Father to be our intercessor and “mediator between God and Man” (Preface of the Ascension I), our great High Priest, “that he might appear on our behalf” (Heb 9:24) to the Father. 
     The Ascension is a foretaste of heaven. “Christ is the beginning, the head of the Church; where he has gone, we hope to follow” (Preface of the Ascension I). This means our own elevation to salvation as well, bringing the Body to follow in hope. Christ did not, cannot and will not forget his beloved here on earth. It is in fact that he became human for us, and he ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us. “Our destiny is final and eternal communion with God and to share in his glory” (Raas, B. The Liturgical Year Vol. II). 
    What does Jesus want from us? Here enters the missionary aspect of the Ascension. He sent his disciples to all nations, baptizing people. The missionary work of his disciples does not end in knowing and sharing the message of Christ. Instead, this work is of living that message of Christ. In today’s world, going to mass is essential to Catholic faith. But what is more important is that we live what we learn in the mass; and living this faith and being men and women for others makes possible our share in Christ’s divine life. The Ascension does not only challenge us to be faithful people but also makes us work and live our faith in Christ, centred in his Paschal Mystery. Amen.

    The past months have been bombarded with certain issues about faith. The media and the press have been very active in covering and presenting these issues to the public. There were many documentaries about these issues that went on air. There were also numerous books about these subjects that have been published and released worldwide. In short, the world is very active and curious in knowing and entertaining these issues.

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   In the year 2003, Dan Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code” was released worldwide. It invited a lot of supporters, but at the same time critics. It actually went on center stage for presenting historically authentic facts implying historically questionable details and faith questioning ideas. What was more intriguing is that it hurt the Christian denomination of the world by presenting the historical Jesus in a way contradictory to what we have believed in.  The novel simply posted erroneous impressions on some fundamental truths about our Christian faith. The novel claimed that Jesus is merely human, and his divinity was merely invented by the Christian-convert Emperor Constantine the Great in the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. It also stated that Jesus found love in Mary Magdalene and had children with her, believing that his bloodline still exists when the latter went to France. It also suggests that the Church conspired with some organizations in the choice of the Canonical Gospels, primarily to keep the secret regarding Jesus and his bloodline. These claims are contradictory to the historical Jesus that we know. These claims are a slap to the Christian faith, the most striking is the question about the divinity of Christ. Well, although a work of fiction, the novel has been seen by many as historically factual because of the author’s frequent reference of historically factual and accurate events. But as Catholic faithful, we should always see this as merely a work of the imagination, a fictionalized literature.

   To counter the claims of the novel, we should always respond to them in the light of our faith. We should know by heart and reflect on our Christian faith, grounded on the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.

  On the claim that Jesus is merely human. Both tradition and Scripture have affirmed the mystery of Jesus’ nature. Jesus is fully human. Jesus is fully divine. The truth about Jesus cannot be seen by historical reconstruction and guess of the human mind. The truth about Jesus can be seen through faith and reason. “The truth about Jesus as the Son of God comes from a revelation of the Father, as Jesus told Peter (cf. Mt 16:17). The truth about Jesus as Lord can be confessed only in humble faith that is a gift of the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul reminds us (cf. I Cor 12:3). The truth about Jesus is revealed to mere children but hidden to the wise and the learned (cf. Matthew 11:25)” (CBCP Pastoral Statement on “The Da Vinci Code,” par. 4).

    On the claim that Constantine invented Jesus’ divinity. The Council of Nicaea (325) was convened primarily to counter the Arian heresy, claiming that Jesus is not fully divine and that he was less than the Father. This heresy disunited the Christian empire. In effect, the council condemned the Arian heresy and definitively proclaimed the unique relationship of the Father and the Son (cf. CCC 465). “The Church thus confesses that Jesus is inseparably true God and true man. He is truly the Son of God who, without ceasing to be God and Lord, became a man and our brother” (CCC 469).

    On Mary Magdalene. The Holy Grail came about during the Medieval Ages when the Arthurian Romances came about. The grail was said to be the cup of the Last Supper where Jesus drank. Hence, the author’s claim is not chronologically accurate since the idea of the grail came 12 centuries after the Lord Jesus Christ. And Mary Magdalene, obviously, is not the grail of the Lord. They were not even married. “The mythical marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene does not advance a deeper appreciation for the feminine, but destroys the truth about the covenantal union between God and humanity that has taken place in the marriage between Jesus and his true Bride, the Church.”  (Handling Questions People may ask about The Da Vinci Code). Rather, we should always bear in mind that Jesus is the Bridegroom, and the Church is the Bride of Christ (cf. Mt 9:15; Mk 2:19). Jesus did not come to the world to establish earthly kingdoms, but he came here to conquer sin and death. Let’s just think of it this way: if Jesus were married to Mary Magdalene, were a mortal prophet, and were to re-establish an earthly and political kingdom, then Jesus would have failed in his mission from God and Christianity would have definitely been a lie (cf. Handling Questions People may ask about The Da Vinci Code).

   As Christian readers and moviegoers, we should always have in mind that the novel and adapted film, “The Da Vinci Code” is merely a work of the mind, a highly fictionalized work. It does not mean that the use of historically correct events makes the novel correct as well. I will repeat: the work of Dan Brown is merely a work of fiction, a work of the mind.

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    A few months ago, the National Geographic Society announced the discovery of a lost archaic manuscript written in papyrus sheets about 1,700 years ago, nearly dating to 300 AD, written in the Coptic dialect, a language formerly spoken in Egypt. At the end of the manuscript is written in Coptic dialect the ending statement, which attributes to the title, maybe, of the manuscript: The Gospel of Judas. Contrary to Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code,” the Gospel of Judas is historically authentic, meaning that the date of writing at about 1700 years ago and that the manuscript is a genuine work of apocryphal literature was affirmed by means of carbon dating and other highly technological equipment, and is neither a fictitious nor non-fictitious writing. Although attributed to Judas Iscariot, the writer of the gospel is not known because of the time element. Judas Iscariot may have not written this because the manuscript is dated at about 300 AD, and we know for a fact that Judas Iscariot committed suicide the same day Jesus was crucified. Hence, the writer of this gospel would have been a person who lived centuries after Jesus Christ; hence, the canonicity and accuracy of events would be questionable. The Gnostics were attributed to this gospel. The colors of Gnosticism are imbibed in the use of words and imageries in this literature.

    Striking about this gospel is its portrayal of Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ. By the way, this gospel centers mostly on conversations between Jesus and Judas Iscariot.

    The portrait of Judas Iscariot. In the Canonical Gospels, we know that Judas Iscariot is portrayed as the betrayer of Jesus Christ, a traitor among the twelve disciples.  “Then Satan entered into Judas, the one surnamed Iscariot, who was counted among the Twelve, and he went to the chief priests and temple guards to discuss a plan for handing him over to them. They were pleased and agreed to pay him money. He accepted their offer and sought a favorable opportunity to hand him over to them in the absence of a crowd” (Luke 22:3-6). However, in the gospel attributed to him, Judas Iscariot is portrayed as a very wise man who could understand the Lord and the most favored apostle of Christ. What’s more striking is that Jesus is the one who tells Judas to hand him over to the Jews. When Judas worries about being discriminated and ridiculed, Jesus promises him that in doing so, he will be great and more favored by him. The bottom line is: Judas Iscariot is an obedient apostle of Christ, rather than a reviled traitor, willing to collaborate with the Lord as he says so. Well we do not exactly know why Jesus would arrange for his own death. Well, this is very and obviously misleading.

     The portrait of Jesus Christ. What is even more disturbing in this gospel is its portrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ. Imagine our Lord Jesus Christ, arranging for his own death. Well, in this gospel, Jesus commands Judas Iscariot to arrange for his handing over to the Jews. The truth behind this, according to the gospel, is that Jesus wants to get rid of his own body to liberate the real spirit and divinity that is being jailed by this mortal being. This is disturbing to us Christians because we cannot believe that Jesus himself would renounce his Incarnation, that is, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). The historical Jesus that is close to our faith gives importance to his full humanity. Even after his Resurrection, Jesus decides to keep his body and show himself to his disciples as a full human being. Another striking about this gospel is its portrayal of Jesus at the Last Supper. Jesus is laughing…laughing hard at that. He is laughing not because he is happy, but he is laughing at his disciples for their wrong notion about God. This made his disciples very angry with him.

    The authenticity of the Gospel of Judas is proven – it is a matter of science. But the accuracy of events and theology of belief is a work of faith. One needs great faith in order to decipher the truth and accuracy of the events portrayed in this literature. Besides, we have a very good and dependable Jesus in our faith. So why test him and look for other Jesus’s?

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    We are faced with three Christ’s: the Christ of our faith who so loved the world that he suffered, died and rose from the dead for our salvation, who is human in every way and did not deny his divinity, who loved his disciples and ate with them and played with them as if they were a family; the Christ of Dan Brown who was portrayed as marrying Mary Magdalene and having children with her, who was claimed as mere human and denied his divinity; and the Christ of the Gnostics who so wanted to be liberated from his body and to live out his divinity through his spirit and paved the way for his death by arranging it with Judas Iscariot.

    But the question is: whom do we choose? Whom do we believe in? There is only one Christ that we must believe in. It is a matter a faith. Be intelligent in choosing. Use your heart. Use the gift of reason that God gave you. Once you choose the right Christ, you will see the light of salvation made possible for us all. God bless us all! Amen.