“Contemplate His Throne”
April 13, 2014
Palm Sunday
Zechariah
9: 9 – 13/Psalm 118: 15 – 16; 25 – 29/Revelation 19: 11 – 16/John 12: 12–19
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Ariel Cornelio P.
Santos D.D.
of the
Archdiocese of Manila
the
National Church in the Philippines
and the
Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the
Charismatic Episcopal Church
We continue with our
pilgrim way of Lent. We are approaching the climax as we come today to
Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. I have stressed this enough: we
journey by stages and we allow God to lead us. Many times, it is not easy
to have someone lead you. The Bible says that it is a sign of
maturity. The frustration of people, especially when they reach a certain
age, is being used to in all their life of being able to do everything
independently by themselves. They can go to the bathroom by
themselves, feed themselves, tie their own show lace or dress themselves
up. They reach a certain point when they are too weak to do some of
those things and they depend on something like a cane or on a person to support
them when they walk. It may not be just in old age, but sometimes in
sickness too. It is difficult to depend on somebody. It is difficult for
our pride because you would rather do things by yourselves. You are the
closest to anyone that can ever please yourself. You would rather
do things than leave them to others. It is a sign of maturity that we
allow somebody we trust to lead us.
Jesus told Peter, in
signifying His death, “When you were young, you went to places wherever you
want to go; but when you are old, somebody else will lead you and take you
somewhere you don’t want to go.” It is a sign of maturity. It is a
sign of total surrender to what God wills to happen. You may not understand
it. Right after Jesus told Peter this, He told him, “Follow Me.”
Peter may not have understood it when he heard it, but Jesus signified to him
the kind of death He was to die. Nonetheless, you can interpret
that as maturity.
When we are young, we
want to do what we want to do. We reach a certain point when we depend on
God and allow Him to do things and we follow. We don’t necessarily like
where He leads us. Jesus told a disciple that he should lay hands on Paul
because God was to show Paul the many tribulations, the many sufferings he has
to go through for the sake of the gospel of God. It is difficult not to be
independent but to depend on somebody. We are all bound to get
there. We are all going to get old and we are all going to depend someday
on somebody else. We are being trained to surrender totally and to
follow especially the leading of our Lord.
Is it obeying blindly?
Is it not thinking for yourself or analyzing? The Bible calls it walking
by faith not by sight. You don’t necessarily have to see it or understand
it. You just have to trust God and have faith in Him because this is our
calling. It is not to analyze or evaluate; not to get everything figured
out before we act. Take the step of faith, which means even if we
don’t see or understand, we go and follow.
God told Abraham,
"Go up to the mountain with your son, Isaac, and I want you to sacrifice
him there." Isaac, seeing all the things needed for sacrifice, like
the fire, the wood except for one things, asks his father, "Behold, the
fire, the wood, but where is the lamb for sacrifice?" Isaac did not see;
neither did Abraham, but Abraham, whom Isaac trusted, told him, “God will
provide.” This is all that Isaac had – God will
provide. This is all the basis that he can put his faith on.
He did not see the lamb. What he did was to go up to the mountain with
his father. The Bible didn’t even say that he questioned when he
was being bound by his father. He did not question his father. He
did not say anything when Abraham raised his hand on which was a knife. It was
the angel who shouted, not Isaac. He did not see, but he followed. We don’t see
all things.
Hebrews 2:8-9 says that
we don't see all things subjected to man yet, but we do see Jesus and all we
need to see is Him. We do not need to see where He leads us. We
only trust Him. The sheep don’t necessarily see what the shepherd see because
the shepherd is in front. The people on the ground don’t necessarily see
what the watchmen on the tower sees because he is on a position of better sight
and better view. The watchman warns the people of a wolf and would
have to trust him as they put their faith in him. They don’t say,
“Let me go up there first and see for myself that there really is a wolf for
who knows you are the boy who cried wolf.”
Faith and trust.
We don't see the Promised Land yet; we see the cloud leading us to the Promised
Land. All we need to see is the cloud that will take us to the Promised
Land. We trust the cloud because God is our cloud. We follow.
Abraham went out not knowing where he was going, but he followed God. The
Wise Men followed the star. We should guard ourselves; we must humble; we
must not be arrogant.
The iluminati or the enlightened think they
understand everything and they have a voice for everything. As
Christians, we follow. We don’t necessarily have to always see and
understand. The gospel said that the disciples did not understand at the
first until Christ was risen and glorified. In the meantime, they
followed. They had their ups and downs, but they followed even if they
did not understand at first.
After healing the man
born blind, Jesus said in John 9:41, "For judgment I came into this
world, so that those who do not see may see and that those who see may become
blind." Those who have
knowledge that they cannot see apart from God showing and leading them, God
will show them the right things. Those who claim arrogantly that they
need to see first or that they see that they are enlightened, they understand,
then they remain in their sin and their blindness. People who think that
they don’t need God are the most miserable. Jesus told one church in
Revelation, “You say you are rich, you don’t know you are miserably poor. You
think you are secure, but if you don’t depend on God, you are the most insecure
people that exist.” We need to understand that we are followers. It
is not blind followers but faithful followers. We need to
understand that we don’t see it all the time.
On the cross, Jesus
said, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are
doing." Who knows that they don't know what they are doing?
Who is aware that they don’t know what they are doing is wrong? Nobody
knows that they are doing wrong. Why are they doing wrong? Maybe,
some arrogantly, even if they know it is wrong, they continue doing it.
But in that, they don’t know that they are doing wrong. In the voluntary
doing of wrong, is that in itself not knowing that you are doing wrong? Nobody
would acknowledge that, which is why Jesus had to pray for them so we must be
humble.
Like the disciples at
the Table, Jesus said, "One of you will betray Me." One by one,
they asked, “Lord, is it me? Forbid that it would be me! Is it I?” Let us
be humble. Let us be teachable. Let us continue to follow and
submit – not blindly but by faith. The commandment never changed in Israel
whether they had good or bad kings; good or bad prophets; good or bad priests.
In the Church, we have heard of good and bad Popes. What is the
commandment? It does not change. “Obey your leader; follow.”
Holy Week begins with
Palm Sunday and we continue to follow. Up to this point, Jesus kept His
identity. It wasn’t time for Him to be publicly known. In fact,
some of the religious leaders told Him, "Are you the Christ? If you are,
tell us plainly!” On this day, Jesus did by fulfilling all of the Old
Testaments Scriptures – in Zechariah 9 and Psalm 118. The people were
giving Him praise as He entered Jerusalem and taking the throne in
Jerusalem. It was the Triumphal Entry where there was a large
crowd, three thousand or more, that welcomed Him. They heard of Jesus –
of His teachings, of His miracles; but I believe that the climax was when He
raised Lazarus from the dead. He said of the sickness of Lazarus, “This
sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God.”
The glory of God was
seen in Lazarus’ resurrection. Obviously, God was not done. His
glory was yet to be seen in the Son on this day in His Triumphal Entry of
Jerusalem. It was written that the crowd who was there in Bethany who saw
Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead were giving testimonies to the resurrection
of Lazarus by Jesus. They were spreading the news like the
Samaritan woman at the well. They were spreading the news in
Jerusalem. Jesus’ actions and words were being testified to. The
actions and the words of the crowd reflected that they believed Jesus was the
Messiah and were anticipating His arrival. They knew of Zechariah 9; they
could see the donkey but they did not understand fully who Jesus was.
Maybe, they were expecting somebody with power and might according to the
world’s standards. They probably thought, “If this Man could raise the
dead, heal the sick, and could defy the Roman government, maybe He is the
person that we have been waiting for that would deliver us from the yoke of the
Romans.”
Jesus was clear.
It did not matter that the people did not understand. His selection of
the donkey indicated the nature of His kingdom which was peace. He did
not ride a big horse indicating that He was ready for war or He had
power. His kingdom is a kingdom of peace. Even His disciples did
not understand that first; Jesus knew. He had foreknowledge of
everything. In fact, He told His disciples, “We are going to
Jerusalem. This is what is going to happen. I will be delivered
into the hands of the Gentiles. The religious leaders will spit on Me and
scourge Me and deliver Me over death. This is what is going to happen in
Jerusalem. I am telling ahead of time.”
They obviously forgot
about it. The finding of the donkey, the arrangements for the Last
Supper, the betrayal of Judas, Peter’s denial three times – everything – Jesus
knew before hand. He knew His mission. It is what we say in the
Eucharist, “A death He freely accepted.” In the movie, “Passion,” Jesus
would always go back to His cross and embrace it. He would fall but He
crawls back to the cross; and in His weakness and pain, He would embrace it.
He won’t let go of it. In fact, He rebuked Peter for trying to
protect Him from the cross and called him Satan. He knew His
mission. The people did not. The people shouted, “Hosanna” which
means, “Save us. Lord, do save!” As in Psalm 118, “Lord, do save.
Messiah, do save!” They probably remembered the chant of the crowd as
David returned from war victories and Saul was insulted because the people
said, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands.”
Maybe, they are thinking, Jesus has hundreds of thousands of Romans that He
will slay. "This is our Messiah! This is our
Deliverer! This is the Son of David! Another battle King, Somebody who
would deliver us from our oppression.”
According to the gospel
of St. Mark, Jesus rode victoriously on a donkey into Jerusalem. He goes to the
temple, surveys the temple, looked around and He left for Bethany because He
was getting late. The people who shouted, “Save us, save us,” were left
with mouths wide open. “What happened to our Savior? I thought He was
going to deliver us from the Romans?” Could it be that this
disappointment turned in a few days into hatred and frustration to the point
that they even joined the crowd who shouted, “Crucify Him?” They could
have said, “You are a false Deliverer. Why did we even shout,
“Hosanna”? Why did we even ask You to save us? You are not our
Savior! You are not our Deliverer! We take back our praises on Palm
Sunday!”
Our praise and our
acknowledgment of our dependence on the salvation of God must be on His
terms. Jesus was Savior and Deliverer. They did not understand His
terms. He delivered them through peace. He gave them life by going
to the cross. Our praise and our acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty and
dependence of Him is not flattery to get Him to do what we want done. In
the first place, we don’t see everything; God does. We don't know what is
best for us; God does. We need to follow. We don't praise Him like
a child going to a father and saying, “I like how you parted your hair
today. You look good on your clothes. Can you give me five hundred
pesos because I need this?" It is not flattery to get what we
want. It is simply an acknowledgment of the truth that God is Lord.
He is worthy of our praise. He is King and Lord. His will will be
done on His terms. We are to submit to it.
God is King not
servant. He is our Lord. He is our Boss; He is the One who will be followed,
not us. We call Him Lord and our King and we call ourselves
servants. Then, we are the ones to follow His will. Do we
understand it? Sometimes, no! Do we like it? Many times, no!
But He is King and we follow. He is not “yaya,” a servant, a butler, a
valet, a bodyguard or driver. He is not on our beck and call. This
is supposed to be us like Boy Scouts – always ready to follow His will.
We are suppose to
sustain our praise today even if we don’t fully understand and even when God
disappoints us and doesn’t fulfill our expectations. In the first place,
we don’t fully understand. You don’t say to God, “I thought You were
King! I thought You were the Provider. Why didn’t You give this petition
of mine? Why didn’t You give me a pair of shoes? I thought You were King
so why did You let this happen to me? Why did You allow this to
happen? Why did You do this to me?” He is King and works all
things together for good to those who love Him.
Do we understand?
Sometimes, but not at first. Sometimes, He lets us after a while, but we
follow and we don’t hate Him and crucify Him for not fulfilling our ignorant
desires. The Collect says, “That we may honor Christ not only with our
lips but in our lives.” The praises
we sang today sustained it. Not just through the whole Holy Week, but in our
lives. Jesus leads and we follow. He is King and He is Lord.
Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, He must deny Himself of his
desires, his prayers for himself, and then, take up his cross daily – every
single day – and then follow Me.” I don’t see there anywhere if it feels
goods or He agrees or if it is according to His GPS or if we are going to the
right path, then He follows. Deny yourself – including your opinions,
your feelings, and your own theology. Follow; deny yourself and take up His
cross and follow Him. To follow is to look at Christ wherever you
go. You don’t need to see where He goes; He just needs to see you for He
will take you where you are to go.
Jesus says, “The Son of
Man must suffer many things. He must be rejected. He must be killed
and He would be raised upon the third day.” This is the way of the
Cross. This is the way that we follow Him. The Collect for Holy Monday
goes, “Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first
He suffered pain, and entered not into glory before He was crucified;
Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none
other than the way of life and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” He went not up to joy before He
suffered pain. He did not enter into glory before He was crucified. The
prayer asks God the Father, “Grant, O Lord, mercifully, that we, walking in
the way of the cross, following Christ on His way, may find the way of the
cross none other like but the way of life and peace.”
Maybe, we don’t
understand it so this is why we pray that. May we not be guilty like the
crowd on Palm Sunday. They did not understand the way Jesus was
going. The problem is that they did not follow and they thought for
themselves that they were right and Jesus was wrong. We ask God, “Grant
us that we see that this way, Jesus’ way. The way of the cross is the only way
to life and peace.”
May we by humble enough
to pray that. One day, as the Lord wills, He will show us and He will
make us understand that we did the right thing in following Him, humbly and
teachably. My dear brothers and sisters, this is the way it is in the
kingdom of our God.
LET
US CONTINUE OUR REFLECTION
WITH
CARDINAL OF
HOLY MOTHER CHURCH
AND
VENERABLE PRIMATE
OF
THE PHILIPPINES
THROUGH
THE WORD EXPOSED
“Contemplate His Anointing”
Holy
Wednesday
April
16, 2014
Exodus 30: 22 – 32/Psalm 45:
6 – 17/2 Corinthians 2: 14 - 17 /Matthew 26: 6-16
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Ariel Cornelio P.
Santos D.D.
of the
Archdiocese of Manila
the
National Church in the Philippines
and the
Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the
Charismatic Episcopal Church
We continue our Lenten journey as we approach the peak of
it and as we come to this point in Holy Week.
Tonight, we proclaim to you, “Healing is yours!” Be reminded of the will of God which we can
see at creation. In creation can be seen
life, provision, abundance, beauty, harmony, perfection, and wholeness. The Word of God says that everything God
created was good. The earth, the sun,
the moon, the stars, water, land, fire, animals, plants, and man were all
created good. Each had its own unique characteristic and purpose of
existence. There was harmony;
equilibrium; balance of nature – all for the good of the whole and of each
other. Nothing was made for harm or for destruction. All of creation existed to support and be in
harmony with each other.
We can describe the relationship as symbiotic – each
benefits each other. Looking at the
human body, nothing was intended to be a burden to the other. The feet do not carry the body because the
body is a burden. The feet are there to
support the body. The body is not there to make it hard for the feet. Each has their part and role. In creation, there really was no predator and
prey. There was nothing unfair in creation.
We may say that the horse or the cow eat grass and say that it is unfair
for the grass that they are being eaten to sustain another creature. Would we look at it this way? What about man? I heard that fruitarians say that when you
pick fruit off of the branch of the tree, it is murder. You have to wait for the fruit to fall, then,
you can eat it. Is it unfair for the
fruit that it is eaten to sustain the life of man? Even animals became food for man. Was it unfair for the animals to be eaten for
the sake of man? We may pit animal
versus man, but there are animals which are food for other animals. Do we look at it as unfair or do we look at
it as the design of God, the balance of nature?
I don’t know how many of those who push for animal rights
are vegetarians. If they eat meat, then
what about the rights of those animals that have been murdered so that they can
eat? Do you feel guilt in killing a
mosquito or cockroach? What about their right?
In God’s design, nothing is unfair.
Everything was made good and the system was perfect. Nothing was made for harm or destruction.
Even the tree of knowledge of good and evil was created good. Furthermore, the serpent was created good. Each of creation was created to bring out the
best in another, not to destroy. The
tree was not meant to make Adam fall, but to make him act like a man –bearing
the image and likeness of God; to walk in a manner worthy of His creation.
In the same manner, the Law is good. In Romans, St. Paul says that the Law is
good. Roman 7:10 says that the commandment
was supposed to result in life. Verse 12
says that the Law is holy and the commandment is holy and righteous and
good. In verse 13, he asks, “Did that
which is good become a cause of death for me?
Rather, it was sin in order that it may be shown as sin by effecting my
death through that which is good, which is the Law.” The purpose of the Law is good. St. Paul says that the purpose of the Law is
to point us to Christ who is the perfect example of righteousness.
Water, fire, sun, money, your job, your car, your house
and even your computer can be good and lawful.
It is the wrong use of them that will make them unprofitable or even
harmful and destructive. At the fall,
sickness entered into the world as death did.
Sickness is simply the first stage of death. Death is the full blown
stage of sickness. Sin, basically, is
the wrong use of God’s creation – not according to His command.
In John 9 about the man born blind, the disciples saw him
and asked Jesus, "Who sinned? This
man or his parents that he should be born blind?” Jesus responded, “It was neither this man nor
his parents that sinned. It was so that the glory of God can be seen in
him.” The question really of the
disciples had some spiritual basis, but the reason for that is deeper than the
result of sin. It is to demonstrate the works of God, which is
restoration. I would instead emphasize
that we have been delivered from the curse in that by Jesus’ stripes, we have
been healed. He is the God who heals
us. This is for what reason? It is to restore us back to the perfection,
to the harmony, to the goodness of creation and to restore us back to our
mandate.
In defining “anointing,” it is primarily to set apart; to
make holy. Holy means set apart. Anointing is to set apart, to prepare, to
equip, and to empower. Basically, the
three people who were anointed in the Old Testament were the prophet, the
priest, and the king. Each of those was
given the title “Messiah”. Eventually,
the “Messiah” came to be applied only to Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. The
title “Lord” was for a nobleman, and then eventually, Jesus became the one Lord
and one Messiah and the one Christ, the Anointed One. Anointing is for equipping, for setting
apart, for preparing, and for empowering.
In Exodus 30, we were given instructions for the
preparation of the oil. It was
exclusively used for holy things, setting holy things apart exclusively for
God’s use. Psalm 45 was talking about
the king whose garments were fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia. The ingredients were specified in
Exodus. In 2Corinthians, we were told of
the anointing of the sons of God. They
are holy and set apart for that use. In
the gospel, the woman who broke the alabaster vial of perfume filled the whole
room with the fragrance of the anointing material that she used for Jesus.
Anointed means holy. Holy does not mean strange or
weird. Holy means set apart for God’s
use. Hence, the term, “Holy unto the
Lord.” Set apart for God’s use. Ordained or set a course for God’s use. Man, from the beginning, was set apart. Man was holy from the beginning and he was
ordained from creation. Psalm 8 says,
“What is man that God would take thought of him? What is he that He has crowned him and make
him to rule and for God to put all things under his feet?” Man was ruling and reigning until sickness
and death came in through sin at the fall.
God wants us whole because He wants us to continue where
we left off at the fall. When man sinned
at the fall, he stopped ruling and reigning and exercising dominion in
obedience to God and in fulfillment of His mandate. The reason we are restored is so that we can
continue where we left off. God created
us for a reason: to fulfill the mandate He gave us at creation.
Healing is not just to relieve us of suffering. It is not just to end suffering or
inconvenience, but to anoint us again to fulfill our mandate so that we can do
the things that we need to do. It is not
just the things that we enjoy; not just the things we want to do, but the
things we are supposed to do. Healing
is to free us from what hinders us from fulfilling our mandate and obeying God.
Our mandate is to reflect God's image by obeying Him, by
ruling and reigning, and exercising dominion on the earth. As we do, we glorify Him and we commune with
Him. The song says, “When He was on the
cross, we were on His mind.” I say
particularly that we were on His mind so that we can continue our mandate. In the movie “Passion,” Jesus was carrying
the cross and His mother saw Him and felt pity for Him. Jesus told her, “Don’t worry about Me. I am going through this because by this act
of dying, behold, I am making all things new. I am restoring creation. I, the second Adam, is undoing the failure of
the first Adam and making all things new by trampling death with My death.”
Christ is making all things new! This is what healing is all about. We still are the beloved of God, the apple
of His eye. This week is not all about
self, but the giving of self for the life of others, for the life of the
world. The more we understand this, the
more we will have faith for the healing.
More importantly, it is healing because we need the anointing of God
again to flow in and through us. The
more we will be secure.
According to God’s principle, there is a requirement: the
dying of self. Scriptures says, “Unless
a grain of wheat falls to the ground, it remains by itself alone.” When it does fall to the ground and dies,
that is when it bears fruit; that is when it is fully restored. Parallel that
to what Jesus said, “He who loses his life actually shall find it.” The breaking of the alabaster vial of perfume
was what released the fragrance and the aroma and defused it. It filled the whole house with the aroma and
the fragrance of the aroma and the knowledge of God through the breaking,
through the dying of the sons of God.
Until then, the fragrance is not smelled. Until then, the wheat is alone by
itself. Until then, it does not bear
fruit. But after, then, it bears much
fruit and then the fragrance is defused and released and it fills the whole
room. The aroma is smelled by those in
the room. This is the original purpose:
the displaying of God in us.
The reason that we were created in the image and likeness
of God is so that we bear His image and likeness and demonstrate it. St. Paul says the He manifests through us the
fragrance and the aroma of God so that He is seen, He is smelled, He is heard,
He is tasted and He is felt through us to people. Manifested through us, His witnesses.
Desire to be restored.
Desire to be healed. Not just
because you are tired of the pain, but so that you can fulfill your mandate. So
that you can be a fragrant aroma for God. So that others could smell the aroma
of God through you. So that you have the
ability to restore life and to give life because this is what this week is
about. This is what the kingdom of God
is all about. This is the way it is in
His kingdom.
“Contemplate
His Commitment”
Maundy
Thursday
April
17, 2014
Exodus 24: 4-8 /Psalm 40:
4-8/ Hebrews 10: 4 - 10 /Matthew 26: 17-30
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Ariel Cornelio P.
Santos D.D.
of the
Archdiocese of Manila
the
National Church in the Philippines
and the
Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the
Charismatic Episcopal Church
On this day in Holy Week, Jesus instituted the Lord’s
Supper on the very night He was betrayed.
The Collect mentions about a participation in Jesus' passion. His
sacrifice was the only acceptable sacrifice to God that would satisfy the
requirement of the justice and would wipe away sin. St. Paul tells us in
1Corinthians 11 that the bread we break and the cup we bless is our
participation in the body and blood of Christ and in the giving of His life.
It is all God’s doing.
It is one hundred percent grace.
God shows it; it was His choice; it was His initiative; it is marvelous
in our eyes. The blood of Jesus was shed
for the forgiveness of sin even before we drink of it. When we partake of His body and blood, in the
bread and wine of the Supper, we share in His offering. Then, it makes our offering also acceptable
to God by virtue of the one offering that He had offered which is the only one
acceptable.
Last Supper is called as such not because Jesus was going
to die because we know that He lived on, but this was the once for all
sacrifice. After this, there was no
more. Hebrews 10 explained to us that
Old Testament copies were just copies. It was not the true one, but copies of
the things in heaven. Jesus’ sacrifice was the real and true sacrifice. Jesus did not replace Passover but He
fulfilled it. He substantiated it. He made it real. Jesus was the real Lamb that was the once for
all sacrifice so that after Him, there was no more sacrifice. It is already finished and done. We share of this one sacrifice; we share of
this one bread. It is one body for all
of humanity, for all time.
There are Christians who have a hard time believing that
the sacrifice of Christ can be made present; but they don’t have a hard time
believing that the Old Testament people benefited from a future sacrifice. It wasn’t too late for them; it is not too
early for us. Christ's sacrifice is the
crux of all of history. All of this
hinge on this one event – the offering of the life of Christ and of His body
and blood. This made us all one. It is
all of humanity, on either side, chronologically of the Cross and even
geographically, that we, though many throughout the earth and throughout
history, can share one body in the one Lord.
He made us one, but He also requires us to preserve the unity that He
has provided for us.
There is this document called “Didache,” the teaching of
the twelve apostles written in 70 A.D. This liturgical manual instructs, “On
the Lord’s Day, gather together and break bread and offer the Eucharist, after
confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure. Let no one
who has a quarrel with his neighbor join you until he is reconciled, lest our
sacrifice be defiled. For this is that which was proclaimed by the Lord: ‘In
every place and time incense shall be offered in My name and a pure offering.
For I am a great king,’ says the Lord, ‘and My Name is wonderful among the Gentiles.”
Unity and the preservation of it, and if Jesus forgave us
of our sins and made us one, then, we are to preserve that by not having sin
between each other. This is why it took
them hours to go through this part of this Mass called “Peace” in the olden
days. It was not just saying,
"Peace with you," that took two minutes. It was a judicial proceeding. It was a trial.
They did not go to the Table until they were sure that there was peace among
those who were to partake.
In the manual, it said that, “Let no man who has a
quarrel with his neighbor join you until he has reconciled.” This will make the
sacrifice defiled. The prophesy of
Malachi was that only a pure offering, free of sin, and free of unforgiveness
is the offering for the great King and God.
His Name will not be profaned. We
are warned: do not approach the Table in
an unworthy manner. Unworthy means
without unity; with division; without solidarity; without peace. Disunity and
division don't have a place in the Table of the Lord. It is an insult to go to the Table divided
and without unity. The sacrifice of the
body of Christ and His blood made the two one.
We go against His death and the giving of His life when we approach the
Table not in unity.
Hear me, Church, we are to approach the Table in unity
and we are to preserve that unity.
Hence, this is why I believe Jesus got up from the Table and washed the
disciples’ feet because they were talking about who was the greatest. They were not regarding each other as more
important than himself. Jesus had to
teach them to have this spirit and attitude in them of serving others and
regarding them as more important.
The second perfect Adam did not come to be served but to
serve. When it was Peter’s turn for his
feet to be washed, he tells Jesus, “You shouldn’t be washing my feet.” Jesus told him, “If I don’t wash your feet,
you have no part in Me.” I take that to
mean also among us and between us. If we
don’t have this attitude of serving each other, then, we don’t have a part in
each other. Then, we don’t have unity
and oneness. Hence, we cannot approach
the Table of the Lord. We are to learn
from the lesson of the washing of the feet.
We are to serve one another. We are to regard each other as more
important than ourselves. We are to
release each other from their sins against us.
This is meant to be preserved and meant to be perpetuated
and memorialized. This is a perpetual
memorial. Jesus did not abolish the
Passover. He brought it into a full
reality. He fulfilled it; He perfected it; He completed it. It is still the
Passover. Only now, it is not just a
shadow or a copy but the real, true one.
It is the heavenly model.
We say, “Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for
us.” Passover is to be a perpetual
memorial throughout all generations. It
still continues but only now it is fuller because Jesus Christ, our Passover,
not a lamb, but The Lamb is sacrificed for us.
The tense is "is sacrificed" not “has been sacrificed” or “was
sacrificed.” He is sacrificed because He
continues to be perpetuated and memorialized and “anamnesized” which is making
present His sacrifice so that He, to us in the 21st Century, is our
Passover. We make present His sacrifice.
St. Augustine says, “We know and believe with very
certain faith that Christ died only once for us. We know perfectly that all
that happened only once, and yet the solemnity, the celebration of it, the
memorializing of it renews it periodically or each time. Historical truth and liturgical solemnity are
not opposed to one another, as if the second is fallacious and the first alone
corresponds to the truth. In fact, of what history says occurred only once in
reality, the Mass or the solemnity repeatedly renews the celebration in the
hearts of the faithful.” In our hearts, the sacrifice is made present when we
partake in a worthy manner.
A Protestant theologian says this, “Our Saviour, having
undertaken to make an offering of himself to God, and procure, by his death the
remission of sins, with all other gospel benefits, for true believers, did, at
the institution, on Maundy Thursday, deliver His body and blood, with all the
benefits procured by His death, to His disciples, and continues to do the same
every time the sacrament is administered to true believers.”
This is why we do it in remembrance of Christ. First, it is a commandment. Second, whenever
we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim, we make present, we
actualize, and we share in His death until He comes. Our partaking of the body and the blood at
the present time makes us avail of the benefit of the one sacrifice 2000 years
ago. It is life, unity, harmony, relationship
with God, reconciliation, and the restoration of all things as in the Garden of
Eden when all were said to be very good.
The New Covenant made all things new. We are a new creation because of the Supper
instituted on this night. Our brother is
a new creation if he partakes of the body and blood of Christ by His grace and
in a manner worthy. Christ has made all
things new. We know Him, not just by
recognizing His face, but we commune with Him, we have intercourse with Him,
and we have fellowship with Him at the breaking of the bread.
The Eucharist is not mere ceremony that we go
through. It is a partaking in the life
of Christ and a reconciliation in the process with God. So that we, though many throughout the earth,
become one Body in this one bread and one Lord.
We memorialize. We perpetuate. We
make everlasting and eternal not only the benefits of salvation, but we also
propagate and perpetuate the act of love demonstrated to us at the Table and on
the Cross.
There is no end to the increase of the His kingdom of
love which is why we are continually to make it alive. This is the way it is in the Kingdom of our
God.
Good
Friday
April
18, 2014
First
Word
“Father, forgive them; for
they know not what they do.” (Luke 23: 34)
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Ariel Cornelio P.
Santos D.D.
of the
Archdiocese of Manila
the
National Church in the Philippines
and the
Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the
Charismatic Episcopal Church
Jesus sees the soldiers who have mocked, scourged,
tortured Him, and who have just nailed Him to the cross. Probably, He remembers the false accusers and
those who have sentenced Him - the high priests, Caiaphas, Sanhedrin, scribes,
the teachers of the Law. Maybe, He was thinking of the apostles and their
companions who deserted Him. He also may
have been particularly thinking of Peter who denied Him three times instead of
standing up for Him. Maybe, on His mind also was Judas who betrayed Him. It maybe also, just five days ago, the fickle
crowd who welcomed Him into Jerusalem with praises and palm branches and
garments on the road. Now, days later,
they choose to release a criminal over Him.
He probably even thought of Adam who in His mind started of all these. Maybe, He also have been thinking of us,
today, in the 21st century – Christians who forget Him; Christians who during
Holy Week don’t even bother to come to Church to observe the week and do just
what they want.
The First Word from the Cross and fittingly so is
forgiveness. The whole point of the
Cross is forgiveness. Jesus was on the
cross so that He can satisfy the forgiveness of sin; so that we may be
reconciled to God for eternity.
Forgiveness is not only for those who do not know what they are
doing. Forgiveness is also for those who
willingly know what they do. To me, to
willingly know what you do even if it is wrong also means you don’t know what
you are doing. Every sin, willful or
otherwise, the Cross covers and forgives.
This is God's choice.
It is not based on our excuse; it is not based on our asking for forgiveness;
it is not based on our amendment of life after.
It is based on God’s choice even before we could do anything about
it. This is God’s amazing grace.
Scriptures says that His mercies are new every morning. Freedom from sin means freedom from death and
its consequences.
Jesus, to prove that He has forgiven the sins of the
paralytic, commanded him to rise up and walk.
It was evident that he was free from sin and its results. More importantly, the destruction of death
means the elimination of that which used to separate us from God. We have now been reconciled to God. The Cross is not about sin or just the
forgiveness of it. The Cross is a
proclamation, a statement of God’s love for us.
Sin just happened to be part of the picture, but the bottom line is
God’s love for us that He would give His life for our sake.
God expects us to live out our forgiveness, our
reconciliation and our freedom from sin.
In Galatians 5:1, St. Paul says that it was for freedom that Christ set
us free. We are not to waste it. We are not just freed from sin but from the
effects of sin so that we could live life free; so that we could choose to love
God. Choose not to sin because the power
of sin has been broken.
St. Cyprian, a Church father of old said this of Jesus’
crucifiers, “Even they who shed the blood of Christ were made to live by the
blood of Christ and freed from sin.”
St. Augustine said, “Look at your God upon His cross; see how He prays
for them who crucify Him. Do you then
deny pardon to thy brother who has offended thee?” Freedom from sin also means
you have no problem forgiving others.
You are not just freed from the sin you have committed. You have been freed from the sin others have
committed against you. If we have a hard
time releasing others from their sin, it is still sin. It doesn’t matter whose,
it is still sin. If we cannot release or
forgive the sin, then, we are still in bondage to it and we are not living out
the fact that Christ set us free from the power of sin.
Jesus words and deeds taught us to pray, “Forgive us our
sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” He instructs us, after being
asked by Peter, to forgive seventy times seven.
When He instituted the Last Supper, the blood was shed for you and for
many because it is the forgiveness of sin.
He forgave the paralytic, the adulteress that was presented to Him. After Resurrection, His first instruction to
the disciples was to forgive. “If you
forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” God, in Christ, reconciled the world to
Himself by satisfying the penalty for sin and from them on, never again
counting sin against them.
How could Jesus love His tormentors in this manner? This was because He was free from sin and He
saw the joy set before Him of reconciling sinners back to Him, to His
Father. He looks past their rage, their
foolishness, and their cruelty and brutality, the depravity of their mind and
their ugliness and weakness and their lack of understanding. Instead, He saw a humanity who would die if
justice was served to them. A humanity
in need of mercy and a humanity which is an object of His love that can be
given grace. He did not mete out
justice to them, that is, He did not give them what they deserved. Instead, He had mercy on them, that is, He
made them not get what they deserved. On
top of that, He extended mercy to them by giving them what they do not deserve
– the love of God.
If God forgives, who are we to withhold forgiveness? It was for freedom that we have been set free
– from our own sins and from the sins of others against us. We must also be free from the sins of
others. This is the love of our God for
us.
Second
Word
“Verily, thou shalt be in
Paradise today with Me.” (Luke 23: 43)
The
Very Father (Monseñor) Roberto M. Jorvina
In the life of our Lord, certain groups of people came to
Him. There were a band of fishermen; a
tax collector; a member of the group called the Zealots who was not very
popular in Jerusalem at that time; an ex-prostitute; and now, two thieves. It seems like Jesus does not have any
delicadeza. He doesn’t choose His
company well. At the very point of His
death, He chooses to identify with men who have been condemned for deeds they
have committed.
In a very humanistic society that we live in today, where
many people judge our actions based on what we call social norms, Jesus, if He
was alive today, would probably not pass the test. We have our biases. We have our preferences for the boyfriend or
girlfriend of our child. We have
preferences for schools that our children should enter. We have preferences for our friends for where
we are to hang out and who we are with when we hang out with them.
In the Second Word, I wish to look at and reflect on
three aspects or components. The first component is the word today. God is the God of today. He is not so much concerned with the mistakes
of yesterday. He is not anxious about what will happen tomorrow because
everything in Him is today. “Today, if
you will hear His voice, today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” He is
identifying Himself to Moses. When Moses
asked, “What will I tell them who sent me?
What is Your Name?” God said, “I
AM.” He is Ever-present; the Eternal
Now; the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Without Him, without faith, it is impossible
to please Him that when we come to Him, we must believe that He is. He is the “I AM,” ever-present in our lives.
“Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” It doesn’t matter what the mistakes of the
past were. Today. It doesn’t matter what
happens tomorrow. When we get to
tomorrow, tomorrow will still be today.
When we get to next Sunday, next Sunday will still be today. When we get to next month, the first day of
the month will still be today. He is
ever-present.
The second component is: Paradise. It is defined by many
as the place of perfection, of eternal bliss.
It is the hope that is in each person.
Probably so that when we were conceived and formed in the womb, within
each man and woman was this spark of longing for Paradise. A Paradise where everything is right; where
everything is perfect. A Paradise where
the quality of life is of such excellence and the fullest potential and the
fullest ability of our lives can be seen.
In Christ, Paradise is a reality. I believe that this is the ambition, this is
the drive for each of us to work, to achieve, to be intense and to be
passionate. We all have our definitions
of that Paradise. Marred by sin whose
center is the letter “I”, Paradise now becomes a place that will serve “my”
interest. We have redefined Paradise in
society today not so much in the Paradise that Jesus said to the thief nor in
the Paradise He said in the letter to the church in Revelation or in the
Paradise Paul entered in his letter to the Corinthian church.
We all now have our own Paradise. Sad to say, the Paradise that we have
redefined is a Paradise that will never satisfy the thirst and the longing of
our soul. It is like drinking salt water
which we never get quench in our thirst.
We continue to thirst for more and more and more. But the Paradise that God has promised, not
only to the thief but to all of us, is a Paradise that He has created. After all, it was His idea that began in the
Garden of Eden.
“Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” The last
component is: you. Jesus seems not to
choose His company well. Here, at the apex of His accomplishment, after risking
His divine being, He returns to heaven with the first harvest of His work. He goes to the Father and all the angels in a
hush tone suddenly see Him enter and the first harvest fruit of His work is
some pathetic thief. Why? What can we boast about? Why did Jesus choose the thief? Why not a great lawyer or some statesman or a
well-known rockstar or a millionaire or billionaire? Probably, Jesus starts at the very bottom of
the human heap and He chooses a thief to be the first one that He brings in to
Paradise and all the heavenly hosts and the cosmic audience see and they
respond with an applause.
The standard in the ways of God are never the ways of
men. Mere fisherman, a tax collector, a zealot, an ex-prostitute, now, two
thieves. We have great hope! You are chosen by God not on the merit of
your achievement but on the merit of His work on the Cross. “Today, you will be with Me in Paradise!”
Third
Word
“See, O Woman! Here behold thy Son beloved.” (John 19: 26)
The
Reverend Father Leo Yanguas
At this time at the foot of the cross, we see humanity at
its worst –betrayal, injustice, abandonment, man’s inhumanity. But at the foot of the cross also, we can see
humanity at its best – in the life of Lord, Mary, and the beloved disciple –
who became a light to us in the darkest moment.
Mary shared her faith knowing that regardless of the Cross, there is
always the higher purpose in everything we face.
In the life of Mary, at the foot of the cross, we are
reminded by the words of St. Paul in 2Corinthians 1:3-7 where he says to us
that even if we are suffering, it is for our comfort. We can see the suffering of Mary at this
time. St. Paul uses a beautiful word: comfort.
The meaning of this word is to be at one’s side; to stay with.
Mary has a great proclamation at the foot of the cross
but we could look at how Mary stayed and drew near the Cross. When everyone abandons her Son, when everyone
deserted Christ, she was quiet. Most of
the time, she did not draw attention to herself. She did not have an easy life with Jesus as
her Son. Who can comprehend a miracle of
the virgin birth that she herself cannot understand the depth of it? There was no one that she can consult; no one
to lend a listening ear to what virgin birth means and what she is going
through.
Mary had to live with the prophecies of Simeon in Luke
2:34-35 where at the dedication of Christ, Simeon prophesied about Christ that
He is assigned to be opposed and the fall and rise of many in Israel and “a
sword will even pierce even your own soul.”
I believe Mary’s heart was pierced with a sword not just one time but
many times. She had to deal with a
missing Child – worried, fearful, and yet, in finding this Child, it seems that
He doesn’t care about His parents. The Child would rather stay at His Father’s
house doing about the business of His Father.
Mary had to deal with rejection and she understood what
rejection was. She heard from the lips
of her Son, “Who are My mother and My brothers?
What do I have to do with you? My
time has not yet come.” Mary was always
at the background supporting her Son in many ways she may not understand. She accepted her Son; she accepted the
calling of her Son; she stayed beside her Son.
She is near to her Son regardless of things that she may not
comprehend. Time and time again, the
sword will pierce her own heart in things and in situations that she faced
regarding her Son. This is especially
when she hears the gossips, the “chismiss” about her Son that the Son has lost
His mind, that He is demon-possessed, a blasphemer, and had Beelzebul inside of
Him.
As far as time is concerned, she allowed other people to
spend time with Him instead of her in their home. Her Son was busy healing, teaching, doing
miracles, and yet, she stayed behind and beside Him. She stayed with Him. In the end, when everyone else had deserted
Him, she was there. How did she feel
when those who benefited from His ministry deserted and fled? Anger, bitterness, maybe condemnation? And yet, she was there. She was there with them on Easter morning –
with those who abandoned and deserted her Son.
She was there with those deserters in the Upper Room. She was there with those who abandoned her
Son in the time of Pentecost. She stayed
with them in times of confusion and emptiness.
What is Mary’s proclamation at the foot of the
cross? What is her message to the
Church? Her message is: we belong to a
family. We belong to a family that even
witness, abandonment and death can destroy.
As a Church, looking at Mary, what will be our proclamation at the cross
of Christ? Will we be like Mary at the foot of the cross realizing that
relationship is greater than the darkness?
That relationship can be the light in the time of darkness? That our relationship among each other will
be faith in time of doubt?
I remember the story of Rabbi Hillel in his school. He asked his students, “How do you know when
it is already day?” One student said,
“When I look outside and I can distinguish between a fig tree and a sycamore
tree.” The Rabbi was not impressed. Another student said, “When I can distinguish
between the horse and the donkey.”
Again, the Rabbi was not impressed at the answer. Another student raised his hand and said,
“When it is already day, I can see the difference between the Pharisee and the
Sadducee.” The Rabbi was not impressed. One student raised his hand and asked the
Rabbi in return, “You, Rabbi Hillel, how will you know that it is already
daybreak, when it is already day?” The
Rabbi answered, “When I can recognize the face of a brother, it is already
day.”
At the foot of the Cross, in the midst of hurt,
abandonment, the trials and the sufferings and injustice, sometimes, we are
blinded by these things that we cannot recognize a brother or a sister or a
mother. It is easy to be blinded by
vengeance and hatred. We see things darkly. We evaluate according to what was done and to
what is unjust.
The Third Word brings to us light and brings daybreak
among us. Christ is saying to us, “Can
we recognize our brothers and our sisters?
Like Christ when He was on the cross, can we recognize them? Christ
relied on relationship in the midst of suffering. Christ recognized relationship that was not
blinded by injustice. Relationship
reigns over injustice. The Cross
forgives and we are His brothers; that is why He destroyed death in our behalf.
What is it like for us to recognize a brother? For us to realize the daybreak? For us to realize that there is light at the
foot of the Cross and there is victory at the foot of the Cross? There is the importance of relationship and
recognizing each other as brothers and sisters.
How do we recognize each other?
It is when we are patient, kind, not jealous. This is how we recognize that it is already
day. When we don’t brag, when we are not
arrogant, when we don’t act unbecomingly.
When we do not seek our own, when we are not easily provoked, when we
don’t take account a wrong suffering.
When we don’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but when we rejoice in the
truth. When we bear all things, when we
believe all things, when we hope all things, when we endure all things. Love
never fails even at its darkest moment.
The message of Mary to us is: relationship and family is greater than
whatever kind of adversity we can face in life.
We are to rely on that relationship and to recognize each other as
brothers and sisters. St. Paul gives us
the assurance: love never fails.
Fourth
Word
"My God, My God, why
hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27: 46)
Fr.
Gary W. Thurman
Of all the Last Words that Jesus spoke on the cross, this
is certainly the most unexpected, the most surprising. Perhaps, even the most
confusing. Knowing the nature of Christ,
based on all the things that He said, all the things that He did, His works,
His acts, His life upon this earth, we can expect Him to say, “Father, forgiven
them.” We are not surprise because of
His compassionate nature when He says, “Behold, woman my son beloved.” It is totally in character for Him to trust
the Lord and say, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." We are comfortable with these words, because
they are a reflection of His life among us.
But this? "My God, My God, why
hast Thou forsaken Me?" This doesn’t sound like the Christ who taught and
lived for three and a half years. It doesn’t sound like the Father who He
revealed to us.
This is coming from a Man Who said, "The Father
loves the Son and shows Him everything that He is doing." This is same Jesus Who said, "The Father
and I are one." This is the same
Jesus Who said, "He who comes to Me, I will certainly not cast out." And now, it is, "My God, My God, why
hast Thou forsaken Me?" They don’t seem to really mesh together. It seems
like a contradiction like a different Christ and a different Father.
We have to come up with explanations for this unexpected
cry. It is very commonly taught in
settings like this today, in Good Friday reflections, that on the cross, the
Father laid all the sin of mankind on Christ.
All the sins before Christ and all the sins after that. With all that sin upon Jesus, God was so
repulsed by the sight of all that sin that He had forsaken Him. He had to turn His back on His only begotten
Son because of all that sin thrust upon the One Who was, before that time,
sinless.
Perhaps that is half right. Without a doubt, the Father
put all the sin of mankind squarely upon the shoulders of Christ because it
says in Isaiah, “The Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all." Where do we get the idea that God is afraid
of sin or intimidated by sin or can’t stand up to it? It is like we make the holiness of God like
the wicked witch of the West. Sin is
like water and if the water splashes accidentally on God’s holiness, we say,
“Oh, I am melting.” This is not holiness
but weakness. Where do we get the idea
that God flees from the sight of sin?
In the book of Isaiah, God confronts the spiritual
leaders and says, “You shun those whom you think are sinners and you say, ‘Stay
away from me from I am holier than thou.’”
God confronts and condemns that attitude, and yet we place that attitude
upon God. So we say that He has to run
away whenever He sees sin. He has never
done that! Never in Scripture do we see
God run away from sin or turn His back on it.
God did not put new sins on Christ.
The sin that the Father put on the Son at Calvary was the sin that had
always been there. And yet, God never run away or turned His back on man. Some would say, “Jesus had to experience
everything that we did so He had to experience God rejecting Him like we
experience God rejecting us.” Where do
we see God rejecting us because of sin?
When Adam sinned in the Garden, did God run away from
Adam? God came to the Garden in the cool
of the day, not the heat of the moment, not the heat of anger. In the cool of
the day, God went seeking Adam, even when Adam had sinned. It was Adam who tried to hide, not God. God did not run away from Adam’s sin. God
went to search for him. When the
prodigal son, fresh from squandering all of his father's wealth on loose
living, returned home, and the father saw him from afar, the father ran- not
away from him, but toward him. When the
woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus, Jesus did not say,
“Oh, you are sinful. Stay away from
Me.” He did not reject her, nor condemn
her. Instead He said, “Woman, I do not
condemn you. Go and sin no more.” What
Jesus was saying to her was, “I am not running from you, so stop running from
Me."
Here, perhaps, is the source of our
misunderstanding. Sin is not naughty
behaviour. Sin is not evil acts. Those things are symptoms, consequences, of
sin. Sin is when we refuse fellowship
with God and we try to replace Him with something else in our lives. Adam decided that he could decree what was
good or evil on his own. He did not need God anymore to tell him these things.
So therefore, he did not need God anymore.
When God came for their time of fellowship, Adam ran. This is sin:
rejection of our purpose, which is to walk in communion with God. This is why it is written that our sin makes
a separation between us and God. It is
not because He distances Himself away from us, but because the act of sin
itself is the act of moving away from God.
God does not run away; we do.
This is why sin makes separation.
Our turning away from God is sin. As the old saying goes, "If you
are not as close to God as you used to be, guess who moved?" It wasn’t
God, but us!
Seeing that and rejecting the idea, “Lord, you forsaken
Me,” because God had turned His back on Him because of the sin, and if He did
that, that was the first time. Why did
Jesus utter these seemingly hopeless words upon the cross? Let us put ourselves in His place. In His last three hours on the cross, He
fervently wanted to communicate and emphasize certain truths to mankind. But there was a problem - verbal
communication was quickly becoming physically impossible. He was greatly weakened by massive blood loss
and chronic maltreatment. Any singer or
public speaker will tell you that good vocal communication is dependent upon a
good foundation. It begins not in the
mouth, or the throat, or even the lungs or diaphragm, but in the legs and feet. The feet of Jesus were perched upon a small
block of wood attached to the cross, and His feet were nailed to the
block. A spike was piercing His
feet. Don’t try to put a lot weight on
your feet where there is a spike running through them. This is not a good foundation.
What was the physical foundation of Jesus when He was
trying to speak? His foundation became
inverted which was His hands. They also
were nailed to the wood. With weak
foundation like that, and because of His posture and because His lungs were
rapidly filling with fluid and blood, verbal communication was not an easy
thing. He did not have time to say up on the cross, “Okay, brothers and
sisters, I am going to preach a little sermon to you. Take out your scrolls of Isaiah.” This was not possible.
Jesus Christ desired to reveal something about His
situation to us. He had to say a lot, in
as few words as possible. What was His
strategy? He turned His hearers'
attention to a passage of Scripture that said it all: Psalm 22. We call it today the Psalm of the Cross. He quoted the first verse of this Psalm which
is, “God, My Father, why has Thou forsaken Me?”
He trusted His hearers to get the rest.
When we look at the rest of Psalm 22, we see something truly amazing.
Many prophecies are symbolic, such as the moon turning to
blood or stars falling from the sky. But
the prophecy of Psalm 22 is shockingly literal.
The people present around the cross really did wag their heads and mock
Him. They really did pierce His hands and His feet. They really did gamble for
His clothing. His bones were really were
out of joint though not one was broken.
His heart really did melt like wax.
It is a literal prediction of the cross.
And as we go on beyond the first verse, beyond the
description of Christ’s physical pain on the cross, we get another thought - a
thought diametrically opposed to the Fourth Word. Psalm 22:24 says, “For He has not despised
nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has He hidden His face
from Him; but when He cried to Him for help, He heard." When you cry for
help, He hears. When you are afflicted,
when you are burdened, He helps. He
goes on to say, "The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek
Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart
live forever!" Jesus was not
physically capable of saying all of these things at that moment so He gave you
a clue. Look further and you can
understand everything that has happened.
At this moment, it looks like, “My God, My Father, has
truly forsaken Me!” No, that is not
possible! “Despite of all these things,
He has not abhorred My affliction, He has not hidden His face from Me, but when
I cry for help, He hears. Let your
heart, that same heart that was melting like wax, let it live forever.”
Let us understand today that which Christ wants us to
understand with the words, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken
Me?" It points us to a higher
truth, to a God who was never intimidated by sin. We may, at times, feel that God has forsaken
us. We must see in those times that if
God seems farther away than we desire, it is not He Who moved, but us. We must likewise see the promise: "For
He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has
He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him for help, He heard."
This is the message of the Fourth Word: not a cry of despair, but a cry of
trust in God our Father.
Fifth
Word
“I am athirst.” (John 19: 28)
The
Reverend Father Patrick B. Gatan
Holy Week is an opted time to be alone and to listen to
our inner feelings. The best place to make a pilgrimage is not even to a
church. The best place to go is our conscience and allow the voice of right and
wrong to prevail. The conscience is not
at the end of a long road trip with a road map as a guide. The way to our
conscience is by solitude, asking ourselves, “How does God see me?”
Today, at this hour, 2,000 years ago, the One who
promised living water to all who are thirsty is Himself thirsty. Christ had
been betrayed, mocked, beaten, and had carried the cross on His shoulders.
Hanging on the cross for six hours under the heat of the sun, Jesus is now
fully exhausted, fully dehydrated due to extreme pain and massive blood loss.
Of the Seven Last Words that Jesus have spoken on the
cross, only one of those dealt with His personal and physical suffering – the
words, “I AM THIRSTY.”
Water is so vital to life, so foundational to all living
things, so basic to existence. Water
moistens a parched mouth; water frees a swollen tongue, water opens a rasping
throat that cannot gasp enough air; water keeps hope alive, to keep life alive
just a few moments longer.Water, to a crucified man, is life.
The pain of the crucifixion is physically unbearable.
Jesus needed a momentary refuge that He asked for a drink. But was it water
that He really needed? We have to realize that as Jesus was facing the crowd
who witnessed His execution, He saw many faces of people who were angry,
indifferent, having fun, afraid, weeping
and discontented. Overwhelmingly, if
there is one thing He felt as He watched them, it was a feeling of emptiness. He was empty of the love He craved for from
these people.
Jesus thirsts to save mankind and restore their
relationship with God. He thirsts to pay the redemption price and set them free
from eternal damnation. Jesus was so thirsty for the love of His people. He thirsts for communion with each one of
us. He thirsts to bless us and to
receive our love in return. He thirsts to see the trust we have for Him that He
may supply all our needs. He thirsts for love from all of us who have not been
really in love with Him because we have other “loves” like wealth, pleasure and
power.We have quenched the thirst of our own hearts with temporal loves which
bring us far away from God.
What is our greatest attachment in life? What is Christ
asking us to let go? Obviously, there are attachments that lead to temporal
happiness.
Is it WEALTH?
A number of people think that in order to be happy, one
has to be rich. Some say that if you are rich, you can free yourself from all
anxieties, insecurity and poverty; that if you have money, you can have
pleasurable vacations, dine at the best restaurants and wear the best clothes;
that if you are financially secure, you can reside in the best mansions and
send your children to the best schools and buy everything your heart desires.
Then you become happy? Is this real?
Experience tells us that the more you have, the more you want. This leads us to
a vicious cycle of wanting for more that ends up in emptiness and loneliness.
Is it the PLEASURE of this world?
Some people engage in transitory pleasure in the forms of
alcohol, drugs and sex to feel good and seemingly happy. But these pleasures
make them actually feel bad in the long run. This has led to unheard of
perversions that not only destroy the body but also the human person.
Is it POWER?
Some also think that to be powerful is to be happy. They
feel that to have power is to be free from being ruled by others and to be free
to dominate others so as to be happily in control of one’s life and others. But
power is intoxicating. Once we have it, the longer we want to get hold of it.
Look at dictatorships that have led to manipulation, exploitation and
oppression. Power plays are present in homes, in communities, in work
environments, in parishes, in countries – everywhere – but, at the expense of
innocent human lives.
Our fears and insecurities lead us to grab anything
wherever we can but when we dare to let go of it, empty our hands, and raise
them up to the One who is our true refuge and stronghold, our nothingness opens
us to receive power from Above – power that heals, power that will be a true
blessing for ourselves and for others.
Wealth, pleasure, and power will always make us thirst
for our unquenchable desires. The more we opt for the cares of the world, the
more we make Jesus thirst for the attention and love we are called to offer
Him. He challenges us, “For those who want to save their life will lose it and
those who lose their life for My sake will save it. What does it profit them if
they gain the whole world but lose or forfeit themselves?” (Luke 9:24-25).
Salvation should take priority in our lives. Though it is
a gift from God, we have to desire salvation. And we can attain salvation if we
detach ourselves from the undue attachments that do not lead us to God. Our biggest neglect is not to face these attachments
and let go of them for the sake of the kingdom of God. All things are passing,
God alone suffices.
Jesus is inviting us to drink from Him the “fountain of
living water”. Realizing this, we will never fall into the trap of being
thirsty for the many things which the world can offer. Remember what He told
the Samaritan woman, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again
but those who drink of the water I will give will never be thirsty. The water
that I give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life”
(John 4:13-14).
If we drink of the
love Christ offers, He, too will be quenched of His thirst. From our drinking
will be His filling and to an overflowing love.
Seventh
Word
“It is finished!” (John 19:
30)
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Ariel Cornelio P.
Santos D.D.
of the
Archdiocese of Manila
the
National Church in the Philippines
and the
Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the
Charismatic Episcopal Church
Jesus said, “It is finished.” The Greek translation of that phrase is
tetelestai. The statement has a lot more to it than just finishing something or
putting something to an end. It means
finished, completed, paid for, satisfied the requirements of.
What Jesus did through His perfect earthly existence,
sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection fully completed the work the
Father had given Him to do. Not only did
He complete His work of salvation, but His accomplishment is fully efficacious,
fully effective, and fully beneficial.
The Greek term indicates that it has been completed; it will be forever
beneficial and efficacious.
What is finished? From the statements of Jesus, we can
glean what He said was finished. What
did He come to earth in the first place?
He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” When interrogated by Pilate, He said, “You
say that I am a King. For this purpose,
I have been born and I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”
Hebrews says, “Since therefore the children share in
flesh and blood, He himself also partook of the same things, that through death
He might render powerless him who had the power of death, the devil, and
deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Therefore He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that He
might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people. For because He himself has suffered
when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”
Jesus took on flesh and blood to destroy, in His flesh
and His blood, him who had the power of death.
The reason He had to take on flesh and blood is so that He could die and
by death, through death, trample the power of death. Thereby, making
propitiation for the sin of man.
St. Paul said, “For while we were still weak, at the
right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a
righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—
but God shows his love for us in that while we were yet still sinners, Christ
died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much
more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Son.
Much more now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life. More
than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom
we have now received reconciliation.”
Christ reconciled us to God our Father by His death and
by His life; He saves us. Jesus said for
the purpose of being born in the flesh, “I came that they might have life and
have it more abundantly.” Jesus obeyed the Father by being the perfect
fulfillment of the Law of God and the prophesies regarding the Messiah. He came as fully God and fully Man to be the
incarnation of the Truth of God. He came to make propitiation or satisfaction
for our record of sin against God. He also came to give us the life we lost
when man sinned. More importantly, He came to make reconciliation between God
and man possible, and in the process, restoring God’s life to us.
At the Cross, the great exchange happened. Jesus became sin. “He who knew no sin was
made sin on our behalf so that we, the sinner, might become the righteousness
of God in Him.” Sinless Man took on all
the sins of the rest of humanity so that He might be sin and we might be
righteousness.
Colossians 2:13-14 says, “When you were dead in your
transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together
with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the
certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us;
and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” All of
those things that are hostile and that are against us, He nailed to the cross. Our eternal debt which was impossible for us
to pay that we owed to God, He paid in full so that God the Father, when He
looked at the Son, His perfect, sinless,
precious, and priceless Son, He saw Him as if He had lived the filthy,
sinful, detestable, sin-stained lives of fallen mankind. And when He looked at the rest of mankind, He
looked at them as they had lived His Son's perfect, precious, and priceless
life. Finished! Accomplished for us!
This is by His doing, by His own choosing. It is not because of anything
that we have done, not because of anything that we have promised or are able to
do.
An artist, looking at his finish perfect work could say,
“Tetelestai!” and could mean: this is a perfect work. A judge can say,
“Tetelestai!” when he wants to say, “Justice has been served. Sentence has been
satisfied.” An Old Testament priest can
say, “Tetelestai!” when he meant sacrifice is perfect, unblemished and
acceptable. A businessman could say, “
Tetelestai!” when he means that it is a good transaction and the requirements
have been paid. A soldier could also
say, “Tetelestai!” when he has finally defeated his enemy and he could say
then, “You are finished and we have the victory!”
Christ's work is perfect and I believe that His desire
for us is to more and more fully understand the perfection of it so that we
don’t have to live outside of His provision, of the finish work because by it,
He also made once again all things new.
It is as if we have gone back to the Garden and nothing bad or nothing
irregular ever happened making all things eternally new.
“Contemplate
His Victory”
Holy
Saturday
April
19, 2014
Job 14: 1 – 14/Psalm 31: 1 –
5/1 Peter 4: 1 – 8/Matthew 27: 57 – 66
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Ariel Cornelio P.
Santos D.D.
of the
Archdiocese of Manila
the
National Church in the Philippines
and the
Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the
Charismatic Episcopal Church
There is really not that much in the Bible of what happened
today. In fact, there was a debate
whether Jesus really went and descended into hell. Some people in the Christians circles don’t
believe it which is why when they say the Apostles Creed, they skip that part,
“He descended into hell.” Part of the
reason, if not the major reason, is because there is really not much in
Scripture and many, in the Christian world, have this principle of “Scripture
Only.” If it is not in the Bible, they
don’t believe it.
There really isn’t much in the Bible, particularly the
New Testament, of this event. Tradition
says that Jesus did go down to hell as was taught by the Church fathers. The New Testament or the New Covenant was not
meant to be a document originally. The
New Covenant and the New Testament, which are similar, was meant to be a
perpetual memorial. When Jesus
instructed the disciples about the New Covenant, He did not say, “Write about
this.” He said, “Do this in remembrance
of Me.” How is the New Covenant
prescribed to be perpetuated or memorialized or made eternal and
everlasting? It is by doing it, not just
by reading it, which is really to be different from the memorials and the
statutes that God, in the Old Testament, wanted to passed on from generation to
generation. It is not written about, but taught to the next generation through
a memorial; and the observance of it in the lives of the sons of God.
What I see in the gospel is ironic. The chief priests and the Pharisees
remembered what Jesus said, “He will rise again after three days.” The irony of it is that the unbelievers of
Jesus remembered what He said. But in
the account of John the Beloved, he said that the disciples, until Jesus
resurrected, as of then, did not understand the Scriptures that He will rise
again from the dead. This is sad that
unbelievers would remember Jesus’ words and His followers don’t.
If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then, like what St.
Paul said, “We are of all men most to be pitied.” We would be liars and it would be in vain
that we follow His principles. Jesus
said in Matthew 12:40, “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the
belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights
in the heart of the earth.” I don't know if hell is in the center of the earth
or if hell needs a geographical location because it doesn’t hold physical
bodies but souls. It makes sense that
it doesn’t need some geographical location.
Jesus, referring to going down to Sheol or the underworld, was to spend
there a time between His death and His resurrection.
A 3rd century Creed from Syria is more elaborate than
that clause in the Apostles Creed.
“Jesus, who was crucified under
Pontius Pilate and departed in peace, in order to preach to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob and all the saints concerning the end of the world and the resurrection
of the dead.” 2Peter 4:6 said that the gospel was preached to those who are
dead. You can point that Jesus did that
at this time.
Psalm 68:18-22 from which Ephesians 4 was taken says,
“You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have
received gifts among men, even among the rebellious also, that the Lord God may
dwell there. Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is
our salvation. God is to us a God of
deliverances; and to God the Lord belong escapes from death. Surely God will shatter the head of His
enemies, the hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds. The Lord said,
‘I will bring them back from Bashan. I will bring them back from the depths of
the sea.’” Sheol was not only understood to be the depth of the earth, but also
the bottom of the sea.
Ephesians 4:7-10 says, “When He ascended on high, He led
captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.” (Now this expression,
“He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the
lower parts of the earth? He who
descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He
might fill all things.)”
John 5:25 says that Jesus Christ went down into the
depths of death so that “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and
those who hear will live.” These
Scriptures are to support that Jesus went down to hell, preached the Good News,
and emptied it. The Psalm says that even
the rebellious heard the Good News.
Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Therefore, since the children
share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that
through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that
is, the devil, and might free those who
through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." It was
through death and in death that He went and made powerless the devil. This could indicate that during this time of
sleep, He accomplished this. He made the
devil powerless by going to him and taking the key from him. Revelations 1:18 says that Jesus now has the
keys of death and of Hades. He has taken the key from whoever had possession of
it.
Philippians 2:10, “At the name of Jesus every knee will
bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth." He
conquered the realm of the death and under the earth. Zechariah 9:11 says, "As for you also,
because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free
from the waterless pit." Jesus, by God's choice, shed His blood of the New
Covenant and because of this, He set the prisoners free from the pit of Sheol.
The debate goes on.
Even the liturgical churches and the Catholic Churches teach that Jesus
only saved out of this place – named hell, Sheol or Hades - only the righteous.
I won’t argue, but the reason Jesus came was so that He could become sin. He who knew no sin became sin so that we
(the sinners, the unrighteous, which Romans says all of us are) might become
the righteousness of God in Him. If He
only saved the righteous, then it will contradict what He said about coming to
save the lost, the sinner, not the righteous.
This day Jesus went down and conquered the realm of the
dead. His mission was to free those who
were in bondage and were subject to slavery because of fear of death. Death is not more. What is death? Death is the result of sin. If death is no more, sin is no more. If sin is no more, everyone, all who have
sinned, are free.
Contemplate on the voice of Jesus and His message in a
Holy Saturday sermon which some attributed to Bishop Melito of Sardis in the 4th Century:
What is happening? Today there is a great silence over
the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King
sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh
and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh,
and the underworld has trembled.
Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost
sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains,
he who is God, and Adam's son.
The Lord goes into them holding his victorious weapon,
his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in
terror and calls out to all: "My Lord be with you all." And Christ in
reply says to Adam: "And with your spirit." And grasping his hand he
raises him up, saying:
"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give you light.
I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for
you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison:
Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.
I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be
held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the
dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my
image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one
undivided person.
For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the
Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens
came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without
help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to
Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.
Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because
of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation.
See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your
distorted form to my own image.
See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order
to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands
nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to
the tree for an evil one.
I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for
you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed
the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword
has checked the sword which was turned against you.
But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of
the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the
throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I
myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as
they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.
The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are
ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the
everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things
have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the
ages."
“The Gospel of Life”
April 20, 2014
1st Sunday of the Great Feast of the Christian Passover
Acts 10: 34 – 43/Psalm 118: 14 – 29/Colossians 3: 1 –
4/ John 20: 1 - 18
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Ariel Cornelio P.
Santos D.D.
of the
Archdiocese of Manila
the
National Church in the Philippines
and the
Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the
Charismatic Episcopal Church
Hallelujah! Christ
is risen! This is one word that you are very much allowed to shout at
Easter. Christ is risen! But why? What is the point? Why is Christ risen?
What is the significance to us as Christians, as children of God? John
20:31 says that these things have been written so that you might believe that
Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, the very Messiah who was prophesied to one day
conquer death; and that believing, you may have life in His name.
Jesus gave up His life so
that that we, believing in Him, may have life. You have eternal life
because Christ is risen. All that Jesus did was to make known to us the
path of life. As the Psalmist said, “Thou makest known to me the path of
life; the gospel of life; the good news.” The good news is that we have
new life! Everything Jesus did was to make known to us that we have new
life.
The stones were rolled
away for Jesus to come out of the tomb. One time, He went into a room
whose doors were closed for fear of the Jews. Jesus did not need the
stone to be rolled away and to be able to get out of the tomb. The stone
was rolled away so that the disciples could get in and look in and believe
because in believing, they may have life in His name.
John, the writer of the
gospel, claimed to be the first believer in the Resurrection. In John
20:8, John did not see Jesus, but he saw a sign of the Resurrection. “The
disciple whom Jesus loved saw and believed.” He was the first.
Verse 9 says, “For as yet, the disciples did not understand the Scripture, that
He must rise again from the dead.” Mary saw the empty tomb; she did not
believe. She saw Jesus but she did not immediately believe until she
heard His voice and recognized it. Thomas did not believe until he was
able to put his finger in His hand and side. John only saw a sign,
a hint. He really did not see Jesus resurrected, yet, he believed.
He was the same gospel writer that mentioned Jesus saying, "Blessed are
they who did not see and yet believed." He maybe was referring to himself
because he believed.
When they were fishing,
they did not catch any fish. They were one hundred yards away from the shore
when Jesus called out to them and asked them, “You did not catch any fish, did
you?" They said, “No.” He said, “Cast the net on the right hand side
and you will get a catch.” On that, John noticed that it was Jesus. Peter
did not. He said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Peter heard John,
he jumped into the water to go to Jesus. John, from a hundred yards away,
recognized Jesus. He knew Him better because he believed. He
knew Him even more. John was the disciple who put his head to the chest
of Jesus whenever they ate. He was very close to Jesus, but he knew Him
in a whole different dimension after the Resurrection because he believed.
Believing is how we can have life in His name.
Colossians 3:1 says,
"If you believe, you have been raised up with Christ.” Colossians 2:12
says, "You have been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also
raised up with Him through faith.” In baptism, which is the grace of God,
you have been raised with Christ. We have been raised with Christ if we
have been baptized. In baptism, we died with Him and also we have been
raised with Him.
St. Paul says, “Since you
have been risen with Him, this is what you do. Keep seeking the things
that are above where new life is; where all things have been made new.
Not the old things; not the sinful nature; not your old ways, but that which is
above.” 1John 5:13 says, “These things I have written to you who
believe in the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life and
that you may know the purpose of that eternal life.” Romans 6:4-5 says, “We have been
resurrected with Christ for this purpose so that we might walk in newness of
life. If we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,
certainly, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
We have been raised with
Him in His resurrection. We died with Him; we are raised with Him.
Same manner, in the likeness we have died with Him, we shall be in the
likeness of His resurrection. Roman 6:6 says, "Knowing this, that
our old self was crucified with Him, so that our body of sin might be done away
with the old nature.” Permanently; completely. The King James Version
says, “So that our old man was crucified with Him.” St. Paul says, “Our
old man was crucified with Him so that the body of sin may be done away with.”
The old self is no longer there permanently.
We recite the Pascha
Nostrum or Christ our Passover in the Easter Season which is taken out of
Romans 6:10-11 that says, “For in that He died, He died unto sin once
(never to die again), but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise
reckon ye also to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord.” We share the likeness of His death and the likeness of
Resurrection. We no longer live for ourselves, but unto God.
Eternal life means there is no turning back to the old self,
to the old man, to the old nature because it was dead. It has died with Christ.
We now have a new creation. Jesus said, "Behold I make all things
new." Being raised from the dead, we die no more just like Christ.
The whole point of the
Resurrection is really not to escape the punishment of hell; but to live a new
life. Everything died with Christ – not just man – but all of
creation. All things; everything had to be recreated and
resurrected. All things were made new so that we can live a new life free
from that which broke our former fellowship with God in the Garden. He
made us, particularly man, so that He could fellowship with us. The
theologian boldly said, “The reason earth was created is so that God and man
could have a venue for fellowship so that he could walk with God in the cool of
the day on earth. “ Earth happened to be a venue and the most important
thought in God’s mind is fellowship with man. God had to make a place for
it to happen so that we can be free from that sin and death which broke the
fellowship so that He could restore us and reconcile us to Himself.
Therefore, we can be with Him forever. We are forever reconciled.
Personally, I am so
against any kind of divorce, any kind of separation, any kind of giving
up. The new life that God gave us, in Christ, we don’t turn back from
it. We don’t go back to our old life and abandon the new life that Christ
died to provide for us. It is not just an insult but it is such a waste
of precious life restored back to us. This is why Jesus died. John
3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to
reconcile the world to Himself. The world was separated from Him, not
just man, but the whole world, all of creation. The Paschal Mystery
(meaning Passion, Death, Resurrection of Christ) is all about reconciliation
with God, which Jesus accomplished.
My favorite Christmas Song
says, “God and man reconciled. Peace on earth, mercy mild, God and sinners
reconciled.” This is what the
Paschal Mystery is all about. The Pascha; the Passover; “Pasko.”
In Tagalog, Easter is called “Pasko ng Pagkabuhay.” Pascha,
Pasko means Passover. This is why we should not believe when somebody
says to you, “Ano ka, sinisuwerte? Hindi araw-araw Pasko.”(Do you think
you are fortunate? Christmas is not every day.”) I am here to
tell you the every day is “Pasko.” Or you can choose for everyday to be
“Pasko.” This is what the Resurrection is all about. This is what
the sacrifice of the Passover is all about so that everyday would be “Pasko.”
We can live eternal life
from this day forward and no more turning back because the body of sin has been
done away with. Along with it is death. Death, where is your
sting? Where is your victory? God was in Christ Jesus reconciling
the world to Himself not counting men’s sin against them anymore. Sin is
no more. What is there to count? What is there to be afraid
of? Death is no more!
We have been fearful of
that which does not exist. We pay insurance premium for it. We are
not there yet, but death is no more; sin is no more. One day, we will get to
that point where this will really become a reality to us. We will just
worry no more and walk with God and have fellowship with Him because this is
the whole point. It is us being reconciled to Him and walking in newness
of life with Christ, in God. It is to be reconciled with Him as in
creation. Walking together in the cool of the day, nothing in the way of
our sweet fellowship with God, ruling and reigning in His name and in His
power. This is why all things have been made new. If anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. Some translations says a new creature. You
don't need stem cell treatment because you are already a new creature.
This Holy Saturday sermon
of Bishop Melito of Sardis has Jesus going down to hell and calling out to
Adam, "Awake, O sleeper.” Who sleeps? Those who have been
dead. Why do people die? It is because of sin. Certain
theologies said that Jesus went down to hell to save the righteous. Jesus
went to hell to give life to the dead who were dead, in the first place,
because of sin. They were sinners that is why they died. Jesus told
them to awake from sleep and to rise from the dead. Jesus told Adam, “I
have not made you to be held prisoner in the underworld.”
Jesus did not make man to
be prisoner in the underworld or otherwise. Jesus have not made us
prisoner of anything. We are not supposed to be in bondage to anything.
We are supposed to be free! This is the truth of our creation. This
is why Jesus died for us – to free us again and give us new life. “I
would die for you and I did to restore creation.” This is a very powerful
statement! Jesus, going down, emptying hell and telling everybody, “Time
to wake up! You have been snoozing for several times. Time to get
up. Let us go from here! Let us leave this place. You are not to be
here. You are not dead. You have life. I made you for life to live
forever.”
God wants us to have
fellowship with Him. God does not want to punish us. He wants to
have fellowship with us which is the very reason He created us. It was for
freedom that Christ set us free.
We have the Fourteen
Stations of the Cross on Maundy Thursday. The purpose is not to
scientifically prove that Jesus really suffered. It is not to get
sympathy for Christ. It is so that we would understand the love of God
for us that He would go to any length and so that He could restore fellowship
with us. It is not about sympathy but so that we understand the high
price that was paid just so that we can walk in newness of life with God again
- reconciliation. The whole purpose for our creation and our restoration
is so that we can walk with God.
This is the way it is in
His kingdom. Hallelujah! Christ is risen!
LET
US CONTINUE OUR REFLECTION
WITH
CARDINAL OF
HOLY MOTHER CHURCH
AND
VENERABLE PRIMATE
OF
THE PHILIPPINES
THROUGH
THE WORD EXPOSED
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