“Together As Christ’s
Body”
June 22, 2014
The 2nd Sunday In Ordinary Time/Kingdomtide/Time of the Church
-and-
The Feast of Corpus Christi
Isaiah 62: 6 – 12/Psalm
125/Ephesians 1: 15 – 23/Matthew 16: 13 – 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
Today is the Second Sunday
after the Feast of Pentecost. Today, we also celebrate the Feast of Corpus
Christi. Corpus Christi in English means the Body of Christ. It is both
about body of Christ – the Eucharistic elements; and the mystical Body which is
the Church. Both are sacraments. We don’t have any problem with the Eucharistic
elements because they are sacraments. But do you know that the Church is
also a sacrament? The sacrament, by definition, is a visible sign of an
invisible grace or truth. Our being the Church, the Body of Christ, is an
incarnational sign of God’s hidden grace and truth.
Incarnate came from the
root word “carne” which means flesh. Incarnation, then, means the taking
on of flesh. The term “reincarnation” which some belief is that after the
first life, the soul comes back and takes on another form of flesh. If
you are fortunate, you may become a human being again. If not, you may become
an insect or any other form. Incarnation is taking on of flesh – not just
the visible signs in so far as our being incarnational sacraments. Not just the
visible, but also the tangible that can be touched, seen, smelled, heard,
tasted, experienced and most of all, both the Eucharistic elements and the Body
of Christ is assimilated, absorbed or incorporated into the spirit. The
Eucharistic elements literally and physically; the Body of Christ mystically or
figuratively.
Our calling is
incarnational. We are Jesus in the flesh. This is why we are called the
Body of Christ. Is Jesus with the flesh and blood seen on earth
today? Did Jesus that took on the physical body seen on earth right
now? No, because He is sitted at the right hand of the
Father. In the Ascension, His very flesh, the body that He took on,
ascended before the eyes of the apostles. What is sitted at the right
hand of God is not a spirit; it is flesh. The physical body is sitted at
the right hand of God. The mystical Body, which also took on flesh,
remains on earth in the person of the Body of Christ – you and I.
We make Jesus visible and present through our visibility and presence on
earth. We are Christ’s body – the mystical, the visible and alive.
We are Jesus in the flesh. Jesus was God’s incarnate because God is
incarnate and cannot be seen. We are Jesus’ incarnate.
Jesus asked the apostles,
"Who do people says that I am?” Some of the apostles answered,
“Some say Elijah, some say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets or John the
Baptist.” The answers given Jesus were not accurate. It was out of
ignorance. People did not know Jesus, which is why they had opinions of
Him which were not based on the truth. They were ignorant, inaccurate and
untrue answers. Jesus turns to the apostles again and asks, “But you, who
do you say that I am?” Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God.”
Rephrasing what Jesus
asked the apostles and asking the Church, “As the Body of Christ, who do you
say that I am? Who, as the incarnate Jesus, do you portray Me to be? What
kind of witness do you project and proclaim to the world as being My incarnate
representative? Who do you say I am by the way you are, by the way you
live, by the way you relate to each other, and by what people see in
you?” I am convinced that there is one translation of the Bible that is
most understandable. You have your own preference of a translation of the
Bible. There are many translations of the Bible online, but the most
understandable and easiest to understand translation is called the Church
because we are the incarnate Jesus to the world.
I ask you what Jesus asked
then, “Who do people say I am?” What today will be the basis of the
people’s answer? It is what they read from the most understandable
translation of Jesus, the written Word. Jesus asks, “Who do people say I
am?” The answer will be based on what we say He is! We, the
incarnate Jesus, the most understandable translation, will answer according to
what the people read and according to what we say or portray who Jesus
is! Roman 1:19-20 says, "That which is known about God is evident
within them…His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divine nature are
clearly seen through what has been made, which is us.” We are
God’s creation. We are made by God and made to be the incarnate
representative of Christ.
Adam, who represented the
Church before, reflected these things in his lifetime until he fell. This is
why a second Adam had to come and also reflect God’s image and likeness and His
invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature. Jesus, in His earthly
life, displayed this. Thus, redeeming us from the fall and making us a
new creation and showing us the way of what it is to be human bearing God’s
image and likeness and being Jesus incarnate on earth.
The Father already
revealed to us that Christ is the Son of the Living God. Jesus is the
Christ and the Son of the living God. He revealed it to us; we are to
reveal it in us because we are incarnation.
We sing the song, “Emmanuel,” and we say, “God with us revealed in us.”
This is our calling. Ephesians 1:23 says we are the Church and the Church
is Christ’s body, the fullness of Him. We are the showplace of
Christ, so to speak. What are we making people read in this
translation? Is it a good translation or a bad translation? It is
the most readable because it is the loudest proclamation of the Word of God,
but are we giving a good witness or a bad witness?
When we were in the
Sheridan building, the Deacons had a devotion before the Mass. One time,
I was asked to speak to them and I asked them a trick question. “Who is
the Gospel proclaimer today?” They answered, “Deacon Randy.” I
said, “You are all wrong because today’s Gospel proclaimer and the following
days is the Usher, the Counselor, the Singer, the Dancer, even the
Deacon, the Reader and the Presider and the people who sit in the nave.
We are all Gospel prolaimers because we are called to be Jesus’
incarnate. It is not just when we are gathered in Mass on Sundays, but it
is every day.
I defined Catholic as
“believe by all, always, and everywhere.” This is not the full meaning of
Catholic. The full meaning is believe
and lived by all, always and everywhere. 2Corinthians 2:14 says, “God
manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place,
everywhere.” Psalm 29:9 says, "In His temple, His body,
everything says, "Glory." It is everywhere, by all. Everything
says, “Glory.” It is not just talking about the temple building, but the
temple of the Body of Christ. In the temple, everything is to proclaim
God’s glory - each one of the parts of the temple, the Body. Do not
depend on the Presider for the beauty, for the success or if the Mass is
spirit-filled or not. It is the work of the people. Liturgy is the
work of the people of God. It is not one person, not a few persons, not
the song leader, not the Deacons or Priests, but by all. We are all to
proclaim the glory of God.
They say that there are
three offices in the Church - Bishop, Priest and Deacon. I don’t agree
because I believe there are four offices in the Church: Bishop, Priest,
Deacon and Lay people. You were ordained at baptism. This is your
ordination. It is a legitimate ordination. If you are baptized, you
are ordained into an office in the Church and you are a minister. You are
called. Romans 1:7 says, “We are called as saints (holy ones).
1Corinthians 1:2 says, “We are saints by calling.” You are no less
holy than the people you see in vestments on Sunday. What you are wearing
is your vestment. The only difference between you and the clergy with
funny clothes on is the altar rail. It doesn’t mean the holy side and the
unholy side. It just means the altar is the clergy’s place during the
Mass. Just like in the bus where the driver is in the back of the
steering wheel and the passengers are sitted at the seats. It is just a
matter of position where God puts each one of us.
We, though many, though
different, are one Body of Christ. We are all called to be holy.
Holiness is both a gift given to us by grace and also a calling. It is a gift
because we all have been created in the image and likeness of God – that is
God’s gift. It is also a calling because He commands us to be holy as He
is holy. We are already created, being given a gift, but still called to
become and be that gift.
This is same with
unity. Unity has already been given. We, as the Body of Christ,
have been made one. At the same time, we are commanded to preserve our
being one. Preserve the unity of the Spirit. Celebrating Trinity
Sunday where Trinity is such a profound term and concept, we are Trinitarian by
belief. As the incarnate Body of Christ and representatives of God, who
do we say the Trinity is by how we relate to each other? As in the
Trinity, there is unity; there is unity in Trinity. Is there unity seen
in the Body that has already been made one by God? Our relationships, not
our doctrine, will explain the Trinity. It is simply because we are
incarnational by calling.
I don't understand:
why do we destroy each other? Why do we pull each other
down? Our nature, the whole Church, is love. It is not hatred or
bitterness. Our nature is love because we partake of the Divine
nature. If we operate in something opposite that, then, we are kicking
against the goads. Goads are pointed sticks that the shepherds use to
bring the sheep back to the fold when it goes astray. Jesus asked St.
Paul, “Why is it painful for you to be kicking against the goad?” It is
not pleasant. That is what we do if we operate according to that which is
contrary of our nature. Our nature is love, not hatred, not
bitterness. There is so much joy and fullness of life when we spend
our energy and time on love instead of other things that we waste our time and
energy on. Love, respect and the building of one another. This is
what we should be doing. This is our nature. Jesus said, “I will
build My church.”
I started experimenting on
lifting any kind of weight at 16, when I was in high school. Anything
that has weight in them, I would lift and do something out of ignorance.
I just wanted to build my muscles. I started at sixteen and it wasn’t
serious. It was sporadic and I lasted two to three years and then I
stopped. When I was 25 years, I went to the gym. I got more serious
and I got a more regular schedule but again, it only lasted for a few
years. When I was 38 years old, my wife and I were in a Doctor's Offices
where several doctors were holding office. While waiting in line for one
of my children’s check-up, I noticed a cardiologist who did not have any
patient. I thought, “I am 38 years old, I am not that young anymore,
maybe I could consult him.” I did and we had a talk. The doctor was
a little abrasive and he told me. “You are 38 now; you should start watching
your diet and consider exercise. Your metabolism is not as fast as it
used to be and you should think of avoiding certain foods, and among other
things is red meat.” We were just talking and I said, “Doctor, that is
what I like the most.” The doctor said, “If you want to die young, then, you
continue eating it.” To me, that was uncalled for, but it challenged me
to really take things seriously. From that day to this day, I have been
regularly exercising – three to four times a week.
I am not sharing this
because I am boasting but it is all about building up the body. It makes me
feel good physically, but I also am reminded of a commercial jingle from the
70’s where a family was singing and saying to the father, “Take good care of
your heart so you can be with us longer.” It is not just for me that I
exercise. I want to be with my family. I want to provide for them and I
want to live longer so that I can do that for them. It is not just to
build muscles and feel good. For nine years, there were days when I would
have a headache and days when I would have fever and days when I did not feel
like working out. Yet, I did; and most of the time, I kept my
schedule. You are not just building yourself up; you are doing it for the
sake of others also.
Spiritually and
character-wise is more productive when you train even if you would rather not,
even if you don’t feel like it because you believe it is a duty and you have
die to yourself. This is maturity. 1Corinthians 12 and 14 talk about
spiritual gifts and the right use of them. Right in the middle of this
discussion on spiritual gifts is what you call the “love chapter.”
Everything and anything we do, using our gifts, is supposed to be out of
love. Let all things be done for edification. 1Corinthians 13 also says
that if something is done not out of love, it is nothing. It amounts to
nothing and it is a waste of time.
Build up the Body out of
love. Forget self; forget inconveniences; forget excuses; forget
opposition. The Gates of Hades will not prevail against the Body of
Christ. Forget all of those things! Understand, remember your
incarnational calling because Jesus Himself gave Himself up for the His church,
His body. It wasn’t easy for Him; it wasn’t pleasant; it was painful. He
suffered and died. We are the Body. We are to love our own Body.
A quotation from a
Protestant theologian says, “With Augustine, I affirm a hermeneutics (correct interpretation of Scriptures) in which the fuller understanding
of Scriptures remains hidden until Christians learn to live in unity and love
with one another.” We are the
most understandable and most readable translation of Scriptures. John 1
says, "Jesus has explained God the Father in His flesh.” If we work
together, we can do it because we have been equipped to be one.
The geese, when they
travel for the winter, form a “V” formation because the goose in front gives an
upward draft behind him so that that the other birds flying behind him have a
wind beneath their wings. It makes them easier to fly and it makes them
tire slower. When the leader gets tired, he goes to the back, and
somebody else takes his place. They are a team; they help each
other. Everything is awesome; everything is so cool when you are part of
a team.
We are the incarnate Body
of Christ. His Paschal Mystery is not just an activity that we do.
It is not a ritual that we do every Sunday or every day. It is a mystery
that we must become. We already are, but we must become. We are one
Body, and what we eat, we become. What we do, we also become.
The real presence of
Christ in the elements is not just about scientific or mystical verification of
Christ’s presence in the elements. It is not about using technical terms like
“transubstantiation or real presence.” It is more about the actual
presence of Christ and what it actually does for us and to us as His
body. So what if you win the argument? “I am right. The Lord
is present in the elements.” What does that do to the person you argued
with now? The real presence is so we can fellowship with Him and able to
partake of Him. When we eat the body of Christ, we become more and more
what God already made us to be, the Body of Christ, His fullness. In
turn, we can give ourselves as His body for the life of the world. Not so that
we can prove that we are correct theologically. It is so that we can be the
life of the world.
“This is My body, given
for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In other words, perpetuate
this. This is not ritual but incarnational. We are an incarnational
sacrament. I found in the English Standard Version of Isaiah 62:6
that says, “You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest.” You are Catholic and you proclaim it
by all, always and everywhere. Take no rest; always proclaim it. “As
often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim Christ’s death
until He comes again.” Thus, we participate in the building of the Body
of Christ.
We have been given the
keys of the Kingdom. Let us not be like the Pharisees and the scribes
locking the door and shutting people out. Worst of all, we don’t enter in
ourselves. We have been given the keys. Let us open the doors of the
Kingdom to those who are in need to see the Kingdom because we hold the keys as
the Body of Christ.
Isaiah 61 says that when
we do that, those who seemingly had no hope, whom many have given up on, will
be used by God, as His body, and will be given the keys of the Kingdom also and
they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. They
in turn will be the life of the world. They will also be part of the Body
of Christ.
This is who the Body of
Christ is and 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
