Was Christmas Merry for Jesus?

            It is the Christmas season, and we are wishing those we see “Merry Christmas.”  However, was Christmas merry for Jesus?  This is not a question I’m going to give an answer to; I just desire that people consider it when coming up with New Year’s resolutions.  Thinking about the word “Christmas,” two words come to mind: “Christ” and “Mass.”  Of course, “Mass” goes straight to our Lord’s crucifixion, his Passion, death, and resurrection.  What follows will be excerpts from Alphonsus Liguori’s book, The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ; Or The Mysteries of the Faith.  A large portion of the book deals with our Lord’s awareness of his sufferings as a newborn infant, even while in his Mother’s womb.  My mind goes back to a Taiwanese show we watched, wherein a woman was considering abortion because she surmised of the hardship that the child would have to go through.  Did Mary—being cognizant of Scripture—know of her Son’s suffering at the time of her Fiat?  Jesus, being content and happy at the Father’s side, chose to leave that comfort in order to suffer continuously for us?  It is mind-boggling.  Here are the excerpts from the book:

            “Consider that the divine Word, in becoming man, chose not only to take the form of a sinner, but also to bear all the sins of men and to satisfy for them as if they were his own: He bore their iniquities.  Father Cornelius adds, “as if he had committed them himself.”  Let us here reflect what an oppression and anguish the heart of Infant Jesus must have felt, who had already charged himself with the sins of the whole world, in finding that the divine justice insisted on his making a full satisfaction for them.^[1]

            Consider that all the sufferings and ignominy that Jesus endured in his life and death, all were present to him from the first moment of his life: My sorrow is continually before me;” and even from his childhood he began to offer them in satisfaction for our sins, beginning even then to fulfill his office of Redeemer.  He revealed to one of his servants that from the commencement of his life even until his death, he suffered continually; and suffered so much for each of our sins that if he had as many lives as there are men, he would as many times have died of sorrow, if God had not preserved his life that he might suffer more.^[2]

            Even while he was in the womb of Mary, every particular sin passed in review before Jesus, and each sin afflicted him immeasurably.  St. Thomas says that this sorrow which Jesus Christ felt at the knowledge of the injury done his Father, and of the evil that sin would occasion to the souls that he loved, surpassed the sorrows of all the contrite sinners that ever existed, even of those who died of pure sorrow; because no sinner ever loved God and his own soul as much as Jesus loved his Father and our souls. Wherefore, that agony which our Redeemer suffered in the garden at the sight of our sins was endured by him even from his mother’s womb: I am poor, and in labors from my youth.  Thus, through the mouth of David did our Saviour prophesy of himself, that all his life should be a continual suffering. ^[3]

            Even from the womb of Mary, Jesus Christ accepted obediently the sacrifice which his Father had desired him to make, even his Passion and death: Becoming obedient unto death.  So that even from the womb of Mary he foresaw the scourge and presented to them his flesh; he foresaw the thorns, and presented to them his head; he foresaw the blows, and presented to them his cheeks; he foresaw the nails, and presented to them his hands and his feet; he foresaw the cross, and offered his life.  Hence, it is true that even from his earliest infancy our blessed Redeemer every moment of his life suffered a continual martyrdom; and he offered it every moment for us to his eternal Father.  But what afflicted him most was the sight of the sins which men would commit even after this painful redemption.  By his divine light, he well knew the malice of every sin and, therefore, did he come into the world to do away all sins; but, when he saw the immense number which would be committed, the sorrow that the Heart of Jesus felt was greater than all the sorrows that all men ever suffered or ever will suffer upon earth.^[4]

            Consider that Jesus suffered, even from the first moment of his life, and all for the love of us.  During the whole of his life, he had no other object in view, after the glory of God, than our salvation.^[5]

            The chalice which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it? said he to St. Peter.  It was necessary, then, that Jesus Christ should suffer so many ignominies to heal our pride, that he should embrace such a life of poverty to cure our covetousness, that he should be overwhelmed in a sea of troubles--and even die of pure sorrow--to cure our eagerness [of] sensual pleasures.^[6]

            Can it then be true, my amiable Saviour, that ever since you were an infant, and in every moment of your life, I have been a murderer of your sacred heart, and a murderer more cruel than all those who crucified You?  And I have renewed and increased this suffering every time I have repeated my offences against you?  O Lord! you have indeed died to save me; but your death will not save me if I do not on my part detest every evil and have true sorrow for the sins I have committed against you.  But even this sorrow must be given me by you.  You give it to him that asks it of you.  I ask it of you through the merits of all the sufferings you did endure on this earth; give me sorrow for my sins, but a sorrow that will correspond to my transgressions.  Help me, O Lord! to make that act of contrition which I now intend to do.”^[7]

            Oh, yes, we need to rejoice because of our Savior’s birth.  Nonetheless, that joy must go hand-in-hand with the knowledge of the sorrow we continue to cause our God when we commit sins, even venial sins.  We cannot allow ourselves to become so calloused as to ignore the added sufferings we cause our Savior.  Let us rejoice, but with repentance.

---

^[1] Alphonsus Liguori, The Incarnation, Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ; Or, The Mysteries of the Faith, ed. Eugene Grimm, The Complete Works of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, (New York; Cincinnati; St. Louis; London; Dublin: Benziger Brothers; R. Washbourne; M. H. Gill & Son, 1887), 197.

^[2] Ibid., 199.

^[3] Ibid., 200.

^[4] Ibid., 195.

^[5] Ibid., 201–202.

^[6] Ibid., 211.

^[7] Ibid., 198.

Of the Contention Between Mercy and Justice, Truth and Peace

This is an excerpt from the book, The Life of Christ:

Mercy said unto the Lord, “Will you, O Lord, cast man away forever, or will you forget to show mercy?”² This was whispered in the ears of the Almighty continuously for a long time. The Lord replied, “Let your sisters be called whom you see ready to oppose you, and let us hear what they say.” The two attributes being summoned, Mercy resumed: “The rational creature stands in need of Divine commiseration, for he has become miserable, yes, full of misery, and the time for mercy has already come and is passing away.” Truth interrupts: “The Lord must keep His word which He has spoken. Let Adam and all his race who were in him die, when through disobedience he tasted the forbidden fruit.” Mercy replied, “Wherefore then, O Lord, have you made me? For Truth itself must own there is reason for this question, if you forbear forever to have mercy.” “On the other hand,” says Truth, “if the transgressor evades your sentence, Truth must perish, and cannot remain forever.” Hence, this contention was referred to the Son, before whom Truth and Mercy repeated their respective claims; and Truth added, “I confess, O Lord, that Mercy may be moved by a good zeal, but not according to Justice, which would rather spare the transgressor than her sister attribute.” But Mercy rejoins, “You spare neither, but are so fierce with anger against the transgressor, that you involve me, your sister, in his destruction.” But Truth, unmoved, urges her cause most strongly: “O Lord, you are involved in this question, and it is for you to hinder the sentence of your Father from being made void.” Peace now began to speak: “Cease this contention; it is not right for attributes to dispute each other’s claims.” The controversy, however, seemed momentous, and the reasons which were urged on both sides valid and powerful. There appeared to be no way of preserving both Mercy and Truth in reference to man. But the King wrote the sentence, which He gave to Peace, being nearest to His throne, to read and deliver. It ran thus: “One says, ‘I perish if Adam does not die;’ the other says, ‘I perish if he does not find mercy.’ Let death become a good thing, and let both have what they ask.”

All were amazed at the wisdom of this decree, and agreed that Adam should die, and so obtain mercy. But how, sought they, can death be made good, seeing that the bare sound of the word conveys horror? The King answered, “The death of sinners is most dreadful, but the death of the saints is ‘precious,’¹ and the gate of life. Let one be found who, though not subject to death, dies out of love. He, not being subject to it, cannot be held by it, but will force his way through death, and make a passage through which those who are freed can follow him.” All acquiesced in this. But “where can such a one be found?” was the question. Then Truth went back to earth, and Mercy remained in heaven. As the Prophet says, “Thy Mercy, O Lord, is in heaven, and Thy Truth reaches even to the clouds.”² And it encompasses the world. But no one was found pure from the stain of sin,³ not even the infant of a day old. But Mercy searched throughout heaven, and found no one who had love enough to undertake this work. For all of us are servants, who, when we have done well, ought to say according to that which is written in S. Luke, “We are unprofitable servants.”⁴ And as none could be found who had such charity as to lay down his life for unprofitable servants, they, Mercy and Truth, returned at the appointed day. Not having found what they sought for, Peace said, “Know you not, or have you forgotten, that ‘there is none that does good, no, not one’?⁵ He alone who gave you this counsel can bring it to pass.” When the King saw this He said, “It repents Me that I have made man.⁶ I must repent on behalf of man whom I have made.” And Gabriel being called He said, “Go, tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King comes unto you.”⁷ Thus far are the words of S. Bernard. You see, then, how great is the danger which sin causes, and how difficult it is to find a remedy. The before-mentioned attributes were best brought into harmony, it would seem, in the Person of the Son. For the Person of the Father, in a certain way, appeared terrible and powerful, so that Peace and Mercy had cause for apprehension. Then the Person of the Spirit is most benign, and so Truth and Justice had cause for apprehension. Therefore, the Person of the Son was accepted as in the mean between the Two, to work out this remedy. This, however, you must understand not in a literal but in a descriptive sense. Then was that prediction fulfilled: “Mercy and Truth have met together; Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other.”¹   Thus, much we have said of that contention upon which we may piously meditate, and which we may conceive had some real counterpart in heavenly things.^[1]

Mercy, Justice, Truth, and Peace are all accomplished in Baptism.  Because of sin, we die in Baptism.  Therefore, Justice and Truth are accomplished.  We are also raised to new Life in Truth; therefore, Mercy and Peace are also accomplished.  However, a danger exists: Some deem that they things and ways of the world are better than this new Life, and they return to “Egypt.”  In this, they deem the pomps of the devil—which we reject in our baptismal vows--are better than life in Christ.

---

² Ps. 77:8, 9.

¹ Ps. 116:15.

² Ps. 36:5.

³ Job 25.

⁴ S. Luke 17:10.

⁵ Ps. 14:3.

⁶ Gen. 6:6.

⁷ Zech. 9:9.

¹ Ps. 85:10.

^[1] Saint Bonaventure, The Life of Christ, ed. W. H. Hutchings, (London: Rivingtons, 1881), 2–5.

Thrones Were Set Up

Thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days took his throne.  His clothing was white as snow, the hair on his head like pure wool; His throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire.  A river of fire surged forth, flowing from where he sat; thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads stood before him.  The court was convened, and the books were opened. I watched, then, from the first of the arrogant words which the horn spoke, until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the burning fire. As for the other beasts, their dominion was taken away, but they were granted a prolongation of life for a time and a season. As the visions during the night continued, I saw coming with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man.  When he reached the Ancient of Days and was presented before him, He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him.^[1]

           

            Celsus, a Greek philosopher during the era of Church father, Origen, says: “And I make no new statement, but say what has been long settled.  God is good, and beautiful, and blessed, and that in the best and most beautiful degree.  But, if he come down among men, he must undergo a change, and a change from good to evil, from virtue to vice, from happiness to misery, and from best to worst.  Who, then, would make choice of such a change?  It is the nature of a mortal, indeed, to undergo change and remolding, but of an immortal to remain the same and unaltered. God, then, could not admit of such a change.”^[2]  This may seem logical to the human mind.  We have Origen’s reply in rebuttal: “Now, it appears to me that the fitting answer has been returned to these objections when I have related what is called in Scripture the ‘condescension’ of God to human affairs; for which purpose He did not need to undergo a transformation, as Celsus thinks we assert, nor a change from good to evil, nor from virtue to vice, nor from happiness to misery, nor from best to worst.  For, continuing unchangeable in His essence, He condescends to human affairs by the economy of His providence.”^[3]  In this, we see the Incarnation, the Son of God clothing

himself with humanity—who has gone from good to evil, from virtue to vice, from happiness to misery, and from best to worst—yet, because of his unchangeableness, is without sin.  He presents his body before the throne of the Ancient of Days, a throne which was flames of fire and wheels of burning fire, on the Cross of Love, Humility, Obedience, and Patience, to have humanity purified.  I mention love, humility, obedience, and patience because they are sisters and must go together

            We further learn from Origen: “The divine word says that our God is ‘a consuming fire’ (cf. Deu 4:24, 9:3) and that ‘He draws rivers of fire before Him’ (cf. Dan 7:10); nay, that He even enters in as ‘a refiner’s fire, and as a fuller’s herb’ (cf. Mal. 3:2), to purify His own people.”  … The wicked man … is said to build up on the previously-laid foundation of reason, ‘wood, and hay, and stubble.’  Therefore, our God is a “consuming fire’ in the sense in which we have taken the word; and, thus, He enters in as a ‘refiner’s fire,’ to refine the rational nature which has been filled with the lead of wickedness and to free it from the other impure materials, which adulterate the natural gold or silver, so to speak, of the soul.  And, in like manner, ‘rivers of fire’ are said to be before God, who will thoroughly cleanse away the evil which is intermingled throughout the whole soul.”^[4]  This is what we must go through also.  Where the Head goes, the Body must follow.  All that is sinful in us must be “burned” away.

            When our Lord has shown us this and we acknowledge and desire this, we bow low toward your holy temple.^[5]  Because of what he is doing in us and for us—especially through the Sacraments--we praise your name for your mercy and faithfulness.^[6]  When we walk in obedience to him because of what he is doing in and through us, he has exalted over all [his] name and [his] promise.^[7]  All the kings of earth will praise you, Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth.  They will sing of the ways of the Lord: “How great is the glory of the Lord!” ^[8]  The prideful are kings in their own eyes.  It is about their happiness, what they want—as if it is the duty of everyone to please them.  When bow down towards our Lord’s holy temple and walk in obedience, some of these “kings” will also be changed.  In the end, it will be “all” because those who do not will be sent to the eternal fire.

            The Church has seen fit to include the following passage from the Gospel of John with our passage from Daniel and Psalm 138: Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.”  Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”^[9] 

            There are varying views on what the last sentence is referring to.  “When did this vision take place? Some say, at His Passion and Resurrection—His Baptism was now past—others, at His Ascension; others, understand it of the ministration of Angels in the Church to be founded by Him, of which the stone, whereon Jacob lay, was a mere figure; others, of the Day of Judgment. A. Lapide holds, it had reference to some particular vision calculated to increase the faith of His hearers. Some say, this particular and wonderful manifestation, like many other acts of our Lord, was left unrecorded by the Evangelist.”^[10]  What I try to do is: How do I make this relevant in my life today? 

            Because of this, I like what St. Augustine writes: “What we have heard said by the Lord Jesus Christ to Nathanael, if we understand it aright, does not concern him only, for our Lord Jesus saw the whole human race under the fig-tree.  For, in this place, it is understood that by the fig-tree He signified sin.  Not that it always signifies this, but as I have said in this place, in that fitness of significancy, in which you know that the first man, when he sinned, covered himself with fig leaves.  For, with these leaves, they covered their nakedness when they blushed for their sin (cf. Ge 3:7); and, what God had made them for members, they made for themselves occasions of shame.  For they had no need to blush for the work of God, but the cause of sin preceded shame.  If iniquity had not gone before, nakedness would never have been put to the blush.  For ‘they were naked, and were not ashamed’ (cf. Ge 2:25), for they had committed nothing to be ashamed for.  But why have I said all this?  That we may understand that, by the fig-tree, sin is signified.  What then is, “When you were under the fig-tree, I saw you’?  When you were under sin, I saw you.  And Nathanael, looking back upon what had occurred, remembered that he had been under a fig-tree where Christ was not.  He was not there--that is, by His Bodily Presence—but, by His knowledge in the Spirit, where is He not?  And, because he knew that he was under the fig-tree alone where the Lord Christ was not, when He said to him, ‘When thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee,’ [Nathaniel] both acknowledged the Divinity in Him, and cried out, “Thou art the King of Israel.”^[11]

            God ascending and descending on the Son of Man is clearly a reference to the vision of “Jacob’s Ladder.”  St. Augustine says: “A man’s dream would not have been recorded had not some great mystery been figured in it, had not some great prophecy been to be understood in that vision.  Accordingly, Jacob himself, because he understood what he had seen, placed a stone there and anointed it with oil.  Now, you recognize the anointing; recognize the Anointed also, for He is ‘the Stone which the builders rejected; He was made the Head of the corner’ (cf. Ps. 118:22).  He is the Stone of which Himself said, ‘Whosoever shall stumble against this Stone shall be shaken; but, on whomsoever that Stone shall fall, it will crush him’ (cf. Mt. 21:44).  It is stumbled against as It lies on the earth; but It will fall on him when He shall come from on high to judge the quick and dead.”^[12]                   We also read from the saint: “He would not say, ‘ascending unto the Son of Man’ unless He were above; He would not say, ‘descending unto the Son of Man’ unless He were also below.  He is at once above and below: above in Himself, below in His; above with the Father, below in us.  [From what place] also was that Voice to Saul, ‘Saul, Saul, why [do you] persecute Me (cf. Acts 9:4)?’  He would not say ‘Saul, Saul’ unless that He was above.  But Saul was not persecuting Him above.  He then who was above would not have said, ‘Why [do you] persecute me’ unless He was below also.  Fear Christ above; recognize Him below.  Have Christ above bestowing His bounty; recognize Him here in need.  Here, He is poor; there, He is rich.  That Christ is poor here, He tells us Himself …, ‘I was hungered; I was thirsty; I was naked; I was a stranger; I was in prison’ (cf. Mt. 25:35).  And to some He said, ‘You have ministered unto Me,’ and to some He said, ‘You have not ministered unto Me’.”^[13]

            On the same verse, our saint teaches elsewhere: “If they ascend to Him because He is above, how do they descend to Him but because He is also here?  Therefor says the Church: ‘I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?’  She says so even in the case of those who, purified from all dross, can say: ‘I desire to depart and to be with Christ; nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you’ (cf. Eph. 3:17).  She says it in those who preach Christ, and open to Him the door that He may dwell by faith in the hearts of men.”^[14]           

           These make the passage from John 1 relevant to the rest of our passages.  It is for these that we are being purified; it is for these that God is praised, exalted.  It is for these that we will be judged.  They also teach us the importance of the Church and how Christ is in the Church. 

            Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.”  “Who are true Christians, save those of whom the same Lord said, ‘He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me’ (cf. Jn 14:21)?  But what is it to keep His commandments except to abide in love?  From that source, also, He says, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another;’ and again, ‘By this shall all men know that you are my disciples: if you have love one to another’ (Jn 13:34–35).  But who can doubt that this was spoken not only to those who heard His words with their fleshly ears when He was present with them but also to those who learn His words through the gospel, when He is sitting on His throne in heaven?  For He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill (cf. Mt 5:17).  But the fulfilling of the law is love (cf. Ro 13:10).”^[15]  The thrones were set up to purify and judge.  This purification is painful, as attested to by our Lord and the martyrs.  However, God has died for us, to make us pure; and our judgment will be awards.

---

^[1] New American Bible, Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Da 7:9–14.

^[2] Origen, Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second, 1885, 4, 502.

^[3] Ibid.

^[4] Ibid.

^[5] New American Bible, Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Ps 138:2.

^[6] Ibid.

^[7] Ibid.

^[8] Ibid., Ps 138:4–5.

^[9] Ibid., Jn 1:47–51.

^[10] John MacEvilly, An Exposition of the Gospel of St. John, (Dublin; New York: M. H. Gill & Son; Benziger Brothers, 1902), 32.

^[11] Augustine of Hippo, Saint Augustin: Sermon on the Mount, Harmony of the Gospels, Homilies on the Gospels, 1888, 6, 470.

^[12] Ibid., 470–471.

^[13] Ibid., 473–474.

^[14] Augustine of Hippo, St. Augustin: Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Soliloquies, 1888, 7, 304.

^[15] Augustine of Hippo, St. Augustin: The Writings against the Manichaeans and against the Donatists, 1887, 4, 444–445.

Imitating Ezra

Then, at the time of the evening sacrifice, I rose in my wretchedness, and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees, stretching out my hands to the Lord, my God.  I said: “My God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to raise my face to you, my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven.^[1]

            The time of the evening sacrifice is the eleventh hour, the time just before Christ returns.  We know we are in the eleventh hour; we just don’t believe it.  Therefore, we live as death and/or Christ’s return is in the future, not now.  Now, Ezra was in wretchedness not because of what he had done but what his people had done and are doing; however, he is also treating the sins of his people as if they were his personal sins.  We normally look inward, at our personal sins, not worrying about the sins of others.  This is where we go wrong.  We are part of the Body, as well as our fellow Catholics.  We, as individuals, are not the entirety of the Body; therefore, when our fellow Catholic sins, the Body becomes sick.

            When Hurricane Irma was incoming, it was stated that it would be sad if Houston received the effects of the hurricane.  The response was: Better them than us.  This is our mindset.  “As long as I get to heaven, the hell with my neighbor; that is his problem.”  We are a being that is human.  We are a body of humans.  This really applies to us as Catholics: We, though many, are the Body of Christ.  We ascend and descend (sinfulness) as a Body, not individuals.  We want to focus upon ourselves as individuals and not a Body.  We, as individuals, need to—like Ezra—take the sins of others upon ourselves and repent.  In the exile of the northern and southern kingdoms, not only the disobedient went into captivity; the obedient also went, e.g. Ezekiel, Daniel, and the three Hebrew children. 

           For he afflicts and shows mercy, casts down to the depths of Hades, brings up from the great abyss.  Give thanks to him, you Israelites, in the presence of the nations, for though he has scattered you among them, even there recount his greatness.  Exalt him before every living being, because he is your Lord, and he is your God, our Father and God forever and ever!  He will afflict you for your iniquities, but will have mercy on all of you.  He will gather you from all the nations among whom you have been scattered.  When you turn back to him with all your heart, and with all your soul do what is right before him, then he will turn to you, and will hide his face from you no longer.  Now consider what he has done for you, and give thanks with full voice.  Bless the Lord of righteousness, and exalt the King of the ages.  In the land of my captivity I give thanks, and declare his power and majesty to a sinful nation.  According to your heart do what is right before him: perhaps there will be pardon for you.^[2]  This we do when, for God and what he has done, we live a life that pleases him.  As individuals, we need to live this life; however, we need to pray that the entirety of the Body also does.

            He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.  Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.  And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”  Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.^[3]  The “Twelve” are the foundation of the Catholic Church, the beginning.  Therefore, we see them in our bishops and priests.  We go to them for the Sacraments, for reconciliation, healing, and growth, for the strength to live the life we are ordained to live: the life of Christ.  In this way, we will also imitate Ezra.

---

^[1] New American Bible, Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Ezr 9:5–6.

^[2] Ibid., Tob 13:2-6.

^[3] Ibid., Lk 9:1–6.

A Golden Nugget in the Informative

Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.^[1]

            When reading this passage, there are probably many people who, like me, would just treat this passage as informative and just keep reading.  However, if we pause and think, we must wonder why the evangelist finds it necessary to include this.  He could have very well omitted it, and there would—in our opinion—no impact upon the Gospel.  Nevertheless, he found it very necessary to include it.

            Of course, it could be as one commentary says: “Men and women enjoy equal dignity in the Church. Within the context of that equality, women certainly have specific characteristics which must necessarily be reflected in their role in the Church: “All the baptized, men and women alike, share equally in the dignity, freedom and responsibility of the children of God.… Women are called to bring to the family, to society and to the Church, characteristics which are their own and which they alone can give—their gentle warmth and untiring generosity, their love for detail, their quick-wittedness and intuition, their simple and deep piety, their constancy.… A woman’s femininity is genuine only if she is aware of the beauty of this contribution for which there is no substitute—and if she incorporates it into her own life (St Josemaría Escrivá, Conversations, 14 and 87).  The Gospel makes special reference to the generosity of these women.  It is nice to know that our Lord availed himself of their charity, and that they responded to him with such refined and generous detachment that Christian women feel filled with a holy and fruitful envy (cf. St J. Escrivá, The Way, 981).”^[2]  However, that does not have much an impact upon me, although it is true.  This is not going to change my life nor encourage me.  It is not a “golden nugget.”

            In his meditation for 22 September, Pope Benedict says: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations …” (Mt 28:19).  But the dynamism of this mission, this openness and breadth of the Gospel, cannot be revised to read: ‘Go into the world and become the world yourselves!  Go into the world and confirm it in its secularity!’  The opposite is true.  The holy mystery of God, the mustard seed of the Gospel, cannot be identified with the world but is rather destined to permeate the whole world.  That is why we must find again the courage to embrace what is sacred, the courage to distinguish what is Christian—not in order to segregate it, but in order to transform it—the courage to be truly dynamic.”^[3]  This is what our passage is all about.  St. Theophylact of Ohrid says our passage is not about teaching or preaching but to be instructed by Christ,^[4] which we receive from the Church.

            Let us accompany Jesus in his Catholic Church; let us follow his teachings as he instructs us through his Church.  He is still visible in the Catholic Church.  When the secular media speaks on things Christian, they almost invariably go to the Catholic Church.  It is here that Jesus is seen.  It is for this reason that the Catholic Church is attacked.  They hated Jesus; therefore, they hate his Body.  Let us, therefor, accompany him in the Church, allowing the Holy Spirit to utilize our every obedience to permeate the world.  We cannot do this if we become the world ourselves, nor can we do this through hatred and attacks.  We must be as the Church instructs us.  We must become Susanna--an illustrious woman who, healed by Christ, had become His disciple.  Venerable Bede tells us “her name in the Hebrew signifies ‘a lily,’ on account of the sweet radiance of a heavenly life (Interlinear Gloss), and the golden fervor of her inward affection.”^[5]  We become like Susanna when we first become like Mary Magdalene and Joanna.

            “Mary is, by interpretation, ‘bitter sea,’ because of the loud wailing of her penitence; Magdalene, ‘a tower or, rather, belonging to a tower,’ from the tower of which it is said, ‘You are become my hope, my strong tower from the face of my enemy.’  Joanna is, by interpretation, ‘the Lord her grace,’ or ‘the merciful Lord,’ for from Him comes everything that we dive upon.  If Mary, cleansed from the corruption of her sins, points to the Church of the Gentiles, why does not Joanna represent the same Church formerly subject to the worship of idols--for every evil spirit, while he acts for the devil’s kingdom, is as it were Herod’s steward.”^[6]

            Of a side note: Of course, the name “Mary” brings to mind our Blessed Mother.  “Mary” is an extremely appropriate name for her.  “Bitter sea” can also mean “bitter tears.”  Do not our hearts break when we see that they will not heed good advice and venture into things we know are not good for them?  This is also true for the Virgin Mary.  Oh, how many “bitter tears” do she shed when she sees our sins?  She is, as we know, our Lady of Seven Sorrows.

            In the Hebrew, Magdalene signifies “turreted or tower-bearing,” for she was tall of stature and of a yet loftier mind.  "Your neck is like the tower of David" (Cant.4:4).  Origen says “Magdalene” means "magnificent" or "magnified" because, says Origen, she followed Jesus, ministered unto Him, and beheld the mystery of His Passion.  Pagninus says that Magdalene means "remarkable for the standard," "bearing or raising the standard," for the Magdalene raised the standard of penitence and love and of the contemplative life, e.g. "His banner over me was love" (Cant. 2:4).  Also, the name means "brought up, nourished," i.e. led by the teaching of Christ to a holy and a virtuous life.^[7]

            This is Mary Magdalene, “out of whom seven devils are reported to have gone, that it might be shown that she was full of all vices.,^[8] or “out of whom went seven devils, i.e. seven capital sins--pride, avarice, gluttony, luxury, anger, envy, and careless living (Bede, Theophylact, and St. Gregory).”^[9]  We also need these capital sins removed from us, that we may permeate the world as these women did.  “These women followed Christ (1) out of gratitude, because He had healed their diseases and cast out the devils which possessed them, (2) for safety, lest, if they were away from their physician, their former ills might again overtake them, and (3) from pious motives, that from His companionship and preaching they might advance in holiness.”^[10]

            If we keep all this in mind, we can find, in the “informative,” a golden nugget, and permeate the world as Christ desires us to.

---

^[1] New American Bible, Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Lk 8:1–3.

^[2] Saint Luke’s Gospel, The Navarre Bible, (Dublin; New York: Four Courts Press; Scepter Publishers, 2005), 89.

^[3] Joseph Ratzinger, Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year, ed. Irene Grassl, (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992), 303.

[4] Aquinas, St. Thomas. Catena Aurea - Gospel of St. Luke - EasyRead Version (Kindle Locations 4258-4259). Kindle Edition.

[5] A Lapide SJ, Cornelius. The Great Commentary of Cornelius A Lapide: The Gospel of St. Luke (Kindle Locations 4446-4448). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition.

[6] Ibid., (Kindle Locations 4271-4277). Kindle Edition.

[7] Ibid., (Kindle Locations 4422-4430). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition.

[8] Aquinas, St. Thomas. Catena Aurea - Gospel of St. Luke - EasyRead Version (Kindle Locations 4263-4264). Kindle Edition.

[9] A Lapide SJ, Cornelius. The Great Commentary of Cornelius A Lapide: The Gospel of St. Luke (Kindle Locations 4431-4434). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition.

[10] Ibid., (Kindle Locations 4408-4411). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition.

"I Have Been Duped"

O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and thou hast prevailed. ^[1]

Look at a crucifix.  What do you see?  What we actually see is a man executed upon a cross; however, I think Christians will remark that they see Jesus, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior.   They acknowledge the words of St. Peter and our Lord’s response: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus’ reply, “Blessed are you … for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”^[2]  It is for this reason that we run to him, in order that he will save us from our sins.  For many of us, this entailed a gladness, a joy.  God had shown us where salvation lies.  It was like waving a string in front of a cat, and we jumped.  Shortly thereafter, the enthusiasm goes away.  Many people even stop going to church, falling away.  They might feel as though they have been duped.  They did not read the “rest of the story.”

In the case of Jeremiah, he says that God has deceived him.  “The meaning of the prophet is not to charge God with any untruth; but what he calls deceiving was only the concealing from him, when he accepted of the prophetical commission, [of] the greatness of the evils which the execution of that commission was to bring upon him.  [In the words of Cholloner, from the Hebrew], ‘Thou hast enticed me’ when I declined the office.  [Tirinus reminds us], God never promised that he should suffer no persecution.”^[3]  This, we also see transpires upon St. Peter’s confession.  As soon as Peter made his confession and our Lord responded by giving him the keys to the kingdom, the Church, from that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly.^[4]  And then our Lord commands us, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”^[5]  It is not that we have been duped; it is that we ignore the “rest of the story” because we do not like suffering.  Yes, God desires to save us; however, that “saving” entails both forgiveness and transformation.  God does not save us in our sins; he saves us from our sins.  And that requires suffering.

St. Paul, after teaching the Christians located in Rome, then commands them to put into practice what he was taught: “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”^[6]  He tells them to renew their minds, disregarding the things they believed prior which were contrary to his teachings and believe what he had taught them.  By doing this, and by adhering to what he taught, they would be transformed.

This is difficult.  It could be that it is inherent in us to think that what we believe is truth, or it could be that the devil is deceiving us.  Nevertheless, we find it difficult to dismiss beliefs that appear rational to us.  We are easily deceived; nevertheless, we sometimes have difficulty believing the Church, of which the Head is Jesus Christ himself.  We especially find it difficult if it comes from another Catholic.  Instead of researching what the individual has said to determine whether it is true or false, we dismiss it because it does not conform to what we want to believe.  We see this illustrated in the demise of King Josiah.

After Josiah had done all this to restore the temple, Neco, king of Egypt, came up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him. Neco sent messengers to him, saying: “What quarrel is between us, king of Judah? I have not come against you this day, for my war is with another kingdom, and God has told me to hasten. Do not interfere with God who is with me; let him not destroy you.” But Josiah would not withdraw from him, for he was seeking a pretext to fight with him. Therefore, he would not listen to the words of Neco that came from the mouth of God, but went out to fight in the plain of Megiddo. Then the archers shot King Josiah, who said to his servants, “Take me away, I am seriously wounded.”^[7]

It is necessary that we should suffer after coming into salvation.  God needs to transform us, purify us.  He must “wean” us taking comfort in temporal things, from finding pleasure in them.  He must make ways to change our trust, comfort, and pleasure from created things to him.  An example of this was when he took my father and my best friend.  I did not realize how much comfort I derived from them until he took them away.  We see this also occurring in the psalmist’s life.  God took away his happiness in order that he would realize that only in God was there true happiness.  O God, you are my God—it is you I seek!  For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, in a land parched, lifeless, and without water.  I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory.  For your love is better than life; my lips shall ever praise you!^[8]  You indeed are my savior, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.  My soul clings fast to you; your right hand upholds me.^[9]

St. Alphonsus de Ligouri teaches us: “The soul then, in the commencement of her conversion to God, tastes the sweetness of those sensible consolations with which God seeks to allure her and, by them, to wean her from earthly pleasures.  She breaks off her attachment to creatures and becomes attached to God.  Still, her attachment is imperfect, inasmuch as it is fostered more by that sensibility of spiritual consolations than by the real wish to do what is pleasing to God; and she deceives herself by believing that the greater the pleasure she feels in her devotions, the more she loves Almighty God.  The consequence of this is that, if this food of spiritual consolations is stopped by her being taken from her ordinary exercises of devotion and employed in other works of obedience, charity, or duties of her state, she is disturbed and takes it greatly to heart--and this is a universal defect in our miserable human nature: to seek our own satisfaction in all that we do.  Or, again, when she no longer finds this sweet relish of devotion in her exercises, she either forsakes them or lessens them; and, continuing to lessen them from day to day, she at length omits them entirely.  And this misfortune befalls many souls who--when called by Almighty God to love Him--enter upon the way of perfection and, as long as spiritual sweetness lasts, make a certain progress; but alas! when this is no longer tasted, they leave off all and resume their former ways.  But it is of the highest importance to be fully persuaded that the love of God and perfection do not consist in feelings of tenderness and consolation, but in overcoming self-love and in following the Divine will.”[10]  This is one of the major crosses we must learn to bear.  We do not pick up the cross for comfort and pleasure.  We pick up the cross because we are going to die, especially to those things that are not pleasure to our Savior.

In the Taiwanese show we are watching, a mother injured herself in saving her daughter from being injured.  It caused repentance in the daughter and increased the love she had for her mother because her mother had forewarned her and she disobeyed.  Jesus truly “injured” himself in saving us.  Does it cause the same response in us?  We are not being duped; we are being saved, transformed into the image of our Savior, being caused to persevere.

---

^[1] Catholic Biblical Association (Great Britain), The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, (New York: National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, 1994), Je 20:7.

^[2] New American Bible, Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Mt 16:16–17.

^[3] George Leo Haydock, Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary, (New York: Edward Dunigan and Brother, 1859), Je 20:7.

^[4] New American Bible, Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Mt 16:21.

^[5] Ibid., Mt 16:24.

^[6] Ibid., Ro 12:1–2.

^[7] Ibid., 2 Ch 35:20–23.

^[8] Ibid., Ps 63:2–4.

^[9] Ibid., Ps 63:8–9.

[10] Liguori, St Alphonsus. Uniformity with God's Will & The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ (pp. 249-250). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition.