Divine, Genesis 15:5-18, Psalms 27:1-14, Luke 9:28-36, Mystical City of God Book 6 Ch 2 The Transfiguration, Catholic Catechism Part One Section 2 The Creeds Chapter 2 Article 6
Good Day Bloggers! Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
Heed the Solemnity of Lent! This Lent instead of "Giving Up" something, why not "Give" by volunteering time to a worthy cause, or extending a simple act of kindness!
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’(Matthew 25:34-40)
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Prayers for Today: Sunday in Lent
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Prayer For the Holy Election of Our New Pope
May the Lord preserve the sanctity of the enclave as they embark on electing our new Holy Father, give him life, and make him blessed upon earth, and deliver him not to the will of his enemies.
LET US PRAY:
O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all the faithful, in Thy mercy look down upon Thy servant, (Our New Pope), whom Thou will appoint to preside over Thy Church, and grant we beseech Thee that both by word and example he may edify those who are under his charge; so that, with the flock entrusted to him, he may attain life everlasting. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
February 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
"Dear children, love is bringing me to you - the love which I desire to
teach you also - real love; the love which my Son showed you when He
died on the Cross out of love for you; the love which is always ready to
forgive and to ask for forgiveness. How great is your love? My motherly
heart is sorrowful as it searches for love in
your hearts. You are not ready to submit your will to God's will out of
love. You cannot help me to have those who have not come to know God's
love to come to know it, because you do not have real love. Consecrate
your hearts to me and I will lead you. I will teach you to forgive, to
love your enemies and to live according to my Son. Do not be afraid for
yourselves. In afflictions my Son does not forget those who love. I will
be beside you. I will implore the Heavenly Father for the light of
eternal truth and love to illuminate you. Pray for your shepherds so
that through your fasting and prayer they can lead you in love. Thank
you."
January 25, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
"Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May your prayer be as strong as a living stone, until with your lives you become witnesses. Witness the beauty of your faith. I am with you and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
"Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May your prayer be as strong as a living stone, until with your lives you become witnesses. Witness the beauty of your faith. I am with you and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Word: divine di·vine [dih-vahyn]
Origin: 1275–1325; Middle English < Latin dīvīnus, equivalent to dīv ( us ) god + -īnus -ine1 ; replacing Middle English devin ( e ) < Old French devin < Latin, as above
adjective
adjective
1. of or pertaining to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
2. addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred: divine worship.
3. proceeding from God or a god: divine laws.
4. godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity: divine magnanimity.
5. heavenly; celestial: the divine kingdom.
6. Informal. extremely good; unusually lovely: He has the most divine tenor voice.
7. being a god; being God: a divine person.
8. of superhuman or surpassing excellence: Beauty is divine.
9. Obsolete . of or pertaining to divinity or theology.
noun
10. a theologian; scholar in religion.
11. a priest or member of the clergy.
12. the Divine.
a. God.
a. God.
b. ( sometimes lowercase ) the spiritual aspect of humans; the group of attributes and qualities of humankind regarded as godly or godlike.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 27:1, 7-9, 13-14
1 [Of David] Yahweh is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? Yahweh is the fortress of my life, whom should I dread?
7 Yahweh, hear my voice as I cry, pity me, answer me!
8 Of you my heart has said, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Yahweh, I seek;
9 do not turn away from me. Do not
thrust aside your servant in anger, without you I am helpless. Never
leave me, never forsake me, God, my Saviour.
13 This I believe: I shall see the goodness of Yahweh, in the land of the living.
14 Put your hope in Yahweh, be strong, let your heart be bold, put your hope in Yahweh
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Epistle - Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
5 Then taking him outside, he said, 'Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Just so will your descendants be,' he told him.
6 Abram put his faith in Yahweh and this was reckoned to him as uprightness.
7 He then said to him, 'I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldaeans to give you this country as your possession.'
8 'Lord Yahweh,' Abram replied, 'how can I know that I shall possess it?'
9 He said to him, 'Bring me a
three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a
turtledove and a young pigeon.'
10 He brought him all these, split the
animals down the middle and placed each half opposite the other; but the
birds he did not divide.
11 And whenever birds of prey swooped down on the carcases, Abram drove them off.
12 Now, as the sun was on the point of setting, a trance fell on Abram, and a deep dark dread descended on him.
17 When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passing between the animals' pieces.
18 That day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram in these terms: 'To your descendants I give this country, from the River of Egypt to the Great River, the River Euphrates,
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Gospel Reading - Luke 9:28-36
The Transfiguration of Jesus
A new way of fulfilling the prophecies
Luke 9:28-36
A new way of fulfilling the prophecies
Luke 9:28-36
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:
A few days earlier, Jesus had said that
he, the Son of Man, had to be tried and crucified by the authorities
(Lk 9:22; Mk 8:31). According to the information in the Gospels of Mark
and Matthew, the disciples, especially Peter, did not understand what
Jesus had said and were scandalised by the news (Mt 16:22; Mk 8:32).
Jesus reacted strongly and turned to Peter calling him Satan (Mt 16:23;
Mk 8:33). This was because Jesus’ words did not correspond with the
ideal of the glorious Messiah whom they imagined. Luke does not mention
Peter’s reaction and Jesus’ strong reply, but he does describe, as do
the other Evangelists, the episode of the Transfiguration. Luke sees
the Transfiguration as an aid to the disciples so that they may be able
to overcome the scandal and change their idea of the Messiah (Lk
9:28-36). Taking with him the three disciples, Jesus goes up the
mountain to pray and, while he is praying, is transfigured. As we read
the text, it is good to note what follows: “Who appears with Jesus on
the mountain to converse with him? What is the theme of their
conversation? What is the disciples’ attitude?”
b) A division of the text as an aid to the reading:
i) Luke 9:28: The moment of crisis
ii) Luke 9:29: The change that takes place during the prayer
iii) Luke 9:30-31: The appearance of the two men and their conversation with Jesus
iv) Luke 9:32-34: The disciples’ reaction
v) Luke 9:35-36: The Father’s voice
ii) Luke 9:29: The change that takes place during the prayer
iii) Luke 9:30-31: The appearance of the two men and their conversation with Jesus
iv) Luke 9:32-34: The disciples’ reaction
v) Luke 9:35-36: The Father’s voice
c) The text:
28 Now about eight days after these
sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the
mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his
countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. 30 And
behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in
glory and spoke
of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now
Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they
wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And
as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is
well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one
for Moses and one for Elijah" - not knowing what he said. 34 As he said
this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they
entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This
is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 And when the voice had
spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in
those days anything of what they had seen.
3. A moment of prayerful silence so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions to help us in our personal reflection.
a) What pleased you most in this episode of the Transfiguration? Why?
b) Who are those who go to the mountain with Jesus? Why do they go?
c) Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain next to Jesus. What is the significance of these two persons from the Old Testament for Jesus, for the disciples for the community in the 80s? And for us today?
d) Which prophecy from the Old Testament is fulfilled in the words of the Father concerning Jesus?
e) What is the attitude of the disciples during this episode?
f) Has there been a transfiguration in your life? How have such experiences of transfiguration helped you to fulfil your mission better?
g) Compare Luke’s description of the Transfiguration of Jesus (Lk 9:28-36) with his description of the agony of Jesus in the Garden (Lk 22:39-46). Try to see whether there are any similarities. What is the significance of these similarities?
5. A key to the reading for those who wish to go deeper into the theme.
b) Who are those who go to the mountain with Jesus? Why do they go?
c) Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain next to Jesus. What is the significance of these two persons from the Old Testament for Jesus, for the disciples for the community in the 80s? And for us today?
d) Which prophecy from the Old Testament is fulfilled in the words of the Father concerning Jesus?
e) What is the attitude of the disciples during this episode?
f) Has there been a transfiguration in your life? How have such experiences of transfiguration helped you to fulfil your mission better?
g) Compare Luke’s description of the Transfiguration of Jesus (Lk 9:28-36) with his description of the agony of Jesus in the Garden (Lk 22:39-46). Try to see whether there are any similarities. What is the significance of these similarities?
5. A key to the reading for those who wish to go deeper into the theme.
a) The context of Jesus’ discourse:
In the two previous chapters of Luke’s
Gospel, the innovation brought by Jesus stands out and tensions between
the New and the Old grow. In the end, Jesus realised that no one had
understood his meaning and much less his person. People thought that he
was like John the Baptist, Elijah or some old prophet (Lk 9:18-19). The
disciples accepted him as the Messiah, but a glorious Messiah,
according to the propaganda issued by the government and the official
religion of the Temple (Lk 9:20-21). Jesus tried to explain to his
disciples that the journey foreseen by the prophets was one of
suffering because of its commitment to the excluded and that a disciple
could only be a disciple if he/she took up his/her cross (Lk 9:22-26).
But he did not meet with much success. It is in such a context of
crisis that the Transfiguration takes place.
In the 30s, the experience of the Transfiguration had a very important significance in the life of Jesus and of the disciples. It helped them overcome the crisis of faith and to change their ideals concerning the Messiah. In the 80s, when Luke was writing for the Christian communities in Greece, the meaning of the Transfiguration had already been deepened and broadened. In the light of Jesus’ resurrection and of the spread of the Good News among the pagans in almost every country, from Palestine to Italy, the experience of the Transfiguration began to be seen as a confirmation of the faith of the Christian communities in Jesus, Son of God. The two meanings are present in the description and interpretation of the Transfiguration in Luke’s Gospel.
b) A commentary on the text:
Luke 9:28: The moment of crisis
On several occasions Jesus entered into conflict with the people and the religious and civil authorities of his time (Lk 4:28-29; 5:21-20; 6:2-11; 7:30.39; 8:37; 9,9). He knew they would not allow him to do the things he did. Sooner or later they would catch him. Besides, in that society, the proclamation of the Kingdom, as Jesus did, was not to be tolerated. He either had to withdraw or face death! There were no other alternatives. Jesus did not withdraw. Hence the cross appears on the horizon, not just as a possibility but as a certainty (Lk 9:22). Together with the cross there appears also the temptation to go on with the idea of the Glorious Messiah and not of the Crucified, suffering servant, announced by the Prophet Isaiah (Mk 8:32-33). At this difficult moment Jesus goes up the mountain to pray, taking with him Peter, James and John. Through his prayer, Jesus seeks strength not to lose sense of direction in his mission (cf. Mk 1:35).
On several occasions Jesus entered into conflict with the people and the religious and civil authorities of his time (Lk 4:28-29; 5:21-20; 6:2-11; 7:30.39; 8:37; 9,9). He knew they would not allow him to do the things he did. Sooner or later they would catch him. Besides, in that society, the proclamation of the Kingdom, as Jesus did, was not to be tolerated. He either had to withdraw or face death! There were no other alternatives. Jesus did not withdraw. Hence the cross appears on the horizon, not just as a possibility but as a certainty (Lk 9:22). Together with the cross there appears also the temptation to go on with the idea of the Glorious Messiah and not of the Crucified, suffering servant, announced by the Prophet Isaiah (Mk 8:32-33). At this difficult moment Jesus goes up the mountain to pray, taking with him Peter, James and John. Through his prayer, Jesus seeks strength not to lose sense of direction in his mission (cf. Mk 1:35).
Luke 9:29: The change that takes place during the prayer
As soon as Jesus starts praying, his appearance changes and he appears glorious. His face changes and his clothes become white and shining. It is the glory that the disciples imagined for the Messiah. This transformation told them clearly that Jesus was indeed the Messiah expected by all. But what follows the episode of the Transfiguration will point out that the way to glory is quite different from what they imagined. The transfiguration will be a call to conversion.
As soon as Jesus starts praying, his appearance changes and he appears glorious. His face changes and his clothes become white and shining. It is the glory that the disciples imagined for the Messiah. This transformation told them clearly that Jesus was indeed the Messiah expected by all. But what follows the episode of the Transfiguration will point out that the way to glory is quite different from what they imagined. The transfiguration will be a call to conversion.
Luke 9:30-31: Two men appear speaking with Jesus
Together with Jesus and in the same glorious state there appear Moses and Elijah, the two major exponents of the Old Testament, representing the Law and the Prophets. They speak with Jesus about “the Exodus brought to fulfilment in Jerusalem”. Thus, in front of the disciples, the Law and the Prophets confirm that Jesus is truly the glorious Messiah, promised in the Old Testament and awaited by the whole people. They further confirm that the way to Glory is through the painful way of the exodus. Jesus’ exodus is his passion, death and resurrection. Through his “exodus” Jesus breaks the dominion of the false idea concerning the Messiah spread by the government and by the official religion and that held all ensnared in the vision of a glorious, nationalistic messiah. The experience of the Transfiguration confirmed that Jesus as Messiah Servant constituted an aid to free them from their wrong ideas concerning the Messiah and to discover the real meaning of the Kingdom of God.
Together with Jesus and in the same glorious state there appear Moses and Elijah, the two major exponents of the Old Testament, representing the Law and the Prophets. They speak with Jesus about “the Exodus brought to fulfilment in Jerusalem”. Thus, in front of the disciples, the Law and the Prophets confirm that Jesus is truly the glorious Messiah, promised in the Old Testament and awaited by the whole people. They further confirm that the way to Glory is through the painful way of the exodus. Jesus’ exodus is his passion, death and resurrection. Through his “exodus” Jesus breaks the dominion of the false idea concerning the Messiah spread by the government and by the official religion and that held all ensnared in the vision of a glorious, nationalistic messiah. The experience of the Transfiguration confirmed that Jesus as Messiah Servant constituted an aid to free them from their wrong ideas concerning the Messiah and to discover the real meaning of the Kingdom of God.
Luke 9:32-34: The disciples’ reaction
The disciples were in deep sleep. When they woke up, the saw Jesus in his glory and the two men with him. But Peter’s reaction shows that they were not aware of the real meaning of the glory in which Jesus appeared to them. As often happens with us, they were only aware of what concerned them. The rest escapes their attention. “Master, it is good for us to be here!” And they do not want to get off the mountain any more! When it is question of the cross, whether on the Mount of the Transfiguration or on the Mount of Olives (Lk 22:45), they sleep! They prefer the Glory to the Cross! They do not like to speak or hear of the cross. They want to make sure of the moment of glory on the mountain, and they offer to build three tents. Peter did not know what he was saying.
The disciples were in deep sleep. When they woke up, the saw Jesus in his glory and the two men with him. But Peter’s reaction shows that they were not aware of the real meaning of the glory in which Jesus appeared to them. As often happens with us, they were only aware of what concerned them. The rest escapes their attention. “Master, it is good for us to be here!” And they do not want to get off the mountain any more! When it is question of the cross, whether on the Mount of the Transfiguration or on the Mount of Olives (Lk 22:45), they sleep! They prefer the Glory to the Cross! They do not like to speak or hear of the cross. They want to make sure of the moment of glory on the mountain, and they offer to build three tents. Peter did not know what he was saying.
While Peter was speaking, a cloud descended from on high and covered them with its shadow. Luke says that the disciples became afraid when the cloud enfolded them. The cloud is the symbol of the presence of God. The cloud accompanied the multitude on their journey through the desert (Ex 40: 34-38; Nm 10:11-12). When Jesus ascended into heaven, he was covered by a cloud and they no longer saw him (Acts 1:9). This was a sign that Jesus had entered forever into God’s world.
Luke 9:35-36: The Father’s voice
A voice is heard from the cloud that says: “This is my Son, the Chosen, listen to him”. With this same sentence the prophet Isaiah had proclaimed the Messiah-Servant (Is 42:1). First Moses and Elijah, now God himself presents Jesus as the Messiah-Servant who will come to glory through the cross. The voice ends with a final admonition: “Listen to him!” As the heavenly voice speaks, Moses and Elijah disappear and only Jesus is left. This signifies that from now on only He will interpret the Scriptures and the will of God. He is the Word of God for the disciples: “Listen to him!”
A voice is heard from the cloud that says: “This is my Son, the Chosen, listen to him”. With this same sentence the prophet Isaiah had proclaimed the Messiah-Servant (Is 42:1). First Moses and Elijah, now God himself presents Jesus as the Messiah-Servant who will come to glory through the cross. The voice ends with a final admonition: “Listen to him!” As the heavenly voice speaks, Moses and Elijah disappear and only Jesus is left. This signifies that from now on only He will interpret the Scriptures and the will of God. He is the Word of God for the disciples: “Listen to him!”
The proclamation “This is my Son, the Chosen; listen to him” was very important for the community of the late 80s. Through this assertion God the Father confirmed the faith of Christians in Jesus as Son of God. In Jesus’ time, that is, in the 30s, the expression Son of Man pointed to a very high dignity and mission. Jesus himself gave a relative meaning to the term by saying that all were children of God (cf. John 10:33-35). But for some the title Son of God became a resume of all titles, over one hundred that the first Christians gave Jesus in the second half of the first century. In succeeding centuries, it was the title of Son of God that the Church concentrated all its faith in the person of Jesus.
c) A deepening:
i) The Transfiguration is told in three
of the Gospels: Matthew (Mt 17:1-9), Mark (Mk 9:2-8) and Luke (Lk
9:28-36). This is a sign that this episode contained a very important
message. As we said, it was a matter of great help to Jesus, to his
disciples and to the first communities. It confirmed Jesus in his
mission as Messiah-Servant. It helped the disciples to overcome the
crisis that the cross and suffering caused them. It led the communities
to deepen their faith in Jesus, Son of God, the One who revealed the
Father and who became the new key to the interpretation of the Law and
the Prophets. The Transfiguration continues to be of help in overcoming
the crisis that the cross and suffering provoke today. The three
sleeping disciples are a reflection of all of us. The voice of the
Father is directed to us as it was to them: “This is my Son, the
Chosen; listen to him!”
ii) In Luke’s Gospel there is a great
similarity between the scene of the Transfiguration (Lk 9:28-36) and the
scene of the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Olives (Lk 22:39-46). We
may note the following: in both scenes Jesus goes up the mountain to
pray and takes with him three disciples, Peter, James and John. On both
occasions, Jesus’ appearance is transformed and he is transfigured
before them; glorious at the Transfiguration, perspiring blood in the
Garden of Olives. Both times heavenly figures appear to comfort him,
Moses and Elijah and an angel from heaven. Both in the Transfiguration
and in the Agony, the disciples sleep, they seem to be outside the event
and they seem not to understand anything. At the end of both episodes,
Jesus is reunited with his disciples. Doubtless, Luke intended to
emphasise the resemblance between these two episodes. What would that
be? It is in meditating and praying that we shall succeed in
understanding the meaning that goes beyond words, and to perceive the
intention of the author. The Holy Spirit will guide us.
iii) Luke describes the Transfiguration.
There are times in our life when suffering is such that we might
think: “God has abandoned me! He is no longer with me!” And then
suddenly we realise that He has never deserted us, but that we had our
eyes bandaged and were not aware of the presence of God. Then
everything is changed and transfigured. It is the transfiguration! This
happens every day in our lives.
6. Psalm 42 (41)
“My soul thirsts for the living God!”
As a hart longs for flowing streams,
so longs my soul for thee, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while men say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude keeping festival.
so longs my soul for thee, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while men say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
My soul is cast down within me,
therefore I remember thee from the land of Jordan
and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep at the thunder of thy cataracts;
all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love;
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock:
"Why hast thou forgotten me?
Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?"
As with a deadly wound in my body,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
"Where is your God?"
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
My soul is cast down within me,
therefore I remember thee from the land of Jordan
and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep at the thunder of thy cataracts;
all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love;
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock:
"Why hast thou forgotten me?
Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?"
As with a deadly wound in my body,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
"Where is your God?"
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that
has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your
Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that
which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother,
not only listen to but also practise the Word. You who live and reign
with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Saint of the Day: feria
Feast Day: February 24
Patron Saint: none
Attributes: none
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Snippet I: Biblical Numerology
Biblical numerology refers to the interpretation, by some biblical scholars, of numerical values used in the Pentateuch and, consequently, the New Testament
that they believe relate to symbolism, which imply quality or
attributes, of the value rather than to an actual quantity. While
studied by theologians, not all agree with this interpretation. Others,
preferring a more fundamental
approach, believe that the numbers represent the literal quantities.
This article explains the interpretation of those who believe that
numbers sometimes represent attributes and not the number itself.
According to the theory, these numbers were purposely inserted by their
authors to emphasize a particular message. Numerical symbology is most
often found in Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation, but is not confined to
those books.
While many ancient languages, religions, and philosophies contained
numeric interpretation of events, words, and names; this article is
concerned with those uniquely affecting Judeo-Christian beliefs.
Although Greek culture was well-known to scholars in the first centuries
BC and AD in the Middle East, Greek ideas about numerology do not seem to have permeated Jewish and Christian beliefs.
Numerical Meaning
One implies "unity (e.g. Deut 6:4 Eph 4:5, )Among other definitions, two can imply "witness."
The implication of three is "divine perfection" or "holiness."(e.g. (Matt 12:40).
Examples include:
- Three major feasts appear in Jewish Tradition (Exod 23:14-19)
- Prayer was urged three times daily (see Dan 6:10 and Ps 55:17)
- Three-year-old animals were prized for special sacrifices (Gen 15:9)
- In Christianity, there are three persons in the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
- Four corners of the earth (Rev 7:1)
- Construction of the altar: 4 corners, 4 pillars, etc. (see Exo 27:1-8 and Exo 27:16)
Both religions believe that seven implies "totality of perfection," "completeness."
Examples:
- There are seven days in a week
- In the Book of Revelation, there are multiple examples, including 7 churches, 7 bowls, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 spirits.
Examples include:
- 8 people on Noah's Ark (see Gen 7:7 and 2 Peter 2:5)
- Circumcision on 8th day (Gen 17:12)
Examples include:
- The twelve tribes of Israel
- There are multiple examples in Ezekiel regarding construction in the heavenly Jerusalem for the twelve tribes, including 12 foundations, 12 pearly gates(Ezek 48:30-35), and 12 angels.
- Twelve Apostles
References
- Senior, Donald; Mary Ann Getty, Carroll Stuhlmueller (1990). The Catholic Study Bible. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 398, 399. ISBN 10: 0195283910.
- E. W. Bullinger (1921). Number in Scripture. Eyre & Spottiswoode (Bible Warehouse) Ltd.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Snippet II: The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and Life of The Virgin Mother of God
Book 6, Chapter 2
THE TRANSFIGURATION AND TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM OF OUR
LORD.
Our Redeemer and Master Jesus had already consumed more than
two years and a half in preaching and performing wonders, and He was approaching
the time predestined by the eternal wisdom for satisfying divine justice for
redeeming the human race through his Passion and Death and thus to return to his
eternal Father. Since all his works were ordered with the highest wisdom for our
instruction and salvation, the Lord resolved to prepare and strengthen some of
his Apostles for the scandal of his Passion by manifesting to them beforehand in
its glory that same body, which was so soon to exhibit in the disfigurement of
the Cross. Thus would they be reassured by the thought, they had seen it
transfigured in glory before they looked upon it disfigured by his sufferings.
This he had promised a short time before in the presence of all, although not to
all, but only to some of his disciples, as is recorded by saint Matthew (Matth.
16, 28). For his Transfiguration He selected a high mountain in the center of
Galilee, two leagues east of Nazareth and called Mount Tabor. Ascending to its
highest summit with the three Apostles, Peter, and the two brothers James and
John, He was transfigured before them (Matth. 17, hark 9, 1; Luke 9, 28). The
three Evangelists tell us that besides these Apostles, were present also the
prophets, Moses and Elias, discoursing with Jesus about his Passion, and that,
while He was thus transfigured, a voice resounded from heaven in the name of the
eternal Father, saying "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased:
hear ye Him."
The Evangelists do not say that most holy Mary was present at
this Transfiguration, nor do they say that She was not there; this did not fall
within purpose, and they did not think it proper to speak of the hidden miracle
by which She was enabled to be there. For the purpose of recording this event
here, I was given to understand that at the same time in which some of the holy
angels were commissioned to bring the soul of Moses and Elias from their abode,
others of her own guard carried the heavenly Lady to Mount Tabor, in order to
witness the Transfiguration of her divine Son, for without a doubt She really
witnessed it. There was no necessity of confirming the most holy Mother in her
faith, as was necessary with the Apostles; for She was invincibly confirmed in
faith.
But no human ingenuity can suffice fully to describe the
effects of this glorious vision of her Son on her most holy soul. With inmost
gratitude and deepest penetration She began to ponder upon what She had seen and
heard; exalted praise of the omnipotent welled forth from her lips, when She
considered how her eyes had seen refulgent in glory that same bodily substance,
which had been formed of her blood, carried in her womb and nursed at her
breast; how She had with her own ears heard the voice of the eternal Father
acknowledge her Son as his own and appoint Him as the Teacher of all the human
race. With her holy angels She composed new canticles to celebrate an event so
full of festive joy for her soul and for the most sacred humanity of her Son. I
will not expatiate upon this mystery, nor discuss in what the Transfiguration of
the body of Jesus really consisted. It is enough to know that his countenance
began to shine like the sun and his garments became whiter than the snow (Matth.
17, 2).
After the Transfiguration the most blessed Mother was brought
back to her house in Nazareth; her divine Son descended the mountain and
immediately came to visit her in order to take final leave of his parental
province and set out for Jerusalem. There, on the following Pasch, which was to
be for Him the last upon earth, He was to enter upon his Passion. Having spent
only a few days at Nazareth, He departed with his Mother, his disciples and
Apostles and some of the holy women, traveling about through Galilee and Samaria
before entering Judea and Jerusalem. The Evangelist saint Luke writes of this
journey where he says, that He set his face toward Jerusalem (Luke 9, 51); for
He journeyed to Jerusalem with a joyous countenance and full of desire to enter
upon his sufferings, in order thereby, according to his own most ardent and
generous desire, to sacrifice Himself for the human race. He was not to return
to Galilee, where had wrought so many miracles. Knowing this at his departure
from Nazareth, He glorified his eternal Father and, in the name of his sacred
humanity, gave thanks for having, in that house and neighborhood, received the
human form and existence which He was now to deliver over to suffering and
death. Of the prayers of Christ our Lord on this occasion I will record as I can
the following one:
"My eternal Father, in compliance with thy will I gladly
haste to satisfy thy justice by suffering even unto death. Thus shall I
reconcile to Thee all the children of Adam, paying their debts and opening to
them the gates of heaven which have been closed against them. I shall seek those
who have turned away and lost themselves, so that they may be restored by the
force of my love. I shall find and gather together the lost of the house of
Jacob (Is. 56, 8), raise up the fallen, enrich the poor, refresh the thirsty,
cast down the haughty and exalt the humble. I wish to vanquish hell and enhance
the glories of the triumph over Lucifer (I John 3, 8), and over the vices which
he has sown into the world. I wish to raise up the standard of the Cross,
beneath which virtue, and all those that put themselves under its protection,
are to fight their battles. I wish to satiate my heart with insults and
affronts, which are so estimable in thy eyes. I wish to humiliate Myself even to
death at the hands of my enemies, in order that our chosen friends may be
consoled in their tribulations and that they may be honored by high rewards,
whenever they choose to humiliate themselves in suffering the same persecutions.
O beloved Cross! When shalt thou receive Me in thy arms? O sweet ignominies and
affronts! When shalt thou bear Me on to overcome death through the sufferings of
my entirely guiltless flesh? Ye pains, affronts, ignominies, scourges, thorns,
torments, death, come to Me, who wish to embrace you, yield yourselves to my
welcome, since I well understand your value. If the world abhors you, I long for
you. If the world in its ignorance, despises you, I, who am truth and wisdom,
love and embrace you. Come then to Me, for in welcoming you as man, I exalt you
as the true God and am ready to efface the touch of sin from you and from all
that will embrace you. Come to Me, ye pains, and disappoint Me not; heed not my
Omnipotence, for I shall permit you to exert your full force upon my humanity.
You shall not be rejected and abhorred by Me as you are by mortals. The
deceitful fascination of the children of Adam in vainly judging the poor and the
afflicted of this world as unhappy, shall now disappear; for if they see their
true God, their Creator, Master and Father, suffering horrible insults,
scourgings, the ignominious torment and destitution of the Cross, they will
understand their error and esteem it as an honor to follow their crucified
God."
I cannot worthily express all the thoughts and affections of
the Mistress of the world in this her departure from Nazareth, her prayers and
petitions to the eternal Father, her most sweet and sorrowful conversations with
her divine Son, the greatness of her grief and the vastness of her merits. For,
on account of the conflict between the love of a true Mother, by which She
naturally desired to preserve Him from the terrible torments, and the conformity
of her will with that of Jesus and of his eternal Father, her heart was pierced
by the sword of sorrow, prophesied by Simeon (Luke 2, 35). In her affliction She
complained to her divine Son in words of deepest prudence and wisdom, yet also
of sweetest sorrow, that She should be unable to prevent his sufferings, or at
least die with Him. These sorrows of the Mother of God exceeded the sufferings
of martyrs who have died or will die for love of God to the end of the world. In
such a state of mind and affection the Sovereigns of the world pursued their way
from Nazareth toward Jerusalem through Galilee, which the Savior was not to
revisit in this life. As the end of his labors for the salvation of men drew to
a close, his miraculous works increased in number, and, as the sacred writers of
the Gospels relate, they became especially numerous in the last months
intervening between his departure from Galilee and the day of entrance into
Jerusalem. Until that day, after having celebrated the feast or the Pasch of the
Tabernacles, the Savior traveled about and labored in Judea, awaiting the
appointed time, when, according to his will, He was to offer Himself in
sacrifice.
Our Savior continued to perform his miracles in Judea. Among
them was also the resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany, whither He had been called
by the two sisters, Martha and Mary. As this miracle took place so near to
Jerusalem, the report of it was soon spread throughout the city. The priests and
Pharisees, being irritated by this miracle, held a council (John 9, 17), in
which they resolved upon the death of the Redeemer and commanded all those that
had any knowledge of his whereabouts, to make it known; for after the
resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus retired to the town of Ephrem, until the
proximate feast of the Pasch should arrive. As the time of celebrating it by his
own Death drew nigh, He showed Himself more openly with his twelve disciples,
the Apostles; and He told them privately that they should now get themselves
ready to go Jerusalem, where the Son of man, He himself, should be delivered
over to the chiefs of the Pharisees, bound as a prisoner, scourged, and
ill-treated unto the death of the Cross (Matth. 20, 18). In the meanwhile the
priests kept a sharp watch to find Him among those who came to celebrate the
Pasch. Six days previous He again visited Bethania, where He had called Lazarus
to life, and where He was entertained by the two sisters. They arranged a
banquet for the Lord and his Mother, and for all of his company. Among those
that were at table with Them, was also Lazarus, whom He had brought back to life
a few days before.
Thursday, the eve of the Passion and Death of the Savior, had
arrived; at earliest dawn the Lord called his most beloved Mother and She,
hastening to prostrate Herself at his feet, responded; "Speak, my Lord and
Master, for thy servant heareth." Raising Her up from the ground, He spoke
to Her in words of soothing and tenderest love: "My Mother, the hour
decreed by the eternal wisdom of my Father for accomplishing the salvation and
restoration of the human race and imposed upon Me by his most holy and
acceptable will, has now arrived; it is proper that now We subject to Him our
own will, as We have so often offered to do. Give Me thy permission to enter
upon my suffering and death, and, as my true Mother, consent that I deliver
Myself over to my enemies in obedience to my Father. In this manner do Thou also
willingly co-operate with Me in this work of eternal salvation, since I have
received from Thee in thy virginal womb the form of a suffering and mortal man
in which I am to redeem the world and satisfy the divine justice. Just as thou,
of thy own free will, didst consent to my Incarnation, so I now desire
thee to give consent also to my passion and death of the Cross. To sacrifice Me
now of thy own free will to the decree of my eternal Father, this shall be the
return which I ask of thee for having made thee my Mother; for He has sent Me in
order that by the sufferings of my flesh I might recover the lost sheep of his
house, the children of Adam" (Matth. 18,11).
These and other words of the Savior, spoken on that occasion,
pierced the most loving heart of Mary and cast Her into the throes of a sorrow
greater than She had ever endured before. For now had arrived that dreadful
hour, whence there was no issue for her pains, neither in an appeal to the
swift-fleeting time nor to any other tribunal against the inevitable decree of
the eternal Father, that had fixed the term of her beloved Son's life. When now
the most prudent Mother look upon Him as her God, infinite in his attributes and
perfections, and as the true Godman in hypostatical union with the person of the
Word, and beheld Him sanctified and ineffably exalted by this union with the
Godhead: She remembered the obedience He had shown Her as his Mother during so
many years and the blessings He had conferred upon Her during his long
companionship with Her; She realized that soon She was to be deprived of this
blessed companionship and of the beauty of his countenance, of the vivifying
sweetness of his words; that She was not only to lose all this at once, but
moreover that She was to deliver Him over into the hands of wicked enemies, to
ignominies and torments and to the bloody sacrifice of a death on the Cross. How
deeply must all these considerations and circumstances, now so clearly before
Her mind, have penetrated into her tender and loving heart and filled it with a
sorrow unmeasurable! But with the magnanimity of a Queen, vanquishing this
invincible pain, She prostrated Herself at the feet of Her divine Son and
Master, and, in deepest reverence, kissing his feet, answered:
"Lord and highest God, Author of all that has being,
though Thou art the Son of my womb, I am thy handmaid; the condescension of thy
ineffable love alone has raised me from the dust to the dignity of being thy
Mother. It is altogether becoming that I, vile wormlet, acknowledge and thank
thy most liberal clemency by obeying the will of the eternal Father and thy own.
I offer myself and resign myself to his divine pleasure in order that in Me,
just as in Thee, my Son and Lord his eternal and adorable will be fulfilled. The
greatest sacrifice which I can make, is that I shall not be able to die with
Thee, and that our lot should not be inverted; for to suffer in imitation of
Thee and in thy company would be a great relief for my pains, and all torments
would be sweet, if undergone in union with thine. That Thou shouldst endure all
these torments for the salvation of mankind shall be my only relief in my pains.
Receive, O my God, this sacrifice of my desire to die with Thee, and of my still
continuing to live, while thou, the most innocent Lamb and figure of the
substance of thy eternal Father undergoest Death (Heb. 1, 3). Receive also the
agonies of my sorrow to see the inhuman cruelty of thy enemies executed on thy
exalted Person because of the wickedness of the human kind. O ye heavens and
elements and all creatures within them, ye sovereign spirits, ye Patriarchs and
Prophets, assist me to deplore the death of my Beloved, who gave you being, and
bewail with me the misery of men, who are the cause of this Death, and who,
failing to profit of such great blessings, shall lose that eternal life so
dearly bought! O unhappy you, that are foreknown as doomed! and O ye happy
predestined, who shall wash your stoles in the blood of the Lamb (Apoc. 7, 14),
you, who knew how to profit by this blessed sacrifice, praise ye the Lord
Almighty! O my Son and infinite delight of my soul, give fortitude and strength
to thy afflicted Mother; admit Her as thy disciple and companion, in order that
she may participate in thy Passion and Cross, in order that the eternal Father
may receive the sacrifice of thy Mother in union with thine."
With these and other expressions of her sentiments, which I
cannot all record in words, the Queen of heaven answered her most holy Son, and
offered Herself as a companion and a coadjutrix in his Passion. Thereupon,
thoroughly instructed and prepared by divine light for all the mysteries to be
wrought by the Master of life towards accomplishing all his great ends, the most
pure Mother, having the Lord's permission, added another request in the
following words: "Beloved of my soul and light of my eyes, my Son, I am not
worthy to ask Thee what I desire from my inmost soul; but Thou, O Lord, art the
life of my hope, and this my trust I beseech Thee, if such be thy pleasure, make
me a participant in the ineffable Sacrament of thy body and blood. Thou hast
resolved to institute it as a pledge of thy glory and I desire in receiving Thee
sacramentally in my heart to share the effects of this new and admirable
Sacrament. Well do I know, O Lord, that no creature can ever merit such an
exquisite blessing, which Thou hast resolved to set above all the works of thy
magnificence; and in order to induce Thee to confer upon me, I have nothing else
to offer except thy own and all thy infinite merits. If by perpetuating merits
through the same humanity which thou hast received from my womb, creates for me
a certain right, let this right consist not so much in giving Thyself to me in
this Sacrament, as in making me thine by this new possession, which restores to
me thy sweetest companionship. All my desires and exertions I have devoted to
the worthy reception of this holy Communion from the moment in which Thou gavest
me knowledge of it and ever since it was thy fixed decree to remain in the holy
Church under the species of consecrated bread and wine. Thou then, my Lord and
God, return to thy first habitation which Thou didst find in thy beloved Mother
and thy slave, whom Thou hast prepared for thy reception by exempting Her from
the common touch of sin. Then shall I receive within me the humanity, which I
have communicated to Thee from my own blood, and thus we shall be united in a
renewed and close embrace. This prospect enkindles my heart with most ardent
love, and may I never be separated from Thee, who art the infinite Good and the
Love of my soul."
Our Savior, having thus parted with his most beloved Mother
and sorrowful Spouse, and taking along with Him all his Apostles, a little
before midday of the Thursday of the last Supper, departed on his last journey
from Bethany to Jerusalem. At the very outset He raised his eyes to the eternal
Father, and, confessing Him in words of thankfulness and praise, again professed
his most ardent love and most lovingly and obediently offered to suffer and die
for the Redemption of the human race. This prayer and sacrifice of our Savior
and Master sprang from such ineffable love and ardor of his spirit, that it
cannot be described; all that I say of it seems to me rather a gainsaying of the
truth and of what I desire to say. "Eternal Father and my God," said
Christ our Lord, "in compliance with thy will I now go to suffer and die
for the liberation of men, my brethren and the creatures of thy hands. I deliver
Myself up for their salvation and to gather those who have been scattered and
divided by the sin of Adam.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, as thy soul has been furnished with gifts of
enlightenment, I call and invite thee anew to cast thyself into the sea of
mysteries contained in the passion and death of my divine Son. Direct all thy
faculties and strain all the powers of thy heart and soul, to make thyself at
least somewhat worthy of understanding and meditating upon the ignominies and
sorrows of the Son of the eternal Father in his death on the Cross for the
salvation of men; and also of considering my doings and sufferings in connection
with his bitterest Passion. This science, so much neglected by men, I desire
that thou, my daughter, study and learn, so as to be able follow thy Spouse and
imitate me, who am thy Mother and Teacher. Writing down and feeling deeply all
that I shall teach thee of these mysteries, thou shouldst detach thyself
entirely of human and earthly affections and of thy own self, so as freely to
follow our footsteps in destitution and poverty.
I wish thee also to ponder, what a horrible crime it is in
the eyes of the Lord, in mine, and in those of all the saints, that men should
despise and neglect the frequent reception of the holy Communion, and that they
should approach it without preparation and fervent devotion. Principally in
order that thou mayest understand and record this warning, I have manifested
thee, what I did on that occasion and how I prepared myself so many years for
receiving my most blessed Son in the holy Sacrament and also the rest, which
thou art yet to write for the instruction and confusion of men. For if I, who
was innocent of any hindering sin and filled with all graces, sought to increase
my fitness for this favor by such fervent acts of love, humility and gratitude,
consider what efforts thou and the other children of the Church, who every day
and hour incur new guilt and blame, must make in order to fit yourselves for the
beauty of the Divinity and humanity of my most holy Son? What excuse can those
men give in the last judgment, who have despised this ineffable love and
blessing, which they had always present in the holy Church, ready to fill them
with the plenitude of gifts, and who rather sought diversion in worldly
pleasures and attended upon the outward and deceitful vanities of this earthly
life? Be thou amazed at this insanity as were the holy angels, and guard thyself
against falling into the same error.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part One: Profession of Faith, Sect 2 The Creeds, Ch 2 Art 6
CHAPTER TWO
I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF
GOD
Article 6
"HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT
THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER"
659
"So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into
heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God."Mk 16:19 Christ's body
was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as proved by the new and
supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys.Lk 24:31 But
during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and
teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under the appearance
of ordinary humanity.Acts 1:3 Jesus' final apparition ends with the
irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud
and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God's right
hand.Acts 1:9 Only in a wholly exceptional and unique way would Jesus show
himself to Paul "as to one untimely born", in a last apparition that
established him as an apostle.1 Cor 15:8
660
The veiled character of the glory of the Risen One during this time is
intimated in his mysterious words to Mary Magdalene: "I have not yet
ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending
to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."Jn 20:17 This
indicates a difference in manifestation between the glory of the risen Christ
and that of the Christ exalted to the Father's right hand, a transition marked
by the historical and transcendent event of the Ascension.
661
This final stage stays closely linked to the first, that is, to his descent
from heaven in the Incarnation. Only the one who "came from the
Father" can return to the Father: Christ Jesus.Jn 16:28 "No one
has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of
man."Jn 3:13 Left to its own natural powers humanity does not have
access to the "Father's house", to God's life and
happiness.Jn 14:2 Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his
members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our Head and our
Source, has preceded us.Missale Romanum, Preface of the Ascension: sed ut illuc
confideremus, sua membra, nos subsequi quo ipse, caput nostrum principiumque, praecessi
662
"and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to
myself."Jn 12:32 The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and
announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it.
Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, "entered,
not into a sanctuary made by human hands. . . but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God on our behalf." Heb 9:24 There Christ
permanently exercises his priesthood, for he "always lives to make
intercession" for "those who draw near to God through him".Heb 7:25
As "high priest of the good things to come" he is the centre and the
principal actor of the liturgy that honours the Father in heaven. Heb 9:11
663
Henceforth Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father: "By 'the
Father's right hand' we understand the glory and honour of divinity, where he
who exists as Son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the
Father, is seated bodily after he became incarnate and his flesh was
glorified."St. John Damascene, Defide orth. 4, 2: PG 94, 1104C
664
Being seated at the Father's right hand signifies the inauguration of the
Messiah's kingdom, the fulfilment of the prophet Daniel's vision concerning the
Son of man: "To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all
peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall
not be destroyed."Dan 7:14 After this event the apostles became
witnesses of the "kingdom [that] will have no end".Nicene Creed
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●