85: The forgotten theological act: Hope

As you know, I prefer to speak about the "act" of hope than the "virtue". Because the "repetition of good acts" generates a "good habit", a "Virtue". Remember the muscle of the body-builder we have muscles in us (the faculties of the soul: mind, will, memory) that need to be activated in a correct way and direction: the Divine Blood (the Grace of God) is offered to our faculties and is waiting to be used through activating the muscle (the faculty).

Strengthening the virtue's "muscle"

The muscle of hope is the mind (some say it is the "memory"). But I prefer to take an example in order to understand it better: hope is like hands (or arms) extended, waiting to receive something (the object of a promise). It is a desire, a motivation, a drive that moves us ahead.

"Hope" and "hopes"

"Hopes" are "normal hopes", even the good ones, the good causes, the spiritual causes. "Hope" is the theological Act, never to be mixed with others, or worse: exchanged by others. "Hope" is vertical, it connects us directly with Jesus-God – this is why it is called: theological (Theos: God). "Hopes" connect us with something created. The difference is huge!

This is why we need to pass the comb, in order to see if the hairs of our desire are well orientated (toward the object of our hope) and in order (gathering properly all our energy).

Mind you, without hope/hopes we would never do anything. They are the driving force in our life. What makes us wake up in the morning and wanting to go through the day. We all have "hopes", but do we have a "Hope"? We often put our heart in the hopes, but is all our heart in the only Hope?

How to do an act of Hope?

"Hope" is all related to a "Promise". It is our reaction (what we will do) in front of the obtaining the object of the promise. We extend our hands, our arms, in order to receive the promised Gift.

Our hands could be already filled with other things instead; this is why it is important to check, regularly, our desire, our Hope, how we perform the act of desire (how we "aspire"). We all have semi-conscious hopes that motivate us, that constitute the drive, that make us move, try, do, start, create, realise (work, mission, family, money, career,…). Our heart gets filled by these semi-conscious hopes. But if we prepare ourselves to do an act of hope, through checking the state of our heart, his longing, his desires, his possessions, we become aware of these semi-conscious hopes.

We then focus our mind on "studying" (staring at length, deepening,…) the real Hope, the Real and only Promise made to us, the solid indestructible promise, the Anchor of our Life.

Then, gathering all the energies of our heart, we orientate it toward the real Hope, the vertical one.

The direct realistic consequence of the vertical Hope is for us: to do what we are supposed to do today, without thinking of tomorrow. Focusing on today as if today is the only day we have to live, and live it to the fullness. If we are still capable of thinking of tomorrow, it probably means that part of our energy is going horizontal and is not connecting us to the real and only Hope. We need to focus on today: what to do today, according to Jesus will, because this will bring us closer to Him, to the realisation of our Hope.

"teenager" hope

Like spiritual "adolescents", we need everything (all of it), and now (today)... We would like to reach the top of the Mountain (Jesus' Promise) today. This is "Dreamy Hope". Not bad, we need to have big Hopes, real ones. But the energy we put in it should be as well converted into something solid, concrete: a real step ahead, today. Only the theological acts (the acts that connect us directly to God, to Jesus-God) are realistic, incarnate and real. The rest doesn't break the surface of the Divine Seed, Life doesn't come out of it to blossom. It remains imprisoned in it. Theological Hope, Holy Hope, points on our feet, showing the step to do today. If we want to climb the Mountain and be at the top of it, we need to start putting a foot in front of the other. Hope is practical! It looks paradoxical to say so because it seems that Hope puts our head high up above the Clouds. Yes, indeed it does that. But real Hope never forgets the earth and knows that in order to walk one has to keep his/her heart beyond the clouds (the veil), anchored in the Promise, and in the same time one has to keep his/her feet on earth, well grounded: by doing what we are supposed to do today.

Often we want to know what we will be doing tomorrow, or in 5 years, or 10. We want to know our vocation, our mission. But this literally sucks our sacred energy, the energy of our Heart, created only for God, for Jesus, and deprives it from the drive to do what we are supposed to do right now, regardless of what will happen tomorrow or in 10 years. This is why it is important to walk with our back upright, straight, connecting heaven and earth.

Hope vs Faith-Love

We can have Faith, we can have a little Love, but the forgotten little act, Hope, is the engine, the drive that pushes us ahead. Without hope the "car" of our spiritual life will be at halt. Very dangerous.

Hope is related to growth, climbing, transformation, sanctification.

If I don't know my goal, how will I ever reach it?

Clarify your hope, your HOPE, the Holy Hope… not any hope, like the "hopes", the cheap ones and the "expensive" ones. We have only one Theological Hope.

So negligent!

Do we know what tomorrow is made of? Do we know if our heart will continue to beat within three minutes? Can we change a hair from black to white? No. So why putting our energy in uncertainty.

The one who promised is faithful and trustworthy and realises His Promises.

The Promise

Now, what is the Promise to which Hope is attached to? What is the Promise that constitutes our Hope? Where do we find that Promise in the Gospel?

We need the help of the Holy Spirit in order to become able to see deep in Jesus on the Cross, and find out that, deeply, He is embracing me on the Cross, He united me to Himself on the Cross. This is His plan, this is what He wants to realise on earth. This is His Promise. "heaven" is not a state, it is not a place, it is a degree of transformation in Jesus. Sanctification, divinisation.

Jesus holding each one of us

On the Cross He realises from His part that transformation, and He is offering it to me, as the Project of my life. This is His Solid Promise to me. Do I see that?

This is the goal of my life, this is what I am waiting for, here on earth. It is not a Promise for "after-death", no, it is here on earth. The Saints shout it very loudly. Will I bank all my life on that? Hummm, this is the real theological challenge.

We live our lives with no theological dimension, it is flat. Full of good intentions, beautiful things, but where is Jesus Promise on the Cross? "And I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the LORD." (Hosea 2:19-20) This text, should be heard this way: said by Jesus on the Cross, in the present tense! This is the object of our hope.

hopes, joys, fears

Hopes generate in us false joy and false fear. Joy of possessing or about to posses horizontal things, and fear of not possessing goods or possessing bad things. Vertical Hope, offers a pure hope, and fills our heart with it, protecting our heart from being harmed by false joys or fears. Detached, free, belonging to Jesus.

When we look at the Cross, by the Grace of God, we should be able to see Jesus embracing us tightly; this is our Anchor. We already see it. We then can walk toward it, closer and closer until we reach with St Paul this Song: "it is not me who live, it is Jesus who lives in me".

Reading about Hope

In the third book of the Ascent of Mount Carmel, first part of it, saint John of the Cross explains how to do a pure act of Hope.

Examining our hope

It is so important to pass the comb, to check if our hands are full of possessions, and get rid of them, by simply gathering all our attention to the Cross, seeing His Promise, and gathering all the Energy of our heart, in order to desire this Promise, be attached to it, hooked to it, and then searching His Will today, in order to know were to put our foot, in order to do today's step.

A Parable on the conditions of Hope

"For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' […] 33 So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:28-33)

Now this parable has various aspects. First it speaks about the object of Hope: the Tower to build. But it takes it's existence and the knowledge of it for granted, which is not the object of this post. In this post, I do consider that the majority do not know the Vertical Tower…

But, having crossed that bridge, you see the Lord's advice: take time, ponder, in order to do the act of Hope correctly. Imagine you say: "yes, the goal of my life is to become holy", or "my aim is to reach the Union with Jesus", do you think that we really take the means of our hope? Do you really build correctly our hope? Do we really do one step at a time everyday, in the journey of transformation? Are we re-adjusting everyday ourselves to Jesus' Will? Is our Heart really totally attached to this hope? Is all our energy there?

The condition of "Hope" is "renouncing all" as Jesus states it. Would this mean that we all have to leave this life, and take the cloth and hide in the Desert? Or course not, "renouncing" is first and foremost the matter of the will and the desire. Many are in the Desert and their will is still holding on to possessions… of all sorts… possessing them really, or hoping to possess them.

Even health is a possession. See how St Theresa of Avila (in the Way of Perfection) says that one has to be fiercely detached from worries for his own health in order to put the Lord first and serve Him, and drop these silly fears about health. Of course, many persons wouldn't have that courage!

Hope is serious

Do you think that wanting the Holy Hope to be fulfilled is a light decision/enterprise? No. This is why Jesus' advice is, before pretending to embark in the Christian Journey to: "first sit down and count the cost".

Hope is the engine in your Christian Car. This is what makes it move…

Hope is about receiving something here on earth, and not only after death. Jesus said it: "I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:27). For some people this verse speaks a lot… " "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Luke 8: 8)… the Call…

My hope, and the others

Every time I do an act of hope, every time I reconnect with Jesus the Groom, who promised He will unite to me during this life, every time I search for His Will for today, and put it into practise, and do receive a share of that big Hope, by doing one step ahead, in the climbing of the Mountain of the Lord, every time I do that all humanity does one step ahead. The act of Hope is not an egoistical selfish behaviour. We all belong to one same Body, we are all connected, deeply, so if I do progress, all humanity progresses with me, and this is what matters. Each act of Hope you do, sends waves of Living Waters (or Living Blood) across the whole Body…

The Mother of our Hope

Mary is the mother of Our Hope, she is the one that keeps it and preserves it pure for us. We can say about her what is said about Abraham, and much more: "No distrust made him waver concerning the Promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had Promised." (Romans 4:20-21) She is the one who hoped for the Messiah, the only one who was able to believe the words said by the Angel (Zachariah didn't) and receive Him. She is the only one who believed in the Jesus' Promise that He will rise again and waited for the Lord to Rise.

Mary, obtain for us the Grace of the correct and pure attitude for Vertical Hope… Pray for us… and teach us how to put it into practice everyday in order to get, day after day, closer to the Realisation of the Promise.

Important remark

Of course this topic (Hope) goes with the "Spiritual Journey" topic because the latter shows not only the goal but the way as well: the full length of the journey, it's shape. So please, in order to strengthen your Hope, do not hesitate to read the explanation of the 11 diagrams of the spiritual journey. They start here (please click here). Spiritual journey and Goal (the Promise) are not separable.

Hoping, Praying

Take time, every day to revise your "hopes", the mechanisms of your hopes, you semi-conscious acts. Take time to put all your energy in one Hope.. the one that is sure, solid, Eternal. This time is called as we: Prayer. Meet Jesus who Promised and won't fail to fulfil His Promise. Take time to See Him holding you already on the Cross, take time to entrust your energy and Hope in the Hands of Mary.

81: Jesus' embrace on the Cross

"Redemption", "Salvation", "Cross", "Crucified", are words/verbs we use so commonly. We understand them - certainly - but in a general way. We don't always get the chance to deepen them. Maybe because they are too obvious, too known, unquestionable.

Let us go deeper, if you will.

Good theology contemplates Jesus on the Cross, and the "work" he does in a deep way. The Cross (the Crucified, and His Work) has at least three layers:

1- the Suffering of the Body (tortured, beaten, bleeding,…),

2- the Suffering of the Soul (carrying our darkness, our filth, our distance from God-Light (our sins), being torn between us and His own light, dislocated by that distance,… the Lamb carrying our filth),

3- the Spirit (not the Holy Spirit but the eye of Jesus' Soul), in Peace and Joy, deep deep, not seen, not felt by his Body-Soul, but nonetheless present. He is realising the greatest thing on the Cross, the Will of the Father: coming out of himself, out of love, going toward us, grabbing us, and bringing us back to the Light, the Father's Home (see, below, the House on the right).

In a way, Jesus' arms are not held tight by the nails on the wood of the Cross. His Soul is holding us, very tight, his body holding our body, and his soul our soul. All this happens by the operation of the Holy Spirit (see, below, the dove on top of Jesus).

It is important to see deeper through appearances, and reach the depth of the Love of God on the Cross and discover new depths in it.

This Cross (from El Salvador), depicts what I am trying to say about the deep reality happening on the Cross.

I hope that, by looking at this Cross, you'll be able to contemplate Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and what he did and is still doing for you. When St. Paul contemplated Jesus on the Cross, he said: "he loved me and died for me". Let us not live far from the area of the Cross, area filled with the Love and Embrace of Jesus.

Here is what Jesus does when he sees us coming to the Cross' area: "But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing." (Luke 15:4-5)

If you want to continue to contemplate this beautiful Cross, here are some suggestions:
Mary is the Flower below Jesus.

Another form of the same Cross has on the left, green fields, they are the Heavenly Grass (God's nature) for the Sheep.

 "Truly, truly, I say to you, [...] he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. [...] Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.[...] if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. [...] I came that they may have Life, and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [...] I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father." (John 10)

78: What is holiness? #1

Two facts: 1- Holiness is a fundamental issue in our life. 2- Understanding what is holiness is therefore as fundamental.

Two other facts: 1- Since early 60s, with the Council Vatican II, we have been reminded that Jesus calls all of us to Holiness (see: Lumen Gentium, chapter 5, The Universal call to holiness). And this is very positive.

2- Details about what is holiness and how to reach it remain until today difficult to access. Therefore these concepts remain very imprecise and vague. We often accommodate with general ideas and directions, but when it comes to details, we lack a great deal of practical insight.

Some people think that by just abiding by Christian Dogma, Liturgy (+ Sacraments) and Morality it is enough [or worse: it guarantees you] to reach holiness. Our popular understanding of “holiness” is something, but the more precise one is something totally different.

It is important to notice that our understanding of: 1- The Cross (what Jesus accomplishes on the Cross), 2- Easter, 3- Baptism and 4- Christian life are directly related. Plus, in the end, all will bring us to holiness, obviously.

Our understanding of these 4 realities did shrink a lot from the original view/understanding – with dramatic consequences on our understanding of holiness. It shrank to a frightening point. To explain it, I’ll take an example: the Promise given to Abraham to give him the Land.

After 430 years of “slavery” in Egypt, God decided that the time was right to act and save His People. We all have a geographical idea of the journey of the people of God, from Egypt to the Promised Land (see the map).

This Journey was made in 40 years. (Remember that this journey wouldn’t take more than 3 days waking, if you take a more direct route) I would divide this journey in 4 parts (not like the map shown). This is my choice, just to make my point. 

1- One night: walking to the red sea and crossing it (ok, you may add few days or weeks while Moses and the Pharaoh are defying each others and having the plagues of Egypt). 

2- Two years: from the crossing until the area called Kadesh Barnea. 

3- Thirty eight years: going in circles around the area of Kadesh. 

4- Finally entering the Promised Land: crossing the Jordan, fighting against the local populations (7 tribes). 

The full journey is 1 + 2 + 3 + 4.

I am using the full journey as an example of our spiritual Christian Journey, heading toward Holiness (the “Promised Land”). The whole action that Jesus accomplishes on the Cross comprises in it the full journey. Saving us is not just taking us from Egypt to the desert (crossing the Red Sea)!! It is the same for Baptism: being baptised is not just crossing the Red Sea, finishing from the slavery of the Devil (Pharaoh) like the Fathers of the Church used to say. The full realisation of Baptism is to reach the Promised land. Wouldn’t you agree?

Same for Easter: during Easter Vigil we focus a lot on the essential reading of the crossing of the red sea. Nothing wrong with it. But crossing the desert, spending 40years in it, crossing the river Jordan, have no impact on our understanding of Easter. We often, traditionally use Easter Vigil to Baptise the catechumens. Does it push more toward this “reduction” of the concepts? Well the debate is opened.

Same thing for our Christian daily life: we measure everything by one measure: “am I in the sate of grace or not? If not, I do have to go to confession. So my life is to be or not to be in the sate of grace”. It is like saying: “did I cross or not the desert?”. Ok, fair enough. But where is the Desert in our Christian life? Do we see it? Do we understand its deep meaning? Do we understand manna? Receiving the Law? Not listening to God, and having to go in circles during 38 years until we are totally purified (see Numbers c. 16)? having to cross the waters of the river Jordan? Having to go and fight 7 tribes?

It seems that everything lies on: “am I in the state of grace or not?”, and the rest will take care of itself. I just need to pray, to go to Mass, to confess, to de good deeds, and holiness will come by itself. So: “take it easy, sit down and relax. Take a deep breath, you are saved from the Red Sea. The rest will come, you just need to be a good Christian.”

Crossing the Red Sea is fundamentally like seeing Saul being kicked out of his horse and falling, blind, under the powerful liberating light of Jesus.

All what comes after, is infinitely much more: it is when Paul takes time to grow (he spends 3 years in Arabia)… and then works, serves... Saint Paul’s life doesn’t revolve around his falling from his horse. It seems that for us, holiness is bout falling from our horse.

“Falling from our horse” is technically called: “conversion”. So our Christian life, Baptism, the Cross, Easter, are simply reduced to be BINARY: I am or not in the state of grace (1,0). And, if I am not, I should go to confession. All the rest will be - roughly - fine. (Yes “roughly”, as you noticed.) This is what some will later call: holiness.

People think, vaguely that Holiness will/might come, roughly, automatically, by itself, by power of magic.

I am not sure of that at all. I wouldn’t plan my entire life with “roughly” and “maybe”.

Conclusion: well I invite you to re-read this short blog, meditate on it, write down your thoughts, put them in order, make your own conclusions and kindly post them in the “comments” below.

72: Christ transfigures the Old Testament

... and the Old Testament becomes not only a New Testament, but a deeper New Testament, that starts to reveal to us greater depths about Jesus himself. Here is an example, it is taken from the book of Jeremiah chapter 11 verses 18-20.
One of the christian keys in order to enter in and read the Old Testament under the Light of Jesus is given to us by the Fathers of the Church: each Prophet from the Old Testament (Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, ...) is presenting us a side of Jesus. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we start to "see" in the life and words of the Prophet some aspects and lights that belong at the first place to Jesus. To the point that saint Augustine will say that it is Jesus who prays in David Psalms. Because of that, because all the words and all the Prophets are "taken" by Jesus, endorsed, carried, in His light, the New Testament is literally transfigured, like during the Transfiguration Jesus shed his Light on Moses and Elijah. Because of that, all the "Old Testament" belongs to Jesus and therefore belongs to us. For instance, we can pray the Psalms as being Jesus' most intimate prayer.

Here is today's text, taken from the Prophet Jeremiah. You may read it twice: 

- once as a text written ages ago, before the birth of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, but apparently written just to tell us about Jeremiah and his journey and mission.

- then re-read it again, and try to contemplate Jesus Himself, and try to hear these words as coming from Him, directly.

"I knew their plot because the LORD informed me; at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings. Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter, had not realised that they were hatching plots against me: "Let us destroy the tree in its vigour; let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will be spoken no more." But, you, O Lord of hosts, O just Judge, searcher of mind and heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause!" (Jer 11:18-20)

"Old Testament" vengeance

Old obstacles, new depths

You would have certainly noticed the word "vengeance". You'd struggle with the concept that God can behave this way. - "This is NOT the God of the New Testament, the God revealed by Jesus" you may react. And you'd be totally right. So you may say to me: - "how then can we take on board this text as inspired, or at least as a text that tells us about Jesus himself? How this text could be a 'deeper New Testament'?".

- Well the first part of the answer is that we need to read the Old Testament with the Light of Jesus. We can't come out of this Light. His light, compared to the light of the literal reading of the Old Testament, is a much deeper light. In fact, Jesus did open to us the Heart of God... opened wide.

- The second part will be then to dig and see how did God use vengeance with Jesus, in Jesus, through Jesus; ok?

Jeremiah's text itself is totally coherent: see he already speaks about a "lamb led to slaughter".

We behaved badly toward Jesus: Peter said that he doesn't know Him, Judas went for an exchange with some money, the crowds who few days before He was healing turned against Him and insulted Him. What was His reply? what was His vengeance? Did He retaliate? How did He retaliate? We wounded and opened his chest and heart, and in return, see: He gave us willingly: Water, Blood and Holy Spirit.

We gave Him evil deeds and He gave us in return, on the Cross, a 'healing power', a transformative power, Mercy, Love, Forgiveness, Transformation, Change. He changed us.

See this other deep description of this "vengeance" of God in Jesus, through Jesus the Lamb:

"4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand." (Isaiah 53:4-10)

The Lamb of God, casting the Fire of Love from Heaven onto us

Did you notice the "balancing movement" of God's supreme Vengeance? He takes evil, and avenges: transforms it into Holiness, i.e. a Higher Good. With Jesus and in Jesus, God created a New World, and this world doesn't have any evil in it (see Revelation 21 and 22 and the parallels in Isaiah). In God there is no evil. Therefore He Transfigures the word and the reality of "vengeance" and makes it His. When we hit God, He replies with Mercy, with Love, with His Power of Transformation: He offers real change. He is the Only One Who has the Power to change the human being, to change any evil things in us into a higher good. This is His revenge.

Old Testament obstacles, New Testament Depths!

During the time of the first generation of Christians, the Apostles time, the Power of the Holy Spirit was so strong that when they opened the Old Testament (the only text of the Scripture that they had at that time) they did find it transfigured and they were enabled to read it as a New Testament.

The Fathers of the Church (the great Bishops of the first 6 centuries) taught us how to activate this Gift of the Holy Spirit.

God indeed, in Jesus, made Everything New, and gave us back His  Resemblance that we lost.

Conclusion: the two levels of reading of the Old Testament

The Old Testament was first a preparation in order for us to be ready to understand and receive God Himself. This is the first level of reading.

The Old Testament then, with the coming of God Himself is transfigured and becomes an even deeper New Testament. This is the second level of reading.

41: Transfiguration (3/4) and St. John's Gospel

Continuation of 40: Transfiguration (2/4) and Mass

In this third consecutive Post on the Transfiguration, I would like to address an aspect of it that is rarely addressed by theology: the relationship between St. John (his writings) and the Transfiguration. Let me explain my point:

If we accept (you don't have to) that all the writings of the Bible put under the name of “John” are of the same person,

if we accept that (you don't have to) that same person is John the Apostle,

if we accept that he was one of the three admitted to be the witness of the Lord's Transfiguration, and

if we consider the Transfiguration as something of a transcendental meaning/importance

then we seriously have to wonder:

“how come John is not mentioning the Transfiguration in his Gospel?!”

In other words we can say: “The Transfiguration certainly left a great and living influence on St. John, and he most probably meditated upon it, time and time again. Since the Transfiguration is that central in Christ's message, one dares to think that most probably John decided to insert it in his Gospel. He didn't do it in an obvious, literal way: there is no account of the Transfiguration in his Gospel. So he probably found a way to mention it, or at least to mention it's essential message. He probably chose to place the Transfiguration in a more “central way”. Indeed, the way the “Transfiguration” is inserted in the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke) looks a bit off-centred, like a meteorite that landed from nowhere.

The more one deepens the Transfiguration (spending years on meditating on it) the more one sees its transcendental importance, the more one is convinced that: it is impossible for John - who witnessed it - to remain totally silent about it.

It is puzzling! unless one thinks that he probably found a solution to say it, to present it, in a way that is “integral to the message”, and all together “less abstract” (landing from nowhere in the middle of the Gospel, with no other text related to it), “less frightening” (hearing the Voice of the Father, falling scared of the floor: “When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified” (Mt 17:6).)

What would you say?

The first thing that one notices in St John's Gospel is the way he presents Jesus' Passion and the Cross. It is not all a suffering moment, it is first and foremost the main moment where God reveals His Glory. On the Cross God is glorified, and the Son is Glorified. The Passion is a moment of Victory for Jesus. One would say that John did meditate that much the Passion and the Cross that God introduced him in a greater depth. You can see John's reaction when he sees Jesus' side transpierced by a spear: “one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.” (John 19:34-35)

More texts about God's Glory at the Cross: “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:5; see as well John 13:32) The death of Jesus glorifies God the father. The death of Jesus' disciples does glorify God as well: “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God” (John 21:19).

The Cross is then for John the highest point of the manifestation of the Glory of God in Jesus. In that sense, why would one put in the Gospel an “off-centred event” that speaks about the Glory of God (the Transfiguration). In that same vein, you can already see that Luke starts to orientate the Transfiguration toward the Cross and its Glory: “And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His Exodus [departure] which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.“ (Luke 9:30-31)

So, reasonably, one has to find the essence of the Transfiguration and its relationship with the Cross, and how did John plan his Gospel according to this “combination”.

The main structure of the Transfiguration in the the Synoptics (Mt, Mk and Lk) is simple:

a- A Promise of a vision (some who are present here will see the Son of God coming in his Kingdom)

b- The realisation of the Promise (the event itself of the Transfiguration with its 3 steps: climbing, the transfiguration (clothes, face, Moses and Elijah), and the overshadowing (the Cloud and the Voice of the Father).

c- Mentioning that that was a vision.

You'll be amazed to discover that in the Gospel of saint John you can find an event that has the same structure: Cana's wedding (John 2:1-11).

a- The wedding is preceded by a Promise: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51).

b- The wedding itself is the realisation (in a “symbolic” and prophetical way) of this Promise, waiting for the Cross to be the real realisation of it.

c- The wedding ends by a strong statement: “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.” (John 2:11)

John decides to structure his Gospel, all his Gospel with an event: a wedding.

Note: the least we can say is that this wedding is mysterious. We don't know who is the Groom, who is the Bride. You can guess, but it is not clear. It speaks about “Jesus' hour”. The text itself, if it is read simply as the account of a wedding, it doesn't work. There are too many “holes”/”bumps” that don't allow us to say that John wanted to tell us about a simple miracle (and not a “sign” as he says), and a miracle performed in a wedding. Did Jesus ever perform a useless miracle?! Of course not. What is the point of having “new wine” if the “new wine” didn't mean something else. This mysterious wedding can only be understood at another level because the text itself is not complete or intelligible if taken “to the letter”.

John decides to put something else equivalent to the Transfiguration not only in the beginning of his Gospel, but as a structural event that will dictate its structure to the whole Gospel (we will go through that).

You have the right to complain about these assertions, saying that: there are not proofs. Just give me some time in order, not to proof anything (because you are the one who can see it for yourself), but just to show it.

(to be continued...)

35: The Spiritual Journey 9/11

The complete shape of our Spiritual Journey

Recapitulation

We are continuing the discovery of the shape of our Spiritual Journey, of our spiritual growth, the new goal and the new stages. The last diagram (8/11) showed us a new part in our spiritual journey. It showed us that the goal of Christian life is not just to reach the “union with God-Jesus” (reaching the top of the mountain). It showed us that, after reaching the Union with Jesus-God, we still have a lot to do, like the Son of God himself when He took flesh. He didn't jut incarnate, he went much further, He realised a mystical union with each one of us, and the final step in this “mystical union” was our Redemption realised during his Passion, especially during the Crucifixion, bringing us from “darkness” to “Light”. We know how much this cost Him.

This is then for us a “turning point”. Our Journey doesn't aim only toward “candies” it aims as well (at the image of Christ's journey) toward Redemption, trial, real love. Instead of aiming to a higher point (God, the very Nature of God, a final Union with the immensity of God, the Beatitude, the Eternal Happiness), we change the angle, and start to look down, and start to “study” the descent... a descent toward a more intense, grounded, serious love to our brothers. We will learn it from Christ, and He will come in us to live it! Pursuing His mission through us.

There is no greater love than to lay our soul, our life, for our brothers and sisters, says Jesus. My new Commandment is to do as I did: to love as I did. You can't do it just by yourself, you can do it only if you are transformed in Me and Me in you. Otherwise you can't bare it, its too heavy! When the disciple will be totally formed, he'll be like his Master (and not “greater than Him”: just seeking Beatitude, not wanting to follow his footsteps). Saint Paul says it: “I am offered like a libation” (2 Tm 4:6), and “I complete in my flesh what lacks in Jesus' Passion “for his Body””. All the Apostles went through martyrdom (even John who didn't die from it, went through it). The perseverance in the imitation of Jesus should reach its full realisation, reaching its end goal.

So, when we reach the Union with Him, we are like brought to the point of His Incarnation (when the Son of God takes flesh). We are ready to start the journey of collaborating with Him in the work of Redemption, or more precisely: we are ready to take our share in the application of the Redemption He acquired for each one of us on the Cross, in its application to the rest of the human beings, our brothers and sisters.

The work of “acquiring” Redemption depends totally on Him (because He is the only being who is in the same time God and man, therefore the only Redeemer), but the work of “application” depends on His Mystical Body, us. This is His choice and His will, out the of the mystery of His love for us. He wants us to work with him, to take our share in the work of salvation of our brothers and sisters (its application).

It is already a great love for us, His love that makes us be united with Him (reaching the top of the mountain). But there is even a greater love : to make us share His work of Redemption, so we can work on applying it to our brothers and sisters, and be part of the their salvation.

The full shape of our Journey

The full shape of our Journey is to complete both parts of the Journey: ascending, and descending. With this diagram, we can start from now to see the full shape of the journey: we start our ascent from the bottom of the mountain, we climb the Mountain (Christ himself), being purified by the Holy Spirit, step by step, until we reach the Union with Jesus, and then after a while we start our descent, attracted by the weight of Charity, heading toward a greater love of our brothers and sisters.

Again, going up we are following Jesus' journey in the Gospel, receiving the purification from Him, and going down, we are following Jesus' journey in the Gospel, but this time, He is in us and us in Him, giving Him to our brothers and sisters, participating in their growth, purification, reception of the Redemption realised by Christ.

The full shape of our Journey

Both ways we meet Jesus, His Mission and His Passion; we follow the same journey of His. The first part by receiving Jesus, and the second by rather giving Jesus to our brothers.

We are all invited to reach this great love:  “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

(To be continued...)