512
Concerning Christ's life, the Creed speaks only about the mysteries of the
Incarnation (conception and birth) and Paschal mystery (passion, crucifixion,
death, burial, descent into hell, resurrection, and ascension). It says nothing
explicitly about the mysteries of Jesus' hidden or public life, but the
articles of faith concerning his Incarnation and Passover do shed light on the
whole of his earthly life. "All that Jesus did and taught, from the
beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven",171 ( ) is to be seen
in the light of the mysteries of Christmas and Easter.
513
According to circumstances, catechesis will make use of all the richness of the
mysteries of Jesus. Here it is enough merely to indicate some elements common
to all the mysteries of Christ's life (I), in order then to sketch the
principal mysteries of Jesus' hidden (II) and public (III) life.
I.
CHRIST'S WHOLE LIFE IS MYSTERY
514
Many things about Jesus of interest to human curiosity do not figure in the
Gospels. Almost nothing is said about his hidden life at Nazareth, and even a
great part of his public life is not recounted.172 (Jn 20:30. ) What is written in the
Gospels were set down there "so that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his
name."173 (Jn 20:31.)
515
The Gospels were written by men who were among the first to have the faith174 (Mk 1:1; ⇒ Jn 21:24. ) and wanted to share it with others. Having known in faith who Jesus is, they
could see and make others see the traces of his mystery in all his earthly
life. From the swaddling clothes of his birth to the vinegar of his Passion and
the shroud of his Resurrection, everything in Jesus' life was a sign of his
mystery.175 (Lk 2:7; ⇒ Mt 27: 48; ⇒ Jn 20:7. ) His deeds, miracles, and words all revealed that "in him, the
whole fullness of deity dwells bodily."176 (Col 2:9. ) His humanity appeared as
"sacrament", that is, the sign and instrument, of his divinity and of
the salvation he brings: what was visible in his earthly life leads to the
invisible mystery of his divine sonship and redemptive mission
Characteristics
common to Jesus' mysteries
516
Christ's whole earthly life - his words and deeds, his silences and sufferings,
indeed his manner of being and speaking - is Revelation of the Father. Jesus
can say: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father", and the Father
can say: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"177 ( Jn 14:9; ⇒ Lk 9:35; cf. ⇒ Mt 17:5; ⇒ Mk 9:7, "my beloved Son".) Because our
Lord became man in order to do his Father's will, even the least
characteristics of his mysteries manifest "God's love. . . among
us".178
517
Christ's whole life is a mystery of redemption. Redemption comes to us above
all through the blood of his cross,179 (Eph 1:7; ⇒ Col 1:13-14; ⇒ 2 Pt 1:18-19. ) but this mystery is at work throughout
Christ's entire life: -already in his Incarnation through which by becoming
poor he enriches us with his poverty;180 (2 Cor 8:9.) - in his hidden life which by his
submission atones for our disobedience;181 (Lk 2:51. ) - in his word which purifies its
hearers;182 (Jn 15:3. )- in his healings and exorcisms by which "he took our
infirmities and bore our diseases";183 (Mt 8:17; cf. ⇒ Is 53:4. ) - and in his Resurrection by which
he justifies us.184
518
Christ's whole life is a mystery of recapitulation. All Jesus did, said and
suffered had for its aim restoring fallen man to his original vocation:
When
Christ became incarnate and was made man, he recapitulated in himself the long
history of mankind and procured for us a "short cut" to salvation, so
that what we had lost in Adam, that is, being in the image and likeness of God,
we might recover in Christ Jesus.185 (St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 18, 1: PG 7/1, 932. ) For this reason Christ experienced all the
stages of life, thereby giving communion with God to all men.186
Our
communion in the mysteries of Jesus
519
All Christ's riches "are for every individual and are everybody's
property."187 ( John Paul II, RH II.) Christ did not live his life for himself but for us, from
his Incarnation "for us men and for our salvation" to his death
"for our sins" and Resurrection "for our justification".188 (I Cor 15:3; ⇒ Rom 4:25. ) He is still "our advocate with the Father", who "always lives to
make intercession" for us.189 (Jn 2:1 ⇒ Heb 7:25. ) He remains ever "in the presence of God
on our behalf, bringing before him all that he lived and suffered for us."190
520
In all of his life Jesus presents himself as our model. He is "the perfect
man",191 (GS 38; cf. Rom 1 5:5; ⇒ Phil 2:5.) who invites us to become his disciples and follow him. In
humbling himself, he has given us an example to imitate, through his prayer he
draws us to pray, and by his poverty, he calls us to accept freely the privation
and persecutions that may come our way.192
521
Christ enables us to live in him all that he himself lived, and he lives it in
us. "By his Incarnation, he, the Son of God, has in a certain way united
himself with each man."193(GS 22 # 2. ) We are called only to become one with him, for
he enables us as the members of his Body to share in what he lived for us in
his flesh as our model:
We
must continue to accomplish in ourselves the stages of Jesus' life and his
mysteries and often to beg him to perfect and realize them in us and in his
whole Church. . . For it is the plan of the Son of God to make us and the whole
Church partake in his mysteries and to extend them to and continue them in us
and in his whole Church. This is his plan for fulfilling his mysteries in
us.194
II.
THE MYSTERIES OF JESUS' INFANCY AND HIDDEN LIFE
The
preparations
522
The coming of God's Son to earth is an event of such immensity that God willed
to prepare for it over centuries. He makes everything converge on Christ: all
the rituals and sacrifices, figures and symbols of the "First
Covenant".195 (Heb 9:15. ) He announces him through the mouths of the prophets who
succeeded one another in Israel. Moreover, he awakens in the hearts of the
pagans a dim expectation of this coming.
523
St. John the Baptist is the Lord's immediate precursor or forerunner, sent to
prepare his way.196 (Acts 13:24; ⇒ Mt 3:3[ETML:C/]. ) "Prophet of the Most High", John surpasses all
the prophets, of whom he is the last.197 (Lk 1:76; cf. ⇒ 7:26; ⇒ Mt 11:13.) He inaugurates the Gospel, already
from his mother's womb welcomes the coming of Christ, and rejoices in being
"the friend of the bridegroom", whom he points out as "the Lamb
of God, who takes away the sin of the world".198 ( Jn 1 29; cf. ⇒ Acts 1:22; ⇒ Lk 1:41; ⇒ 16:16; ⇒ Jn 3:29.) Going before Jesus
"in the spirit and power of Elijah", John bears witness to Christ in
his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion, and through his martyrdom.199 (Lk 1:17; cf. ⇒ Mk 6:17-29. )
524
When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present
this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation
for the Saviour's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his
second coming.200 (Rev 22:17. ) By celebrating the precursor's birth and martyrdom, the
Church unites herself to his desire: "He must increase, but I must
decrease."201 (Jn 3:30. )
The
Christmas mystery
525
Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor family.202 (Lk 2:61.) Simple shepherds were
the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty heaven's glory was made
manifest.203( Lk 2:8-20.) The Church never tires of singing the glory of this night:
The
Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal
and
the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible.
The
angels and shepherds praise him
and
the magi advance with the star,
For
you are born for us,
Little
Child, God eternal!204
526
To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the
kingdom.205 (Mt 18:3-4. ) For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to
become "children of God" we must be "born from above" or
"born of God".206 (Jn 3 7; ⇒ 1:13; ⇒ 1:12; cf. ⇒ Mt 23:12. ) Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery
of Christmas be fulfilled in us.207 (Gal 4:19.) Christmas is the mystery of this
"marvelous exchange":
O
marvelous exchange! Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have
been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our
humanity.208
The
mysteries of Jesus' infancy
527
Jesus' circumcision, on the eighth day after his birth,209 (Lk 2:21. ) is the sign of his
incorporation into Abraham's descendants, into the people of the covenant. It
is the sign of his submission to the Law 210 (Gal 4:4. ) and his deputation to Israel's
worship, in which he will participate throughout his life. This sign prefigures
that "circumcision of Christ" which is Baptism.211
528
The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and
Saviour of the world. the great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of
Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the
Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee.212 (Mt 2:1; cf. LH, Epiphany, Evening Prayer II, Antiphon at the Canticle of Mary.) In the magi,
representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the
first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the
Incarnation. the magi's coming to Jerusalem in order to pay homage to the king
of the Jews shows that they seek in Israel, in the messianic light of the star
of David, the one who will be king of the nations.213 (Mt 2:2; ⇒ Num 24:17-19; ⇒ Rev 22:16. ) Their coming means that
pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Saviour of the
world only by turning towards the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise
as contained in the Old Testament.214 (Jn 4 22; ⇒ Mt 2:4-6.) The Epiphany shows that "the full
number of the nations" now takes its "place in the family of the
patriarchs", and acquires Israelitica Dignitas 215 (St. Leo the Great, Sermo 3 in epiphania Domini 1-3, 5: PL 54, 242; LH,Epiphany, OR; Roman Missal, Easter Vigil 26, Prayer after the third reading. ) (is made "worthy of
the heritage of Israel").
529
The presentation of Jesus in the temple shows him to be the firstborn Son who
belongs to the Lord.216 (Lk 2:22-39; EX 13:2, 12-13. ) With Simeon and Anna, all Israel awaits its encounter
with the Saviour - the name given to this event in the Byzantine tradition.
Jesus is recognized as the long-expected Messiah, the "light to the
nations" and the "glory of Israel", but also "a sign that
is spoken against". the sword of sorrow predicted for Mary announces
Christ's perfect and unique oblation on the cross that will impart the
salvation God had "prepared in the presence of all peoples".
530
The flight into Egypt and the massacre of the innocents 217 (Mt 2:13-18. ) make manifest the
opposition of darkness to the light: "He came to his own home, and his own
people received him not."218 (Jn 1:11. ) Christ's whole life was lived under the sign
of persecution. His own share it with him.219 (Jn 15:20.) Jesus' departure from Egypt
recalls the exodus and presents him as the definitive liberator of God's
people.220 (Mt 2:15; ⇒ Hos 11:1. )
The
mysteries of Jesus' hidden life
531
During the greater part of his life Jesus shared the condition of the vast
majority of human beings: a daily life spent without evident greatness, a life
of manual labour. His religious life was that of a Jew obedient to the law of
God,221 (Gal 4:4.) a life in the community. From this whole period it is revealed to us
that Jesus was "obedient" to his parents and that he "increased
in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and man."222
532
Jesus' obedience to his mother and legal father fulfils the fourth commandment
perfectly and was the temporal image of his filial obedience to his Father in
heaven. the everyday obedience of Jesus to Joseph and Mary both announced and
anticipated the obedience of Holy Thursday: "Not my will. . ."223 ( Lk 22:42.) The
obedience of Christ in the daily routine of his hidden life was already
inaugurating his work of restoring what the disobedience of Adam had
destroyed.224
533
The hidden life at Nazareth allows everyone to enter into fellowship with Jesus
by the most ordinary events of daily life:
The
home of Nazareth is the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus -
the school of the Gospel. First, then, a lesson of silence. May esteem for
silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind, revive in us. . .
A lesson on family life. May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its
communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable
character... A lesson of work. Nazareth, home of the "Carpenter's
Son", in you I would choose to understand and proclaim the severe and
redeeming law of human work. . . To conclude, I want to greet all the workers
of the world, holding up to them their great pattern their brother who is
God.225
534
The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of
the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus.226 (Lk 2:41-52. ) Here Jesus lets us catch a
glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from
his divine sonship: "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's
work?"227 (Lk 2:49 alt. ) Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they
accepted them in faith. Mary "kept all these things in her heart"
during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of ordinary life.
III.
THE MYSTERIES OF JESUS' PUBLIC LIFE
The
baptism of Jesus
535
Jesus' public life begins with his baptism by John in the Jordan.228 ( Lk 3:23; ⇒ Acts 1:22. ) John
preaches "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins".229 (Lk 3:3[ETML:C/]. ) A
crowd of sinners230 (Lk 3:10-14; ⇒ Mt 3:7; ⇒ 21:32. ) - tax collectors and soldiers, Pharisees and Sadducees, and
prostitutes - come to be baptized by him. "Then Jesus appears." the
Baptist hesitates, but Jesus insists and receives baptism. Then the Holy
Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes upon Jesus and a voice from heaven
proclaims, "This is my beloved Son."231 (Mt 3:13-17.) This is the manifestation
("Epiphany") of Jesus as Messiah of Israel and Son of God.
536
The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his
mission as God's suffering Servant. He allows himself to be numbered among
sinners; he is already "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world".232 ( Jn 1:29; cf. ⇒ Is 53:12. ) Already he is anticipating the "baptism" of his
bloody death.233 ( Mk 10:38; ⇒ Lk 12:50.) Already he is coming to "fulfill all righteousness",
that is, he is submitting himself entirely to his Father's will: out of love, he
consents to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins.234 (Mt 3:15; cf. ⇒ 26:39.)The
Father's voice responds to Son's acceptance, proclaiming his entire delight
in his Son.235 (Lk 3:22; ⇒ Is 42:1.) The Spirit whom Jesus possessed in fullness from his conception
comes to "rest on him".236 (Jn 1:32-33; cf. ⇒ Is 11:2. ) Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for
all mankind. At his baptism "the heavens were opened"237 (Mt 3:16.) - the
heavens that Adam's sin had closed - and the waters were sanctified by the
descent of Jesus and the Spirit, a prelude to the new creation.
537
Through Baptism the Christian is sacramentally assimilated to Jesus, who in his
own baptism anticipates his death and resurrection. the Christian must enter
into this mystery of humble self-abasement and repentance, go down into the
water with Jesus in order to rise with him, be reborn of water and the Spirit
so as to become the Father's beloved son in the Son and "walk in newness
of life":238
Let
us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with him; let us go down with him
to be raised with him; and let us rise with him to be glorified with him.239
Everything
that happened to Christ lets us know that, after the bath of water, the Holy
Spirit swoops down upon us from high heaven and that, adopted by the Father's
voice, we become sons of God.240
Jesus'
temptations
538
The Gospels speak of a time of solitude for Jesus in the desert immediately
after his baptism by John. Driven by the Spirit into the desert, Jesus remains
there for forty days without eating; he lives among wild beasts, and angels
minister to him.241 ( Mk 1:12-13. ) At the end of this time Satan tempts him three times,
seeking to compromise his filial attitude toward God. Jesus rebuffs these
attacks, which recapitulate the temptations of Adam in Paradise and of Israel
in the desert, and the devil leaves him "until an opportune time".242
539
The evangelists indicate the salvific meaning of this mysterious event: Jesus
is the new Adam who remained faithful just where the first Adam had given in to
temptation. Jesus fulfills Israel's vocation perfectly: in contrast to those who
had once provoked God during forty years in the desert, Christ reveals himself
as God's Servant, totally obedient to the divine will. In this, Jesus is the
devil's conqueror: he "binds the strong man" to take back his
plunder.243 ( Ps 95:10; ⇒ Mk 3:27
) Jesus' victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the supreme act of obedience of his filial love for the Father.
) Jesus' victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the supreme act of obedience of his filial love for the Father.
540
Jesus' temptation reveals the way in which the Son of God is Messiah, contrary
to the way Satan proposes to him and the way men wish to attribute to him.244 ( Mt 16:2 ⇒ 1-23. ) This is why Christ vanquished the Tempter for us: "For we have not a high
priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every
respect has been tested as we are, yet without sinning."245 (Heb 4:15. ) By the solemn
forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus
in the desert.
"The
kingdom of God is at hand"
541
"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the
gospel of God, and saying: 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand: repent, and believe in the gospel.'"246 (Mk 1:14-15.) "To carry out the will
of the Father Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth."247 (LG 3.) Now
the Father's will is "to raise up men to share in his own divine
life".248 (LG 2. ) He does this by gathering men around his Son Jesus Christ. This
gathering is the Church, "on earth the seed and beginning of that kingdom ".249 (LG 5. )
542
Christ stands at the heart of this gathering of men into the "family of
God". By his word, through signs that manifest the reign of God, and by
sending out his disciples, Jesus calls all people to come together around him.
But above all in the great Paschal mystery - his death on the cross and his
Resurrection - he would accomplish the coming of his kingdom. "and I, when
I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." Into this
union with Christ, all men are called.250
The
proclamation of the kingdom of God
543
Everyone is called to enter the kingdom. First announced to the children of
Israel, this messianic kingdom is intended to accept men of all nations.251 (Mt 8:11 ⇒ 10:5-7; ⇒ 28:19.) To
enter it, one must first accept Jesus' word:
The
word of the Lord is compared to a seed which is sown in a field; those who hear
it with faith and are numbered among the little flock of Christ have truly
received the kingdom. Then, by its own power, the seed sprouts and grows until
the harvest.252
544
The kingdom belongs to the poor and lowly, which means those who have accepted
it with humble hearts. Jesus is sent to "preach good news to the
poor";253 (Lk 4:18; cf. ⇒ 7:22.) he declares them blessed, for "theirs is the kingdom of
heaven."254 (Mt 5:3[ETML:C/]. ) To them - the "little ones" the Father is pleased to
reveal what remains hidden from the wise and the learned.255 (Mt 11:25. ) Jesus shares the
life of the poor, from the cradle to the cross; he experiences hunger, thirst
and privation.256 (Mt 21:18; ⇒ Mk 2:23-26; ⇒ Jn 4:6 1; ⇒ 19:28; ⇒ Lk 9:58.) Jesus identifies himself with the poor of every kind and
makes active love toward them the condition for entering his kingdom.257 ( Mt 25:31-46.)
545
Jesus invites sinners to the table of the kingdom: "I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners."258 (Mk 2:17; cf. ⇒ l Tim 1:15. ) He invites them to that conversion without
which one cannot enter the kingdom, but shows them in word and deed his
Father's boundless mercy for them and the vast "joy in heaven over one
sinner who repents".259 (Lk 15:7; cf. ⇒ 7:11-32. ) The supreme proof of his love will be the
sacrifice of his own life "for the forgiveness of sins".260 (Mt 26:28. )
546
Jesus' invitation to enter his kingdom comes in the form of parables, a
characteristic feature of his teaching.261 (Mk 4:33-34. ) Through his parables he invites
people to the feast of the kingdom, but he also asks for a radical choice: to
gain the kingdom, one must give everything.262 (Mt 13:44-45; ⇒ 22:1-14. ) Words are not enough, deeds are
required.263 (Mt 21:28-32. ) The parables are like mirrors for man: will he be hard soil or
good earth for the word?264 (Mt 13:3-9.) What use has he made of the talents he has
received?265 (Mt 25:14-30.) Jesus and the presence of the kingdom in this world are secretly
at the heart of the parables. One must enter the kingdom, that is, become a
disciple of Christ, in order to "know the secrets of the kingdom of
heaven".266 (Mt 13:11.) For those who stay "outside", everything remains
enigmatic.267 (Mk 4:11; cf. ⇒ Mt 13:10-15.)
The
signs of the kingdom of God
547
Jesus accompanies his words with many "mighty works and wonders and
signs", which manifest that the kingdom is present in him and attest that
he was the promised Messiah.268 ( Acts 2:22; cf. ⇒ Lk 7:18-23.)
548
The signs worked by Jesus attest that the Father has sent him. They invite
belief in him.269 (Jn 5:36; ⇒ 10:25, ⇒ 38. ) To those who turn to him in faith, he grants what they
ask.270 ( Mk 5:25-34; ⇒ 10:52; etc.) So miracles strengthen faith in the One who does his Father's works;
they bear witness that he is the Son of God.271 (Jn 10:31-38.) But his miracles can also be
occasions for "offence";272 (Mt 11:6. ) they are not intended to satisfy people's
curiosity or desire for magic Despite his evident miracles some people reject
Jesus; he is even accused of acting by the power of demons.273 ( Jn 11:47-48; ⇒ Mk 3:22. )
549
By freeing some individuals from the earthly evils of hunger, injustice,
illness and death,274 (Jn 6:5-15; ⇒ Lk 19:8; ⇒ Mt 11:5.) Jesus performed messianic signs. Nevertheless he did not
come to abolish all evils here below,275 ( Lk 12 13-14; ⇒ Jn 18:36.) but to free men from the gravest
slavery, sin, which thwarts them in their vocation as God's sons and causes all
forms of human bondage.276 ( Jn 8:34-36. )
550
The coming of God's kingdom means the defeat of Satan's: "If it is by the
Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon
you."277 (Mt 12:26, ⇒ 28. ) Jesus' exorcisms free some individuals from the domination of
demons. They anticipate Jesus' great victory over "the ruler of this
world".278 (Jn 12:31; cf. ⇒ Lk 8:26-39. ) The kingdom of God will be definitively established through
Christ's cross: "God reigned from the wood."279
"The
keys of the kingdom"
551
From the beginning of his public life, Jesus chose certain men, twelve in
number, to be with him and to participate in his mission.280 (Mk 3:13-19. ) He gives the
Twelve a share in his authority and 'sent them out to preach the kingdom of God
and to heal."281 (Lk 9:2[ETML:C/]. ) They remain associated forever with Christ's kingdom,
for through them, he directs the Church:
As
my Father appointed a kingdom for me, so do I appoint for you that you may eat
and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve
tribes of Israel.282
552
Simon Peter holds the first place in the college of the Twelve;283 (Mk 3:16; 9:2; ⇒ Lk 24:34; I Cor 15:5. ) Jesus
entrusted a unique mission to him. Through a revelation from the Father, Peter
had confessed: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Our
Lord then declared to him: "You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build
my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."284 (Mt 16:18. ) Christ,
the "living Stone",285 (I Pt 2:4. ) thus assures his Church, built on Peter, of
victory over the powers of death. Because of the faith he confessed Peter will
remain the unshakeable rock of the Church. His mission will be to keep this
faith from every lapse and to strengthen his brothers in it.286 ( Lk 22:32. )
553
Jesus entrusted a specific authority to Peter: "I will give you the keys
of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."287 (Mt 16:19. ) The
"power of the keys" designates authority to govern the house of God,
which is the Church. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, confirmed this mandate after his
Resurrection: "Feed my sheep."288 (Jn 21:15-17; Cf. ⇒ 10:11. )The power to "bind and
loose" connotes the authority to absolve sins, to pronounce doctrinal
judgments, and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church. Jesus entrusted
this authority to the Church through the ministry of the apostles 289 (Mt 18:18. ) and in
particular through the ministry of Peter, the only one to whom he specifically
entrusted the keys of the kingdom.
A foretaste of the kingdom: the Transfiguration
554
From the day Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living
God, the Master "began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem
and suffer many things. . . and be killed, and on the third day be
raised."290 (Mt 16:21. ) Peter scorns this prediction, nor do the others understand it
any better than he.291 ( Mt 16:22-23; ⇒ 17:23; ⇒ Lk 9:45. ) In this context the mysterious episode of Jesus'
Transfiguration takes place on a high mountain,292 (Mt 17:1-8 and parallels; ⇒ 2 Pt 1:16-18. ) before three witnesses
chosen by himself: Peter, James, and John. Jesus' face and clothes become
dazzling with light, and Moses and Elijah appear, speaking "of his
departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem".293 ( Lk 9:31. ) A cloud covers him
and a voice from heaven says: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to
him!"294 ( Lk 9:35.)
555
For a moment Jesus discloses his divine glory, confirming Peter's confession.
He also reveals that he will have to go by the way of the cross at Jerusalem in
order to "enter into his glory".295
Moses
and Elijah had seen God's glory on the Mountain; the Law and the Prophets had
announced the Messiah's sufferings.296 (Lk 24:27. ) Christ's Passion is the will of the
Father: the Son acts as God's servant;297 (Cf. Is 42:1. ) The cloud indicates the presence of
the Holy Spirit. "The whole Trinity appeared: the Father in the voice; the
Son in the man; the Spirit in the shining cloud."298 (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 45, 4, ad 2.)
You
were transfigured on the mountain, and your disciples, as much as they were
capable of it, beheld your glory, O Christ our God, so that when they should
see you crucified they would understand that your Passion was voluntary, and
proclaim to the world that you truly are the splendor of the Father.299
556
On the threshold of the public life: the baptism; on the threshold of the
Passover: the Transfiguration. Jesus' baptism proclaimed "the mystery of
the first regeneration", namely, our Baptism; the Transfiguration "is
the sacrament of the second regeneration": our own Resurrection.300 ( St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 45, 4, ad 2.) From
now on we share in the Lord's Resurrection through the Spirit who acts in the
sacraments of the Body of Christ. the Transfiguration gives us a foretaste of
Christ's glorious coming, when he "will change our lowly body to be like
his glorious body."301 (Phil 3:21. ) But it also recalls that "it is through many
persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God":302
Peter
did not yet understand this when he wanted to remain with Christ on the
mountain. It has been reserved for you, Peter, but for after death. For now,
Jesus says: "Go down to toil on earth, to serve on earth, to be scorned
and crucified on earth. Life goes down to be killed; Bread goes down to suffer
hunger; the Way goes down to be exhausted on his journey; the Spring goes down
to suffer thirst, and you refuse to suffer?"303
Jesus'
ascent to Jerusalem
557
"When the days drew near for him to be taken up [Jesus] set his face to go
to Jerusalem."304 (Lk 9:51; cf. ⇒ Jn 13:1.) By this decision he indicated that he was going up to
Jerusalem prepared to die there. Three times he had announced his Passion and
Resurrection; now, heading toward Jerusalem, Jesus says: "It cannot be
that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem."305
558
Jesus recalls the martyrdom of the prophets who had been put to death in
Jerusalem. Nevertheless, he persists in calling Jerusalem to gather around him:
"How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers
her brood under her wings, and you would not!"306 (Mt 23:37. )When Jerusalem comes into
view he weeps over her and expresses once again his heart's desire: "Would
that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes."307
Jesus'
messianic entrance into Jerusalem
559
How will Jerusalem welcome her Messiah? Although Jesus had always refused
popular attempts to make him king, he chooses the time and prepares the details
for his messianic entry into the city of "his father David".308 (Lk 1:32; cf. ⇒ Mt 21:1-11; ⇒ Jn 6:15.) Acclaimed as son of David, as the one who brings salvation (Hosanna means
"Save!" or "Give salvation!"), the "King of
glory" enters his City "riding on an ass".309 (Ps 24:7-10; ⇒ Zech 9:9.) Jesus conquers the
Daughter of Zion, a figure of his Church, neither by ruse nor by violence, but
by the humility that bears witness to the truth.310 (Jn 18:37. )and so the subjects of his
kingdom on that day are children and God's poor, who acclaim him as had the
angels when they announced him to the shepherds.311 (Mt 21:15-16; cf. ⇒ Ps 8:3; ⇒ Lk 19:38; ⇒ 2:14. ) Their acclamation,
"Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord",312(Ps 118:26. ) is taken up by
the Church in the Sanctus of the Eucharistic liturgy that introduces the
memorial of the Lord's Passover.
560
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem manifested the coming of the kingdom that the
King-Messiah was going to accomplish by the Passover of his Death and
Resurrection. It is with the celebration of that entry on Palm Sunday that the
Church's liturgy solemnly opens Holy Week.
IN
BRIEF
561
"The whole of Christ's life was a continual teaching: his silences, his
miracles, his gestures, his prayer, his love for people, his special affection
for the little and the poor, his acceptance of the total sacrifice on the Cross
for the redemption of the world, and his Resurrection are the actualization of
his word and the fulfilment of Revelation" John Paul II, CT 9).
562
Christ's disciples are to conform themselves to him until he is formed in them
(cf ⇒ Gal 4:19). "For
this reason we, who have been made like to him, who have died with him and
risen with him, are taken up into the mysteries of his life, until we reign
together with him" (LG 7 # 4).
563
No one, whether shepherd or wise man, can approach God here below except by
kneeling before the manger at Bethlehem and adoring him hidden in the weakness
of a new-born child.
564
By his obedience to Mary and Joseph, as well as by his humble work during the
long years in Nazareth, Jesus gives us the example of holiness in the daily
life of family and work.
565
From the beginning of his public life, at his baptism, Jesus is the
"Servant", wholly consecrated to the redemptive work that he will
accomplish by the "baptism" of his Passion.
566
The temptation in the desert shows Jesus, the humble Messiah, who triumphs over
Satan by his total adherence to the plan of salvation willed by the Father.
567
The kingdom of heaven was inaugurated on earth by Christ. "This kingdom
shone out before men in the word, in the works and in the presence of
Christ" (LG 5). the Church is the seed and beginning of this kingdom. Its
keys are entrusted to Peter.
568
Christ's Transfiguration aims at strengthening the apostles' faith in
anticipation of his Passion: the ascent on to the "high mountain"
prepares for the ascent to Calvary. Christ, Head of the Church, manifests what
his Body contains and radiates in the sacraments: "the hope of glory"
(⇒ Col 1:27; cf.: St. Leo
the Great, Sermo 51, 3: PL 54, 310C).
569
Jesus went up to Jerusalem voluntarily, knowing well that there he would die a
violent death because of the opposition of sinners (cf ⇒ Heb 12:3).
570
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem manifests the coming of the kingdom that the
Messiah-King, welcomed into his city by children and the humble of heart, is
going to accomplish by the Passover of his Death and Resurrection.
Copyright © 2020 by Ekklesia Katholos (Acts 9:31)
GO TO:
ARTICLE 3
PARAGRAPH 1. THE SON OF GOD BECAME MAN
PARAGRAPH 2. CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
PARAGRAPH 3. MYSTERIES OF CHRIST'S LIFE
GO TO:
ARTICLE 3
PARAGRAPH 1. THE SON OF GOD BECAME MAN
PARAGRAPH 2. CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
PARAGRAPH 3. MYSTERIES OF CHRIST'S LIFE
GO TO:
CHAPTER TWO
ARTICLE 4 "JESUS CHRIST SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE, WAS CRUCIFIED, DIED AND WAS BURIED"
ARTICLE 5 "HE DESCENDED INTO HELL. ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN"
ARTICLE 5 "HE DESCENDED INTO HELL. ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN"
Copyright © 2020 by Ekklesia Katholos (Acts 9:31)
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