FAITH IN THE INCARNATION

20161227 FAITH IN THE INCARNATION

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading

1 John 1:1-4 ©

Something which has existed since the beginning,

that we have heard,

and we have seen with our own eyes;

that we have watched

and touched with our hands:

the Word, who is life –

this is our subject.

That life was made visible:

we saw it and we are giving our testimony,

telling you of the eternal life

which was with the Father and has been made visible to us.

What we have seen and heard

we are telling you

so that you too may be in union with us,

as we are in union

with the Father

and with his Son Jesus Christ.

We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,11-12 ©

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,

  let all the coastlands be glad.

Cloud and darkness are his raiment;

  his throne, justice and right.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The mountains melt like wax

  before the Lord of all the earth.

The skies proclaim his justice;

  all peoples see his glory.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

Light shines forth for the just

  and joy for the upright of heart.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;

  give glory to his holy name.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Te Deum

Alleluia, alleluia!

We praise you, O God,

we acknowledge you to be the Lord.

The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 20:2-8 ©

On the first day of the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’

  So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.

FAITH IN THE INCARNATION

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 John 1:1-4; Ps 96:1-2,5-6,11-12; John 20:2-8   ]

For most Catholics and Christians, the divinity of Jesus is never questioned.  We have been brought up with faith in Christ as the Son of God, our Saviour, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.  Hence, we cannot understand why the world cannot accept Jesus as divine.  Today, many people including Christians doubt the divinity of Jesus.  Influenced by secularism, materialism, rationalism and empiricism, they would not accept anything that cannot be proven logically or empirically.  Many can accept Jesus as a good man and even as a prophet, but not as God.

What is at stake in today’s first reading is the reality of Jesus’ incarnation.  Many, Catholics included, have difficulty in believing that Jesus is truly man.  Our faith in Jesus as the Son of God often reduces our appreciation of the full humanity of Jesus.  The letter to the Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus was a man in every way except that He did not sin. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.”  (Heb 4:15)  St John in no uncertain terms said, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”  (Jn 1:14)

Faith in Jesus’ divinity is not only paramount to our faith but also in His humanity.  The complete divinity or humanity in the person of Jesus must be affirmed without compromise, without mixture, without separation and without reduction.  This is what the doctrine of the Incarnation is proclaiming; that in the human person of Jesus, the full divinity of God was present.  So Jesus was truly man and truly God, one person and yet distinct and inseparable.  If this truth is not consistently upheld, it would put the doctrine of salvation in Christ in question.  If Christ were not divine, then it means we are not saved by His death and resurrection.  Unless, Christ was truly divine, His death on the cross would not be a true manifestation of God’s unconditional and total mercy. Then we can doubt whether God really identifies with us, understands our pain and misery.  Only because of His death on the cross, do we know that God is with us in every situation.  He is the Emmanuel who continues to feel with us.  That is why He is the throne of mercy. “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  (Heb 4:16)  We must therefore with equal faith proclaim that Christ is truly God and truly man.

But how can we come to this faith if not through the witness of the Church and our contemplation?  In the gospel, we see how Mary needed the Church to confirm what she saw.  “On the first day of the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’”  She observed the fact but she needed the authority of the Church to confirm that it was indeed the case.  And so, we have Peter representing the Church coming to the scene and vouching that it was as Mary had said. “Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.”

But until now, the fact has not yet been given an interpretation.  This shows the diligence of the Church when it comes to making conclusions and judgement of miraculous events, especially apparitions and healing miracles.  Indeed, in most instances, the Church is slow to make pronouncements unless she is certain that it is a divine intervention.  This calls for careful discernment as declaring something miraculous is not a small matter.  Hence, those who doubt the witness of the Church and trust in their own witness, their own “seeing” and personal “interpretation”  need to imitate Mary in allowing the Church to make her judgement on behalf of us all as they have the authority from Christ and the competency to do so.

Secondly, we learn from Mary and Peter that a historical fact or a historical event makes no sense and has no real impact on our lives unless interpreted.  This is true in every area of our daily life.  We live by symbols more than the historical event itself.  The giving of gifts is more than just the reception of a gift but the meaning and significance of being given the gift by the giver.  Every gift signifies something about the giver’s intention and sentiments and how the recipient is loved and understood by the giver. So too, the empty tomb does not say very much except that the body of Jesus was not there.  Even the linen cloth being rolled up nicely does not say much.  It only raises questions and speculation but it is not a proof of Jesus’ resurrection.   Someone must offer an interpretation.  Instead of feeling elated, they were puzzled.  Could it be that the body was stolen?  There could be many reasons for the missing body.

Thirdly, if we act like Mary out of pure sentimentalism, we might not go very far in arriving at the meaning and the truth of the event.  It was great that Mary was deeply attached to Jesus and loved Him entirely.  But that love and her tears made her blind and unable to see the reality.  She was still living in the past.  She was still thinking of Jesus of Nazareth. She was still adoring the humanity of Jesus and failed to arrive at the divinity of Jesus through the resurrection.  So we must not fall into the same pitfall of being so sentimental, and denying the truth that is to be upheld.

We are called to learn from St John the Evangelist, whose feast we are celebrating.  He was a beloved disciple of the Lord.  Surely, he loved the Lord more than anyone.  Yet, he did not lose his sobriety.  Even whilst running to the tomb and arriving there before Peter, he stopped outside the tomb to allow Peter, the head of the apostolic college, to enter the tomb first.  He was respectful of authority.  Furthermore, whilst Peter was puzzled after seeing the empty tomb, John was introspective and contemplative.  The empty tomb and the linen cloth led him to enter into prayer and contemplation.  He began to link this event with the whole life, ministry and passion of Christ.  He sought to put all the pieces together, His teachings, His lifestyle, His miracles, especially of healing and exorcism, the multiplication of loaves, the calming of the storms, the Last Supper, etc.  When he recollected all these events, he came to “see” in the fullest sense of the term.

John understood the full significance of the empty tomb and concluded that Christ was not simply raised but that He was the Son of God.  This is why he wrote, “Something which has existed since the beginning, that we have heard, and we have seen with our own eyes; that we have watched and touched with our hands: the Word, who is life – this is our subject. That life was made visible: we saw it and we are giving our testimony, telling you of the eternal life which was with the Father and has been made visible to us.”   Such is the wonderful realization of John.  He came to faith in Christ as the Son of God not only through the visible encounters with Jesus of Nazareth but fundamentally through prayer and contemplation.  We might not have encountered Jesus of Nazareth directly, but we too can arrive at this faith in His incarnation through contemplation and prayer.

Indeed, this is what we are called to do.  During this period of Christmas, we are invited to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Incarnation.  We still meet Jesus concretely in our daily lives through others.  We meet Him in the Eucharist, in the Sacrament of reconciliation, in the kindness of our friends, through an act of mercy that someone gives to us or we give to others.  So in many situations in daily life, if we only open our eyes and see beyond the events, we will see the face of the Incarnated face of Christ in all our trials, sorrows and joys of life.  We can still see Jesus today if only we contemplate in faith in all the events that happen to us, just as Mary the mother of Jesus did, always pondering on the events of her life.  Only then will the face of Christ appear before us.

Once we meet the Lord like Mary of Magala and John, we too will be filled with joy and go about spreading the Good News that the Lord is with us, our Emmanuel. St John wrote, “What we have seen and heard we are telling you so that you too may be in union with us, as we are in union with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.”   And as we proclaim and share this joy of encountering the Lord in His humanity and in our daily lives, our joy will increase from strength to strength.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved