20250110 THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTOLOGY
First reading | 1 John 5:5-13 |
There are three witnesses: the Spirit and the water and the blood
Who can overcome the world?
Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God:
Jesus Christ who came by water and blood,
not with water only,
but with water and blood;
with the Spirit as another witness –
since the Spirit is the truth –
so that there are three witnesses,
the Spirit, the water and the blood,
and all three of them agree.
We accept the testimony of human witnesses,
but God’s testimony is much greater,
and this is God’s testimony,
given as evidence for his Son.
Everybody who believes in the Son of God
has this testimony inside him;
and anyone who will not believe God
is making God out to be a liar,
because he has not trusted
the testimony God has given about his Son.
This is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life
and this life is in his Son;
anyone who has the Son has life,
anyone who does not have the Son does not have life.
I have written all this to you
so that you who believe in the name of the Son of God
may be sure that you have eternal life.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 147:12-15,19-20 |
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Zion, praise your God!
He has strengthened the bars of your gates
he has blessed the children within you.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
He established peace on your borders,
he feeds you with finest wheat.
He sends out his word to the earth
and swiftly runs his command.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
He makes his word known to Jacob,
to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
he has not taught them his decrees.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.1Tim3:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to you, O Christ,
proclaimed to the pagans;
glory to you, O Christ,
believed in by the world.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 5:12-16 |
'If you want to, you can cure me'
Jesus was in one of the towns when a man appeared, covered with leprosy. Seeing Jesus he fell on his face and implored him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘if you want to, you can cure me.’ Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once. He ordered him to tell no one, ‘But go and show yourself to the priest and make the offering for your healing as Moses prescribed it, as evidence for them.’
His reputation continued to grow, and large crowds would gather to hear him and to have their sickness cured, but he would always go off to some place where he could be alone and pray.
10 January 2025, Friday After Epiphany
THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTOLOGY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 JOHN 5:5-13; PSALM 147:12-15,19-20; LUKE 5:12-16]
There are many denominations in Christianity simply because we differ in the interpretation of our faith. During the time of John, there were certain disputes that John had to deal with in his Christian community. Fundamentally it was a question of authority in teaching the truth about Jesus. Some Christians were denying the authority of John’s teaching. They were deviating from faith in Christ as truly God and truly man as they were influenced by Gnosticism. They denied the humanity of Jesus, suggesting that the Spirit left Jesus the man when He was at the cross. In other words, the Second Person of the Trinity was just using the man Jesus as a shell. Of course, in our days, we might not be disputing on the identity of Jesus, but we have other doctrinal disputes.
Hence, the question is, what source of authority do we turn to in settling disputes among Christians. Should we appeal to the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Or do we appeal to the Tradition of the Church, particularly the Creed? Or do we appeal to the personal testimony of believers whom the Lord promised to be with, the Church, until the end of time? Or should we appeal to the events of history? In truth, we do not choose just one source. We need to appeal first and foremost to scriptures, which is a rule by itself because it is the written word of God. But we also need to rely on the witness of the community expressed in the Tradition of the Church, particularly to the Church Fathers and the events of history. The written Word of God cannot be understood apart from the Christian community, since it is the Christian community that wrote the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
It is within this context that we read John’s letter to the Christian community. In the early Church, and even today, with so much confusion over the necessity of Jesus for our salvation, especially in the light of inter-religious dialogue, it is necessary to return to the heart of our Christian belief, which is the nature of Christ and His salvific role in the redemption of humanity. All other branches of Catholic theology are rooted in Christology. We turn to John who skilfully established the Christological doctrine by referring to a historical event, the inspiration of the Spirit and the teaching of the Church. All these join together to bear a common witness to the truth about Jesus. In other words, he refers to scriptures, the faith of the Christian community, the event itself, eye witness and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit guiding the Church to interpret the scriptures in the mind of God.
Why is having a right knowledge of the identity of Jesus important? St John asked, “Who can overcome the world?” Unless our knowledge of Jesus is right, we will not be able to live our lives according to the truth. Christological identity of Jesus will ensure right soteriology. Unless we know who Jesus is, He cannot save us. A warp Christology would compromise His saving works. This explains why in the first five centuries of the early Church, theologians squabbled and argued over how to define Jesus and the basis of coming to know His identity and His saving work. Being leads to doing. Who Jesus is will determine what He can do for humanity.
Who, then, is Jesus? Is He divine? Is He a man? What does confession of faith in Jesus entail? St John says, “Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God: Jesus Christ who came by water and blood, not with water only, but with water and blood, with the Spirit as another witness – since the Spirit is the truth – so that there are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water and the blood, and all three of them agree.” The primary confession of faith is that Jesus is the Son of God. But what reasons do we have to establish that Jesus is the Son of God? What witnesses do we have for us to believe in His divine sonship when we have not seen Him?
Firstly, St John presented himself as a true witness of our Lord. He evoked the testimony of the Holy Spirit, underscoring the ultimate source of his confession. This was in response to those heretics who also claimed that their views were equally inspired. He anchored his teaching on the anointing of God and the inspiration of the Spirit. More importantly, he showed that what he saw and testified could be traced to the beginning. (Jn 1:1-4) This implies that his teaching is consistent with what has always been believed. Therefore, to reject the witness of the beloved disciple whose witness and teaching is to spurn the Holy Spirit. Because the Spirit is truth, the Spirit is trustworthy and a witness to what is true. For these reasons, the beloved disciple’s witness could be trusted.
Secondly, according to the gospel, he was the one who witnessed the crucifixion and the death of Jesus and supplied the meaning of the event. St John wrote, “One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘None of his bones shall be broken.’ And again, another passage of scripture says, ‘They will look on the one whom they have pierced.'” (Jn 19:35-37) This fact shows that Jesus was truly human and really died as a man. He was not some kind of Spirit that left Jesus when he was about to die.
Thirdly, testimony to the saving work of Jesus is brought about by the Holy Spirit. Water had great significance during the time of John the Baptist and our Lord. John baptized with water (Jn 1:26,31,33), as did Jesus. (Jn 3:22; 4:1-2) Water was used in the Jewish rites of purification. So, water is a sign of cleansing of our sins. However, Jesus extended the symbol of water to the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. It is the Holy Spirit that makes baptism efficacious in bringing about the forgiveness of sins, without which it would remain merely a symbol. It is notable that John the Baptist declared that he baptized with water but the Messiah who was to come will baptize in the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, Jesus spoke of the need to be born of water and the Spirit, especially in His conversation with Nicodemus. The Holy Spirit is needed not just for the Sacrament of Baptism but all sacraments. Indeed, in His discourse of the Eucharist, Jesus said only those who have the Spirit could accept the real presence of the Eucharist. “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (Jn 6:63)
Fourthly, the giving of the Spirit could only come with the sacrificial death of our Lord. Water is not the only symbol by which one is cleansed, but blood as well. St John brought together the images of water and blood at the pierced side of our Lord at the crucifixion. In 1 Jn 1:7, it is said “the blood of Jesus purifies us from every sin.” Blood stands for the sacrificial death of our Lord, without which there is no eternal life. Our relationship with God severed by our sins is restored by Christ at His death on the cross. His atoning death purifies believers from sin. Salvation comes from the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of His imminent death as the giving up of His body and the shedding of His blood for the salvation of the world. His death on the cross was the culmination of His saving mission. It was at the cross that our Lord uttered these words, “It is finished.” (Jn 19:30) After His death, Jesus poured out His Spirit to the Church and through the Spirit, we are born anew through the waters of Baptism so that we become children of God. (Jn 3:3,5) But it must be made clear that the giving of the Spirit was dependent and subsequent to Jesus’ death on the cross.
Finally, salvation depends on our receptivity. It requires that we admit we are sinners and in need of the saving death of Jesus to atone for our sins. During the time of John, some were claiming that because the Spirit had conferred on them the status of the children of God, they had no sin and no further cleansing was needed. (cf 1 Jn 1:8-10) To refute such a position, St John underscored that all gifts and blessings come to us from the Holy Spirit which is given to us because of the death of Jesus. There is a real danger in the world today of people losing their consciousness of sin, partly due to moral relativism. Everything is interpreted according to one’s whims and fancies. Partly as a result of secularization, the world no longer has any consciousness of God and hence man has become numb to sin. If we do not have any sins, then the sacrificial death of Jesus is redundant. St John said we make Him a liar if we say we have no sin. (1 Jn 1:8) The gospel confirms that Jesus is the One who could heal us of our leprosy, the symbol of sin. It depends on whether we are humble enough to ask for forgiveness and healing. Just as in the days of Jesus, the priest certifies that a person is cured of his leprosy, so, too, in our time, it is the priest who, acting in the name of the Church, assures us that our sins are forgiven during the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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