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The Catholic hour with Joe Hollcraft |
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The term hidden is scattered throughout the CCC encompassing a many layered meaning and application. Off the top, we read of God’s eternal plan of salvation history that lies hidden in shadowy symbols throughout the Old Testament (cf. CCC, 122, 206), only to be revealed in the Incarnation, and properly understood in light of Christ. Point in fact, only in light of Christ can we discern the hidden meaning of Sacred Scripture (cf. 129, 1094) and subsequently the life of the Trinity (cf. 237). Furthermore, in reading the biblical text, we can begin to appreciate the importance of Christ’s hidden life of Nazareth and how it points to the redemptive value of what was hidden in the obedience of the Christ child to Mary and Joseph (cf. 517, 532-34) (cf. Lk.2:51). In addition, to hide in Christ is to be poor in the life of the Trinity (cf. Zeph.2:3, 3:12-12). This poverty in God is the realm of our inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. 544, 716). Ultimately, in Christ, “the new law unleashes the hidden potential of the old law” (1968), and it is when we are “hidden in God” (Col.3:3) that we gain what has been bequeathed to us by the Holy Spirit—the Kingdom of God (cf. 1003, 1420; 740). This gift of sonship ought to draw us deeper into the mystery of prayer where God inscribes upon our hearts the law of the new covenant—the gift of self (cf. 2563, 2746). The term Krypto can be found sixteen times in the New Testament. In the gospel of John, we find the more general sense of “hidden” as Christ eluded the Jews who sought to stone him (cf. Jn.8:54) and the crowds who failed to believe in him (cf.12:36). In the gospel of Matthew, we read of its metaphorical use within the genre of the parable. Specifically, how Chris words “will open…what has been hidden from the foundation of the world” (Mt.13:35, Ps.78:2) that we might share in the inheritance of Christ (cf. 13:44). Conversely, from the gospel of Luke, we see that the teachings of Christ were hidden and concealed from the haughty and the proud as they were “unable to grasp the things that he was saying” (Lk.18:34, cf.19:42) (cf. wow on parable). Paul’s usage brings us into the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, where we are called to rejoice when we are the poor of Yahweh, “hidden in God” (Col.3:3; cf. 1 Cor.2:7; Eph.2:6) ready to do his good works “that cannot be hidden” (1 Tim.5:25). As highlighted by our readings today (Ecl.1:2, 2:21-23; Lk.12:13-21), such works are a reflection of not being self-absorbed by material gain, but other centered in spiritual wealth. As a young boy attending Mass, I would love to sing the song “yea my life is hidden in Christ”. A favorite song of mine throughout my adolescent years, it was not until a time in High School, where I had begun to question the words of the song; asking such questions as “why would I want to hide in Jesus?” or “should not our relationship with Jesus be proclaimed and known to the world?” After a lot of inquiring into this ‘business” of “hiding in Christ”, I have, over time, learned to appreciate the importance of intimacy in Christ by way of humility. Certainly we are to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, but I was finally coming to understand that we become better spokespersons for Jesus Christ the more we are poor in Christ, hidden in Christ. Ultimately, this is a great paradox of our faith. The more we are absent from the world, the more we begin to appear in the world. That is to say, the more we are hidden in Christ, the more Christ appears in the world. "My God, I desire to enclose myself forever within Your most loving Heart, as in a desert, so that in You, with You, and for You I may live a hidden life of love and sacrifice."
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