JOSEPH HOLLCRAFT’S BLOG

Charcoal Fire: Anthrakia (Gk.): Meaning, “fire of coals”

As touched upon last week, Jesus entrusted the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter despite denying him three times (cf. CCC, 1851). Peter’s new assignment, as Prime Minister to the New Covenant Church, was substantiated in the words of Christ in his appearance to the disciples on the Sea of Tiberias: “Feed my sheep” (Jn.21:17)” (cf. CCC, 553).

The Greek anthrakia can only be found in Peter’s denial of Christ (cf. Jn.18:18) and the aforementioned appearance to the disciples on the Sea of Tiberias (cf. Jn.21:9). Interestingly, soon after arriving back on land, Christ enters into a dialogue with Peter where he requests of Peter his friendship in sacrificial love at the scene of a charcoal fire (cf. Jn.21:9, 15-19). Christ asks him three times if he loves him, and subsequently, Peter avow’s his love for Christ three times. At this point, we have the confirmation of Christ to Peter to lead his Church (cf. above). Undoubtedly, John wants all readers to see that behind his use of ‘charcoal fire’ there is a deeper message of healing and reconciliation.

The dialogue between Christ and Peter, this Third Sunday in Easter, points to a pillar truth concerning the existential nature of both man and healing. The nature of man in his neurological wiring communicates a profound connection between sense and memory. We take in all information by way of our senses, and at once, activate brainwaves that both store knowledge and stimulate memories. How often have we seen someone, smelled something, or heard a song, which has simultaneously taken us to a particular place in time? Well, this is happening because of the way we are wired—our senses are tied to our memories. That being said, imagine with me what Peter must have been thinking when he “smelled” the coals of the fire burning off the Sea of Tiberias; the images that must have been evoked from the last time (denial) he smelled the ash in the air from the charcoal fire. And then to have Christ ask him three times: “do you love me?”—what a powerful experience for Peter, what a healing of memories that must have had Peter resolved to serve God.

Peter’s healing of memories came by way of his senses. He was brought to a place in the past to remember the tangibleness of his “no”, so that his “yes” would resonate with such a concreteness that it would provoke the deepest sentiment to serve God. Let us move forward this day, aware of the areas in our lives where we need healing because of our denial of Christ, that we too might say “yes” to God and be resolved to affirm that Christ is Lord!

“That scene (denial) presents the fire of denial and betrayal. John’s Gospel offers the fire of repentance and recommitment.”

–Fr. Thomas Rosica

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.

Keys: Kleis (Gk.): meaning, “a key”. Since the keeper of the keys has the power to open and to shut, the key was used as a metaphor in the NT to denote power and authority of various kinds.

“After his Resurrection, Christ sent his apostles ‘so that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations’ (Lk.24:47). The apostles and their successors carry out this “ministry of reconciliation,” not only by announcing to men God’s forgiveness merited for us by Christ, and calling them to conversion and faith; but also by communicating to them the forgiveness of sins in Baptism, and reconciling them with God and with the Church through the power of the keys, received from Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:18)” (CCC, 981; cf. 1444). This overarching truth regarding the nature of the Church is so great, that she calls all catechists to place an emphasis on the role of the Apostolic Church and her ministry of reconciliation (cf. CCC, 983).

The Greek term Kleis can be found six times in the New Testament, four of which come from the book of Revelation that underscore Christ’s “royal and judicial power over life and death (Rev.1:18, 3:7), which is the power to lock and unlock the powers of the netherworld called Hades (9:1, 20:1, 13; Wis. 16:13-14)” (Hahn and Minch, 38). The other most notable use of key is tied to the famous passage from the gospel of Matthew when Christ sets up Peter as the Prime Minister to oversee his church that the aforesaid Hades will never overcome (cf. Mt.16:13-20) (also cf. wow on Peter). Essentially, the principle biblical use of key in the NT symbolizes the power and authority that Christ possessed, and in turn, handed on to Peter and the Twelve. Moreover, this plan to set up Peter as the chief instructor of the faith and the Church as the visible sign of Christ’s love for his people, has as its center the exercise of mercy in the sacrament of confession (cf. Jn.20:22-23) (also cf. wow on forgive).

This Second Sunday of Easter, which the Church celebrates as Divine Mercy Sunday, affords us the opportunity to examine the importance of mercy as it related to the keys that unlock the treasure of Christ (cf. wow on mercy). Un-phased by the media’s ever-increasing attempt to bring down the Church, we must board the vessel of the Church and see this Easter season as an occasion to be reconciled with Christ and his Church, and in so doing, live as envoys for the cause of mercy and triumph of the Church. Undoubtedly, to the extent that we share in Christ’s mercy via forgiveness and reconciliation, we communicate to others the objective reality that is Christ. So let us go forth with our hearts aligned with Christ and his mission to be the living form of mercy.

“[The Church] has received the keys of the Kingdom of heaven so that, in her, sins may be forgiven through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit’s action. In this Church, the soul dead through sin comes back to life in order to live with Christ, whose grace has saved us.”

–St. Augustine

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch, Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bibl: The First, Second, and Third Letters of St. John and the Revelation to St. John, RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2009.

Mass: missa (L.): meaning, “mission”, or “sending forth”.

The Eucharist is the “principle celebration of the Church, established by Jesus at the Last Supper, in which the mystery of our salvation through participation in the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of Christ is renewed and accomplished. The Mass renews the paschal sacrifice of Christ as the sacrifice offered by the Church” (CCC Glossary, 887). Holy Mass is one of the names designated for the celebration of the Eucharist, because in “the Liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the sending forth” (CCC, 1332) of God’s people to be laborers for heaven in the vineyard that is the world.

Scripture reveals that the mission of Christ and the Church, as the Kingdom of God here on earth, bears fruit to the extent that his followers obediently responded to the power of the Holy Spirit entrusted to them to witness in truth and love (cf. Acts 1:8). His sending forth in mission was clear: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt.28:19). As Baptism is the principle Sacrament that brings us into the life of Christ and initiates us into the family of God, it is the Breaking of the Bread that constitutes the proper nourishment for the vocation of mission.

Easter Sunday provides for us an opportunity to look at this more carefully in the Road to Emmaus. Here we read that Christ “took…broke…blessed…gave” (Lk.24:30), and in so doing, those present had their hearts opened to Christ in the “breaking of the bread” (Lk.24:35). Certainly, this Eucharistic formula, which is at the heart of the structure of the Eucharistic prayer, is a call to see how two-thousand years later, are senses are to be made aware of the presence of Christ in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In so doing, we ought to go forth from the celebration of Mass as one who has set our mind on heavenly things and put away earthly things (cf. Col.3:1-4) in the response of faith that is missionary by nature.

This highest season of the liturgical year is to be a reminder our spiritual birthday in Christ. No matter what day we were brought into the Church of Christ by immersion into the water, the Church places the highest priority on understanding this day as the peak of the Liturgical year, and as an opportunity to renew our baptismal vows. So, as we embark upon another season of newness of life, let us never rest at the proposal that Christ’s work is accomplished in the Resurrection. Let us respond in the strength that is the Holy Spirit, to share the gospel unreservedly with every individual that Christ places before us in our walk towards him.

“The third day he rose again. This truth, upon which as upon the “cornerstone” (cf. Eph 2:20) the whole edifice of our faith is based? Today we wish once more to share this faith among us, one with another, as the fullness of the Gospel. We confessors of Christ, we Christians, we the Church. And, at the same time, we wish to share it with all those who are listening to us, with all men and women of good will. We share it joyfully, for how could we not be filled with joy for the victory of Life over Death?”

–John Paul II

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.

Passion: Pascho (Gk.): meaning, “to be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible experience, to undergo”. In the biblical vision, the strongest synonym is “to suffer.”

It is for another study altogether to examine this word in light of its relationship to our feelings whether it be in the good sense (positive drive) or bad sense (anger). This study will focus in on the passion as it relates directly to Christ. As you can well imagine by looking at the root word to passion (pascho), the Passion of Christ is at the heart of the Paschal Mystery (cf. CCC, 572, 602-616). That is to say, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ is the axis to The Paschal Mystery. Recall, the Paschal Mystery, also known as the Paschal Sacrifice, is “Christ’s work of Redemption accomplished principally by his Passion, death, Resurrection, and Glorious Ascension, whereby “dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life…The Paschal mystery is celebrated and made present in the Liturgy of the Church, and its saving effects are communicated through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, which renews the paschal sacrifice of Christ as the sacrifice offered by the Church” (CCC Glossary, 891). For this reason, we are called to participate in the mystery of the Mass and unite ourselves in all of our humanity to Christ as a sharing in his own paschal mystery.

The greek pascho is used forty-two times in the New Testament with eighteen of those coming in the synoptic gospels. What is interesting to find is the abundance to which Peter uses it in his first epistle, eleven separate times. For Peter, the acceptance of various trials and affliction is a means to refine our faith and opportunity to prove ourselves worthy of the Kingdom of God. Essentially, suffering is a way to grow in Christ for “righteousness sake” (cf. 1 Pet.2:19-23, 3:14-18, 4:1, 15-19, 5:10). The synoptic use of pascho largely is placed within the context of Christ’s suffering as it is tied and points to the Passion of Christ (cf. Mt.16:21, 17:12-15, 27:19; Mk.5:26, 8:31, 9:12; Lk.9:22, 17:25, 22:15).

Passion Sunday affords us the opportunity to examine just not Christ’s sufferings, but also our call to assimilate ourselves into the redemptive mission of Christ. Understanding the Christian way of doing things is to first understand Christ’s way of doing things; especially the “via de la rosa”. In light of Christ’s way of the cross, he calls us to have the same compassion upon others that he had upon us. It is worth while to note that compassion comes from the Latin cum-passio, meaning, to “suffer with”. We are to imitate Christ by walking in the shoes of others for the sake of compassion, for the sake of Christianity. Calvary was the peak of Christ’s journey, so should the measure that we accept our suffering be the indicator to the vitality of our Christian witness. Let this annual recall into Christ’s passion be taken as an opportunity to grow in the richness of Christ’s own suffering and death.

“God will bring forth the salvation of humanity from Christ’s falling beneath the weight of the Cross.”

–John Paul II

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.

Prize: Brabeion (Gk.): meaning, “the award to the victor in the games, a prize”. Also used as a metaphor of the heavenly reward for Christian character.

There is no mentioning of prize found in the CCC, but there is a clear catechesis on victory with regards to the battle that has been waged between good and evil, Christ and Satan. In fact, up to sixteen paragraphs address this topic of Christ’s victory over sin and death. In particular, there are two paragraphs that communicate areas of great significance to how we claim victory and move toward that prize of the beatific vision: sonship by grace and redemptive suffering. The CCC states, “…Justification consists in both victory over death caused by sin and a new participation in grace. It brings about filial adoption so that men become Christ’s brethren, as Jesus himself called his disciples after his Resurrecction: “Go and tell my brethren” (Mt.28:10; Jn.20:17). We brethren not by nature, but by the gift of grace, because that adoptive filiation gains us a real share in the life of the only Son, which was full revealed in the Resurrection” (654). The CCC adds later: “…By his Passion and death on the Cross has given us new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion” (1505). Simply, these two paragraphs call us to contemplate the importance of sonship and suffering in the wake of a prize to be won.

We have from Paul the lone two uses of the aforementioned Brabeion: 1 Cor.9:24 and Phil.3:14. In his first letter to the church of Corinth, Paul compares the spiritual life to a competitive race, where the faithful are to exert discipline and self-mastery to obtain the prize (cf. 1 Cor.9:24-27). Interestingly, he uses the image of the “perishable wreath” worn by the victor of the local sporting event (Corinth traditionally held the popular Isthmian games), against the “imperishable” prize of Christ (Hahn and Minch, 30).  In his epistle to the Church of Philippi, Paul again uses the metaphor of a race to exhort the locals to press forward in holiness to attain the prize of heavenly Jerusalem (Phil.3:12-21). It is clear that Paul was fond of using athletic metaphors to juxtapose earthly events to better understand spiritual realities. This Fifth Sunday of Lent, that draws us ever closer to Palm Sunday and Good Friday, affords us the opportunity to consider such a metaphor in light of the call to live in purity.

This week’s readings, our highlighted by the woman caught in adultery (cf. Jn.8:1-11). In this scene, Christ paints for us a picture of his mercy: the forgiveness of a sin that in the old dispensation was punishment by stoning to death (Lev.20:10). Christ’s forgiveness of the woman’s sexual sin is the first sin in all of Sacred Scripture that Christ forgives. His words: “do not sin again” (8:11) urges the woman to press forward in purity and holiness. The woman has before her the prize and at once the call to live her earthly life in a discipline of the flesh to return to her prize. As individual members of the body of Christ, let us press forward, like that of the adulterous woman, in purity and holiness. Let us remember our call in sonship by grace to offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord (cf. Rom.12:1-3).

“And two were left, the wretched one and mercy” (regarding the scene of Christ and the adulterous woman).

–St. Augustine

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch, Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The First and Second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, RSV 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2003.

Prodigal: Prodigire (L.): meaning “to drive away” or “to drive forth”, behind it conveys a term that speaks to wasting away.

The story described by Jesus in the Prodigal Son is a capsule of the process of conversion and repentance. The centerpiece is the merciful father with the son’s inclination to sin being the portrait of all the children of God. The CCC summarizes beautifully the stages of conversion, which starts with man’s abuse of freedom: “fascination of illusory freedom; the abandonment of the father’s house; the extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse, at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate” (1439). In turn, this poverty leads to his conversion: “his reflection on all he has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father; the journey back; the father’s generous welcome; the father’s joy—all these are characteristic of the process of conversion. The robe, the ring and the feast signify honor, authority, purity, joy, and covenant/family harmony. Only the heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father’s love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way” (1439).

The word prodigal is never found in Sacred Scripture, and yet, it is arguably the most identifiable word among everyday Christians. We read the story of the Prodigal Son, as it has been come to be known in Sacred Tradition from the Gospel of Luke (Lk.15.11-32). Allegorically, the parable of the Prodigal Son “narrates the exile and eventual homecoming of the historical Israel. After the reign of King Solomon, Israel split into two kingdoms, becoming like two brothers living side by side in the North (Israel—10 tribes) and the South (Judah and Benjamin)…The North went off into a far country— Samaria, and lived a life of sin. In the New covenant, God welcomes home the exiled son (tribes) and lavishes them with mercy and restoration to covenant life” (cf. Ezek.37.21-23; Hos.11.1-3, 11; Jer.31.18-20) (Hahn and Minch, 51). We can rightfully say, that the Parable of the Lost Son is, in microcosm, God’s love for man in history.

In this most popular parable, our heavenly Father reaches out from the immaterial to the material, from the intangible to the personal. A story that has captured the imagination of poets, musicians, artists, and songwriters alike, the parable of the Prodigal Son declares that God is (and for) family. The multi-layered wisdom that lies behind the story is captured in the protagonist of the story, the Father. The father, a prototype of God the Father, desires mercy and reconciliation (note that he runs to his son). In the eldest son, we have the portrait of envy and entitlement. He stands as a figure who expects, representing the popular sentiment “I deserve”. In the younger son we have the full scope of sin-repentance-conversion. Certainly, we all can identify with this cycle.

As every baptized human has their prodigal story to share, every baptized human has their opportunity into full restoration family membership. It is in the wake of the same divine genius that shared this great story 2000 years ago, that we long to hear those words from “Abba, Father” (Rom.8.15), “you were dead and now alive, lost and now you are found” (Lk.15.32). No longer wasting away in misery and despair, but renewed in joy and hope!

“The Prodigal deserves nothing…But the Father gives him everything.”

–Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch, Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke, RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2001.

Fig Tree: Suke (Gk): meaning, “fig tree”

There is no mentioning of the fig tree in the CCC, but there is an important point regarding the importance of how God uses creation. The CCC states: “God speaks to man through visible creation. The material cosmos is so presented to man’s intelligence that he can read there traces of its Creator. Light and darkness, wind and fire, water and earth, the tree and its fruit speak of God and symbolize both his greatness and his nearness” (CCC, 1147).

The term suke can be found 16 times in the NT. With the backdrop of Old Testament prophecy stating that the fig tree is symbolic of Old Covenant Israel, and will be a sign pointing towards the gathering of the New Israel (Jer.8:13; Hos.9:10), Christ cues the image of the fig tree as a warning and exhortation to Israel to prayer, repentance, and the urgent call to watchfulness (cf. Mt. 24:32-44; Mk.13:28-37; Lk.13:1-9, 21:29-38). This exhortation fell on deaf ears, and because of Israel’s unacceptance to Christ’s three years of public ministry and the definitive fulfillment of their longings, Christ curses Israel (Lk.13:1-9; Mt.21:18-22; Mk.11:12-14).

In addition to the synoptic vision to the Fig Tree, the gospel of John speaks to another key piece to understanding the importance of the fig tree. In the opening chapter, we read of Nathaniel’s calling while “sitting under the fig tree” (Jn.1:48-50). This calling recalls how neighbors would “invite” one another in during the messianic age (Zech.3:10) (Hahn and Minch, 20). Again, the fig tree not only represented what was symbolic to Old Covenant Israel, but also signified the coming of the New Covenant Church.

The Readings for this Third Sunday of Lent draw our attention to not only the Fig Tree, but also the urgent call to repentance. As we draw closer to Holy Week and the Triduum, the Church places before us another opportunity to examine the lives we are living and the kind of fruit we are bearing. So let us not waste anymore time and be just as serious with our faith as we would be with any other aspect of our life that moves with urgency. Carpe Diem!

“In the Gospel just proclaimed we heard an important reference to the fig tree whose branches, when their new leaves sprout, announce that springtime is near. With these words, Jesus encourages the Apostles not to give up before the difficulties and uncertainties of the present.”

–Pope John Paul II

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch , Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of John, RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco : Ignatius Press, 2003.

Commonwealth: Politeuma (Gk.): meaning, “citizenship; a state, commonwealth”. This term is understood as the commonwealth of citizens.

The CCC reminds us that “When the Church prays ‘our Father who art in heaven’, she is professing that we are the people of God, already seated ‘with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and ‘hidden with Christ in God’ (Eph.2:6; Col.3:30); yet at the same time, ‘here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling’” (2 Cor.5:2). In doing so, the Church reminds us of our earthly mission as sons and daughters of God to give glory to God in all that we do (cf. CCC, 294).

Politeuma can be found only one time in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. In this usage, Paul is encouraging the Philippians to press towards the goal of heaven in the imitation of himself (cf. Phil.3: 17-21). His exhortation to stand firm in the way of the Lord (cf. Phil.4:1) was a call to the many residents of Philippi who were esteemed because of their high-ranking Roman citizenship. He wanted them to understand that their privileges by virtue of their earthly citizenship were incomparable to our commonwealth that is in heaven (cf. Phil.3:21) (cf. Hahn and Minch, 21).

The focus of the Second Sunday in Lent has all eyes fixed on the brilliant light of the Transfiguration (Lk.9:28-36). As discussed in previous columns, it is always worth noting the events that surround the particular event that is being examined, in this case the Transfiguration. What is of central importance for us this week, is what Luke hits upon just before the account of the Transfiguration: Christ as the Master to be followed, even unto his death (Lk.9:23-27). Point to ponder, the glory and grandeur of the Trinity and the pain and suffering of the cross are never to far apart. Every peak has a neighboring valley, and for the disciples, every experience of the “dazzling white” is accompanied by nights of darkness. As we reflect upon nature of life and all its undulations, let us keep our eyes fixed upon our citizenship in heaven, while citizens of earth. Let us remember that we are not just a reflection of our earthly parents, but also a reflection of our heavenly Father, created in his image and likeness.

“Christians live in their homeland, but as guests; as citizens they participate in all things, but are detached from all things as strangers. Every foreign country is a homeland to them and every homeland a foreign country…. They dwell on earth but are citizens of heaven.”

–Epistle to Diognetus

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch , Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Paul’s Letter to the Phillipians, Colossians, Philemon. RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco : Ignatius Press, 2001.

Forty: Tessarakonta (Gk.): meaning, “forty”. Behind this term is a Hebrew expression meaning four decades.

In the Old Testament, the number forty was synonymous with a time of testing a person’s (and nation) character (see below). In the New Testament, we read of several occasions where Christ redeems the events of past, giving them new meaning; events tied to forty days.

1) Joseph and Mary taking the infant Jesus to the temple to be consecrated to God forty days after his birth (cf. CCC, 583).
2) Christ’s time of solitude in the desert where he was tempted for a time of forty days by Satan (cf. CCC, 538-39).
3) Christ spending forty days with his disciples on the Road to Emmaus (cf. CCC, 659).

The Greek tessakaronta can be found twenty-two times in the New Testament. The synoptic gospels record the term only once, each case speaking to the length of Christ’s fasting in the account of his temptation. As we read of the temptation narratives in the synoptic gospels, in particular Matthew and Luke, we can appreciate the many rich themes that emerge as points of reflection to the beginning of the season of Lent. Keeping true to this bulletin’s focus on the number forty, I will focus on the significance to this length of time in Sacred Scripture and the insights it provides for us as children of God.

In general, the number forty has proven itself to be a time of great trial and testing in the narrative story of salvation history. A careful reading of the biblical text reveals the following events and the rich symbolism behind the number forty:

1) Noah’s Flood (Gn.7:4, 17)
2) Moses’ fast on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 34:28)
3) Israel’s journey in the desert (Deut.8:2)
4) The twelve spies inspection of Canaan (Num.14:34)
5) Israel’s oppression by the Phillistines (Judg.13:1)
6) Elijah’s fasting (1 Kings 19:8)
7) Duration of time given to the ninevites to repent at the preaching of Jonah (Jon.3:4)

Of the aforementioned cases in Scripture tied to the number forty, it is Israel and its disobedience to God that shines brightest as the antithesis to what Jesus used to overcome the devil in the desert: obedience. Satan is fully aware of what befalls man if he is disobedient to God. In the temptation narratives, you have Christ’s sonship being directly tested: “If you are the son of God” (Mt.4:3, 6; Lk.4:3, 9). Satan is trying to avert Christ’s attention to an earthly/political mission of sensationalism and power opposed to his mission of his mission to suffer at the hands of the people (cf. Hahn and Minch, 22). Like Christ, we overcome our temptation to Satan by way of personal entrustment to God in penance, fasting, prayer, and a good dose of understanding Scripture in its proper context (again, note Christ’s use of interpreting Scripture verses Satan quoting Scripture).

In Sacred Scripture, we often find some of Christ’s pearls of pedagogy in the way he carries about his ministry in terms of sequence, from one episode to the next. If we carefully read Scripture, we see that the temptation narratives act as the precursor to Christ’s ministry. What are we to glean from this truth? Penance prepares us for ministry by virtue of strengthening our relationship with God. Christ, being led into the wilderness by the Spirit, teaches us that being without in material things is to be with God in spiritual insight. The temptation narrative is a loud reminder of our need to live in spiritual poverty, and in turn, be in relationship with God.

“It is as if Jesus were reliving Israel’s exodus, and then reliving the chaotic meanderings of history in general; the forty days of fasting embrace the drams of history, which Jesus takes into himself and bears all the way through the end.”

–Pope Benedict XVI

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch, Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000.

Weeping: Klaio (Gk.): meaning, “to mourn, weep, lament”. The underlining meaning behind this word is weeping as the sign of grief and pain.

“Jesus wept” (Jn.11:35). The shortest verse in all of Sacred Scripture reveals to man that Christ loved humanity with a human heart, experiencing in his flesh the whole gamut of human emotion. Christ’s mourning over Lazareth and the grief of his family is a sign pointing towards his most Sacred heart, which is s chief sign of his heroic love (CCC, 478). All things concerning the life of Christ have a rich and poignant meaning, and Christ’s mourning reveal that tears ought to have a therapeutic quality to them, both physically and spiritually. Furthermore, we have in the beatitudes, a portrait of man being comforted in his mourning (Mt.5:3) and receiving the joy of laughter in the future upon weeping in the present (Lk.6:21). Christ’s countenance in the beatitudes points us towards a future peace if we faithfully associate with Christ’s Paschal Mystery in the present (CCC, 1717). Simply, we are called to grieve the folly of sin and prudently work towards the justice of truth.

Klaio can be found forty times in the NT. It is interesting to note that John uses a different Greek term dakruo in his treatment of Christ’s weeping, a term that communicates the physical tears. It is the only time in the entire NT that the Greek term is used. John’s gospel has a sacramental quality to it, and even to the detail of Christ’s weeping, he strategically employs a term that communicates the dynamism of Christ’s weeping. In general, weeping in the NT is often tied to Peter’s contritious lament (Mt.26:75; Mk.14:72; Lk.22:62); Mary Magdalene’s weeping at the tomb (Jn.20:11); those weeping upon the death of Jairus’ daughter (Mk.5:38-39; Lk.8:52); and those weeping and gnashing their teeth (Mt.8:12, 13:42-50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30; Lk.13:28). It is Luke, using the term nine times, that takes up this theme of weeping more than any other in the NT. Certainly, this emerges within his greater theme of encountering Christ in his personalism. For this study on the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time we will take a closer look at his first use of the term in the beatitudes: “Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh” (Lk.6:21).

This Lucan beatitude draws us into the mystery of this life into relationship to the afterlife, the heavenly Jerusalem. In fact, there are few verses that bring into focus the importance of living with the end in mind more than this particular verse and these beatitudes. The reason, the juxtaposition between tears on earth and laughter in heaven. It is far too easy today to find our joy, peace, and laughter in material things; God calls us to live in the joy that has its orientation in viewing all things in light of the Giver. It is of the upmost importance this week to be reflecting on how we can better prioritize our relationships and time, and how they can better serve our vocation to love. In the end, allowing God to shape both our relationships and time is a measure of living in the Presence of God. Moreover, such a life begins to see a correct estimation of what is good for this life as it draws us into contemplating the life to come. Let the beatitude to weep and mourn become a blessing for our greater good in giving glory to God!

“Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.”

–St. Dominic

Primary Texts Consulted

• Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.