Part One: The Spirituality of the Cenacle
Religious themes have traditionally permeated art. This seems only natural since art, by its very nature, speaks directly to the human spirit, and religion, by its very nature, expresses the deepest sentiments of the human heart.
Artists tend to choose subjects which have most affected or impressed peoples over the course of time. The Cenacle has thus secured a prominent place in art for it is in the Cenacle that the Lord's Supper was celebrated; it is in the Cenacle that Pentecost occurred. This book will extensively explore the reality and meaning of the Cenacle's rich, deep experiences.
Great lessons of love emerge from the Cenacle. There Christ expresses His maximal love to His own by becoming food for them, by calling them friends, and by mandating them to repeat His example throughout time. Mary's teaches a lesson of love by gathering the frightened disciples around her, giving them assurance that they are not left orphans. There is a lesson of love from the devout women who, in the Cenacle, take care of the practical needs of the Apostles. Finally there is a lesson of love from the Apostles and disciples who, filled with the Holy Spirit, go out into the world to communicate the message of love as the legacy of Christ, sealed with His death and announced by His resurrection.
These lessons require a new appreciation and application. They need to be re-presented in words more suitable not only to the needs but also to the mentality of our times. This is especially so for priests; therefore, although this book is applicable to everyone, it has been written primarily for them.
May Mary, spiritual vessel, inspire both priests and laity to live the spirituality of the Cenacle so that the Lord Jesus' prayer for unity and charity, uttered before His passion, may not remain in vain.
THE CENACLE OR THE GOOD SHEPHERD?
Following the Second Vatican Council, many priests and lay persons alike experienced a loss of vision regarding the priesthood. Priests, at least for a while, lost their sense of identity and lacked contemporary, reconstructed, role models. Driven by the Council's dual efforts to redefine the roles of both bishops and laity, priests felt that they no longer had a distinct purpose or place in the Church.
Now that the situation has been brought into focus and the major crisis weathered, it may seem superfluous to look for priestly models or for a self-identity. Rather than being irrelevant, however, the need for clarity regarding the priesthood today is critical. Fortunately, a simple re-examination of the documents of Vatican II provides bishops and priests with the obvious and ultimate role model: the christological figure of the Good Shepherd. 1
This has been the focus of contemporary priestly spirituality highlighted at recent conventions and in theological studies; 2 and appropriately so, since the entire tenth chapter of St. John's Gospel presents this Figure as the starting point for the ministry and life of those who, following Christ, are to embrace the role of shepherds. Moreover, such focus is rooted in the great biblical tradition exemplified by Ezekiel. 3
However, is an exclusive emphasis on Christ as Good Shepherd scripturally complete? Of course, Jesus repeatedly refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd in search of His sheep, ready to lay down His life for them. But where is it that Jesus and His Apostles experience the deepest intimacy? Where is it that He shares Himself with them in the most personal way, giving a new covenant and initiating the Eucharist? Where is it that the Apostles are consecrated as priests, receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, and are finally filled with the fire of the Spirit? All this happens in the Cenacle.
Without studying, or better, contemplating the mystery of the Cenacle, we will never come to an authentic understanding of the priesthood. The Fathers of Vatican II recognized this by including the Cenacle in the Council documents. Citations from chapters 13 through 17 of the Gospel of John are numerous and the image of the Cenacle is especially striking in the decrees on priestly formation [Optatam Totius], on the ministry of priests [Presbyterorum Ordinis], and on the ministry of bishops [Christus Dominus].4 Pope John XXIII 5 and Pope Paul VI 6 both considered the Council itself to be an immense Cenacle from which Christ, through the successors of the Apostles and in the light of the Holy Spirit, was again sending to the world His message of service, love, and unity.
The Council's message for bishops and priests is a call to return to the sacrificial love of the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. Yet this message cannot be fully understood nor authentically lived unless it is integrated with the Last Supper, for the Cenacle is like an X-ray machine that reveals to us the heart of Christ and the legacy of Jesus the Good Shepherd. We must return to the Cenacle to listen to the Master's voice, to experience such intimacy with the Master that the hearts of those whom He configures with His priestly mystery might be formed and animated by His Spirit.
By tasting anew the tenderness Jesus expressed to His disciples during the Last Supper, and by allowing the fire of the Cenacle to fill them again, priests will return to the world as renewed shepherds ready to follow the immolative example of the Divine Shepherd.
Chapter I
1. The decree on bishops, Christus Dominus, deals with their "pastoral office" and says:
In this Church of Christ the Roman Pontiff is the successor of Peter, to whom Christ entrusted the feeding of His sheep and lambs. . . . For their part, the bishops too have been appointed by the Holy Spirit, and are successors of the apostles as pastors of souls. [C.D.#2]
The Decree on Priestly Formation, Optatam Totius, directs seminaries to orient the "whole training" of priests towards the formation of "pastors of souls" [O.T.#4]. Priests are to live as good shepherds who know their sheep, and they are to seek to lead those not of the sheepfold that they, too, may hear the voice of Christ. Thus, says Presbyterorum Ordinis, there might be one fold and one Shepherd [P.O.#3]. It is clear, therefore, that in looking for a Christological model, the priest must turn to Jesus the Good Shepherd.
2. See the National Convention on "The Spirituality of Diocesan Priests Today," held in Rome, November 3-6, 1980.
3. cf. Ezekiel 34
4. The following passage from Christus Dominus, clearly based on one aspect of the Cenacle, is a convincing example.
They should, therefore, constantly exert themselves to have the faithful know and live the paschal mystery more deeply through the Eucharist and thus become a firmly knit body in the unity of Christ's love. "Intent upon prayer and the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4), they should devote their labor to this end that all those committed to their care may be of one mind in prayer and through the reception of the sacraments may grow in grace and be faithful witnesses to the Lord. [C.D.#15].
5. The following is an excerpt from the speech of Pope John XXIII opening the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962.
In this regard, we confess to you that we feel poignant sorrow over the fact that very many bishops, so dear to us, are noticeable here today by their absence, because they are imprisoned for their faithfulness to Christ or impeded by other restraints. The thought of them impels us to raise fervent prayer to God. Nevertheless we see today, not without great hope and to our immense consolation, that the Church, finally freed from so many obstacles of a profane nature such as trammeled her in the past, can from this Vatican Basilica, as if from a second apostolic Cenacle, and through your intermediary, raise her voice resonant with majesty and greatness.
6. Pope Paul VI, in his speech opening the second session of the Council on September 29, 1963, evokes the image of the Cenacle even more.
Truly it is fitting that this solemn and fraternal assembly, gathered together from the East and the West, from the regions of the South and the North, should be designated by the prophetic name of "Ecclesia," that is, a coming together or a meeting. Here, truly, are realized in a new way those words which now come to our mind: "Their voice has gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." (cf. Rom 10:18; Ps 18:5)
Truly one mystery of unity is joined to another mystery of catholicity; and this spectacle of universality recalls the apostolic origin, here so faithfully reflected and extolled, as well as the sanctifying purpose of our most beloved Church of God. Her characteristic notes shine forth: the countenance of the spouse of Christ is resplendent. Our spirits are elated by a most familiar, yet always secret, experience by which we perceive that we are the Mystical Body of Christ and by which we taste the incomparable joy, still unknown to the profane world, of "how good it is, and how pleasant, where brethren dwell as one!" (Ps 133:1)
It is not futile to realize, right from this first moment, the human and divine phenomenon that we are bringing about. Here we are once more, as if in a new Cenacle, which has become confined not by reasons of its vast dimensions but because of the multitude of those who are gathered together within it. Here certainly the Virgin Mother of Christ is helping us from heaven. Here, around him who is last in time and merit, but identified with the first Apostle in authority and mission, the successor of Peter, you are gathered, Venerable Brothers, you too apostles descended from the apostolic college and its authentic successors.
Here, praying together and united together by the same faith and the same charity; here, we shall rejoice in the unfailing grace of the Holy Spirit, who is present vivifying, teaching, strengthening. Here all tongues will be only one voice and one voice alone will be the message to all the world.
Here with bold step the Church Militant has arrived after 20 centuries of journeying. Here the apostolic ranks, assembled from all over the world, are refreshed at the fountain which quenches every thirst and reawakens every new thirst, and from here they will confidently resume their journey in the world and in time toward the goal which is beyond earth and beyond the ages.
THE MYSTERY OF THE CENACLE
The Cenacle, so rich in content, merits the designation "mystery." Each individual segment* of the mystery of the Cenacle imparts something sacred which should be approached with a sense of respect and awe. Like Moses, we must "remove the sandals from [our] feet, for the place where [we] stand is holy ground." 1
Just as Calvary is not a mere episode in Christ's life but the motivating force and apex of His entire life and mission, so also is the Cenacle more than mere historical events. Beyond the historical moment is the authentic spirituality of the Cenacle in which we are called to participate. Indeed, the Cenacle becomes the pivotal force of Christ's life for it anticipates the bloody, mystical immolation of Christ on the Cross, forming a unique reality with Calvary.
The Cenacle is both a starting point and culmination. Grasping this paramount reality in the Lord's spirituality allows us to comprehend certain expressions otherwise obscure and enigmatic. Let us look at one such statement aided by the light of the Cenacle.
"Desiderio desideravi hoc pascha manducare vobiscum" - - "I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." 2 The repeated Latin verb "desideravi," with its intensified stress, shows that the Lord's desire has been implanted deeply in His heart for a long time. Still we wonder why He would say this since He had eaten supper with His Apostles many times, and during His public life He had celebrated Passover with them at least twice. Obviously something more, something special and specific, is meant.
In the sixth chapter of John's Gospel, Jesus promises the Eucharist. This promise is so explicit and so hard to understand that some disciples walk away in disgust. Yet Jesus will not stop mentioning it! For those who trust, His pledge comes as a revealing light shining upon murky confusion. Nonetheless, His followers undoubtedly prefer to forget, or at least attenuate, Jesus' scandalous disclosure - - "If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life
* The Cenacle presents two pictures: the first, Jesus with His Apostles at the Last Supper; the second, Mary with the Apostles, disciples, and devout women waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit.
in you." 3 When Jesus actualizes the mystery of the Eucharist in the Cenacle, perhaps the memory of that promise stirs somewhere in the Apostles' hearts. Light overcomes the darkness.
Jesus' yearning to give Himself as food to eat and blood to drink is revealed by His intense desire to celebrate this particular Passover with His disciples. At last, the time is at hand when His plan of complete love for all humanity is brought about.
The Last Supper begins with the washing of the feet, a fundamental gesture that needs to be highlighted. It is not merely a gesture of humility nor a didactic gesture on the duty of service and charity. This action demonstrates within itself the deep reality that Christ is, by nature and by birth, the "Servus," the Servant. In the Cenacle, Christ teaches that the entire Church must be service, that the Eucharist is service, and that the priesthood is service. How often the Lord Jesus reiterates the duty to serve! "It cannot be like that with you. Anyone among you who aspires to greatness must serve the needs of all." 4 With the washing of the feet, Jesus' teaching is so forceful that it evokes a strong reaction in Peter. 5 This is the first and only time that Jesus kneels before His Apostles and says, "Et vos debetis alter alterius lavare pedes" - - "You must wash each other's feet." 6 Thus a fundamental law is established for the Church: Be in a position of service. As Christ in the Eucharist becomes bread, becomes nourishment (and nourishment in service), so the Apostles, following His example, must become servants.
How important it is to grasp this reality! Yet what bewilderment there has been throughout history regarding the priesthood! How many things still need to be reformed! It is in the light and spirit of the Cenacle that all issues are to be reviewed and restructured, from financial issues (beyond what is necessary for personal sustenance) to issues regarding needs and rights. Only in the light of the Cenacle is it possible to understand and live the Lord's words, "Take nothing for the journey, neither walking staff nor traveling bag; no bread, no money. No one is to have two coats." 7 We must return to this concept of service to understand what the Cenacle means to Jesus for it is there that the great ideal of the Servant-Church is revealed.
The Cenacle, therefore, realizes Jesus' ultimate goal. It is also the starting point for the Church for it is there that Jesus promises the Holy Spirit. The Church will receive the Spirit and will minister in His power.
While promising the Paraclete, Jesus says a singular thing. "It is much better for you that I go. If I fail to go, the Paraclete will never come to you . . . " 8 The Apostles could have said, "We do not know and do not wish to know the Holy Spirit. We are content to be with You." However, by saying this they would have derailed God's plan, for the Church is the Church of Christ, animated by and imbued with the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit Who forms the image of Christ in the Church, in history, and in individual souls.
A second fundamental teaching given by Jesus in the Cenacle is the commandment of love. "In hoc cognoscent omnes quia discipuli mei estis" - - "This is how all will know you for My disciples: your love for one another." 9 Thus the Church is based on charity because it is rooted in the Spirit, Who is love.
Charity was the defining characteristic of the early Church. In the second century Tertullian reports the deep admiration of others for Christians because of "how they love one another." 10 It is from this commandment, born in the Cenacle, that the great heroes of love and charity, that is the saints, have been generated.
A third tenet of the Cenacle is the Eucharist, the Bread that is broken. Here Christ takes us into the heart of the Church. In fact, we must be aware that the Church is born of the Eucharist. Wherever there is an altar on which the bishop, a priest, breaks Bread, there is the particular Church. Together, the various particular Churches form the Universal Church with the Holy Father as head. Conversely, the Universal Church gives special meaning and history to the particular Churches. The focal point, however, always remains the same: the Church born of the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is a source of grace; 11 a sign and source of unity for the people of God; 12 the source and ultimate goal of evangelization; 13 the heart of the Liturgy, as the ultimate end of every action of the Church, and the source of every virtue. 14
Without the Eucharist there can be no Church. The Church is Christ among us, our companion and the center of both our individual and universal history. 15
Another tenet of the Church, also born of the Cenacle, is prayer. Of those that have been made known to us, Jesus' longest and most explicit prayer is His priestly prayer which is found in John's account of the Last Supper. Jesus prayed, and still prays, for the Church, and we must pray with Him.
This overview invites us to enter the reality of the Cenacle. The Cenacle is not just an episode or sequel; in fact, though it is both a starting point and summit, it is much more. It is not so much a place as it is a spirituality, the spirituality of the heart of Christ. As such, it is the model of spirituality for the Church, for the priesthood, and for each one of us.
It must also be said - - especially regarding priests - - that the Cenacle is the expression of maximalism (maximum love) when all reaches its peak: "Desiderio desideravi, cum dilexisset suos qui erant in hoc mundo, in finem dilexit eos." "He had loved His own in this world, and would show His love for them to the end." 16
It is in the Cenacle that the Apostles experience the deep intimacy of Christ's love. "Vos autem dixi amicos" - - "I call you friends." 17 No longer can they consider themselves slaves for they have advanced to a stage of divine friendship with the Master. When Jesus calls these men "little ones," they are imbued with His tender love.
This is the meaning that the Cenacle has for Christ, for the Church. This is the meaning that we, too, are called to grasp.
Chapter II
1. Exodus 3:5
2. Luke 22:15
3. John 6:53
4. Mark 10:43-44
5. cf. John 13:6-9
6. John 13:14
7. Luke 9:3
8. John 16:7
9. John 13:35
10. Apologetics, E.P. #281
11. Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy #10
12. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church #11
13. Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests #5
14. Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium #10
15. This doctrine is beautifully summarized by the Council in Sacrosanctum Concilium:
At the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. This He did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us. [S.C. #47]
16. John 13:1
17. John 15:15
THE MAXIMUM LOVE OF THE CENACLE
When we speak of maximum love, we refer to one of the characteristics of God's way of acting. We could use other expressions such as divine extravagance or God's radicalism, which all mean the same thing: God's divine way of acting is infinitely beyond the limits of human thinking and acting. This acknowledges the crux of the mystery, namely, that the finite is incapable of measuring the infinite. It can only accept the infinite with humility and faith. This is the sole attitude towards a Father Who loves such poor and lowly creatures as we are that He wills to sacrifice for us His only Son. 1
It is also the only attitude toward Christ. Maximalism characterizes the life of Jesus from beginning to end.
- He is born in the absolute poverty of a cave.
- He summarizes His message with the pungent Sermon on the Mount, especially the Beatitudes.
- He dies naked on the hard wood of a cross.
Once again, to enter into the heart of the maximum love of Christ, we must go beyond the events themselves; we must grasp the motives of His actions.
Jesus ardently desires to eat this Passover with His Apostles. 2 They are the ones He has always loved and for whom, in that moment in a very particular way, He feels an even deeper love. 3 This explains His unusual gesture of stooping down like a servant and washing their feet. 4 He does this so that they may learn the attitude they must have toward each other. "But if I washed your feet - - I Who am Teacher and Lord - - then you must wash each other's feet." 5
Yet the meaning of His gesture is much more than service, it is love. Jesus is teaching maximum love through His example of infinite love, 6 expressed in the humble form of service. Humanly speaking, this is not an easy lesson but He entrusts all to the power of the Spirit Whom He promises over and over again. 7
But Christ's love goes even farther. He wishes to lead His Apostles, and all those who will believe through them, not just to some vague amalgamation, but to configuration and identification with Him.
It is in the Cenacle that Jesus gives His body and blood as food, leading to the transformation of His Apostles into Himself. According to the commentary of St. Augustine, it is not we who transform the divine food into ourselves, rather it is the divine food that transforms us into Itself.
The second transformation, more profound because it is permanent, is the consecration to the priesthood. Jesus gives His Apostles His own power to repeat the Eucharistic mystery. 8 He then utters a passionate prayer to the Father asking that He might perform the miracle of a mystical transformation in the Apostles - - a transformation that will root them in unity with each other and with the Trinity.
These expressions of maximum love found in the Cenacle help us understand Jesus' behavior. Christ has an infinite and unifying love. He wishes to communicate it to us so that we may base our relations with one another on it. Our love is to reach the magnitude of self-giving service; our unity is to be modeled on the Trinity.
In our effort to enter into the mystery of God's maximalism, how can we ignore the great lessons of the Cenacle? For the Cenacle is the place and time in which Jesus shows us the wonders of His maximum love and reveals to us the depth and design of God's divine extravagance.
Chapter III
1. John 3:16
2. Luke 22:15
3. John 13:1
4. John 13:5
5. John 13:14
6. John 13:15
7. John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7-13
8. Luke 22:19
THE SERVANT OF YAHWEH
Our first encounter with Christ's maximum love is the washing of the feet. The episode is introduced in a rather peculiar way. "Jesus - - fully aware that He had come from God and was going to God, the Father Who had handed everything over to Him - - rose from the meal and took off His cloak. He picked up a towel and tied it around Himself." 1
What may simply seem to be absurd conduct actually signifies the mystery of Jesus as the Servant of Yahweh. 2 Christ, Word of the Father and Son of Man, bends down, takes the position of a slave before the Apostles, and washes their feet.
Peter resists but Christ insists, forcing him to appreciate the deeper meaning in His action. Though the meaning is not clear to Peter yet, he will understand later. Judas, on the other hand, does not react to Jesus' gesture though Christ stoops before him, too, in the position of a servant. What was Jesus thinking then? Perhaps Blessed Camilla Battista Varani expressed His thought. "I wash your feet with My tears, but you do not see them because My long hair, fallen on My bowed head, covers both My face and My tears." 3
Yes, there certainly is a mystery here, but what is it? What are Peter and all the others to understand?
Jesus is explicit to a certain extent. "You address Me as Teacher and Lord, and fittingly enough, for that is what I am. But if I washed your feet - - I Who am Teacher and Lord - - then you must wash each other's feet." 4 As we have already noted, this is the lesson of servant-love, a love that assumes the servitude of a slave.
For what else was Jesus' life if not a continual service for us? His life of absurdities result in our instruction and our salvation. He is born in a cave, grows up in an laborer's house of poverty, and works for His daily bread. He spends His public life with nowhere to lay His head, though even foxes have lairs, and suffers the tragic death of crucifixion. He is a man who keeps nothing for Himself; out of love, He is spent for others. Such is the lesson stressed by Jesus in the Cenacle.
The Apostles, if they truly wish to represent Christ, 5 must not forget the great lesson of love, humility, and service that Jesus gave them at the moment of His solemn farewell and their priestly consecration.
In that moment the Apostles are the Church for Jesus. He sees them, speaks with them, and prays for them but not only for them because in them He sees the future. "I do not pray for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their word." 6 This is a mystery which the Apostles will not understand until later.
This essential lesson is given to the entire Church. The Church must never forget that she was willed by the Father, established by Christ in the fire of the Spirit's love, to serve all humanity.
The Word became Man, Brother, Servant for all. 7 In the same way the Church, in the footsteps of Jesus, must live her mission of service toward God's children scattered throughout the world. 8
The Church, or rather those dedicated to her, are subjected to the temptations of power since the sacred, too, can become an instrument of domination. History records many such instances of evil. But a return to Christ, a Servant washing feet, remains the ideal that enables us to understand the mission of the Church and her priests. 9
Why this tenacious insistence on servant-love for the ordained? Because when a priest lives the humility and service of Jesus, the faithful see clearly in him Jesus, the Priest, and are thus encouraged to grow in servant-love, too.
Chapter IV
1. John 13:3-4
2. Isaiah 52 ff
3. I. Iorgensen, In Excelsis, p. 298
4. John 13:13-14
5. 2 Corinthians 5:20
6. John 17-20
7. Hebrews 2:10-18
8. John 11:52
9. This is, in fact, reiterated in all the documents of Vatican II. Addressing young men preparing for the priesthood, the documents emphasize that they "must clearly understand that it is not their lot to lord it over others and enjoy honors, but to devote themselves completely to the service of God and the pastoral ministry. With special care they should be trained in priestly obedience, poverty, and a spirit of self-denial, that they may accustom themselves to living in conformity with the crucified Christ [O.T. #9:18-19].
The already-ordained "should . . . occupy their position of leadership as men who do not seek the things that are their own but the things that are Jesus Christ. They should unite their efforts with those of the lay faithful and conduct themselves among them after the example of the Master, who came among us 'not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many' " [P.O. #9:52-53].
The Council reminds bishops of the same lesson. "That office, which the Lord committed to the pastors of his people, is, in the strict sense of the term, a service, which is called very expressively in Sacred Scripture a 'diakonia' or ministry (cf. Acts 1:17, 25; 21:19; Rom 11:13; 1 Tim 1:12)" [L.G. #24]. "Sent as he is by the Father to govern his family, a bishop should keep before his eyes the example of the Good Shepherd, Who came not to be waited upon but to serve and lay down His life for His sheep (cf. Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45; Jn 10:11) [L.G. #27].
CHRIST, PRIEST AND VICTIM
Though profound and rich, the chronicle of the Last Supper is also succinct. Jesus says, "This is My body and My blood; take and eat, take and drink." He adds, "Do this in memory of Me," 1 and then concludes, "I consecrate Myself for their sakes now, that they may be consecrated in truth." 2
Within this framework are two essential realities: first, the Eucharist, Jesus the Victim; and second, priestly consecration, the immolative configuration of the Apostles with Christ. Christ consecrates Himself, immolates Himself, so that the Apostles may participate in His sacrificial consecration.
This then is the dual concept: Jesus, Who is Priest and Victim; the Apostles, who are priests and victims.
It is necessary to ponder this reality which faces substantial resistance from our modern culture: Christ is both Priest and Victim.
Just like the ancient world, the world today seeks to avoid suffering altogether and so cringes, scandalized by this reality. Christianity is not only unable to eliminate suffering, but even increases it through the presence of the Cross, the presence of the Victim-Priest, the Man of suffering.
The world's perspective is incomplete since it is limited to the last phase of Christ's life. If we really wish to know the Incarnate Word we must go beyond this last frame of His earthly life and see how Jesus' eternal action unfolds into time. Then we see that this final frame, the frame of suffering, is the expression of the greatest reality, that of Trinitarian love. It is God - - Father, Son, and Spirit - - Who loves us. This, rather than the Cross and suffering, is the fundamental reality: God loves us.
Why does He love us? There is no reasonable answer; He loves us just because. It is futile to search further. We must accept this reality even though it appears to be absurd. The more we analyze this awe-inspiring mystery of God's love for us, the more we realize how gratuitous it is. There is no reason for God - - the Infinite, the Self-Sufficient, the All-Powerful - - to love us with a love of predilection. We can only bow our heads with humility and joyous acceptance.
However, since this is indeed a reality, we are drawn to enter into it as deeply as possible to see the economy of the Trinitarian love for each one of us.
God has a clear vision of the relationship He intends to have with us. It is nothing less than the rapport of transforming love. He wants to transform us into Himself, mold us into His image, regardless of our opposition. That obstruction in us, impeding and sometimes blocking the flow of God's divine love, is sin, both original sin and actual sin.
God's first decree regarding man's divinization is nullified by the historical reality of original sin. God then chooses to incarnate the eternal Word. He enters history, becoming a man like us with a body, a dimension, a way of thinking. According to Gaudium et Spes [#22], the Word enters fully into our history so that we may enter into the history of God. This is a fundamental Christian concept already articulated in the first century by St. Athanasius. "God becomes Man so that man may become God." 3
God's love is all the more extraordinary when we realize that He - - Who could have used an infinite number of other options - - chooses the most absurd in order to overcome our resistance. He becomes flesh in order to die on a cross, Priest and Victim. Consistent with the "law of paradox" often found in God's divine way of acting, God - - Who could have saved us through the least of means - - chooses instead to use the utmost.
Only the law of love can explain this. For humans, it is the willingness to suffer that substantiates love, makes love credible. God chooses the redemptive decree "per crucem" to manifest His love. He becomes one of us and suffers like us.
God does not become man out of a whim for humiliation or suffering, but simply to conform Himself to our human condition. Moreover, Christ does not come to bring suffering but to participate in ours thereby giving suffering a transcendental quality. In Him, Priest and Victim, our suffering acquires infinite value.
For His participation to be complete and practical, He is not satisfied with just sampling pain but experiences it to the deepest, ultimate degree, from the moment of His incarnation to the moment of His resurrection with scarred hands. Thus the vision of the Cross and of the suffering immolated Christ, which initially seemed to be a horrifying vision, instead gives testimony to His infinite love.
Placing this image of Christ, Priest and Victim, within the economy of love helps us understand His suffering more fully. The suffering of Christ gives meaning to the suffering of the Church, which has a history of martyrdom, as well as to the immolation, sacrifice, asceticism, and strivings of each individual Christian. These cannot be negative realities for they are efforts to reach the Father. Christ reaches the Father through suffering; so too, the Church and her members become configured with Christ and reach the Father through suffering.
Christ's life is the translation of the Father's love into history. Seen within the divine plan of love, His life, with its backdrop of suffering, finds its fulfillment in the Resurrection. His life is sacrificial and priestly not only on Calvary but in its entirety. Christ, the immolated Sacrifice, and Christ, the Priest offering Himself to the Father, freely accepts suffering and freely accepts death. "No one takes it [life] from Me, I lay it down freely. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again." 4
Jesus is the one Who gives forth His spirit, "emissa voce magna expiravit" - - "uttering a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last." 5 He dies when He chooses after giving a sign of divine power from the Cross by uttering a loud cry.
Christ's whole life, not just its epilogue, is a sacrificial and priestly life born from love and completed with the Resurrection. With this knowledge, we can see more clearly the deep meaning of that startling passage from Philippians. "Though He was in the form of God, He did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men." 6
Christ's immolation actualizes His interior attitude of love and service to the Father Whom the Servant of Yahweh adores. His immolation is realized through the suffering and denial that have accompanied His life until the culmination of the Cross.
The Cross does not diminish Christ's other sufferings, however. In Gethsemane, for instance, Jesus' suffering is piercing. "In His anguish He prayed with all the greater intensity . . . " 7 "My heart is filled with sorrow to the point of death . . ." 8 These descriptions are even more striking when we recall that Christ's human nature is in hypostatic union with the divine Person of the Word and that He could be enjoying the Beatific Vision.
Instead He chooses to experience each individual moment of His martyrdom. His scourging, the crowning with thorns, the Via Dolorosa, the crucifixion, His suspension between heaven and earth for three excruciating hours - - all this He suffers because He freely chooses it. He enters the dimension of time to fulfill a plan of love which entails His personal suffering and participation in ours.
The physical shedding of blood is accompanied by moral, emotional, social, and juridical pain. Christ is abandoned by His followers and left in utter loneliness. He hangs on the cross alone with only His Mother, John, and some pious women at His feet. If at times our souls should be enveloped by anguish, let us not forget that Jesus suffered anguish first. "Deus meus, Deus meus, ut quid dereliquisti me?" "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" 9
Humanly speaking, Christ is the biggest failure in history. For three years "transiit benefaciendo et sanando omnes." "He went about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil. . . " 10 After three years of work and a multitude of miracles, He is failed even by His Apostles. One hangs himself; another denies Him; the rest, save one, desert Him. Only a small group of women and John remain faithful while He is judged a failure and condemned.
The priestly state of Christ does not end with His death, however. When He appears to the Apostles, He still bears His stigmata. He tells Thomas, "Take your finger and examine My hands. Put your hand into My side." 11 The hands and feet of the risen, glorified Christ are wounded. In His body there is new life, for the Resurrection is not a mere resuscitation but a transformation. Yet His hands, His feet, and His side reveal a still-wounded body.
This plan of love, begun in Christ's configuration with us, brings about our configuration with God. The Father cannot help but love us, for now we are in Christ. The Eternal Word takes on our flesh and brings it into eternity. We are already potentially assumed with Christ into eternity. Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim, intercedes for us.
This is not a transient reality but a one that continues throughout history in the mystery of the Eucharist, focal point of the Cenacle. "Take and eat . . . take and drink . . . do this in memory of Me." 12
Once again we ask ourselves what the relationship is between Christ's sacrificial, priestly journey and the Cenacle.
The Last Supper is both the arrival and departure point of Jesus' itinerary. Jesus has ardently desired that hour because He wishes to show to His own, and to the Church that is born from them, that He is indeed the Servant of Yahweh. Soon He would begin the last phase of His human journey, filled with pain because filled with love. The Man Who bent down before the Apostles is aware of what is awaiting Him. Judas' betrayal, Peter's denial, the fleeing of the others, the atrocities of the passion, and His death on the Cross do not catch Him off guard. He knows, accepts, and moreover, He wills it all out of immense love.
So that this tremendous pain and love will not find its conclusion within the brief parenthesis of a day or so, He wills the Eucharist. The Apostles, as priests, will remember, re-enact, and re-present the mystery of Christ, Priest and Victim, throughout the centuries. Thus the Cenacle is for Christ, for the Church, and for priests the hallmark of His existence: Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim.
Each of us is a participant in all this. Our history is sealed forever with love whose source is the eternal decree of the Incarnate Word. This love is perfected in the Cenacle, from which is born the mystery of the Eucharist. Whenever we break the Bread, we remember and actualize again the death of the Lord.
The Christ of the Cenacle and of the Cross is, therefore, present among us through His immolation, perpetually renewed through His priests. In this way too, the Father's plan of love is actualized in Christ, in the Church, and in each one of us.
If Christ, then, is Priest and Victim, so is the Church for the Church is Christ present through history. It follows, therefore, that the Church will also suffer her own Calvary every century, every year, every day. When the Church is ridiculed and persecuted, she lives her intrinsic state, a state she must not merely endure but accept and love.
The history of martyrs and of all those who suffer persecution for Christ is the history of the Church herself, the history of her configuration with Christ, Priest and Victim.
This reality extends to all the Church's members and in particular to priests. In fact, if Christ is Priest and Victim, all those who have received the specific call to continue His priesthood must live this sacrificial configuration. Many examples could illustrate this point, but each priest knows the implications of the duties and commitments he has assumed within the Church from the moment of his ordination. He knows that such duties and commitments configure him with Christ, Victim and Bread, and that this requires a life of immolation.
There is immolation in celibacy, which rises above the demands of nature. There is immolation in the imitation of the Servant of Yahweh. There is immolation in the participation of a hierarchical Church where coordination is necessary and therefore obedience is necessary. There is immolation in remaining before the Lord in a penitential and intercessory attitude. It is a sacrificial and immolative apostolate, especially today when much is given and fruits are scarce. It is the same for Christ, Who completes His immolation in the loneliness of Calvary.
All this may be disconcerting if we forget the economy of love, of which we spoke earlier, and the fact that Calvary is not the ultimate goal but rather an intermediate step leading to the Resurrection, to Pentecost, and finally, to the Eternal Blessed Vision. In this vision the plan of love will be completed and, as Paul says, "We shall be with the Lord unceasingly . . ." 13
This is the plan of love within which we find the vision of Christ, Victim and Priest, and the vision of priests and the Church who are and victims and priests as well.
Chapter V
1. Luke 22:19
2. John 17:19
3. St. Athanasius, De Inc. 54, 3: PG 25, 192 B
4. John 10:18
5. Mark. 15:37
6. Philippians 2:6-11
7. Luke 22:44
8. Mark 14:34
9. Matthew 27:46
10. Acts 10:38
11. John 20:27
12. Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19
13. "Semper cum Domino erimus . . . " (1 Thes. 4:17)
IMMOLATION
At the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. This He did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us" [S.C. #47].
This passage from Vatican II reiterates the Council of Trent's dogmatic text on the unity of the sacrifice of the Cross and the Mass. 1 Let us venerate the mystery. Let us accept what the Church teaches. Let us entrust to theological research the effort to discover the "quomodo sit" - - "in what way it could be."
Beyond any discussion or research, what is certain is what the Gospel and Paul say happened at the Cenacle. 2 From 1 Corinthians and from the texts of Matthew 3 and Mark,4 we see the oneness of the Supper, the Cross, and the Mass for it is in the Cenacle that Jesus refers to the immolation of Calvary 5 and to the future: "Do this in remembrance of Me." 6 The Council of Trent acknowledged the unity of these different historical moments, just as Paul, along with the entire Christian tradition, clearly recognized in the Eucharist the presence of the same Jesus of the Supper and of the Cross.
What we need to consider for a moment is the immolation of Christ.
Jesus was not merely resigned to His death. No, He deliberately offered Himself as a sacrifice according to His Father's plan. 7 "My life, no one takes it from me; I lay it down freely. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. This command I received from My Father." 8
This is the immolative will that we find in the Cenacle which in a mysterious way anticipates the sacrifice of Golgotha. It is the same will that manifests itself on the Cross when "Jesus, uttering a loud cry, breathed His last." 9 On the altar this same immolative will renews the mystery of the Cenacle and the Cross through the ministry of Jesus. 10
Here a spontaneous question arises. Is this ministerial priesthood just a magic power exercised by the Apostles and their successors, or is it something involving a genuine transformation of their very lives?
Priestly consecration is the culmination of a process of configuration with Christ, Priest and Victim.* By virtue of the immolative will, the Apostles are grafted and transformed into another Christ in a process evolving from the Cenacle.11 This is the synthesis of the work Jesus did with His Apostles during the three years of their formation.
Priestly consecration implies and demands a true configuration-transformation in Christ. In the Apostles, as in Jesus, the immolative will must be constantly present, i.e., they must have an awareness of the sacrificial priesthood and they must accept the state of a victim.
It is difficult to know how much of the mystery of the Cenacle the Apostles grasped. Everything is perfectly clear to Christ, of course, and He could repeat to all of them the words He spoke earlier to Peter. "You may not realize now . . . but later you will understand." 12 The Holy Spirit will touch their intelligence and illuminate the mysteries they are experiencing.
The successors of the Apostles today are the historical collaborators of the mystery of the Cenacle and, in particular, of the Eucharistic immolation. However, are all bishops and priests constantly aware of this great mystery of love and of immolative self-giving which they, like Christ, must offer to the Father as an act of adoration, reparation, and intercession for their brothers and sisters? This they offer not only through the Eucharist but with their entire lives as Paul, model for all priests, says of himself, "In my own flesh I fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His body, the Church." 13
Is the Mass and the life of all priests adoration, reparation, and intercession?
*It is the culmination of a process for the Apostles. For candidates it is conferral and ordination into configuration.
Chapter VI
1. Council of Trent, 1562, Session XXII, Chapter 2, Decree De Missa 1743 and 1740:
In this divine sacrifice, which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offers Himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner. The Victim is one and the same; the Same now offers through the ministry of priests, Who then offered Himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.
2. The text from 1 Corinthians is closest to Luke's account.
Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes! This means that whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the body and blood of the Lord. A man should examine himself first; only then should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. He who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks a judgment on himself." (1Cor 11:26-29)
3. Matthew 26:26-29
4. Mark 14:22-25
5. 1 Corinthians 11:23: "Tradebatur."
6. 1 Corinthians 11:24
7. C.T.I. "Relazione dell'ottobre 1979 su alcune questioni rigueardanti la cristologia" cf. Civilta Cattolica, 1-11-1980 p. 272
8. John 10:18
9. Mark 15:37
10. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II:
To accomplish so great a work Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass not only in the person of His minister, "the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, Who formerly offered Himself on the Cross," but especially in the Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments so that when anybody baptizes it is really Christ Himself Who baptizes. He is present in His Word since it is He Himself Who speaks when the Holy Scriptures are read in the Church. Lastly, He is present when the Church prays and sings, for He has promised "where two or three are gathered in My name there I am in the midst of them"(Mt 18:20).
Christ, indeed, always associates the Church with Himself in this great work in which God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. the Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the eternal Father.
The liturgy, then, is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. It involves the presentation of man's sanctification under the guise of signs perceptible by the senses and its accomplishment in ways appropriate to each of these signs. In it full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members.
From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the Priest and of His Body, which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others. No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree [S.C. #7].
11. The topic of the institution of the sacrament of Holy Orders is complex. It is impossible to overlook the expressions of the Risen Christ: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men's sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound." (John 20:22) "Baptize them . . . teach them." (Matthew 28:19) These two texts have a constitutive and transformative value as do His words in the Cenacle: "Do this as a remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19)
12. John 13:7
13. Colossians 1:24
ANAMNESIS
Is the Mass and the life of all priests adoration, reparation, and intercession?
It is difficult to answer that question without being judgmental. If priests become more aware of the profundity of the Mass, perhaps they will be more attentive to and involved in the representation of the dual mystery of the Cenacle and the Cross. Reflecting on the "anamnesis" or memory-commemoration-repetition of that two-fold mystery is the first step towards heightened awareness.
The original Greek term "anamnesis," normally translated as "memory" or "recalling," has a deeper, more radical meaning than that. In fact, anamnesis constitutes the most sublime reality of the priesthood and of the Eucharistic celebration. When he speaks of the Eucharist in his letter to the Corinthians, 1 Paul uses "anamnesis" twice, and the evangelist Luke utilizes the term in his Gospel of the poor. 2
But what meaning does it have for us? Is it just the remembrance of the past, of the excessive love Christ showed to us in the Supper of the Testament, of the unfathomable mystery of the redemptive death of the Word Who was incarnated in the womb of Mary in order to suffer and die for us? Certainly it includes all of this, and we must remind ourselves and others of it according to the injunction of Paul: "Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes." 3
However, anamnesis means immensely more. The self-awareness of the Church, matured through the action of the Spirit and solemnly expressed at the Council of Trent, has impregnated the term with a much richer meaning. Anamnesis is re-presentation, re-actualization, and re-enactment of what has been and, at the same time, of what will be. At Mass we do not have a mere recollection of the Supper and of the Cross; rather we re-present the bloody and unbloody mystery of those very hours. In a mysterious, yet real, manner Christ accomplishes again the sacrifice of the Cross, re-enacted on the altar in an unbloody way through the word and instrumental will of the priest.
The Council of Trent is explicit about this. "One and the same is the Victim; the same One Who today through the ministerial priesthood but then personally, offered Himself on the Cross. The only difference is the way He offers Himself." 4
Without entering into an explanation of the mystery, we bow our heads in an act of faith and pensively ask ourselves, "Who is that Christ Whom the priest clasps in his hands at the moment of consecration?"
We spontaneously recall the historical Jesus of the Supper and the Cross, but this is a limited and inadequate response. The Lord on the altar is not a fossilized Christ from two thousand years ago; He is the Kyrios, the Lord Who has dominion over history from yesterday to today to the end of time. When the priest consecrates, he has before him not a mere ritualization of the "anamnesis" of a Person Who lived within a segment of time, but rather Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of God.
This Jesus present before us tells us of the Last Supper, of His death on the Cross, and Resurrection from the dead. He also tells us of the Spirit, of the first stirring of the dawning Church, and martyrdom's purple cloaks from the early centuries on - - up to the contemporary martyrs of the Eastern prisons and the millions of little ones, also children of His love, who are killed within the womb of their mothers.
This anamnesis of Jesus reminds us of the sacrilegious betrayal of Judas, repeated throughout the centuries, including our own, by many of His children who betray Him through "abusive" Masses, inappropriately offered - - sometimes out of naivetΘ, sometimes for even less tenable reasons.
This anamnesis recalls the act of love offered to John which Jesus offers all His priests in times of want so they need not rely on illusory human consolation. This anamnesis re-actualizes the prayer for unity - - a unity shredded through the centuries and still lacking in our tormented times.
Therefore the priest not only recalls but also makes present the Christ of faith, the Christ laden with our history and His, the Christ of yesterday and of today. He recalls and makes present the Christ Who, with the Father and the Spirit, forms the indissoluble Trinity. His presence in the anamnesis is one of relationship with the Father and the Spirit, with Whom 5 He has accomplished in the past, is accomplishing in the present, and will accomplish in the future the history of the Church and of the world.
This is the anamnesis that evokes both the remote and the recent past, and is inserted into our time giving us hope for the unforeseeable struggles of the future. To Christ, present on the altar through the mystery of anamnesis, we owe an act of faith, an act of self-giving, an act of unconditional love. 6
Stammering with emotion, we should express our happiness at being on Mount Tabor, and say with Peter, "Bonum est nos hic esse" - - "How good it is for us to be here." 7 How can we hurry through the experience, ignoring the mystery of the anamnesis while distracted by the noise and commotion that call us back to the foot of the Mount? Often things will not be as they "should," but at least let us leave the altar transfigured with a glowing face, like Moses after He spoke with the Lord, "radiating the fire of love," in the words of John Chrysostom.
May we lift up our acts of faith and love to Christ, our Lord and Savior, born of mother Mary who, with the Father and the Spirit, comes among us in the Eucharistic anamnesis.
Chapter VII
1. 1 Corinthians 11:23 ff
2. Luke 22:19 ff
3. 1 Corinthians 11:26
4. Council of Trent, Session XXII, Decree De Missa, Chapter 2
5. The Father, present in the Son, has loved us from eternity, has suffered in Christ killed on Golgotha, and throughout history has lived the drama of our daily lives with us.
The Spirit, too, is present in the Son. He, too, has showered His love on humanity from eternity, leading us to the fullness of Christ and directing the course of history toward the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God - - which is the Church - - a kingdom proclaimed by the Master and actualized through the blood of the Lamb.
6. Now we can better appreciate the ecstatic adoration of our Eastern brothers who, through veils and incense, in calm and with songs, express their awe before the Lord, re-actualizing again, somehow, the incarnation He already lived in the womb of Mary.
7. Mark 9:4
THE CHURCH IS BORN IN THE CENACLE
Two essential and complementary realities subsist in the Cenacle; the first is Christ Himself at the Last Supper and all that entails. The second has the dual aspects of the Apostles waiting with Mary 1 and the descent of the Spirit.
In the Cenacle's first frame, Christ constitutes His Apostles as His collaborators, the backbone of the Church, the hierarchy. The second frame presents us with Mary, the Apostles, some holy women, and the disciples representing the all-encompassing Church. We might say that at this paradoxical culmination and beginning, the second dimension of the Church, the complete Church or "Church of the Spirit," is born. 2
There is a parallel between the first picture of the pivotal Last Supper and the second picture of the descent of the Spirit. The Church we have today, with all its sacramental richness, is born from both realities. Nevertheless, these two pictures differ in basic and specific ways.
At the Last Supper Christ expresses His maximal love by allowing John to rest his head on His chest. Perhaps in that intimate moment when Christ reveals the rhythm of His divine heart, John conceives his great theology of love. Even though the Church is based on all the Apostles, 3 as on twelve pillars with Peter as the anchor of truth, unity, and continuity, it also rests firmly on John, the great mystic.
This is the meaning of Hierarchy.
Christ prays for unity as a practical reality and not a vague dream. Thus He establishes a physical center of unity, the Apostles. Confronted with disputes leading to divisions in the Church, it must be remembered that unity can only be found around the Apostles, around Peter. 4 In that unity truth is found.
Pilate's question, "Truth! What does that mean?" 5 is the question of skeptics now as well as then. All ecclesial divisions result from confusion about this issue. The way to the truth, though, is directly through the center of unity: the hierarchy which is the guardian of Christ's message. It is Christ Who safeguards the Church which does not and cannot change. Truth is found in this unity; certitude and continuity are found in the compact of truth and unity.
This is the first picture of the Cenacle: essential, monolithic, grand and immutable.
The second picture presents the Church of the Spirit with the Apostles, pious women, and disciples gathered around Mary praying until the power of the Spirit bursts forth filling the static atmosphere with movement described as fire, wind, thunder. This sudden dynamism moves the Apostles to fling open the doors that had been bolted for safety. They glorify God and speak in loud voices. Those who hear them can come up with only one explanation. "They are drunk." 6;7
Extraordinary charismatic phenomena characterized the apostolic age, however even after this exceptional phase, the Church remains charismatic. The Church, alive, dynamic, and sacramental, faces the issues of each era directed by the movement of the Spirit.
This is the second picture of the Cenacle: charismatic, innovative, and sacramental.
The Church must be and is immutable in the major decisions of the hierarchy; and dynamic, full of activity, dedication, evangelization, and courage in the Apostles throughout time. From the beginning until the end of time, these two dimensions of the Cenacle, i.e., the static aspect of Christ coupled with the dynamic aspect of the Apostles, have been and always will be the reality of the Church.
It is important to underscore the Church's sacramentality, which means translating the perennial truths of Christ into new terms appropriate for changing times and new situations. The hierarchical Church tackles the multiplicity of events, the diversity of cultures and civilizations that evolve throughout the centuries. The charismatic Church, born of the Holy Spirit in the Cenacle, presses toward the future carrying on the dynamic missionary activity inaugurated by the Apostles on Pentecost.
When analyzing these complementary aspects of the Church, it is easy to forget that the Apostles themselves were the first charismatics, therefore the hierarchical Church cannot be separated from its charismatic character. It is the hierarchy that is endowed with extraordinary charisms. The hierarchy's service of authority is one of paternal and maternal charismatic supervision.8 Unfortunately, there has been tension between the hierarchical and the charismatic aspects of the Church from the beginning. This fact is responsible for the hierarchy's caution in regard to the charismatic and explains why the concept of charism, overlooked for so long, is just now being explored again.
The Church, in her self-awareness, balances the hierarchy with the charismatic. This marvelous reality, which is not a majority-rules democracy, reveals a vision of the people of God moved by the Holy Spirit. In this way the Spirit leads the Church into maturity. The solicitations of the faithful, often prompted by the Spirit, are probed and verified by the hierarchy. The Holy Spirit fosters activity in the charismatic Church which raises needs and concerns, and furnishes light for the hierarchical Church, which examines and evaluates them. Indeed the Church is overshadowed by the Holy Spirit Who is sent by Christ to form the image of Christ Himself in the Church and in each individual heart.
Chapter VIII
1. It is surprising that Mary is missing from the Supper. We would expect her to be present for the institution of the covenant of love, for the last prayer, for that time of intimacy, for the farewell. Since the Gospels make no mention of her, however, we must accept the evangelical fact that Christ formed the essential structure of the Church alone with the Apostles.
2. According to Paul, baptism initiates membership in the Church, and reception of the Holy Spirit brings it to completion. In some cases, the Spirit is so eager to dwell in the faithful that He descends on them before they are even baptized. The Spirit's inexplicable action can only be understood in the broader vision of His presence in the Church and humanity. In fact, the Spirit is always present in His people leading them toward salvation and, in some way, toward holiness. After Pentecost the descent of the Spirit becomes a pattern and habitual fact shaping the Church.
3. Acts 1:2
4. "I for My part declare to you, you are 'Rock,' and on this rock I will build My Church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it. I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 16:18-19)
5. John 18:38
6. Acts 2:13
7. The miracle gradually unfolds. People are curious about the wind and fire but they are also attracted to those singing, preaching, praising men who are understood in different languages. Peter declares to the crowd that he and the others are not drunk but that they are witnessing the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy (Jl. 3:1-5).
8. In addition to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Church is characterized by the presence of Mary. As Christ is the "Servus," the Servant of Yahweh, Mary is the "ancella," the handmaid. Mary, "Mater Ecclesiae," Mother of the Church, represents maternal goodness and tenderness as well as self-giving. Thus we see that the charismatic Church is a Church of service.
APOSTOLICITY
Before His death, Jesus chooses to be alone with His Apostles to establish the principle of apostolicity in His Church. The Church springs from Christ Himself through the action of the Apostles to whom the sacraments are entrusted. It is in the Cenacle that Jesus promises, "I will not leave you orphaned; I will come back," 1 a pledge He reconfirms after the Resurrection. "Behold, I am with you all days until the end of time." 2
It is on Calvary, however, that the full meaning of this promise is revealed. Christ will always be present through His generative Church. From Christ's pierced side flow water and blood, as the Fathers of the Church have commented: Baptism and Eucharist, the two sacraments that generate the Church. It is from the heart of Christ that the Church is born. 3
After His ascension, Jesus will not be humanly present; thus He chooses the Apostles to be His instruments. They will be His generative presence through the centuries. He tells them, "Go, and baptize;" 4 in the Cenacle He entrusts them with the re-presentation of the Eucharist, "Do this in My memory." 5 Therefore Jesus, though invisible, will be present and generative through the sacramental action of the Apostles. Peter and the others will visibly baptize and give the Bread of Life; in reality it is Jesus Who acts.
This makes the depth and strength of the union between Jesus and His own understandable. It also sheds light on the meaning of much that is said and done at the Last Supper. "He had loved His own in this world, and would show His love for them to the end." 6 Why such infinite love if not because He was about to perform the most profound mystery of love for them?
Recognizing the weakness and poverty of His disciples, Jesus is moved to multiply His gestures of tenderness. He washes their feet, 7 calls them friends, 8 and uses the expression, "My children." 9 Referring to the mystery of the Apostles' priestly consecration as well as to their sacrificial sanctification, He says, "I consecrate Myself for their sakes now, that they may be consecrated in truth." 10
The Apostles, in need of a deep interior transformation, are promised the Spirit's gifts of fortitude and consolation. They need a solid and indissoluble unity, strong enough to counter every temptation of divisive selfishness. Jesus' prayer to the Father for unity among the Apostles is an earnest supplication 11 since unity must be characteristic of all those who will believe through the words of the Apostles. 12 This unity, fortitude, and consolation illustrate the interior dynamism and vitality of the Church.
After the Ascension Christ disappears visibly from history's scene since the Apostles will make Him sacramentally present from now on. Likewise, after the Apostles give witness with their own blood, their successors will continue Christ's generative presence through time.
Apostolicity is clearly an essential mark of the Church. The Church is apostolic not only because every local church, through the succession of the bishops, goes back to the Apostles, 13 pillars of the Church, 14 but also because every Christian is born into the Church by the action of the Apostles, present in the bishop and, consequently, in the priest. 15
References
Chapter IX
1. John 14:18
2. Matthew 28:20
3. Jesus' promise of the Eucharist illuminates this reality. "He who feeds on My flesh and drinks of My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the Father Who has life sent Me and I have life because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will have life because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and died nonetheless, he who feeds on this bread shall live forever." (Jn. 6:55-58) This promise is fulfilled in the Cenacle when Jesus institutes the Eucharist and priestly ordination.
4. Matthew 28:19
5. Luke 22:19
6. John 13:1
7. John 13:33
8. John 15:15
9. John 13:33
10. John 17:19
11. John 17:23
12. John 17:20
13. Tertullian underlines the importance of the apostolicity of the local churches, for they are all connected to the Twelve.
Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself declared what He was, what He had been, how He was carrying out His Father's will, what obligations He demanded of men. This He did during His earthly life, either publicly to the crowds or privately to His disciples. Twelve of these He picked out to be His special companions, appointed to teach the nations.
One of them fell from his place. The remaining eleven were commanded by Christ, as He was leaving the earth to return to the Father after His resurrection, to go and teach the nations and to baptize them into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The apostles cast lots and added Mathias to their number, in place of Judas, as the twelfth apostle. The authority for this action is to be found in a prophetic psalm of David. After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit which had been promised to them, so that they could work miracles and proclaim the truth, they first bore witness to their faith in Jesus Christ and established churches throughout Judea. They then went out into the whole world and proclaimed to the nations the same doctrinal faith.
They set up churches in every city. Other churches received from them a living transplant of faith and the seed of doctrine, and through this daily process of transplanting they became churches. They therefore qualify as apostolic churches by being the offspring of churches that are apostolic.
Every family has to be traced back to its origins. That is why we can say that all these great churches constitute that one original Church of the apostles; for it is from them that they all come. They are all primitive, all apostolic, because they are all one. They bear witness to this unity by the peace in which they all live, the brotherhood which is their name, the fellowship to which they are pledged. The principle on which these associations are based is common tradition by which they share the same sacramental bond.
The only way in which we can prove what the apostles taught - - that is to say, what Christ revealed to them - - is through those same churches. They were founded by the apostles themselves, who first preached to them by what is called the living voice and later by means of letters.
The Lord had said clearly in former times: I have many more things to tell you, but you cannot endure them now. But He went on to say: When the Spirit of truth comes, He will lead you into the whole truth. Thus Christ shows us that the apostles had full knowledge of the truth through the Spirit of Truth. His promise was certainly fulfilled, since the Acts of the Apostles prove that the Holy Spirit came down on them." Tertullian, On the Prescription of Heretics
14. Matthew 28:19
15. Modern theology also underlines the actual generative action of the Church through her apostles.
The divine power sustaining the Church passes through the hierarchy - - such power may thus be called apostolic. Such power provides for the Church an apostolic structure: mysterious in its essence and miraculous in its splendor.
To acknowledge that the true Church is apostolic is to acknowledge the fact that she relies on a spiritual energy that resides in the Holy Trinity. This spiritual energy descends first into the humanity of Christ, then on the dual power of the apostolic body, i.e. sacramental and jurisdictional power, and, finally, on the Christian people. In such mediation and chain, we discover the true Church, composed of the just who will be saved and the sinners who will be lost. Where this mediation is missing, we miss the true Church. That is, we lack the full participation in the true Church, not withstanding an initial initiation, which in itself can somehow be beneficial. No link of the chain can be suppressed or even replaced: Divinity is eternal, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8), and to the end of the world He will assist the apostolic body. An eternal God, an immortal Christ, an indefectible apostolic body and, lastly, a faithful people: This is the evangelical order.
But in what way will the apostolic body be indefectible if not through an uninterrupted line of succession? In the case of an interruption whereby another apparently identical structure takes over though not manifesting any obvious change, all would turn to confusion - - and the confusion would soon manifest itself. The new reality would not inherit any of the mysterious privileges bestowed by Jesus on the apostolic body. Without the uninterrupted succession, the last link, to which the Church would be connected, would break making the Church's apostolicity disappear.
Mediation represents the vertical order; succession the horizontal order. Charles Journet, Teologia della Chiesa, Marietti, pp.170, 172
TRANSFORMATION
The miracle at the wedding feast in Cana confirms the disciples' faith in Christ. 1 Yet when Jesus made the solemn promise of the Eucharist, there were probably few who thought of Cana even though contemporary exegetes see a Eucharistic dimension in the transformation of water into wine. In fact, despite having witnessed this and many other marvels such as the multiplication of the loaves, some disciples left Him. 2
At the Last Supper, did the Apostles remember the transforming power of Jesus and His teaching that His body and blood are nourishment essential for eternal life? It is impossible to answer this question with certainty. Nevertheless, we presume that the Apostles, enlightened by faith, understood the intrinsic meaning hidden in Christ's words: "Take and eat, all of you." 3 "Take and drink, all of you."4 "Do this in memory of Me." 5 These marvelous words effect a two-fold transformation: the elements, i.e., the bread and wine, become the body and blood of Christ; and men, i.e., the Apostles, are configured with the priesthood of Christ.
The Cenacle has two relevant realities. Are they extraneous to the core of the Cenacle, or are they the integral conclusion of a process that permeates the Cenacle from beginning to end?
Christ initiates a process of identification and transformation in the Cenacle which, though valid for everyone, pertains to the Apostles in a unique way. Jesus is the Servant of Yahweh. When He stoops down to wash the feet of the Twelve, He clearly teaches them to imitate the One they call Lord and Master. Jesus loves His own and the world so much that He gives His life for them. The Apostles and all other Christians must do the same. All are called to complete configuration with the Fullness of Love. The Apostles must remain attached to the "Vine" not in a juridical, or even a psychological way, but vitally.
Jesus repeatedly promises the Apostles the Holy Spirit, Who gives them comfort and forms them into instruments capable of evangelizing the world. To strengthen them for this super-human mission, He transforms them into Himself by nourishing them with His body and blood. The life of Christ is indeed nourishment for the disciples who are configured to the Savior through grace. Thus they share in His divine life.
During the Last Supper Jesus intensely petitions the Father for unity, making the Apostles participants in the life and love of the Trinity. They are totally transfigured . They now have the task and power to repeat the miracle of the bread and wine. They are also empowered to help all people become sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus.
Unfortunately, today some priests prefer to emphasize their baptismal identity at the expense of their transfiguration in Christ the Priest. This negates the experience of the Cenacle which gives us the key to understanding the doctrine of Lumen Gentium. 6 Although the faithful are truly a priestly people, sacramental priesthood is on a different plane, essential, unique, and irreplaceable.
References
Chapter X
1. John 2:11
2. John 6:46
3. Matthew 26:26
4. Matthew 26:27
5. Luke 22:19
6. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church:
Though they differ essentially and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial and hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless ordered one to another; each in its own proper way shares in the one priesthood of Christ. The ministerial priest, by the sacred power that he has, forms and rules the priestly people; in the person of Christ he effects the Eucharistic sacrifice and offers it to God in the name of all the people. The faithful indeed, by virtue of their royal priesthood, participate in the offering of the Eucharist. They exercise that priesthood, too, by the reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, abnegation and active charity. [L.G. #10]
BE HOLY
In the Latin common edition of the Bible, 1 we find the expression, "sanctified in the truth," 2 and again, "For them I sanctify Myself that they too may be sanctified in the truth." 3 Modern translations replace "sanctify" with other verbs, for example, "sacrifice" or "consecrate." Although the basic meanings are the same, the term "sanctify" is richer and clearer. Through God, the Holy One, we can understand what sanctify means. 4
The meaning of "sanctify" is clearest in the Cenacle. Jesus is the Holy One of God5 for He participates in the infinite perfection of the Father and He is totally set apart for the task the Father wills for Him. Jesus' offering of Himself is immolative since He freely accepts the redemptive plan of God. In so doing, He becomes our model not only of virtue but also of total self-giving to the Father. When Jesus uses the same term "sanctify" for Himself and for the Apostles, He obviously wants the Apostles, through the power of the Spirit, to follow in His footsteps.
As a consequence the Apostles must strive for the highest degree of perfection. "In a word, you must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect." 6 They must dedicate themselves to the work of the Father even if it requires the shedding of their blood. They must be role models for all those who will come into the Church through their ministry.
This three-fold reality implied in the term "sanctify" - - being holy, being dedicated, and being models - - is related first of all to Jesus and, in turn, to the Apostles, bishops, priests, and then all the faithful. It is the doctrine of the universal call to holiness, solemnly proclaimed by the Church in the fifth chapter of Lumen Gentium. If this doctrine pertains to all Christians, then it pertains all the more to bishops and priests whom Jesus had in mind first as He prayed for the Apostles. If bishops and priests live in the light of the Cenacle's "sanctify," then it will be easier for the People of God to become aware of their duty to strive for holiness. This is essentially the teaching of Lumen Gentium 7 and of Peter, primary witness of the Cenacle, who adds the dimension of service. 8
Everyone is called to live the "I sanctify" of the Cenacle, but the responsibility of priests is most pressing. "Clerics have a special obligation to seek holiness in their lives, because they are consecrated to God by a new title through the reception of orders, and are stewards of the mysteries of God in the service of His people." 9 This expression should be understood in its broader sense, too; however, it is certain that the first called to live the fullness of the meaning of "I sanctify" are His priests, those whom Christ willed to configure to His priesthood with a specific, particular sacrament.
References
Chapter XI
1. Vulgate, St. Jerome, 4th Century
2. John 17:17
3. John 17:19
4. What does "God, the Holy One" mean? It means He is the absolute, the unique, the perfect, infinitely distant from human poverty and misery. When we venerate God using an object, such as an altar, it becomes juridically holy; when immolated or destroyed as an act of adoration or reparation, as the Israelites sacrificed lambs, the object is said to be sanctified for God. Passing from this ritualistic concept to a spiritual concept is instinctive. When a person strives to follow God's will and walk in His light, he or she is considered holy.
5. John 6:69
6. Matthew 5:48
7. In the first place, the shepherds of Christ's flock, in the image of the high and eternal priest, shepherd and bishop of our souls, should carry out their ministry with holiness and eagerness, with humility and fortitude; thus fulfilled, this ministry will also be for them an outstanding means of sanctification. Called to the fullness of the priesthood, they are endowed with sacramental grace, so that by prayer, sacrifice, and preaching, and through every form of episcopal care and service, they may fulfill the perfect duty of pastoral love. They should not be afraid to lay down their life for their sheep and, being a model to their flock (cf. 1Pet 5:3), they must foster a growing holiness in the Church, also by their own example.
Priests, who resemble the episcopal rank, forming the spiritual crown of the bishops, partake of their grace of office through Christ the eternal and only Mediator; they should grow in the love of God and of their neighbor by the daily exercise of their duty, should keep the bond of priestly fellowship, should abound in every spiritual good, and bear a living witness of God to all, imitating those priests who, in the course of centuries, left behind them an outstanding example of holiness, often in a humble and hidden service. Their praise lives on in God's Church. They have the duty to pray and offer sacrifice for their people and for the whole People of God, appreciating what they do and imitating what they touch with their hands, Rather than be held back by perils and hardships, in their apostolic labors they should rise to greater holiness, nourishing and fostering their action with an overflowing contemplation, for the delight of the entire Church of God." [L.G., Chapter V, #41]
8. To the elders among you I, a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and sharer in the glory that is to be revealed, make this appeal. God's flock is in your midst; give it shepherd's care. Watch over it willingly as God would have you do, not under constraint; and not for shameful profit either, but generously. Be examples to the flock, not lording it over those assigned to you so that when the chief Shepherd appears you will win for yourselves the unfading crown of glory. (1Pet 5:1-4)
9. Code of Canon Law, #276
BE BROTHERS
The Gospels record Jesus' actions and sentiments at the Last Supper, but there is little information about what the Apostles actually understand at that point. Even though special insights and knowledge have been given to them, it seems unlikely that the Apostles all understand equally and completely the meaning of Christ's prayer, "I sanctify." The Holy Spirit will enlighten them fully.
One teaching that is clear to the Apostles is that of fraternal love since the Lord constantly repeats it, implicitly and explicitly, throughout the night of His farewell. Not only does He wash their feet in a gesture of loving service and direct them to do the same for each other, He reiterates three times the command, "Love one another." 1 So that they realize what is "new" about the commandment and why it is "His," He sets the standard: "Love one another as I have loved you." Emphasizing the scope of this criterion, He defines it explicitly. "There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." 2 This obvious reference to the Cross that awaits Him on Golgotha is the ultimate expression of love.
Jesus expands his exhortation on fraternal love through His analogy of the vine and branches. The branches are bound together in a vital unity because they all receive their life from the same unique Source, Jesus Christ. The Lord's intimate and tender designation of the Apostles as "friends," 3 and even as His "children," 4 emphasizes the fraternity binding the Apostles together in union with the Lord.
The supreme moment of their sacramental transformation finally arrives. Their unique participation in the priesthood of the Master joins them to Him and firmly unites them with each other. Together they share the same mission: to represent Christ, to absolve from sins, 5 to proclaim His Word, 6 and especially to celebrate the mystery of the Eucharistic sacrifice.7
Are the Apostles, or their successors, capable of living the legacy of the Cenacle which is fraternal love? Jesus realizes the difficulties they will face and so after entrusting the fulfillment of His work to the Spirit, He turns to the Father in prayer. He prays for unity. Authentic Trinitarian love demands participation in Trinitarian love and, consequently, fraternal love. 8 Can the Apostles be filled with the love of the Father and of Christ but not love each other? Their actions prove they understand the commandment of fraternal love.
While waiting for the Spirit in the Upper Room, they remain "unanimiter," 9 that is, of "one heart." After Pentecost they communicate the necessity of love and unity to the whole Church which becomes not only "devoted to communal life," 10 but also of "one heart and mind." 11
Fraternal love has always been a hallmark of the Church. Today if priests go back to the Cenacle, they can reclaim their fraternal and priestly love. They will then be able to teach the world about the significance of spiritual fraternity within the Church.
References
Chapter XII
1. John 13:34; 15:12; 15:17
2. John 15:13-14
3. John 15:14
4. John 13:33
5. John 20:23
6. Colossians 1:25
7. Luke 22:19
8. "That Your love for Me may live in them, and I may live in them." (Jn.17:26)
9. Acts 1:14
10. Acts 2:42
11. Acts 4:32
ON CHRIST'S HEART
Twice in his Gospel John mentions the beloved disciple who shares a special intimacy with Christ at the Last Supper: "One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, reclined close to Him;" 1 ". . . the one who had leaned against Jesus' chest during the supper." 2 Since John himself is unquestionably the beloved disciple recounting his own experience, it is highly improbable that this same evangelist's record of the blood and water flowing from the pierced side of Christ is related by chance.
The love that filled the heart of Christ was communicated personally to the Apostle whom Jesus loved. John was thereby commissioned to proclaim to the world the birth of the Church from the heart of the crucified Lord. These revealed truths, which are rich and deep, need to be understood clearly because John, who is writing at the end of the earliest age of the Church, presents a theological vision of revelation illuminating the prerequisites for intimate rapport with Christ.
Every Apostle, indeed every Christian, must rest on the heart of Christ. The Church, aware of her birth from the heart of Christ, needs to return to His heart in order to be truly faithful.
The heart, i.e., the love of Christ, is the objective core of the mystery of the Passion, from Gethsemane to Golgotha. This heart reveals itself primarily in the Cenacle which is intensely charged with love. Jesus, Who has longed to celebrate this supper with His own, Who has always loved them, and Who loves them without limit, prepares us all for that great historical event. "Take and eat; do this in memory of Me." 3
The Church is born from the heart of Christ through the Apostles, at least one of whom leaned his head against that heart, almost counting the beats and sensing the depth and scope of that infinite love. What impact did this experience have on John? Perhaps Jerome is close to the truth when he asserts that John drew the immeasurable richness we find in his writings from that marvelous experience. Whether this is so or not, it is obviously unforgettable since he writes about it twice. His experience is a model for all Christians, especially priests.
The Church and, therefore, every Christian must remember that they were born from the heart of Christ. Consequently, love for the heart of Jesus is not just a supplemental devotion but an essential dimension of our rapport with the Lord. John's example teaches us the necessity of developing a vibrant, personal relationship with the source of our life. 4
It is striking that John is the Apostle, the chaste Apostle, to whom Jesus entrusts His Virgin mother. If John's experience is meant to be the experience of every Christian, then how much more must it be typical of priests who have a special rapport with the heart of Christ. There is no doubt that the apostolic priestly vocation is an expression of exceptional love. 5 The priest must respond to such love with an equally unique love since he has an undivided heart, having given it exclusively to the One Who has loved him to the folly of the Cross. 6
The priest should never forget that the heart of Christ, from which he receives life, is always waiting to repeat with him the gesture shared with John. It is consoling to remember that whenever a priest is bereft of human support, there is always the reality of the divine heart loving infinitely, waiting for him.
References
Chapter XIII
1. John 13:25
2. John 21:20
3. Matthew 26:26; Luke 22:19
4. John broadens this concept in his first letter, suggesting the need for a complete experience of Christ. "This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have touched - - we speak of the word of life. (This life became visible; we have seen and bear witness to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was present to the Father and became visible to us.) What we have seen and heard we proclaim in turn to you so that you may share life with us. This fellowship of ours is with the Father and with the Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, our purpose in writing you this is that our joy may be complete." (1 Jn. 1:1-14) The essence of this experience is the heart of Jesus.
5. "Jesus looked at him with love." (Mk 10:21)
6. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
THE CHURCH: A FAMILY
As has been noted so many times already, the Cenacle presents two fundamental realities: the Church born of Christ, and then of the Spirit. In both moments the Church is born as a "family."
The first picture of this Church-family born of Christ is described in detail by John in chapters 13 through 17 of his Gospel. The figure of the One Whom Jesus calls "Abbß'" with filial tenderness hovers over everything. It is the Father Who acknowledges and glorifies the Son. It is the Father Who consecrates and binds together the Apostles, and assists all those who will come to the faith through the ministry of the priesthood. "Abbß'" is not only the Father of Jesus but also the Father of the entire Church which is born from His bounteous love.
Yet the Church is also born from Christ Who is both father and brother. Christ is the generative principle of the Church through the dual sacrament of the water and the blood gushing from His pierced heart. The Church is born from that heart which, in the Cenacle, is moved by such love that He calls the Apostles children. 1
Christ, however, is also brother. He is brother to the Apostles Whom He binds to Himself through their extraordinary consecration which renders them partakers of His priesthood. It is not by chance that He tells Mary Magdalen, "Go to My brothers." 2 Although in a different sense, Christ is the brother of all Christians.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul calls Jesus "first-born of many brothers." 3 This theme is amplified in the letter to the Hebrews:
Indeed, it was fitting that when bringing many sons to glory, God, for whom and through whom all things exist, should make their leader in the work of salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are consecrated have one and the same Father. Therefore he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying "I will announce your name to my brothers, I will sing your praise in the midst of the assembly;" and, "I will put my trust in him;" and again, "Here am I, and the children God has given Me!"
Now since the children are men of blood and flesh, Jesus likewise had a full share in ours, that by his death he might rob the devil, the prince of death, of his power, and free those who through fear of death had been slaves all their life long. Surely he did not come to help angels, but rather the children of Abraham, therefore He had to become like His brothers in every way, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God on their behalf, to expiate the sins of the people. Since He was Himself tested through what He suffered, He is able to help those who are tempted.4
All this holds true for the Apostles who are also, in a sense, real "fathers" of the Church as explained in the previous chapter on Apostolicity.
Surely Paul was convinced of this, for he says forcefully, "I am writing you in this way not to shame you but to admonish you as my beloved children. Granted you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you have only one father. It was I who begot you in Christ Jesus through my preaching of the gospel." 5 Paul suffers the pangs of childbirth until Christ is totally formed in the Galatians. 6
The Apostles - - the bishops - - are fathers of the faithful as well as brothers, for they all are born of the love of the Father and the salvific immolation of Christ.
Clearly the first picture of the Cenacle is that of a family.
The second picture is also one of a family. Together the whole Church is gathered in prayer while waiting for the Spirit. Who is the spiritual link of that assembly? It is Mary, the mother. Mary is the mother of Jesus, Who is the head; therefore she is mother of the entire Mystical Body since the head cannot be severed from the body nor the body separate from the head. Mary is the mother of the total Christ. She is the co-redemptive mother for she suffers with her Son for our salvation through a mystical death which parallels the physical death of Jesus. Finally, she is our mother by succession since, in the person of John, we are entrusted to her by Jesus while He is dying on the Cross. "Behold your son." 7 This truth was stressed by Pope Paul VI when he declared Mary to be "Mother of the Church." 8
Since Mary is our mother and we, her children, are brothers and sisters to one another, the Church is obviously our family. This concept is mentioned in Lumen Gentium 9 and is as meaningful as the more familiar titles such as "Mystical Body" and "People of God."
Using the term "family" for the Church is scriptural because the Bible refers to the Church as a bride 10 and as a mother. 11 So we say with scriptural certainty that the Church is begotten as family in the Cenacle. This beautiful doctrine need not languish at the level of speculation for it reveals the vitality of our relationship with God the Father; with Jesus, our Brother; and with Mary, our mother. This teaching is the basis of our reciprocal rapport with one another as members of the Church.
The inter-related roles of our Church-family are summarized below.
A.) The historical collaborators of the apostolic mission, i.e., bishops and priests, need to be cognizant of and appreciative of their generative role which makes them fathers of the Church. Their paternity is not one of domination but one of service in the example of Christ Who teaches them to wash each other's feet and Who sacrificed Himself to make the Church holy and immaculate. 12
B.) Priests, as fathers of the one same Church who are totally configured with Christ, must live the sacramental fraternity that binds them to each other, as expressed by Vatican II. 13
C.) The faithful must recognize bishops and priests as their sacramental fathers in Christ. Not only must they respect them, the laity must also love them and help them in practical ways with an authentic filial spirit. It is good to recall Paul's observations to the Corinthians. "If we have sown for you in the spirit, is it too much to expect a material harvest from you?" 14
D.) The entire Church, pastors and faithful together, must make every effort to build up the vast family-Church in sacramental unity around the Trinity, Father ("Abbß"), Son, and Holy Spirit; around Christ, first among brothers; and around Mary, Mother of God and of the entire Church.
This concept of Church-family represents a sacramental reality while remaining a great ideal towards which we strive. Unfortunately the ideal is little-understood and seldom practiced. What is needed is a great number of people, priests and laity alike, who understand the lessons of the Cenacle and who are willing to become apostles living the ideal convincingly.
Only a Church totally constituted as a family will be a credible witness of her birth from God Who is love.
References
Chapter XIV
1. John 13:33
2. John 20:17
3. Romans 8:29
4. Hebrews 2:10-18
5. 1 Corinthians 4:14-15
6. Galatians 4:19
7. John 19:26
8. Paul VI, Allocution, November 21, 1964:
To the glory of the Virgin and for our consolation, we proclaim the most holy Mary "Mother of the Church;" that is, Mother of the entire people of God, from the faithful to the Pastors, who invoke her as most loving Mother. We wish that, from now on, the Virgin be even more honored under this title, by all Christian people.
9. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, #6
10. Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 21:1-2, 9
11. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, #64; cf. 63
12. Ephesians 5:27
13. Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, #8
14. 1 Corinthians 9:11
MARY: MOTHER OF THE CHURCH AND OUR MOTHER
In describing the Church as a family born from the power of the Spirit and intimately joined to Mary, we have underlined an essential tenet presented in the Acts of the Apostles. We could now overlook everything else and move on, but we would then miss an essential reality, i.e., Mary's spiritual maternity within the Church. It would be a great loss to ignore this picture of the Cenacle.
We can readily imagine the deep and tender relationship between Jesus and His mother. Can we fail to consider the rapport that every Christian, and especially priests, need to have with their mother Mary? We discover the appropriate and authentic role of Mary, Mother of the Church, in the pages of the New Testament including those describing the second picture of the Cenacle.
The People of God, with their "sensus fidei" and "sensus Ecclesiae," have always maintained devotion to Mary throughout the centuries. Over the last thirty years, however, interest in Mary has declined in certain theological circles, though the crisis is beginning to abate. This attitude of distance from the Blessed Virgin commonly arises from a desire to reach out in love to our separated fellow Christians. Some hoped that by minimizing devotion to Mary, Catholic faith and Protestant doctrine might be brought closer.
Though the aim is laudable, love of ecumenism and the desire for unity are not served by sacrificing the truth. We recall with pain the reactions that greeted Pope Paul VI when he proclaimed Mary "Mater Ecclesiae" during the Council. Some theologians argued for an alteration of Marian doctrine that would bring Mary down to a "normal" level, attempting to mitigate Mary's privileged position which made her a unique member of the Church.
Giving Mary her proper place in Catholic doctrine returns us to the principle of love for her. We should not get lost in multiple dogmatic definitions, but instead we should ponder anthropological concepts of contemporary theology which, in a positive sense, promote an existential rapport between God and His people.
The focus of current theology has shifted from a perspective of God Who is the omnipotent Creator to God Who creates and redeems humanity. We see God as One Who respects freedom, and Who becomes Man and lives as a man in order to take us with Him into eternity. It is within this anthropological vision of theology that Mary's status of being "like us" and being "for us" is brought to light.
Like us, Mary suffered. Certainly Mary had to live with intense faith, just as we do, for there is no theological indication that she had an anticipated beatific vision. It is proper, therefore, for us to look at Mary not only from the standpoint of what exalts her, what sets her apart and makes her unique, but also at what brings her close to us. Mary is our model and our mother, an unassuming woman who lived her daily life by faith, hope, and love.
Traditional theology has stressed Mary's position in the plan of redemption by centering on her total sinlessness. Mary is exempt from original sin and resisted all temptations to actual sin. She is co-redemptive through her cooperation with Christ in the salvation of the world.
Without negating the reality of original sin or denying the seriousness of actual sin, today's theology sees the person as a subject of love. Theology now stresses the rapport of love one must have with God, with Christ, and consequently, with Mary. Humanity, seen within an economy of love, is the primary object of God's plan and, as such, is loved fully. God manifests the fullness of His plan of love in Jesus and, consequently, in Mary, showing what humanity would have been without the Fall and what humanity can be despite sin. Jesus is the perfect Man. By grace, Mary is the perfect woman.
In this theological vision, Mary is neither diminished nor is she alienated from us. She is close to us, is one of us, and experiences the fullness of life. The Immaculate Conception is not a negative factor, exemption from original sin; it is the ultimate gift from God to a creature who, from the beginning, is the "gratia plena." 1 She is the one in whom the Lord, "before the foundation of the world,"2 has placed His delight. Thus Mary is our exemplar. According to Paul, we have been chosen by God "before the world began, to be holy and blameless* in His sight" 3 that we might be fully configured with His Son. If we have been "cradled" in God's heart with this vision of blamelessness and holiness, how much more must Mary have been.
Mary is the Father's favorite daughter who, as such, is granted all the riches a willing, receptive creature can possibly have. She is the unique model of faith, without original sin and, therefore, the one who can respond totally to the grace of God. This is the reason the angel greets her with, "Ave, gratia plena," "Hail, Full of Grace."
*Note the combined expression; not simply "blameless," without stain, but "holy."
To describe that moment when the Holy Spirit descends on Mary in a mysterious, mystical, and non-repeatable infusion, Luke uses the singular biblical expression "obumbratio," "the cloud coming to rest on the tent." 4 At that moment the Spirit endows Mary with a new Presence and she becomes His bride. She becomes the small dwelling in which the Spirit of Love brings about the reality of the Incarnation to be born from her by the power of God. This Presence is on-going. The "obumbratio," in fact, continues until Mary gives birth to her Son. The action of the Spirit is not limited to the conception of Christ but continues throughout the nine months' gestation. This period is completely under the forceful and pervasive action of the Holy Spirit.
Tenderness, human and supernatural love, and Mary's faith in and contemplation of her Son are maximized by the power of God. The tenderness and love that Jesus has for His mother, though, is even greater. Throughout His life, Jesus always loved His mother with a child-like love, even if we occasionally sense an attitude of detachment in the Gospels. When Jesus is hanging on the cross, He looks tenderly at Mary who is standing beneath Him.
Mary is not only the mother of Christ but also the mother of the Church and, therefore, our mother. She is always beside us. In our needs, we always have recourse to her. She is there for us. She helps us on our journey toward the great goal that is perfection and holiness. She is the "Regina sanctorum" and "Mater sanctitatis" - - the "Queen of saints" and the "Mother of Holiness." She is the one who someday, God willing, will greet us in the eternal land of the saints.
Seen in this light, Mary cannot be remote. Instead she is the exemplar of our Trinitarian, Christological, and ecclesial existence, the model of all that we must be and do. For it is Mary who embodies the great vocations: the call to salvation-holiness; configuration with Christ; dedication to Christ; service to all brothers and sisters. This is why a return to Marian theology is so critical.
Let us take another look at Mary, at her faith, her fortitude, and her vigil at the foot of the Cross. Let us look anew at her docility to the Spirit, "Ecce ancilla Domini, fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum," - - "I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say;" 5 and at her spirit of service, "Respexit humilitatem ancillae suae," - - "He has looked with favor on His lowly servant;" 6 and at her full collaboration with the action of the Spirit and the action of Christ, especially at the foot of the cross and in the Cenacle while waiting for the Paraclete. Particularly for priests, Mary is the exemplar of their mission as ministers of love.
Mary was regularly at Jesus' side, always there at times of suffering and of difficulty during His public life when the battle was most harsh. Speaking of Mary and the pious women, the Gospel says "sequebantur a longe" - - "they followed at a distance;" 7 it is also certain that at night, Jesus gathered with the Apostles and pious women. In this setting, Mary must have been present to her Son as she was at the tragedy of Calvary.
Hence priests must not be afraid to be loved by Mary and, along with all the great saints and mystics, be moved to tenderness toward her. How wonderful it would be if we were able to lean our head on the heart of Mary just as a child would! One day, in eternity, we hope to be able to approach her and, with filial love and respect, kiss our mother and be kissed by her.
References
Chapter XV
1. Luke 1:28
2. Ephesians 1:4
3. Ephesians 1:4
4. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow (obumbrabit) you." (Lk 1:35)
5. Luke 1:38
6. Luke 1:48
7. Luke 23:27
JESUS' GREAT PRAYER IN THE CENACLE
The synoptic Gospels can give the impression that prayer during the Last Supper was limited to the Jewish custom of singing the great "Allele," i.e., the alleluia Psalms. John, however, portrays Jesus going beyond the ritual prayers, pouring forth His soul to the Father in His beautiful priestly invocation. 1 Christ's deep and moving expressions suggest that this is His usual way of prayer, a way of prayer we need to learn from Him.
It is impossible to project our concept of prayer onto Jesus, for the mysterious world of His hypostatic union - - which indicates difference of nature but unity of person - - changes everything. Theologians speculate on the relationship between Christ's human and divine natures and on His self-awareness, but we are interested only in the reality of Christ's soul in contact with God. Jesus' prayer goes beyond faith 2 and is based on vision and contemplation.
What does Christ's created soul experience before this radiant and all-illuminating mystery of Trinitarian love? He has the experience of adoration and a humble interior attitude which give Him His understanding of His mission as the Servant of Yahweh. In fact, Christ's human nature, even though in hypostatic union with the Word, is created by God and therefore immeasurably apart from Him. This is why Jesus prostrates Himself in adoration of the Immensely Great, aware of His own nothingness, while at the same time offering Himself in reparation for all humanity of which He chooses to be a part. This concept of vicarious reparation is found in Jesus' prayer and in His love. Within that mysterious rapport between the person and each of the two natures - - the nature of the Word and the nature of the Son of man - - is the constant prayer of Jesus to the Father and to the Trinity. Christ was so affected by His contact with the Divine that, despite His continuous union with the Trinity and His uninterrupted prayer to the Father, He needed time to pray alone. We do not know more than this.
Christ's prayer teaches us what our prayer should be: adoration, petition, reparation, offering, and love. Even though constantly united with the Father, Jesus needs to pray, sometimes through the night. 3 His prayer in the Garden4 is an example of nocturnal dialogue with the Father. In this case the discourse is marked by Jesus' tortured feelings as He takes upon Himself the suffering of all humanity. Surely there were many nights when Jesus withdrew from His own to immerse His soul completely in prayer just as He did on that Holy Thursday in Gethsemane.
Jesus' prayer is not restricted to night time, though, because He is a good Israelite who prays the "shema" three times each day. This prayer of holiness and maximalism - - "Remember Israel: 'You will love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength'" 5 - - was repeated over and over by the child Jesus to His Father.
Beginning in childhood, Jesus recited the Psalms. Perhaps they sustained Him those three hours on the Cross when psalmodic invocations filled His priestly prayer.
The central prayer, of course, is that of the Cenacle which is a long, personal, spontaneous prayer, rich with a unique priestly theology. Christ created an atmosphere of prayer in the Cenacle, therefore the Apostles, disciples, and pious women together with Mary gathered to pray there and to continue Jesus' action. Surely they recited and sang the Psalms, the great prayer of Israel, and finally the prayer the Master taught them, the "Our Father . . ." 6
In the Cenacle Jesus teaches us the importance of prayer as well as how to pray. The Apostles and Mary followed His example. Is not every priest now obligated to humbly ask the Master to endow him with the deep sense of prayer found in the Cenacle?
References
Chapter XVI
1. cf. John 17
2. According to Aquinas, Jesus does not need faith.
3. "Erat pernoctans in oratione Dei," - - "He was spending the night in communion with God," (Lk. 6:12) in the ecstasy of love and adoration.
4. "My heart is filled with sorrow to the point of death;" (Mk 14:34) "Then He began to be filled with fear and distress;" (Mk 14:33) "In anguis