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Transforming Society the Jesus Way By: Fr. Lope C. Robredillo August 6, 2000 Though the progress in science and technology has given us many blessings, it has also
brought as many disadvantages, or at least changes that are not exactly helpful to us in the long run. While it has, for example, shortened travel, communication, mechanical pro-cesses and even time to the advantage probably
of us all, it has, at the same time, spawned a culture in which people are now inclined to make shortcuts of almost anything. Since it is not simply an attitude but already a culture, it has reinforced
the attitude of many to make a shortcut to many aspects of their lives. The problem is not simply one of greed; it is almost one of culture — instant happiness, instant solutions to problems, instant good feelings. You want peace? Dialogue is a long process; train the guns on the enemies, and there will be peace.
All of us wish to be happy. All of us want peace. All of us want to transform society into one that is just and humane. Admittedly, it is the will of God that we are saved and enjoy happiness (1 Tim
2:7). That happiness consists in our unity with God, sharing His life, the resurrection life. In today's Gospel, Mark gives us a glimpse of that life which we will one day share with God, embodied in the transfigured Jesus (
Mark 9:2b). The three disciples were able to behold the appearance of the risen Lord in an anticipated glimpse (Mark 9:2; 2 Pet 1:16, Second Reading). They saw an objective manifestation of his
divine glory which overcomes death. Being an antici-pation, it will of course be realized only in the future, but with Christ already raised from the dead, "all of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are
being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:18). But how do we achieve this? Through the fastest way, which our culture demands? It is
interesting to note that the Gospel begins with the words "after six days" (Mark
9:2). This precise temporal statement, which is not found in Mark outside the passion narrative, evidently stresses the connection of the transfiguration with what happened six days before, namely, Jesus' predilection of the passion. Here, he said that the Son of Man (see
First Reading, Dan 7:13) "must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days" (Mark
8:31). Obviously, Mark intends to assure the disciples that the suffering and death which the Son of Man will undergo are to culminate in Jesus' transformation into a glory. Understandably, Peter recoiled at the thought of seeing the Messiah suffering, for this means that he too would suffer (
Mark 8:32). That is why Jesus took him, along with James and John, to the mountain of transfiguration to allay his fear. Yes, glory is attainable, but only through suffering and death. The point of the story
is fairly obvious. Contrary to what Peter, who could not take the idea of death and crucifixion, thought, real life and happiness — our own, that of the community and that of the larger society — is not given on a
platter. If it were so given, one could be certain that it is only an apparent one. A person may sniff shabu and become high, but no one is there to say that the user is enjoying the glory of high heavens. The lotto
cast aside, only a thief can be wealthy overnight. On the other hand, the transformation from being a drug addict to a normal member of society is not an easy one. And if such change entails much patience, suffering and
perseverance, this is no less true of attaining real life — the sharing of God's glory. A disciple must be willing to take up the cross and follow Jesus on the road to Calvary if he hopes to partake of God's life. That is
why, following the prediction of his passion, Jesus openly declared: "For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospel's will find it" (Mark 8:35). What is
true of individuals is also true of society. Often, we dream of a transformed society, just and more humane. But this cannot come about through might or shortcuts. Lenin thought one could make Russia a paradise by
murdering the enemies of the party. But after the revolution, the party started liquidating its enemies or those perceived to be so within the party. (Rightly it is said that revolution devours its own children.) After
more than 70 years, the Russian empire collapsed, without, of course, becoming a classless society that the people were told they could become. If the transfiguration of Jesus has any word on this matter, it is this: To
transform society, its people, especially its leaders, must follow the way of discipleship, willing to give a supreme sacrifice, even their very life, dying to their own selfish interest, including their own security and privileges
both as class and as individuals for the sake of the dreamed-of society. It demands a constant and sustained fidelity to the values that this dreamed-of society presupposes, not to the interest of the individual or class that
seeks it. The lesson, of course, is obvious, but its acceptance is not. The blindness of the disciples (Mark
9:6) is also our own, because we fail to recognize the necessity of suffering and dying. Understandably, God had to tell those who saw the vision and us, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him" (Mark
9:7), because we prefer to listen to those who can provide us a shortcut to happiness and glory. One wonders how many are prepared to listen and accept the Jesus way of transforming society.
By: Fr. Lope C. Robredillo August 13, 2000 Today's Gospel (John
6:41-51) forms part of Jesus' discourse on the Eucharist (John
6:26-58). Of course, when people speak of the Eucharist, they usually associate it either with the Body and Blood of Jesus that one receives during the communion rite, or with the Mass itself. This and the next Sunday's Gospel, however, gives us a wider of view of what the Eucharist means, for they treat two aspects of it. Whereas, next Sunday, the theme concerns the Eucharist as Sacra-ment, in today's Gospel, the theme is sapiential: the Eucharist as Wisdom.
What does the Eucharist as Wisdom mean? As John portrays him, Jesus considers himself the bread of life, whom the Father has sent as a sign that God cares for His people; He provides support for them.
It is for this reason that Jesus performed the miracles of the multiplication of the loaves (John
6:1-13) on the account of which, those who have been following, hungry and poor, had their fill. Unfortunately, though, the Jews could not recognize the meaning of the multiplication of the loaves. For them, it was simply meant to satisfy hunger, they could not see beyond that function. Hence, his parenesis: "I assure you, you are not looking for me because you have seen signs but because you have eaten your fill of the loaves. You should not be working for perishable food but for food that remains unto life eternal, food which the Son of Man will give to you" (
John
6:26b-27b). Like the manna of the Old Testament, the multiplication of the loaves was a sign that they will understand that man does not live on bread alone, but "by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord" (
Deut 8:3b). Man must eat the Word — God's Wisdom — because it is the bread of life, and the Eucharist is that Wisdom. That for Jesus the Eucharist — which is he himself — is God's Wisdom is evidenced by his
quotation from Isaiah 54:13 in the same discourse: "It is written in the prophets: 'They shall be taught by God'" (John
6:43). For John, this Isaianic prophecy is realized in Jesus who says that "everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to me... he who believes in Him has eternal life; I am the bread of life" (John
6:43-47). It may be recalled that according to John, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word came into the world and became flesh (John
1:1-14). If this is linked with the Isaian quotation, what emerges is that God teaches His people through His Word, His Wisdom, who became man — Jesus. Thus, if John ways that Jesus is the bread of life, he means that Jesus is God's wisdom, on whom men must live so that they will have eternal life.
It is in this context that the First Reading (1 Kgs
19:4-8) must be interpreted. Just as the bread given by the angel was able to sustain Elijah in his journey to Horeb (v. 8), so the Eucharistic Word of God, if eaten, can sustain the Christian community, which is a pilgrim community, in its journey toward the mountain of God — eternal life. An analogy is in order. The Indians have a saying: you are what you eat. What one eats mentally, for instance, eventually makes him, or at least affects his behavior. In 1992, when the motion picture
"Booyz N the Hood", which was about violence, was shown, it triggered a wave of violence. If one is always glued to television, he will eventually acquire the language of that medium. The reason for this is that man has a
mind, a body and a spirit, and just as good food is needed for bodily health, so for our spiritual life, we need good mental and spiritual food, and that is none other than God's Wisdom — the Eucharist. This
interpretation has implications for liturgy and life. When we celebrate the Eucharist, what is most important is not only transubstantiation and communion. The Word is of no less importance. In fact, the Word and the
Communion are inseparable. The Jesus who is present in the sacrament is the very same Jesus who is present in his Word, for he is Word-in-Flesh. That is why we partake from two tables: the Table of the Word, and the Table of
the Sacrament — both of which express the Eucharist. For our daily life this implies that if Jesus the Word became flesh, so the Christian community must embody the Word. In the Eucharist we gather not only to hear the Word,
but to live it. We listen to what we ought to be. Indeed, if we do this, we are imitating the nature of the written word of God. Before the Bible became a book, it was first lived. In other words, it is not
a dead book, but a living one. The Christian community must therefore keep it alive by living it: the community is itself God's Word — the Eucharist. Understandably enough, that community lives a life in which the word of God
is lived: it exhibits compassion and forgiveness, getting rid of all bitterness, passion, anger, harsh words, slander, and malice of every kind (Eph 4:31-32, Second Reading).
By: Fr. Lope C. Robredillo August 20, 2000 Whereas last Sunday's Gospel describes the Eucharist as God's Wisdom, today's deals with the Eucharist as
Sacrament. To understand the significance of this dimension of the Eucharist, one of the ways of approaching it is by referring to the First Reading, which speaks of Wisdom tendering a banquet: "[Wisdom] has dressed
her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table... she has sent out her maidens; she calls from her heights out over the city: 'Let whoever is simple turn in here; to him who lacks understanding, I say, come, eat of my
food, and drink of the wine I have mixed'" (Prov 9:2-5). In this passage, God's plan for His people is called Wisdom, and is compared to a banquet. As the man who goes to the banquet is given
sustenance, so the man who follows the plan of God lives a holy and good life. That is to say, if the Christian community wants to life a life which brings happiness and well-being, it has to follow the plan of God imaged in
Proverbs by the drinking of God's wine and the eating of His food. If it sustains itself with God's plan, it will forsake foolishness and advance in its ways (Prov 9:6). But what is God's
plan? As the Gospel implies, God's plan is for us to have life, and live forever (John
6:57-58). By life we do not, of course, mean winning the first prize of the lotto, or always having enough supplies in the freezer or a mountain of deposit in the bank, or having the best vacation house. Whatever value one may place on these, it is obvious that they do not abide. Rather, life, if it has any significance to our life on earth, means first of all an experience of fellowship in the family and in the Christian community, a sense of belonging and integrity; a sense of wholeness and community. In such community, we do not harbor resentment against others, we experience forgiveness, wholeness, and oneness. These are the values that abide, and we are confident that God will eternalize them.
How is such a life attained? Says Jesus: "Let me assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life
eternal and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink. The man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him" (John
6:53-56). This does not mean, of course, that all we do is eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus in the Eucharistic Celebration, and then we can rest assured that this will do us good. We must not ever think that the Sacrament is like a vitamin — taking it frequently will make us spiritually healthy. Rather, this first of all requires faith. Unless we have faith that Jesus is present in the Sacrament, we will not benefit from its saving power. To partake of the Sacrament therefore presupposes our belief that Jesus is truly present in the Sacrament, we will not benefit from its saving power. Because we receive him in faith, Jesus remains in us and we in him, and we have life in him: "The man who feeds on me will have life because of me" (
John
6:57b). Of course, this indicates that our faith is not simply theoretical. Once we receive him, we must endeavor to dwell in him. Faith requires a response from us: the Lord dwells in us so that the life we live is the life of Jesus himself. Thus Paul: "I have been crucified with Christ and the life I live now is not my own. Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself to me" (
Gal
2:19-20). In receiving the Sacrament, therefore, we make an effort to live what it signifies: a life in imitation of the Lord who suffered for others. Like the broken bread and the shared wine, we become persons-for-others.
It is in this sense that we read the Second Reading (Eph
5:15-20). According to Paul, as a response to the offer of faith, we must keep careful watch over our conduct; we avoid wine leading to the debauchery. We avoid what can hurt, bring disorder and create division in the community, for these values make us less than a sacrament of the body and blood. On the contrary, we discern the will of God, and we must be filled with the Spirit. And what is His will? The will of God is, among others, to make others happy an forgive them. That way, the community becomes a place where we gain integrity and well-being, wholeness and happiness. Hence, when we receive the Eucharist, we proclaim that we are a people in whom God dwells, and we are a people who live the life of God: happy, whole, singing with all our hearts because we know how to love, forgive and be compassionate. By so acting, we are actually demonstrating to all that we are a community transformed into a sacrament of the Eucharist.
Jesus as Eucharist: the Supreme Norm of Our Lives By: Fr. Lope C. Robredillo August 27, 2000 Time was when people recognized only two giant empires in the world: the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Today, only the
former survives; the union of Soviets crumbled, or, to use a neutral word, broke up. But what is of concern to us is not whether it really collapsed or not, but rather what its breaking apart meant to the Russian
powers-that-be. If we go back to history and try to interpret what happened in the USSR on August 18, 1992, when a coup d'etat was attempted against the Soviet Prime Minister, a disinterested inquiry would tell us
that the root of it all was perestroika
— the restructuring of politics, economy and other aspects of Soviet life. The coup attempt happened a day before the signing of the treaty on power sharing, the relationship between the central government and the Soviets. The treaty was part of the implementation of the
perestroika
to bring about a better life to the people. Thus, the major issue was between those who accepted it and those who rejected it. Said Michael Gorbachev: "For some, this (treaty) is maintaining the empire, for others this is the collapse of the empire."
In today's Gospel (John
6:60-69), a parallel issue is being presented to us. It may be recalled from the previous Sundays that according to John, Jesus proclaimed his own goal for man to achieve in order to make him happy: eternal life, a life in which people are one and love one another, and experience freedom and integrity. And just as Gorbachev had his
perestroika, Jesus had a program to attain that form of life: the bread of life. As we saw in the preceding Sundays, Jesus, as Eucharist, presented himself first as Wisdom — the Word of God — and the
Christians, as an implication of Jesus' claim, are a community of the Word, hearing it, living it, and embodying it. This is what it means to eat the bread of life. Next, he offered himself as Sacrament — the sign of
God's love for His people, manifested in his dying for them. And for this reason the community lives the spirit of Jesus, he dwells in the community, and the community lives in him. The members of the community share with
others all they have and are, and are filled with the Spirit, manifested in their faces, and in their songs. This, too, is what eating the bread of life means. But the Gospel challenges us: do we accept him as
the bread of life? Do we accept him as the principle, guide, standard and supreme norm of our lives? Do we accept him as our redeemer, saving us by giving himself to us as bread of life?
Such a challenge was also offered to the people in the Old Testament. As the First Reading (Jos
24:1-2.15-17.18) points out, Joshua, at a renewal of the covenant in Shechem after the Israelites entered into the Promised Land, gathered all the tribes and gave them a challenge: "Decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling" (
Jos 24:15bc). The people answered: "We will serve the Lord for He is our God" (Jos
24:18). Similarly, in the New Testament, we who have seen the power of God manifested in the life and death of Jesus are given the challenge: "Do you want to leave me, too? (John
6:67). Shall we refuse to believe that in eating the Wisdom and the Sacrament of God we will attain everlasting life? John, of course, presents Peter as the model of our response to the challenge: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe, we are convinced that you are God's holy one" (
John 6:69). But the implication of this "yes" of Peter to Jesus' words is quite enormous. For to accept Jesus as the supreme norm of our life means that we decide to empty ours and fill it with the life
of Jesus, which is more than simply saying that we imitate him in discipleship. Moreover, if we link this to the Second Reading (Eph
5:21-32), accepting Jesus as the bread of life implies that we cannot manifest in ourselves and in our lives the lie and death of Jesus without having to form a new family of God, in much the same way that those who affirmed the Lord as their God at the time of Joshua eventually recognized themselves as the people of God. By eating the bread of life, we form in the final result of God's family headed by Christ himself who loves the community. And his relationship with the community becomes itself the pattern of the relationship that exists among the members — loving one another, giving up one's life for the sake of the other (
Eph 5:23). We cast aside our past life and unite ourselves with the members of the community in an unbreakable bond of unity (cf. Eph 5:31).
At the beginning of our reflection, we adverted to the program of perestroika
which Gorbachev initiated. But the program was not accepted. Russian leaders like Yanayev, Yozov (Defense), Pavlov and others mounted a coup, obviously because the perestroika
meant for them the loss of their power, status and privilege. In the light of the Gospel, one wonders whether any one of us would stage his own coup by not allowing Jesus to become the supreme norm of his life. Of course, in our liturgy, we are reminded in the response to the
Eucharistic Prayer that the right attitude to the challenge of Jesus is to say "Amen" to him. That way, we follow Peter who said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).
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