2024/11/18

170. Optimisation

Previously, we discussed "The Body of the Lord", the first theme of Admonitions, attributed to St Francis of Assisi. And we found that he had a particular understanding of the Father's love and the Eucharist from John's Gospel. On the other hand, in the second theme of the same Admonitions, "The Evil of Self-will", he turns his attention to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in Genesis. That shows that the Book of Revelation strongly influenced him. 

The Book of Revelation has a peculiar structure unparalleled in previous apocalyptic literature, clearly declaring from its very beginning that it is "the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:1). It is a book of revelation and prophecy (see diagram below), but also a book of daily training for believers. Its method of training is to create a loop structure of a computer program, so to speak, within the faithful who repeatedly reads aloud the words of the prophecy, hears the voice and keeps in his memory what is written in it, as indicated in Revelation 1:3 (cf. blog №151). This structure supports the daily routine of the faithful from the end of the Mass liturgy with the final blessing and dismissal until the next Mass. 

The primary purpose of the Book of Revelation as a training book is for believers in this daily routine first to develop the habit of sensing the "human information" depicted in it, distinguishing it from the work of the Holy Spirit, and retaining it in their memory. Thus, in the Book of Revelation, words for "human information" such as dragon, serpent, devil, Satan and deceiver of all humankind appear repeatedly. As a faithful repeatedly reads aloud and listens to the Book of Revelation, the image of these words eventually recedes, and the "human information" becomes directly perceptible. This perception strongly supports the desire of the faithful who, even living the daily routine in the Mass liturgy, are amidst the "human information" in this world. That is the keen desire to optimise themselves to the "divine reality" in which the Holy Spirit works and to collaborate with the Holy Spirit in all situations they encounter. The Book of Revelation functions as a simulator for this. 

Based on the above understanding, when we look back at Genesis 3 with the word "ancient serpent" (Revelation 12:9, 20:2) in the Book of Revelation as a hint, we can see that a suitable level of information had already been developed among creatures of the same species, the wisest of which was the information developed among humans (cf. Genesis 3:1, 3:14). The highly developed "human information", which outstrips that of other creatures, was the result of God's bestowing a will on man to create him after his likeness (cf. 2:7). The whole Bible always appeals to the fact that God, the Father, guarantees the freedom of "his own will"¹ of man whom he created after his likeness. When we read Genesis 3 from this viewpoint, we will find in it the Father dealing with the mistakes of his children. At the same time, we will see the overlap between the image of God in that scene and that of Jesus Christ fulfilling the will of the Father.

1. St Francis of Assisi, Admonitions, "The Evil of Self-will",  https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/assisi-the-writings-of-saint-francis-of-assisi.

 

That is the moment when the faithful realise that the image of the Father who "drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24) and that of Jesus Christ stating, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6), were one. They will then turn their attentions to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, intending to work on the memory of having eaten from it, which remains in people, to bring this good news to the world. 

No specific concept of "information" was in Francis' time. In the writings of Francis, we see a Francis who, in that era, somehow manages to face "human information" with the revelation he had been given. That testifies that he had already developed the habit of distinguishing between the work of the Holy Spirit and "human information". Indeed, this is shown by the fact that even when substituting the words "devils" and "Satan", which he quotes in "The Evil of Self-will" and elsewhere in his writings, for "human information", the meaning still holds. On the other hand, he tried to understand various issues according to the teachings of the Church at the time. 

To be continued

Maria K. M.

 2024/11/11

169. The Tacit Knowledge

During the time of St. Francis, the Church became increasingly interested in the Eucharist, and a new form of religious life was taking place. It must have been timely if, at such a time, the Holy Spirit led Francis to realise the truths of John's Gospel and the Book of Revelation from San Damiano Crucifix. But those who receive divine revelation are only flesh and blood travelling through the world, even when working with the Holy Spirit. Hence, they do not communicate more than what they saw, as John, the author of the Book of Revelation, wrote: "[John] bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw" (Revelation 1:2). With this in mind, I would like to examine what he realised, according to the sources directly related to Francis as a clue to it. 

The fact that "The Body of the Lord"¹, the first theme of Admonitions attributed to Francis, begins with the words of the Gospel of John is noteworthy. After writing, "the Lord Jesus says to his disciples", Francis quoted Jesus' words, from the phrase "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6), through the exchange between Jesus and Philip, to the phrase "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (14:9). From them he leads to a conclusion: "Yet neither is the Son, in as much as he is equal to the Father, seen by any one other than by the Father, other than by the Holy Spirit". 

That was to give an admonishment as follows. "Wherefore, all those who saw the Lord Jesus according to humanity and did not see and believe according to the spirit and the divinity that he is the true Son of God, were condemned. So also now all those who behold the sacrament which is sanctified by the words of the Lord upon the altar at the hand of the priest in the form of bread and wine, and do not see and believe according to the spirit and divinity that it is truly the most holy body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, are condemned". He had actually seen many people living like those already condemned. 

On the other hand, he was in a state where he could say, "Behold: daily he humbles himself as when from heaven's royal throne he came down into the womb of the Virgin. Daily he himself comes to us with like humility; daily he descends from the bosom of the Father upon the altar in the hands of the priest. And as he appeared to the Apostles in true flesh, so now also he shows himself to us in the sacred bread". Then he encourages, "And as they by their bodily sight saw only his flesh, yet contemplating him with the eyes of the spirit believed him to be very God, so we also, as we see our bodily eyes the bread and wine, are to see and firmly believe that it is his most holy body and blood living and true". Francis must have taken these words seriously himself. However, I suppose, these words were difficult to practice for him who had the conclusion that "neither is the Son, in as much as he is equal to the Father, seen by any one other than by the Father, other than by the Holy Spirit". 

Jesus said to the multitude, "And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen; and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent" (John 5:37-38). 

The words "the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me" were fulfilled when Jesus said to Peter: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17). These words were in reply to Peter's words to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (16:16). These were the words that "my Father who is in heaven" had revealed. Peter himself, who uttered these words, and the other disciples who heard them, had the Father's words abiding in them. They believed that the Father had sent him (cf. John 17:8). 

The words "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God", which the Father in heaven had revealed, stay in those who hear them. So, when the faithful attending the Mass liturgy proclaims with the priest aloud these words, which the heavenly Father revealed to Peter, towards the Eucharist shown by him and take and eat the Eucharist handed by the priest, they can answer Francis' encouragement: "[We] are to see and firmly believe that it is his most holy body and blood living and true ". 

Moreover, the words revealed by the heavenly Father form the tacit knowledge in the memory of those faithful who proclaim the words aloud and hear them. It is the rock of which Jesus said to Peter: "I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

1. Saint Francis of Assisi, First Admonition "The Body of the Lord"              https://www.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010612_francesco-assisi_en.html

 2024/11/04

168. Feeling of Incongruity

Christianity, which had taken root in the Roman Empire, protected Rome from the destruction of the Western Roman Empire. Meanwhile, St Francis appeared in a history that took almost 800 years to prepare. His story is still signalling for us 800 years further down the line. 

At his last table, Jesus told the Apostles the parable of a woman giving birth to a child, referring to the joy of a human coming into the world. He continued: "I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22), foretelling his resurrection as well as the birth of the Eucharist. Jesus then assured them, saying: "In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (16:23-24). The Church has responded to these words of Jesus by praying "so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ", asking for what is the best in this world. 

In the Gospel of John, Mary was never called "mother" by Jesus so that she might become the priesthood itself (cf. John 2:4, 19:26). Bound to "the mother of Jesus" by Jesus' words on the cross in a parent-child bond, the Apostle was bound to the priesthood. The Gospel reads, "And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home" (19:27). Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were also there. San Damiano Crucifix depicts this very scene. St Francis realised something from this. Having received the diaconate, he was on the line towards priesthood, as seen from the fact that he called himself "clerical"¹. However, he never became a priest.

1. cf. Francis of Assisi, The Testament. 

Francis may have had a sense of incongruity, which eventually burdened him as a contradiction, as he was ordained a deacon for love for the Church. In his life with this burden, we see the presence of the "vocation of Jesus". The fact that many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him speaks for itself (cf. John 6:66). At the same time, his life also reflects that of Christ approaching the Passion, described in the following passage: "This was to fulfil the word which he had spoken, 'Of those whom thou gavest me I lost not one.'" (18:9). The Father's hand prunes the vine branch, which is fully connected to Jesus Christ, so that "it may bear more fruit" (15:2). That hand was upon Francis, and he continued to respond by surrendering himself to that hand and living a life of thorough poverty. 

In my opinion, the hand of the Father on Francis was a love that nullified the sacrament of Deaconate he received for his love for the Church and restored to him the "vocation of Jesus" that the Father had bestowed on him from the beginning. He had, after all, received the "vocation of Jesus" in front of San Damiano Crucifix. 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2024/10/28

167. Vocations　

The results of the previous discussion were fascinating, and I felt that I could understand why St Francis received the diaconate. He may have unconsciously felt that he had the "Jesus' vocation" when he was called by the San Damiano crucifix, which was painted based on the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. It was the "Jesus' vocation" that Jesus left behind by living as a celibate himself for the sake of the kingdom of heaven and remaining the "Son" to the "Father" until the end of his life. 

Those who are gifted with the vocation to live celibacy themselves for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, following in Jesus' footsteps, will find that they have it. Jesus said, "He who is able to receive this, let him receive it" (Matthew 19:12). These words guarantee that men and women believers who receive the fact that they have this vocation are free to live it. The "Jesus' vocation" makes those who accept it, like Jesus, "those to whom it is given" (19:11), who proclaim the whereabouts of the "Kingdom of God". As a male, however, Francis suffered greatly when the Church invited him to the priesthood. He was torn between his love for the "Jesus' vocation", which was already within him, and that for the Church. The invitation to the priesthood is an invitation to receive the "Mary's vocation". They are two different vocations. 

Jesus' priesthood began when his mother, Mary, responded to the angel's announcement. Mary also took his priesthood together with Jesus. Jesus took this honorable commission, which he did being called by God, from his mother, Mary, so to speak, as the Letter to the Hebrews says: "And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, 'Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee' " (Hebrews 5:4-5). So, Jesus performed the first sign for his mother "at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory" (John 2:11). This sign, in which water turned into wine, was the foretaste of the sign next time, in which wine turned into His blood. Mary had lived for her whole life the very words she said before the angel, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). Jesus knew that that wish of Mary was directed to the Father. 

The birth and death of the Eucharist took place when the bread and wine became the body and blood of Christ through the institution of the Eucharist performed by Jesus and was eaten and drunk by the Apostles around the last table with him. It was a reenactment of the reality of Jesus' birth and death. Jesus commanded them to continue this work in the future by saying, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19). The reality of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the only one who fully shared in his birth and death by giving birth to him and experiencing his death on the cross, is the source of the experience of priests who, in collaboration with the Holy Spirit, bring forth the Eucharist and share in his birth and death, and is the priesthood of the New Covenant. On the Cross, Jesus united his mother and the Apostle in a parent-child bond. It was a sign that the Apostles were united for eternity with the priesthood of Jesus that Mary had received, being overshadowed by the power of the Most High with the Holy Spirit coming upon her. Hence, the priest has the "Mary's vocation". 

At his last table, Jesus guided his Apostles, who were to receive the "Mary's vocation", so that their wishes might be directed from himself (cf. John 14:13-14) to the Holy Spirit (cf. 15:7-16) and on to the Father (cf. 16:21-27). And the Church responded to this leading of Jesus. The priest prays before the bread and wine in the Mass liturgy: "... so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ". The priest offers this prayer for the rest of their lives, which only priests, the heirs of the Apostles' ministry, can do. The Eucharist continues to support that prayer of theirs, making the following prayer of Jesus a reality through the work of being eaten and dying: "And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth" (John 17:19). 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2024/10/21

166. The Likeness of God

Jesus in the centre of the San Damiano Crucifix represents the Eucharist. To his right is the priesthood (the mother of Jesus) and the priest (the beloved disciple), who is bound to it by an inseparable bond (the bond of parent and child). On the left, across from the Eucharist, are the married laity (Mary, the wife of Clopas) and the celibate laity (Mary Magdalene), and on their left is the Roman Empire (the centurion), which turns its sincere gaze on the Eucharist accepting Christianity. This composition is mainly based on the scene from the Gospel of John. The whole image of the cross is full of happiness and peace. 

All four of them, except the centurion, are Christians who carry the name of Christ as their cross. They are to fulfil the mission of presenting Jesus Christ to the world again in collaboration with the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus. On the Cross of San Damiano, this mission is placed on both sides of Jesus (the Eucharist) at the centre, as the two positions of the priests and the laity who make up the Church. The mission of the Church to manifest the "Kingdom of God" to the world is to make visible the power of the Holy Spirit, which wraps and covers these two positions in one. It is embodied in the Mass liturgy as the celebrant and the congregation standing around the altar and the Eucharist. Additionally, these two positions are constituted by three vocations. 

Jesus began his mission at the age of around 30, underwent the Passion, gave his mother to the Apostle on the cross, and temporarily dissolved the Holy Family by his death. Then, by the blood and water flowing from his side, he newly gave birth to the Church with the structure of the Holy Family. 

Those standing by the cross of Jesus were all women, except for the "beloved disciple". However, behind the names of these women hid married male laity and celibate male laity. At the time, the women were less visible socially and were less closely watched by the Roman soldiers and Jewish religious leaders, so it is thought that they were relatively safe to stay by the cross. Even after Jesus' resurrection, despite the presence of the guards, it is written that "Mary Mag'dalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre" (Matthew 28:1). 

Mary became the mother of Jesus by assenting to the words of the angel who told her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35). Before his ascension, Jesus told his Apostles, "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high" (24:49). They consented to Jesus' words and received his blessing. In this way, the priest can become the mother of the "body of Christ" in collaboration with the Holy Spirit by being clothed with power from on high by the Holy Spirit. That is the very priesthood, and hence, the priest has the vocation of Mary, even though he is a male. The vocation of Mary collaborating with the Holy Spirit is essential so that the following testimony of the Gospel of Matthew may continue to be fulfilled even after the ascension of Jesus: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel' (which means, God with us)" (Matthew 1:23). This vocation corresponds to the post of the "Holy Spirit". 

By living a life of celibacy throughout his life, Jesus remained as the Son of the Father. The laity who bear witness to this fact can also live a life of celibacy throughout their lives after Jesus. As Jesus encouraged by saying, "He who is able to receive this, let him receive it" (Matthew 19:12), those who live a life of celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven know that they are the witness to Jesus. They are "those to whom it is given" (19:11) who tell others the whereabouts of the "Kingdom of God". As Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:16), the Kingdom of God belongs to "the children". They are indeed celibates, and the Kingdom of God is with them. Thus, celibate laity, both men and women, have the vocation of Jesus. This vocation corresponds to the post of the "Son". 

Joseph consented to the words of the angel of the Lord, who appeared to him in a dream and took Mary, his wife, and Jesus in her womb. The words are as follows: "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21). When Joseph took Mary and Jesus, he accepted his own vocation. Then, the Holy Family appeared in the world. Joseph represents married laity, both men and women. They bear the vocation of Joseph, the vocation of manifesting the Holy Family in the Church, taking without fear those who retain the vocations of the Church, i.e., the vocations of Mary and Jesus. This vocation corresponds to the post of the "Father". 

Thus, the Church has the structure of the Holy Family, and if realizing that fact, it can reflect the Triune God. Jesus fervently prayed to the Father as follows. 

"The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me" (John 17:22-23) 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 

 2024/10/14

165. Time Difference

The liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council shifted the Mass liturgy to a style in which the priest and the congregation encircle the altar. That was a big step towards the "fresh wineskins", of which Jesus said, "But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins" (Luke 5:38). Jesus said, "For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40), and prayed, "And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (17:3). Herein lies the heart of the plan of salvation that the Father has entrusted to Jesus. So, to ensure that the step I mentioned above is taken forward, I would like to examine God's plan of salvation by following the life of John the Baptist. 

John the Baptist had been given the angel's announcement, "[H]e will go before him in the spirit and power of Eli'jah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared" (Luke 1:17), his father Zachariah's prophecy "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins" (1:76-77), and the word of God "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God" (3:4-6). He went before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah and gave the Lord's people knowledge of salvation in the forgiveness of their sins so that all men would see the salvation of God. 

The Gospel tells us that when people heard John the Baptist's voice, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2), they came to him from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan, and were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins, and that many Pharisees and Sadducees also came for baptism and heard his teaching (cf. 3:3-10). It further states that he also gave various exhortations to tax collectors and soldiers and preached good news to the people (cf. Luke 3:7-18). 

John also baptised Jesus and "saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him" (John 1:32). He then deliberately led his disciples towards Jesus. The Gospel says: "The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus" (1:35-37). John prophesied that Jesus was the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (1:29), who "was before me" (1:30), who "baptizes with the Holy Spirit" (1:33) and "this is the Son of God" (1:34). 

Moreover, he realised that the true purpose for which Jesus was sent was to end the old covenant and fulfil the new covenant (the bride) and said: "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:29-30). As Jesus said, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Eli'jah who is to come" (Matthew 11:13-14), we see John the Baptist's resolution to bear the end of the old covenant prophecy in his words, "I must decrease". He, like Elijah, challenged the iniquity against God and was killed. 

Jesus asked his disciples, "Eli'jah does come first to restore all things; and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?" (Mark 9:12). This question was his own word of challenge to the suffering and death that Jesus, who alone knew its answer, would suffer to "save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Jesus had been carrying a plan to rescue "his people", the future of Christians, from the crumbling Jerusalem and transfer them to the new city so that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him would have eternal life and that he would raise them on the last day. It was a challenge, like a parent saving his child in exchange for his own life. Jesus, the Son of God, as a perfect human being, stamped his name on the forehead of the Roman Empire by undergoing the Roman Empire penalty of crucifixion. 

Pilate took water, washed his hands before the crowd and said, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves" (Matthew 27:24). But Jesus' thoughts had already captured the Roman Empire. The apostle Paul took God's grand plan on his shoulders and set foot on Roman soil according to Jesus' exhortation, "Take courage" (Acts 23:11). 

Meanwhile, to Pilate's words, the people responded in unison: "His blood be on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:25). "His blood" is the blood of which Jesus said, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (26:28). God is waiting for the day when the Old Covenant people, whom he had chosen and nurtured, will co-bear responsibility for this new "blood of the covenant" together with the Christians. Therefore, in the Book of Revelation, we have the following words. 

"It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Revelation 21:12-14). 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2024/10/07

164. The Arrangement

In the composition of San Damiano Crucifix, we can see two attainment stages in the Prophetic Composition of the Book of Revelation (see diagram below): the third prophecy, the Prophecy of the Establishment of the New Testament (chapters 4-11), and the sixth prophecy, the Prophecy of the Completion of the Liturgy of the Mass (chapters 19-20). In the centre of the crucifix, the image of Jesus, crucified and bleeding, implies the Eucharist. Additionally, the floating depiction of Christ's body expresses that the new covenant made by the blood of Jesus is made present by his words: "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19). 

Here, the four people depicted on either side of the image of Jesus on the cross, which implies the Eucharist, are Jesus' mother, the "beloved disciple", the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene, who were standing by the cross in John's Gospel (cf. John 19:25). In addition, the man at the far left of Jesus, standing beside them, looking up at Christ on the cross and marked below as a "centurion", represents the converted Roman Empire. The three fingers he is holding up are said to mean, in a Christian context, "I testify that Jesus is the Lord".¹

 1. Michael Goonan (2000), The Crucifix That Spoke to St Francis, St Pauls Publications. 

These four people abide in the stage of the sixth prophecy of the Prophetic Composition of the Book of Revelation, the Prophecy of the Completion of the Liturgy of the Mass (chapters 19-20). The fact that they are depicted with Jesus in the middle, divided to the left and right, indicates the arrangement of the persons in the Mass liturgy. The wood of the cross is not distinctly depicted in this crucifix. That is because Christ's body represents the Eucharist, under which there should be an altar. On the right of Jesus, described as the Eucharist on the altar, are the mother of Jesus and the Apostle, the "beloved disciple" who took her into his house - the priesthood and the priest who received it. To the left, Clopa's wife represents the married believers, while Mary, called by her place name, Magdala, is thought to represent the single believers. 

In them, depicted on the right and left of the Eucharist, Jesus' following words are fulfilled: "But to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father" (Matthew 20:23). These words are Jesus' answer to the request of the mother of the sons of Zebedee, who came to him with her two sons, prostrated herself and said, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom" (20:21). The desire for power and control is no different for men and women. Even in today's globalised world, traditions of male domination and patriarchy remain and make it difficult to see true equality between men and women. 

Adam intended to gain authority and power by naming his wife Eve and ruling over her (cf. Genesis 3:20). Eve, when Cain was born, tried to sanctify herself and have authority, saying, "I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD" (4:1). Under these parents, Cain "rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him" (4:8) out of jealousy. The Gospel, concerning the incident of Zebedee's sons and their mother, tells us: "And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers" (Matthew 20:24). John must never have forgotten that incident because he witnessed the negative cycle of human relationships to begin, even among the Apostles. 

People depicted to the right and left of the San Damiano Crucifix will be expressed as surrounding the Eucharist and the altar that supports it if rendered as a three-dimensional image. Such an arrangement allows them to see each other and to realise the following prayer of Jesus: "I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one" (John 17:23). It makes their relationship more transparent and gradually creates new relationships that deter the negative cycle. The fact that various matters that the Church has kept hidden in its unique tradition are being brought to light today bears witness to this. As unbearable as these experiences have been, we, the Church, are indeed beginning a path of purification. The importance of the Mass liturgy in the form in which the faithful gather around the Eucharist and the altar that supports it lies not only because the institution of the Eucharist took place around the Passover table but also because of the above facts. 

I am a post-Vatican II believer and only know this style of Mass liturgy, where the priest and the congregation face each other around the altar. So, I was more than a little shocked when I learnt that it had been less than a century since the days when the Church celebrated the Mass liturgy in the style of everyone facing the altar. On the other hand, I was so happy to know that the Church, having made these reforms, had taken a big step towards the Prophecy of the Completion of the Liturgy of the Mass (chapters 19-20). Remembering these things, I thought back to Francis' time and gave it a lot of thought. 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.