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 16:21), 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. c.f. 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 contradiction, 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. 

 2024/09/30

163. The Trace of Christ, the Son of God

St Francis gazed at the crucifix of San Damiano. He perceived in it the image of the Kingdom of God, depicted inspired much by John's Gospel and the Book of Revelation. The truth of the Kingdom of God he received is still transmitted to us 800 years later. 

Jesus on the cross in San Damiano is not in agony. That is because his image suggests the Eucharist. The Eucharist gives believers the knowledge of divine informationlessness. The Eucharist is partaken of by believers, giving them the experience of union with "Christ, the Son of God" and making them experience divine informationlessness. Therefore, believers must focus on the Eucharist, detaching the taste of the bread and wine from it, tasting the tastelessness of having received the Eucharist and remembering the divine informationlessness. Hence, believers need to mobilise all their senses in receiving the Eucharist. First, it is essential to look at the Eucharist raised by the priest and declare that it is the "Christ, the Son of God", so that they can make it fixed that the divine informationlessness in the Eucharist they are about to receive is of the "Christ, the Son of God" by hearing their own voice of declaration. Then, they take the consecrated Host distributed to them, touch it with their fingers, smell it and taste it in their mouths. 

The acquisition of such special knowledge is usually done unconsciously. No one can observe it, let alone the person in question. That is why we confess to the Eucharist just before receiving it so that the "Christ, the Son of God" remains as a trace in our unconscious realm. This trace becomes alive on the path of living the daily routine, from the end of that Mass with the blessing of the dispensation to the next Mass. That is because the Holy Spirit, sent in the name of Jesus, is constantly asking believers to collaborate with him so that he can work as Christ. The Holy Spirit continues to contact the believer to become the Christ. The faint touch at that time corresponds to the trace of divine informationlessness that the believer keeps in their unconsciousness realm through Communion. That is the trace of "Christ, the Son of God." 

In the experience of responding to the Holy Spirit, who is constantly seeking to collaborate with us, only "Yes" is always realised for the believer who desires it (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:17-22). Just as we voluntarily line up for Communion and take and eat the consecrated Host given by the priest, whenever we encounter the events on the path of living the daily routine from the blessing of the dispensation to the next Mass, we remember the sensation of divine informationlessness we had when having received Communion voluntarily and direct attention towards collaborating with the Holy Spirit. Then, we will see that the action we do next is different from when we do it alone by watching the process of doing it as Jesus said, "In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you" (John 14:20). 

For us humans, born as a mass of information and living amidst information, the only way to become poor in all information is to turn our consciousness to divine informationlessness. And the memory of having collaborated with the Holy Spirit makes us realise the blessedness that is given to the little ones who accept the washing of God. God thus wants believers to live in direct collaboration with the Holy Spirit without being dependent on anyone else. 

Here, another thing that is simultaneously necessary for working with the Holy Spirit is found in the following words of Jesus: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-14). 

To know that the Holy Spirit takes what is of Jesus and declares it to us, we need to share the worldview of Jesus Christ, like the disciples who lived with him in reality. As seen in the disciples' activities after Pentecost, they realised and spoke of the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures through the worldview of Jesus Christ. It did not matter that they were "uneducated, common men" (Acts 4:13). In the same way, the worldview of Jesus Christ (see diagram below), injected into our memory from Revelation, evokes a profound empathy from the inner recesses of our memory when we come into contact with the words of the New Testament, making us realise that we know the truth. Finally, the Word, the words of life, flows out of our mouths, just as happened to the disciples at that time. 

To be continued 

Maria K. M.

 2024/09/23

162. My House

The crucifix of San Damiano, much inspired by the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation, made a strong impression on Francis's vision, and he grasped it. It is said that he heard the voice saying, "Francis go and repair my house which, as you see, is all falling down", three times from the crucifix. He set about repairing the church building. 

When Jesus went up with his disciples to Jerusalem for Passover and saw in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons and the moneychangers at their business, he drove all the sheep and cattle out of the temple, scattered the money of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. Then he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade" (John 2:16). It is written, "His disciples remembered that it was written, 'Zeal for thy house will consume me.'" (2:17). For Jesus, who said, "All that the Father has is mine" (16:15), the "Father's house" was "my house". The zeal for his house that the Father had was also Jesus'. Francis must have shared the zeal. 

Jesus, in this same scene, further responded to the Jews, saying, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (2:19), as they pressed him saying, "What sign have you to show us for doing this?" (2:18). The Gospel explains that "he spoke of the temple of his body" (2:21). For Francis at that time, for us as well, "his body" is the Holy Eucharist. Hence, the command "Repair my house" was linked to the completion of the Mass liturgy. 

However, even though the New Testament had already been established more than 800 years earlier, the Church at that time was amidst the fourth prophecy of the Prophetic Composition of the Book of Revelation (see below), the Prophecy of the Fate of the Church with the Priesthood and the Sacrament of the Eucharist Hidden in the Wilderness and Heaven (Chapters 12-16). Furthermore, the course of history was about to lead the Church towards the fifth prophecy, the Prophecy of the Fall of the Church (chapters 17-18). In this interstice, using the subject of John's Gospel and Revelation, God showed Francis the entire Kingdom of God by visualising it. 

Francis saw the "truth" of the "Kingdom of God" on the crucifix of San Damiano and realised the "life". That was the life of Christ. He looked over the whole creation saved by the life of Christ. Then he looked back. He wanted to show the "way" to the "life" to those who sought it. Receiving the "Kingdom of God" as truth, he had in his mind two gospel themes about the "Kingdom of God": poverty and littleness. Jesus said, "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Luke 6:20). He lived among such people, which is corroborated by Jesus' words when he sent his disciples (cf. Luke 9:3). The poverty became for Francis a concrete way of following Christ. 

Jesus also said, "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it" (Luke 18:17). That was when the disciples rebuked those who brought their children so that Jesus might touch them. The blessedness of those who accept the washing of God is in "getting touched by Jesus". Jesus' washing the disciples' feet was the act of "having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (John 13:1). Thus, those who "receive the kingdom of God like a child" are the ones who see themselves as a little one whom God can wash at any time. 

Hence, Francis was convinced through the Words that being poor and least was a sign that pointed the "way" to the "truth" of the "Kingdom of God". He concentrated on that and lived it thoroughly. He lived his life with a direct belief in the words of Jesus: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Relying on his passion like this, God made him bear the cross of Jesus. It was the cross of San Damiano, painted with the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation as its subject. He undertook the name of Jesus and bore his love and "Kingdom of God". 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.