2026/11/02

272. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: The Power to Become Children of God

The "power to become children of God" (Jn 1:12) is a power which we can exercise by calling God "Heavenly Father." For us believers, calling God "Heavenly Father" holds immeasurable potential. In this lies the power to overcome the errors and sins that arise from disobeying God's commands. There we see a person who moves forward, casting aside despair, who brings about change even at the cost of losing something, and who seeks to create a new time in collaboration with the Holy Spirit. Why does this happen? This is because Jesus fulfilled God's entire plan, exercising the authority the Heavenly Father bestowed upon him. The "new covenant in my blood" by Jesus served as the fundamental premise for this. We are called Christians because of this covenant—the covenant which Jesus spoke at the institution of the Eucharist: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mat 26:28).

The New Covenant is very simple. Yet the whole divine plan rests on it. Although we have discussed this topic many times, grasping this overall picture is essential for us as Christians to know ourselves and determine how we should live; therefore, I would like to reaffirm it here once more. In Genesis, God, who said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen 1:26), established the day described as "And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation" (2:2–3) to be celebrated together with humankind and for humankind to worship God. This is consistent with what Jesus said: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" (Jn 4:23), and "for such the Father seeks to worship him" (ibid.).

Jesus went on to say, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (Jn 4:24). In these words, can we as Christians recall the experience of the man described in Genesis, where God created in the man the spiritual realm from the dust of the earth, where the "breath of life" that God breathed into the man was connected to human knowledge through the "tree of life," and where the man worked in harmony with the Holy Spirit? In that passage of Genesis, it is written: "So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them" (Gen 2:19). God was observing whether man would cooperate with the Holy Spirit. At that time, God took His way of being of "the Lord God," who is one in the form of "Father and the Son" and the "Holy Spirit"—changing from that of "God," the Creator existing as the Trinity of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" (cf. 1:1–2:3)—so that the "Holy Spirit," proceeding from the Father and the Son, could cooperate with the man (cf. 2:4–25).

If understanding Genesis in this way, we will find that humankind will be configured according to the pattern of "the breath of life" + "the tree of life" + "human knowledge" + "a physical body created in 'our image,'" thereby fulfilling God's words at the beginning of human creation: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen 1:26). Subsequently, when the Holy Spirit works in cooperation with this person, God's subsequent words—"let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" (ibid.)—are fulfilled. Jesus' parents, having received the "Tree of Life" by welcoming Him, could work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, with the aforementioned pattern being realised within them. However, they remained unaware that Jesus had assumed the way of being of "the Lord God" while they were collaborating with the Holy Spirit. Consequently, when they found the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem, they failed to understand His words: "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Lk 2:49).

When Jesus began His public ministry and was baptised with water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and He publicly revealed the way of being of "God"—the Creator in whom "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" form the Trinity. He thus began to prepare to give birth to the Church. At the same time, He testified that the Holy Spirit would descend upon people. It is clear that when Jesus later said, "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10:30), He had assumed the way of being of "the Lord God," and the disciples worked in collaboration with the Holy Spirit, having the "Tree of Life" with them. Jesus—who possesses the way of being of "God" and "the Lord God," a nature human senses can hardly grasp—gave Peter, James and John the opportunity to behold His true being. The three perceived the two figures who appeared there as Moses and Elijah; in reality, however, they had beheld in Jesus the form of "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" (cf. Mat 17:1–8). Later, Jesus taught them that Elijah had already come and that he was John the Baptist (cf. 17:10–13).

Through his existence as both Divine and human, Jesus sought to make his disciples comprehend the nature of the "Son of God." When a person's pattern—comprising "the breath of life" + "the tree of life" + "human knowledge" + "a physical body created in 'our image'"—is established, and through collaboration with the Holy Spirit they come to embody the formation, "the Holy Spirit and a human being," they are, though it may seem like a faint reflection in a mirror, indeed beholding the "Lord God" face to face. They are drawn into the Triune God, the source of faith, hope and love. Whilst living in this world, where we are already stretched to the limit by embodying the form of "Holy Spirit and human being," we may know only a part of Him; yet when we participate in the Mass in heaven, we shall know God clearly, just as God knows us clearly.

The Apostle Paul wrote about these things in his letters, revealing the nature of those who were granted the "power to become children of God." Paul wrote to his disciples, "But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way" (1 Cor 12:31), and shared his experience of "love" (cf. 13:1–12). He recognised his own state of embodying the form of "the Holy Spirit and human being" in this world. Finally, he concluded by writing, "So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (13:13), and went on to encourage his readers, "Make love your aim" (14:1). The "love" that Paul spoke of so emphatically is the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from faith and hope—that is, from the Father and the Son.

Maria K. M.

 2026/10/26

271. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: The New Covenant in My Blood

The New Covenant looks beyond itself to the fulfilment of God's promise to David concerning his son Solomon: "I will be his father, and he shall be my son" (2 Sam 7:14). To reach that point, one must follow the indispensable path of having eternal life and being raised up, just as Jesus repeatedly emphasised: "This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. 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" (Jn 6:39–40). To this end, as implied by Jesus' added words, "that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me," the fundamental prerequisite is the forgiveness of sins that saves people whilst they are still alive. "The New Covenant in my blood" guarantees that this forgiveness of sins will be realised.

That Word is found in the New Testament. It is embraced within the words of instituting the Eucharist. Matthew recorded, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:28); Mark recorded, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many" (Mk 14:24); and Luke recorded, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (Lk 22:20). These words came into effect at the moment immediately after Jesus died on the cross, when "one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water" (Jn 19:34). Even the Roman centurion standing there, upon seeing that Jesus had breathed his last, said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" (Mk 15:39). We believers have yet to realise the significance of the words we proclaim, standing before the Eucharist.

Once we realise the significance of proclaiming that the Eucharist is Christ, the Son of God, we believers, too, can share in the intention of John the Evangelist when he wrote as follows, concerning the fact that "there came out blood and water" from Jesus' side: "He who saw it has borne witness -- his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth -- that you also may believe" (Jn 19:35). In Chapter 1 of the Gospel of John, it is written: "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (1:12–13). This passage tells us that we who received the sacraments of initiation, accepting Jesus and believing in His name, were given the "power to become children of God."

Moreover, to be "born ... of God" means to be born of Jesus' "new covenant in my blood." We believers bear witness to this. The "power to become children of God" takes effect when believers spontaneously call God "Heavenly Father," and then Jesus' "new covenant in my blood" becomes real. From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus used the words "your Father who is in heaven" (Mt 5:45, etc.) when speaking to his disciples and the people, and he taught them the Lord’s Prayer so that they might address God as "Our Father art in heaven" (cf. 6:5–13). This is because the "power to become children of God" is a power that can be exercised by calling God "Heavenly Father. " This power embodies the strength of the prayer Jesus offered at the Last Supper: "Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me" (Jn 17:11-12).

This prayer of Jesus tells us that when believers call God "Heavenly Father" of their own accord, that name protects them. As we chant at the end of the Lord's Prayer, this means they are protected from temptation and evil—and therefore from sin as well. For example, let us reconsider God—who in Genesis forbade humankind from taking and eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—as our Heavenly Father. With this perspective in mind, when we read the story of the first two humans who disobeyed God in Genesis Chapter 3, we can see the Father busily dealing with the aftermath of what His own children have done. Furthermore, in God's reaction to Cain's murder in Chapter 4, we can see the Heavenly Father who faces His child who has sinned head-on and strives to save him by any means possible. Calling God "Heavenly Father" gives us the strength to overcome the mistakes and sins that arise from disobeying His commands. A person emerges who moves forward, cutting off despair, brings about change, even losing something, and seeks to create time anew in collaboration with the Holy Spirit.

The power of understanding God as the "Heavenly Father" eventually leads us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our neighbour. This is the strength of the "power to become the children of God," and for us believers, calling God "Heavenly Father" holds immeasurable potential. When we call God "Heavenly Father," we are calling upon Jesus, who said, "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10:30). In this moment, we see God's way of being as "Father and Son." The "Lord God," who appeared in Genesis Chapters 2 and 3, is there (cf. blog, No. 264). The "Lord God," whilst being the Holy Trinity, is present in the Eucharist, assuming the way of being of "Father and Son" so that the Holy Spirit can collaborate with the faithful. That is possible because the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. That is how God draws the faithful exactly into Him. Therefore, we believers fully accept Jesus' words below, bring the liturgy of the Mass to fulfillment, and advance towards the Second Coming.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (Jn 6:53–56).

Maria K. M.

 2026/10/19

270. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: Distinction and Discernment III

As we discussed in the previous issue, Paul realised that the beatific vision consists in the Gospel's intuitive insight. Beyond that realisation lay the mission Jesus gave him to establish the Church in Rome. He sent Timothy the coded message regarding his "cloak." Understanding his intention, Timothy set out for Rome accompanied by Peter and Mark (cf. blog, No. 238). Thus, the Apostles gathered in Rome envisaged a future in which the believers would hold the completed New Testament in their hands. In this, the path to the completed Liturgy of the Mass is laid out. If, at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word, the Gospel—which proclaims the truth—is read; if this is then reflected upon through the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles; and if the truth is cemented in the believers' memory through the priest's homily, then the believers can grow, just as new wine ferments within new wineskins. Adding to all this, the reality of receiving the Eucharist, which gives life to the faithful, becomes one with these things, and they experience a perfect union with Christ. There, we see the faithful guided by the special "discernment" of the Holy Spirit.

That special "discernment" enables the faithful to realise that, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus' words freely bring all times into the present. The Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation express this as a "spring of water." The Gospel of John refers to the "spring" in the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman in Chapter 4. Jesus said to the woman, "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (Jn 4:13–14). The Samaritan woman immediately asked, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw" (4:15). However, Jesus did not answer her directly; instead, he made it clear that he understood her background (cf. 4:16–18) and helped her to move beyond judgements of good and evil so that she might draw forth her true desire from within herself (cf. 4:19–22).

In the scene that follows, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him" (Jn 4:23). For us believers to become true worshippers who worship the Father in spirit and truth, as these words indicate, we should first focus on the phrase "in spirit and truth." This phrase indicates that cooperation with the Holy Spirit is a prerequisite. To this end, we must learn to "distinguish" between ourselves, who desire to collaborate with the Holy Spirit, and "human information." Furthermore, Jesus' words, "the hour is coming, and now is," reveal that the future described as the time "when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" had already become a present reality at the very moment Jesus was speaking with the Samaritan woman.

This is the same phenomenon—albeit in the opposite direction of time—as when a priest today recites Jesus' words from the institution of the Eucharist, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Lk 22:19), and the moment when Jesus took the bread, offered a prayer of thanksgiving, broke it and gave it to the Apostles is made present. The Samaritan woman before Jesus and we today before the Eucharist share the same experience. A special "discernment" brought by the Holy Spirit teaches us and enables us to realise that Jesus' words, through the Holy Spirit's work, freely bring all times into the present. Furthermore, this special "discernment" awakens the faithful to the reality that the Liturgy of the Mass is the Kingdom of God. To make this possible, Jesus requires that those who draw near to God refrain from judging between good and evil. For this act of judging good and evil is precisely a manifestation of how people have absorbed ‘human information’ and made it their own knowledge.

Jesus' words have the authority to bring whatever occurred or will occur at any point in the past or future into the present through the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Holy Spirit can invite the faithful to collaborate with Him. The Book of Revelation expresses this as a "fountain." That passage depicts the source through which the Holy Spirit leads the faithful to this special "discernment." This source sustains the believer’s daily routine as they leave one Mass and set out once more for the next. "And he who sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.' And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son'" (Rev 21:5–7).

The words "have this heritage" mean that believers acquire the cyclical power of the training of the Book of Revelation, which inherited the way of being of the One who is "the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." The practice of reading and listening to the Book of Revelation creates tacit knowledge of "the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Rev 1:1) in the believer's memory, making them those "who keep what is written therein" (1:3). It also fundamentally underpins the memory of those who desire to collaborate with the Holy Spirit. The beatific vision thus bestowed is tangible and builds a relationship of trust with the Heavenly Father. That perception leads one to realise that one is "the thirsty" for perfect union with Christ. This realisation draws the believer deeply into the daily routine leading to the Mass, where one may drink freely from the fountain of the water of life. There, the words "I will be his God and he shall be my son" are fulfilled.

Maria K. M.

 2026/10/12

269. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: The Beatific Vision of St Paul

In the previous issue, Distinction and Discernment II, we discussed how the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation, using the metaphor of a "river," show that we believers, by "distinguishing" between ourselves—who desire to cooperate with the Holy Spirit—and "human information," are granted the opportunity to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and may share in the blessing of beatific vision, abundant fruitfulness and healing. In this process, one does not fall into a sense of becoming like God—arising from the exhilaration that stirs a desire for self-transcendence—nor into a sense of having experienced union with Christ. Much less does one find ecstasy there. The "beatification" of the beatific vision lies in beholding the Gospel. It is intuited when the Holy Spirit draws the Gospel from our memory and our voice announces it; for the voice with which we speak bears witness to what our own senses have perceived. 

It is when we seize the opportunity to collaborate with the Holy Spirit that we make Jesus' words our own: "In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you" (Jn 14:20). This is made easier by practising daily the training of the Book of Revelation, which helps us to distinguish between ourselves desiring to collaborate with the Holy Spirit and "human information." Collaborating with the Holy Spirit means experiencing what Jesus Himself said: "The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works" (14:10). So, training is essential. Through training, we can see ourselves collaborating with the Holy Spirit and share in Jesus' words: "I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." 

In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes the following regarding visions of the Lord and revelations. "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven -- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows" (2 Cor. 12:2). The "fourteen years ago" may refer to the time he converted. Paul clearly received an intense impression when he seized the opportunity to collaborate with the Holy Spirit, sent in Jesus’ name, because he repeats the same account (cf. 12:3). It continues: "This man was caught up into Paradise -- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows -- and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter" (12:3-4). "Things that cannot be told, which man may not utter" were the Gospel that would come to be recorded in the New Testament. Since the message he had heard anticipated the future, he could understand it but could not put it into words. 

Paul seized the opportunity to work in collaboration with the Holy Spirit and was granted a beatific vision. However, the issue here is that he writes that he was "caught up to the third heaven" and that "he was caught up into Paradise." At that time, or perhaps later, he must have realised that a certain ecstasy accompanied his experience. Paul confesses this openly, without concealment, for he had a strategy for dealing with the severe circumstances then facing the Corinthian community. Paul was staking everything he had on overcoming that situation. He continued: "On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. Though if I wish to boast, I shall not be a fool, for I shall be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me" (2 Cor 12:5–6). 

He also wrote, "And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me" (2 Cor 12:7-8). He calmly perceived the sense of ecstasy that clung to each of his revelatory experiences, likening it to a "thorn." And he conveys to us the Lord's words given to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (12:9), and encourages us, saying, "I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong" (12:9-10). 

Paul saw things beyond the beatific vision. He saw future believers partaking in the experience of perfect union with Christ during the perfected Liturgy of the Mass and being guided to the special "discernment" of the Holy Spirit. From his testimony below, we understand that Paul knew that once the words of Jesus appeared in the Gospels through the composition of the New Testament, His words would freely make themselves present in every age. 

"For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor 11:23–26). 

Maria K. M.

A new article has been posted on the blog, The Wind of Patmos. It is a translation of an article I submitted to and was published in the Japanese internet magazine, Catholic Ai.

 2026/10/05

268. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: Distinction and Discernment II

When God created man in Genesis, He created him as a physical being endowed with power, wealth and authority so that he may manifest "our image" (Gen 1:26) (cf. blog No. 252); he was created such that, as a normal state of affairs, the spontaneity of his physical body is connected to "God's spontaneity (the breath of life)"—which was breathed into him to manifest "our likeness" (Ibid.)—through his "human knowledge" and via "the Word (the Tree of Life)." It is only when this pattern—comprising "the breath of life" + "the Tree of Life" + "human knowledge" + "the physical body created in 'our image'"—is established that humanity can collaborate with the Holy Spirit. The following passage in Genesis depicts the moment when humankind first collaborated with the Holy Spirit: "So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name" (2:19). 

Subsequently, when humanity became two, "human information" emerged among them. People are strongly drawn to this "human information," which can become either good or evil depending on the recipient. Judging whether something is good or evil awakens one's desire for self-transcendence, and the resulting elation leads them into the illusion of having become like God. This explains why, in Genesis, God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever" (Gen 3:22), banished humankind, and guarded the way to the "Tree of Life." If one absorbs the "human information" that enters their memory without "distinguishing" it, and turns it into their own "human knowledge," then that "human knowledge"—which has incorporated "human information"—will leap over the "Tree of Life" to connect with the "Breath of Life," and as a result, their spiritual realm will cease to be maintained. Humanity has thus lost the opportunity to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. 

We believers today have found the path to the "Tree of Life" through Jesus Christ and have been granted the opportunity to cooperate with the Holy Spirit again. If we can call upon the name of the Heavenly Father, as Jesus taught us, and express our desire to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, then at that moment the pattern of the "Breath of Life" + the "Tree of Life" + "human knowledge" + "the physical body created in 'our image'" is established within us. However, the danger of absorbing "human information" and becoming filled with and taken over by it is ever-present. To prevent this danger, we must "distinguish" that "human information" from ourselves who desire to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. And to do so, specialised training is required. We must not lose the desire we once held to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. By cooperating with the Holy Spirit, believers experience the words of Jesus first-hand, are led to the beatific vision, and manifest the likeness of Jesus Christ. 

The Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation teach this concept using the metaphor of "rivers." In the Gospel of John, we find the following passage: "On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, 'If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, "Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water."' Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (Jn 7:37–39). Just as Jesus said, after Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is always ready to connect with and collaborate with each believer (cf. Acts 2:3–4), drawing Jesus' words from their memory and striving to bring them to fulfilment. The Holy Spirit waits for the moment when our spontaneity turns towards Him. 

On the other hand, the Book of Revelation describes a "river" as follows: "Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Rev 22:1–2). These are the words of the final chapter of the Book of Revelation. Those who have trained themselves by reciting Revelation daily and listening to its voice up to this point realise that Revelation, which God gave Christ to show to His servants, is "the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb." The prophetic words, flowing through the reciter’s voice, enter the reciter’s own memory, becoming tacit knowledge, and transform them into one who keeps what is written therein. In this way, they are prepared for the moment when the Holy Spirit draws forth those prophetic words. When this actually occurs, that person experiences the beatific vision and receives abundant fruit and healing. The training of Revelation guarantees this (cf. Rev 1:3, 22:7).

In this way, the Holy Spirit added the Book of Revelation to the New Testament so that those who believe in Jesus may receive the Holy Spirit and have the blessedness of collaborating with Him. Revelation is a book of prophecy specifically designed to train us believers to "distinguish" between the self that desires to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and the "human information." The following words at the beginning of Revelation clearly demonstrate this. 

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near" (Rev 1:1–3). 

Maria K. M.

 2026/09/28

267. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: The Covenant

Judas Iscariot was "a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it" (Jn 12:6). The Gospel of Matthew records the end of Judas as follows: "When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, 'I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.' They said, 'What is that to us? See to it yourself.' And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself" (Mat 27:3–5). Matthew, a former tax collector who knew the power of money first-hand, could well understand the situation into which Judas had fallen. However, he does not explain why Judas ultimately turned to the chief priests and elders. 

This is akin to the reason we examined last time as to why we believers behave in a somewhat peculiar manner during the Communion Rite in the Mass. Reciting the centurion's words of humility before the Eucharist reflects the Church's higher desire to cultivate humility as a virtue and become worthy of Christ. That is because the Church, likening Christ to a bridegroom, conceives of itself as a bride who grows to be worthy of that bridegroom. This conception stems from the Old Covenant people’s practice of likening the covenant relationship between God and His people to the marital covenant—the most familiar and enduring relationship for human beings—and we, the Church, have inherited and developed this expression. However, all the Gospels record scenes in which Jesus addresses the people, saying, "Your Father who is in heaven." Furthermore, since Jesus himself said, "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10:30), the covenant relationship between Christ and the Church is indeed that of Father and Son. 

Considering the people of the Old Covenant likened the covenant relationship between God and His people to a marital covenant, if this was a well-known religious image rooted in the Old Testament for the people in Jesus' time, it is only natural that the Jews should have harboured resentment towards Jesus for seeking to introduce a covenant relationship between Father and Son into that context. It is understandable that even Judas, who had remained with Jesus whilst preoccupied with money, ultimately came to share the same scepticism as the other Jews, placing his trust in the chief priests and elders, siding with them and betraying Jesus. 

When we examine the narrative of Noah's covenant in Genesis chapter 6, we need to consider the fact that, at that time, Greek culture was widespread across the region and began to mingle with local cultures. The gods of Greek mythology, who had human-like family relationships, had been introduced (cf. Gen 6:1–8). They say the lore of the Great Flood is found worldwide. We can understand this narrative as conveying the message that God is the one and only God and the importance of upholding that faith through the imagery of the ark. God, who told Noah, "I will establish my covenant with you" (6:18), protected him and called him to faith in the one true God. He "built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar" (8:20). Thereupon, God made the first covenant with humankind (cf. 9:1–17). The terms of that covenant and its sign are clearly set out therein. Thus, from the very beginning, the terms of the Old Covenant were clearly laid out and attested by a sign. 

However, Jesus used the word "covenant" only once, at his Last Supper, when he said, "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mat 26:27–28). These words include a covenant between the Father and the Son, which is difficult for us to comprehend, even when we hear His words of testimony: "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father" (Jn 10:17–18). 

We, the Church, without grasping the full picture of the New Covenant Jesus bestowed upon us, have inherited the Old Covenant people's expression, which likened the covenantal relationship between God and His people to a marital covenant. Not only that, but in forming the faithful, we begin the Liturgy of the Word at Mass with the first reading from the Old Testament and chanting the Psalms. We have also used the Psalms in the Divine Office. Furthermore, we have taught the path of virtue and greatly drawn upon "The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's" (Sg 1:1). Solomon, who initially pleased God, loved many women and eventually became enslaved to them; as a result, he rebelled against God and ceased to obey Him, which led him and his people into the tragedy of destruction (cf. 1 Kgs 11:1–13). 

The teachings of the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament convey, from various angles, the nature of the stimulation that such enticements bring to the human senses—even without actually experiencing sexual love—so that the reader may not follow in Solomon's footsteps and become a son of perdition. Ultimately, this leads one to rely on human beings, like Judas, and betray God, having been swayed by the power of money (cf. Sg 8:11–14). 

Maria K. M.

 2026/09/21

266. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: Distinction and Discernment I

Many of us believers are unaware of the strange words and deeds we perform during the Rite of Communion in the Mass, and so we continue to do so throughout the world to this day. Despite praying, "Give us this day our daily bread," in the presence of the Eucharist raised by the priest, we then declare, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed"; yet, even having done so, we proceed to receive the Eucharist. The reason the faithful fail to recognise the strangeness of their behaviour like this lies in a misunderstanding and illusion: that by emulating the centurion's human humility—which led him to refuse even Jesus' offer, "I will come and heal him" (Mt 8:7)—they will attain the faith that Jesus praised. However, the centurion's faith, Jesus had praised, lay in his belief in Jesus' authority, based on his simple experience as a soldier (cf. 8:9). 

This delusion, steeped in misunderstanding, obscures the reality that Jesus' words, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer" (Lk 22:15), were directed towards the institution of the Eucharist. Hidden within this is a lofty desire that, by acquiring virtue, one can become worthy of Christ. Underpinning this desire is the image of the bride standing shoulder to shoulder with the bridegroom at the table of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Yet Jesus said, "It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el'zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household" (Mt 10:25). The path along which Jesus guided his disciples lay not in virtue, but in the acquisition of truth. The truth leads them to the Eucharist. 

The reason Judas remained with Jesus whilst many of the disciples departed was that he was in charge of the money box (cf. Jn 12:6). He eventually went so far as to express his opinion against others in Jesus' presence (cf. 12:5). He was labouring under the delusion that he stood on equal footing with Jesus. Such delusion plunges a person into a state where the Holy Spirit cannot work—a state of the devil. In the scene of the multiplication of the loaves in John chapter 6, Jesus, seeing a multitude coming towards him, said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" (6:5). Although it is written that this was to test Philip, I believe it was in fact directed at Judas. This is because Judas, who was in charge of the money box, must have been more sensitive to that question than anyone else. However, Judas did not reveal his thoughts. Consequently, at the end of Chapter 6, Jesus could not help but say, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (6:70). 

Returning to the scene of the multiplication of the loaves, Philip replied to Jesus' question, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little" (Jn 6:7). Behind him, Andrew said, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?" (6:9). Andrew saw the reality beyond Jesus' words "How are we to buy bread." And Andrew's response became linked to Jesus' miracle. 

Andrew had originally been a disciple of John the Baptist and was one of the two whom his master had urged to follow Jesus. When Jesus saw these two, to whom his master had given that chance, coming to follow him, He said, "What do you seek?" (Jn 1:38). As it was evening by then, they asked, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" (1:38). Jesus replied, "Come and see" (1:39). They stayed with Jesus that night. They—who had resolved to follow Jesus with one heart—could "discern" and respond to Jesus' call at once and could go with the subsequent flow of events. This was because the Holy Spirit was at work. 

The following day, Jesus found Philip and said to him, "Follow me" (Jn 1:43). Later, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (1:45). However, Nathanael retorted, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (1:46). To this, Philip replied, "Come and see" (ibid.). He unconsciously "distinguished" between the information Nathanael had given and the knowledge he had gained from the experience with Jesus. And the words that came from his mouth were the same as those Jesus had spoken to the two men who had been disciples of John the Baptist. At that moment, Philip was working in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. 

As discussed in Blog No. 264, Genesis refers to the One who created the heavens and the earth and all things as "God" (cf. Gen 1:1–2:3) and calls the One who shaped the spiritual realm within humankind and bestowed the spirit upon them—so that the Holy Spirit might work in cooperation with them—"the Lord God" (cf. 2:4–25). In Genesis chapter 2, it is written: "So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name" (2:19). Jesus, who is one with God the Father, manifested the work of the Triune God through the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him, even whilst in human form. Although Jesus had not yet received His glory (cf. Jn 7:39), He became "the Lord God" and could grant His disciples the experience of acting in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. 

The essential preparation for us believers to be granted such an experience is that we acquire the habit of "distinguishing" between ourselves, who desire to work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, and "human information," in accordance with the way of Jesus; and that we, those seeking to cultivate this habit, have the practice of two or three of us uniting our hearts in the name of Jesus to "discern" before taking any action (cf. Mt 18:19–20). When these habits lead the way, we will acquire the truth and reach the life. 

Maria K. M.