2026/04/27

245. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: The Lord’s Prayer and the Seven Blessedness III

In Capernaum, Jesus said to the crowd that had followed him: "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal" (Jn 6:27). The crowd present at that time could not understand these words. Yet now we know that Jesus fulfilled His words: "For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world. ... I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst" (6:33–35). Therefore, we as the Church strive to live out our daily routine, oriented towards the Mass. 

The daily practice of reading aloud the prophetic words of the Book of Revelation and listening to its voice, much like one drinks water, aligns with the daily routine of the faithful, oriented towards the Mass. The first blessedness of the Book of Revelation declares that it is essential to continue the training of Revelation, so that the name of the Heavenly Father may be hallowed within the innermost being of every believer who attends the Mass—the very heart of the Kingdom of God brought by Jesus—and calls out to God, "Our Father who art in heaven." As Revelation says there, "for the time is near” (Rev 1:3), the time for us believers to be with the Holy Spirit, sent in the name of Jesus, and to work together with Him is "now." It is for this reason that the prayer "Thy kingdom come" grows ever more serious within us. And, whilst acknowledging that we are walking the path of our daily routine towards the Mass with the Holy Spirit, we pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." 

These petitions, rising along the path of our daily routine towards the Mass, prompt the faithful to utter the confident prayer: "Give us this day our daily bread." This human and simple prayer, the fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer, corresponds to the fourth blessedness in Revelation: "And the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are true words of God.'" (Rev 19:9). This blessedness reveals that behind the human and simple expression of the petition "Give us this day our daily bread" lies a profound and fundamental structure. That is because this petition is a prayer to ask the words God foretold to Adam in Genesis to be fulfilled: "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Gen 3:19). 

Genesis states: "The LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Gen 2:7). Furthermore, the account in the Gospel of John where the risen Jesus "breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (Jn 20:22), makes it clear that the "God's breath" is what makes man a spiritual being. Man was created in the image of God and was created as one with a likeness to God, of whom Jesus said, "God is spirit" (4:24). Human beings were created from the beginning to become spiritual beings. God foretold to Adam that he would work "in the sweat of his face" to eat bread until the death of his physical body, and that he would return to being a spiritual being. Jesus was born of a woman so that this foretelling might apply to all who will be born of women; and He was born as a man to fulfil the words spoken to Adam. 

The "food which endures to eternal life" of which Jesus spoke—"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal"—is precisely the "bread" that the men, to whom this work has been entrusted, earn in the sweat of their face. The phrase "for on him has God the Father set his seal" signifies that the Heavenly Father has set a seal upon the man who works in this way. It is the seal of the man who has received the words Jesus spoke earlier: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work" (Jn 4:34). 

At that time, only the Apostles were ultimately able to accept these words of Jesus (cf. Jn 6:66–69). The food "which the Son of man will give to you" means "to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work." That is to bring forth "the food which endures to eternal life," and to distribute it to people in a special way. Working together with the Holy Spirit sent in Jesus' name, they make real the words of Jesus: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." This divine reality is repeated in the Missal liturgy. That is because the priesthood of the New Covenant, which Jesus conferred upon the Apostles at the institution of the Eucharist, became an unbroken succession due to the kingly office Jesus also entrusted to them. 

The Holy Spirit, sent in the name of Jesus, gives life to the words of Jesus left on earth as the Gospel, making them living. Within the Mass, the priesthood of the New Covenant is hidden in a special way in the memory of the priest, who is the "friend of the bridegroom" (Jn 3:29) of the Holy Spirit. They follow the Holy Spirit, becoming His mouth, hands and feet. And their prayer, "So that it may become for us the Body and Blood of your most beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ," is heard by the Father (cf. 16:23–24), bringing forth the Eucharist. Amidst all this, the priest himself and the congregation, who witness everything, see the fulfilment of the prayer: "Give us this day our daily bread." They are sharing in the fourth blessedness, the blessedness of "those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." 

Maria K. M.

 2026/04/20

244. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: The Lord’s Prayer and the Seven Blessedness II

Continuing from our previous discussion. In order for believers who address God as "Our Father who art in heaven" to do so with the same heart as Jesus, and to make the petition "hallowed be thy name" their own, the Book of Revelation devotes more than half of its 22 chapters to training for this very purpose. As the first blessedness indicates—"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 1:3)—by commencing this training promptly, the name of the heavenly Father is hallowed within the trainee. This is because, if one begins the practice of reading aloud and listening to the words of Revelation immediately, the purifying water flows into the innermost being of the trainee. In time, the trainee will come to see that their own voice, as they call out, "Our Father who art in heaven," becomes clothed with truth. 

The trainee who reads aloud the prophetic words of Revelation and hears that voice daily, as if drinking water, will realise that this practice overlaps with the daily routine, oriented towards the Mass. This is because they gradually begin to observe the events that unfold before them as they live out that routine. Influenced by the author of the Book of Revelation, the trainee begins to adopt an attitude within themselves of viewing the "information" that has entered their memory as distinct from themselves. Thus, the prayer "Thy kingdom come" grows in earnestness. This petition corresponds to the training of the second blessedness in Revelation. Through this discipline, recorded as "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.' 'Blessed indeed,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!'"(Rev 14:13), the believer personally experiences the essence of the prayer "Thy kingdom come" and receives an answer. 

As the trainee learns to view "information" as distinct from themselves, they gradually become aware of the contradiction between the memories absorbed from that "information" and now held as their own knowledge, and the Word of God stored in their memory as their own knowledge, and they seek to resolve it. This not only causes inner anguish but can also bring about external toil and hardship when their attitude of seeking to obey the Word is reflected in their words and deeds before the people they encounter in their daily routine, oriented towards the Mass. That is because, just as the world treated Jesus, so too will they seek to reject the one who calls God "Father in heaven." This is the experience of "those who die in the Lord" for the trainee. It continues until they finally participate in the Mass. Within the Mass, the trainee is reunited with the Word and the Eucharist. This is what is meant by the words: "they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" 

Jesus, who had said, "I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" (Lk 22:18), announced the coming of the Kingdom of God by receiving the vinegar on the cross (cf. Jn 19:30). Jesus, who is present in the Eucharist together with the Father, beholds the moment when the Church, having received His blood and water, brings the Kingdom of God to fulfilment as Mass Liturgy. Even in the 21st century, Mass Liturgy remains a work in progress. However, the priesthood of the New Covenant, which Jesus conferred upon the Apostles at the institution of the Eucharist for the sake of the Holy Spirit sent in His name, is perpetuated through the kingship entrusted to the Apostles, and is constantly at service at the "Lord's table" (cf. Lk 22:30 / this blog No. 237). Therefore, the daily routine of the faithful can be directed towards the Liturgy of the Mass, which manifests the Kingdom of God that Jesus won for us on the Cross. 

The third petition of the Lord’s Prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," finds its answer in the third blessedness of Revelation: "Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!" (Rev 16:15). Just as it is said, "Lo, I am coming like a thief," even baptised believers may fail to recognise opportunities to encounter the Holy Spirit, sent in the name of Jesus, in their daily lives. Unless they become aware of these opportunities and act in conscious communion with the Holy Spirit, their conduct before God is like that of a person who goes naked and is seen exposed. Therefore, the Father has shown Revelation. We must continue to practise reading it aloud and listening to its voice, thereby cultivating an affinity with the Holy Spirit. We must not forget the words written at the beginning of this prophetic book. 

They are: "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" (Rev 1:1). Through the training of the Book of Revelation, one gains not only the blessedness of being "awake, keeping his garments." This training supports those who seek to remain ever awake to the truth and to work in unity with the Holy Spirit. Such a person is a Christian clothed with the garment of the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus, and a believer who reveals Jesus Christ to the world through the Holy Spirit. Those who know how to work in this way and experience it earnestly pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," and strive to live in truth, abiding with the Holy Spirit within their daily routine, oriented towards the Mass, in order to put into practice the following words of Jesus: 

"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal" (Jn 6:27). 

Maria K. M.

 2026/04/13

243. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: The Lord's Prayer and the Seven Blessedness I

The training of Revelation produces an entirely different effect from the training Paul gave to believers using the Old Testament and the Psalms (cf. 1 Cor 14:26). In the Old Covenant, not only is the name of Jesus absent, but there is also a tragic history in which the people of the Old Covenant missed the opportunity to call God "Father." This is the history in which, despite God's promise to David concerning his son Solomon—"I will be his father, and he shall be my son" (2 Sam 7:14) —it did not fulfil because Solomon turned away from God (cf. 1 Kings 11:1–10). This history has been at the root of their lament. Having failed to attain a father-son relationship with God, they compiled the Old Testament, to which they added the Song of Songs. That was because, although there is scarcely any mention of God in the Song of Songs, it nevertheless held the potential to bring about a dramatic shift in interpretation, substituting the love between a man and a woman for the love of God. 

By adding the Song of Songs to the Old Testament, even the people who had failed to attain a father-son relationship with God could have their history reaffirmed through a passionate drama of love: God's love is poured out upon the people unceasingly; guided by that "love," and though they may stray at times, the people who yearn for God eventually encounter Him. However, when images of marriage—such as lovers, bride and groom, or husband and wife—are used as an analogy for the relationship between God and the people, there is a danger that people will eventually come to delude themselves into thinking they are God's equals. They begin to entertain ideas that would be inconceivable if they knew that God and the people were in a parent-child relationship. The Gospel of John records: "This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God" (Jn 5:18). Yet this is at odds with the mind of Jesus, who said, "For the Father is greater than I" (14:28). 

It was a deep sense of jealousy held by those who, upon hearing Jesus' words, "My Father is working still, and I am working" (Jn 5:17), deluded themselves into thinking they were equal to God, directed towards Jesus, who had called God his Father. To them, Jesus' subsequent words, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise" (5:19), must surely have fallen on deaf ears. Their deep jealousy towards Jesus, who called God his Father, was replaced by a desire to kill him. In contrast, believers who have been brought into the new covenant accomplished by Jesus have accepted Jesus, believed in his name, and been given the power to become children of God (cf. 1:12); therefore, it is entirely proper for them to call God "Father." This was precisely the true relationship between God and humanity that God had long awaited. 

Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer to his disciples. It was the only prayer he taught, saying, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this" (Mt 6:8–9). The Lord's Prayer, which begins with the invocation "Our Father who art in heaven," contains seven petitions. In the Book of Revelation, there are seven blessedness that guide believers so that these petitions may become their own (see the diagram above, "Prophetic Composition of the Book of Revelation"). As can be seen on the left of the diagram, there is a considerable distance between the First Blessedness (cf. Rev 1:3) and the Second Blessedness (cf. Rev 14:13). This illustrates that such sustained training is necessary for believers to come to understand the true meaning of addressing God as "Our Father who art in heaven" and then praying, "Hallowed be thy name." 

Believers who pray "Hallowed be thy name" undertake the training of Revelation so that their own memories may be purified and they may acquire, with the same heart as Jesus, the truth that God is our Father in heaven. This explains why more than half of the training contained within the 22 chapters of the Book of Revelation is devoted to the first petition of the Lord's Prayer. Thus, the petition "Hallowed be thy name" leads to the First Blessedness of Revelation: "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 1:3). Those who follow this blessedness are called to incorporate the practice of reading the prophetic words of Revelation and listening to that voice into their daily routine of attending Mass, just as naturally as drinking water. 

Various events present themselves to the believers living out this daily routine of attending Mass. At times, like Jesus, who said, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head" (Mat 8:20), they will experience such a whirlwind of events that they have no place to rest. Faced with such real-life events, the consciousness of the trainee of Revelation, like the author of Revelation, begins to observe those events. Thus, the subsequent prayer, "Thy kingdom come," leads to the Second Blessedness in Revelation: "'Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.' 'Blessed indeed,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!'" (Rev 14:13).

Maria K.M. 

(Notice)

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.

 

 2026/04/06

242. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: Implementing Affinity

The process of enabling believers to experience Jesus' words—"You know him [the Spirit of truth], for he dwells with you, and will be in you" (Jn 14:17)—and the process of fostering spontaneity to implement affinity with the Holy Spirit sent in Jesus' name proceed simultaneously. Therefore, it is essential that the name of Jesus be placed within the text of the book of training for that (cf. this blog No. 240). The mission of the Old Testament came to an end when it was quoted by Jesus in the Gospels. At that moment, the words of the Old Testament became connected to Jesus, were perfected by Him, and came to live as new words of God within the Gospels. Therefore, I believe it is sufficient for their origins and background to be explained only as necessary.

Christians are believers who, through the New Covenant, have been given the power to become children of God by accepting Jesus and by believing in the name of Jesus (cf. Jn 1:12). One of the purposes for which the New Testament was established is to constantly infuse the new Word into their new memory. The memory of believers baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is a new wineskin. For the words of the New Testament poured into this vessel to demonstrate a perfect affinity with the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus, those words must mature into recognition. The Book of Revelation was given to meet this need. It is the pastors of the Church who can publicly impart this training—optimised by the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus—to the believers.

We, believeres, need only obey the words of the Book of Revelation, recognised by the Church as canonical, with the simplicity of a child, and allow these prophetic words to enter through our senses (cf. Rev 1:3). The voice reading the Book of Revelation flows, purifying the believer's senses, and enters the place of memory designated by the Holy Spirit without remaining in knowledge. It can then autonomously form the worldview of Jesus Christ as part of the believer's unconscious memory. This worldview becomes the foundation upon which the words of the New Testament, previously stored in the believer's knowledge, become recognition. In this way, by reading the Book of Revelation daily, as naturally as drinking water, the spontaneity to implement the affinity with the Holy Spirit—sent in the name of Jesus—is cultivated. Therefore, the amount read at any one time may be whatever is appropriate for the individual sincerely engaging in this training.

This resembles the parable in Matthew's Gospel, where Jesus began by saying, "For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property" (Mat 25:14). The master entrusted his property to his servants according to their respective abilities. For believers, this is the training in reading aloud the Book of Revelation. Even if one can only manage a single verse on a given day, if one continues this daily, one can yield a profit. That is because the Holy Spirit is at work. However, if one fails to understand the power of the Book of Revelation and buries it in the ground, one will be called a "wicked and slothful servant" (25:26) and cast out into the outer darkness as a worthless servant. In this passage, the "master" admonishes us: "For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away" (Mat 25:29). What is meant by "what he has" is the recognition of God's Word.

Therefore, Revelation states: "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 1:3). The phrase "for the time is near" here anticipates the words written in the final chapter of Revelation: "'And behold, I am coming soon.' Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book" (22:7). The Word is waiting to share His recognition with "those who hear, and who keep what is written therein."

There are seven "blessings" in the Book of Revelation, and they serve as a major driving force propelling the entire book forward. The diagram from the revised edition of Prophetic Composition of the Book of Revelation (April 2026 edition) shown above offers a new perspective on the "seven blessings" of Revelation. The reason the "seven blessings" possess the function we have discussed in this blog and serve as a driving force is that these blessings are rooted in the "Lord's Prayer," which is placed at the centre of the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. The Lord's Prayer, which Jesus taught us saying, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this" (Mat 6:8–9), consists of seven petitions and begins by addressing God as our Father in heaven.

In response to this, the opening of the Book of Revelation states: "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" (Rev 1:1). The training of Revelation is indeed the will of God, the Heavenly Father. Next time, I would like to delve deeper into the seven blessings that answer the Lord's Prayer.

Maria K. M.

 

 

 2026/04/05

 2026/03/30

241. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: The Two Eagles of Patmos

As we discussed two issues ago, Paul realised that his mission lay in welcoming Peter—to whom Jesus had entrusted the staff of the "Good Shepherd"—into the community at Rome. When the time was right, he wrote to Timothy: "When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Tro'as, also the books, and above all the parchments" (2 Tim 4:13). Knowing that this referred to Peter, Timothy set out for Rome, accompanied by Peter and Mark. Luke was with Paul. At this time, Peter and Paul were likely fully aware of their impending deaths, and they must have gathered to discuss concrete plans for preserving the record of Jesus' deeds. Paul could not have failed to remember John, who was regarded as one of the pillars in Jerusalem (cf. Gala 2:9). They expected John to devise a programme of spiritual formation to support the mission of the Gospel. 

Likewise, Peter never forgot the voice of the risen Jesus when he had asked Him about John's future: "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" (Jn 21:22). This had happened immediately after Jesus had entrusted his shepherd's staff to Peter (cf. 21:15–17) and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go" (21:18). John the Evangelist explains, "This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God" (21:19), but underlying this was a foreshadowing that Peter would be "girded" by Paul and taken to Rome. 

In this way, the Gospel of John contains implications designed to prompt the reader to become aware of its connections with other books of the New Testament. Thus, when we consider Jesus' words to Peter—"If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"—we find that this is followed by the equally suggestive commentary: "The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, 'If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?" (Jn. 21:23). This implication, placed at the end of the Gospel of John, suggested that John would be reunited with Jesus. That was because John would later write the Book of Revelation on the island called Patmos (cf. Rev 1:9). 

This is evident from the opening words of Revelation: "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" (Rev 1:1). The author continues, writing from a third-person perspective: "[John] who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw" (1:2). This resonates with the following context of the Gospel of John, which is likewise written as a third-person testimony: "This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true" (Jn 21:24). From this, too, we can read an implication in the commentary at the end of the Gospel of John. 

Furthermore, the words of Revelation that follow—"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 1:3)—echo the closing words of the Gospel of John: "But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (Jn 21:25). The Holy Spirit chose to preserve the "things which Jesus did" in the memories of believers through experience, rather than in a book. The voice reading the words written in Revelation causes those who hear it to retain those words in their memory. This functions as a training that infuses the "revelation of Jesus Christ" into believers' senses and allows the worldview of Jesus Christ to be autonomously formed in their memories, employing a learning approach akin to deep learning. 

By voluntarily repeating this training day after day, the patterns of information transmission within the believer’s memory are restructured in a way that turns towards God. Specific neural pathways become more easily activated. As these pathways are frequently recognised and strengthened through contact with the Word of God stored in the believer's memory on various occasions, their perspective changes, and within them a distinction begins to emerge between God and human information, as the disciples distinguished Jesus from other people in the Gospel. The greatest benefit of continuing the training of Revelation is that this discernment is granted to every believer. It fosters an affinity with the Holy Spirit, sent in the name of Jesus, within the trainees, yielding significant benefits to the Church. 

The Holy Spirit promised by Jesus descended with a specific mission as "the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name" (Jn 14:26). That mission is for the Holy Spirit, sent in the name of "Jesus," to collaborate with us who are "Christians," so that the two names may become one, thereby realising the reappearance of the work of Jesus Christ in the world. At the heart of that, as we have discussed, lies the priesthood of the New Covenant brought by Jesus, the royal office endowed as a shepherd, the apostolate, and the prophetic office to collaborate with the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation, which were written for these, were the two inseparable eagles of Patmos. 

Maria K. M.

 2026/03/23

240. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: A Blow

On the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul fell to the ground in light from heaven and heard the voice of Jesus. Subsequently, Paul became equipped with an affinity for the Holy Spirit, who was sent in the name of Jesus, through the experience of earnestly learning about Jesus from the principal Apostles. However, it is impossible to apply his experience — as one chosen by God for a specific purpose — in the same way to all believers. In his letter to the Gentile believers, Paul wrote the following exhortation: "What then, brethren? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification" (1 Cor 14:26). 

Paul may have believed that by incorporating teachings about Jesus Christ into training based on the Jewish prayer practices in which he was raised, he could create a "spiritual environment" capable of transforming the community from within. The Psalms, whilst a compilation of prophetic words by those who had longed for the Saviour yet never saw him, are structured in such a way as to direct human sensibilities towards God. Yet Paul must have harboured doubts as well. That is because, as Luke wrote in his Gospel, Jesus said, "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old" (Lk 5:36). There is such a vast gap between the prophecies of the Old Testament and what Jesus fulfilled. 

Jesus continued, "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins" (Lk 5:37–38). The wineskins refer to the memories of the faithful who find their foundation in the Mass and the prayers of the Church. In the Mass and the prayers of the Church, the Old Testament is read first, followed by the chanting of the Psalms. After that, the Epistles and the Gospels are read. Consequently, the words of the New Testament that were read there will be subsequently put into the memory of the faithful, who have already resonated with the readings from the Old Testament and the Psalms. They are, so to speak, new wine put into old wineskins. Jesus warns that there is a great risk in this. We, as the Church, must take Jesus' words — "new wine must be put into fresh wineskins" — seriously. 

Jesus went on to say, "And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is good.'" (Lk 5:39). Here we sense Jesus' regret as he looks to the future. In another setting in John's Gospel, Jesus said, "You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (Jn 5:39–40). In these words, Jesus foresees the future state of believers who, fascinated by the Old Testament, which testifies to Him, refuse to come to Jesus in the New Testament, which testifies to eternal life. As they devote themselves to reading the Old Testament and chanting the Psalms, they are led to an illusion that Jesus is present within these precisely because His name is not mentioned there, and so they remain stuck there. 

After saying, "You refuse to come to me that you may have life," Jesus continued, "I do not receive glory from men. But I know that you have not the love of God within you" (Jn 5:41–42). If one remains in this illusion, "the love of God" cannot arise. This is a fatal blow to the Church. The "love of God" constantly drives believers to go to Jesus to have life, for the Holy Spirit, of whom Jesus said, "You know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you" (14:17), awakens our own spontaneity as believers. 

Because of this fatal blow to the Church, the suffering witnessed in the Corinthian community continues in the world, even in the 21st century: factions, the crisis of community collapse due to immoral conduct, accusations, prostitution, issues with tongues and prophecy, and disorderly worship. Furthermore, war continues unabated, and the flames of conflict are about to flare up once more, engulfing the world. Peter, Paul, Luke, Mark, and Timothy, gathered in Rome, thanks to Paul’s efforts, must have been considering how to foster within believers the spontaneity that would be equipped with the affinity with the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus. At that time, on the island called Patmos, John — regarded by Paul as one of the pillars of the Apostles — was working on that very theme. 

Maria K. M.