2026/11/09

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

In the previous issue, we began the discussion by noting that the "power to become children of God" (Jn 1:12) can be exercised by calling God "Heavenly Father." After that, we examined what we, Christians, need to grasp the overall picture of God's plan—which we have discussed many times—and to know ourselves and determine how we should live. This lies in collaboration with the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle Paul also experienced. Paul leads us to the understanding that the Church, the Body of Christ, is built up when each believer, as part of that Body, is made complete through collaboration with the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:3–11). He also earnestly exhorts us to seek God's gifts. This is because—as he wrote, "So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (13:13)—when we collaborate with the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, we live in God's love.

Paul also emphasises faith, hope and love in his Epistle to the Thessalonians, writing: "remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes 1:3). When believers demonstrate their "work of faith," they do so by calling God "Heavenly Father" and showing that the Father's will rests upon those who believe in Jesus. The "labour of love" means labour in collaboration with the Holy Spirit, who is the love of God that Jesus accomplished and brought to fulfilment, namely, the love proceeding from the Father and the Son. Similarly, the "steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" refers to waiting with all one's hope in the forgiveness of sins through Jesus' "new covenant in my blood" (Lk 22:20).

As Paul writes, "remembering before our God and Father," he had made calling God "Heavenly Father " a habit. At the beginning of the letter, he writes: "Paul, Silva'nus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalo'nians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace" (1 Thes 1:1). This is evidence that he was teaching the believers to call God "Heavenly Father." Furthermore, by writing, "And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit" (1:6), he bears witness to the fact that the Apostles set an example of carrying out their work with the joy that comes from collaborating with the Holy Spirit. Jesus' words possess the authority to accomplish works. Therefore, those who manifest the "power to become children of God," calling God "Heavenly Father," and carry out these works in collaboration with the Holy Spirit, sent in the name of Jesus, must be formed through the authority of Jesus' words.

Paul even wrote: "For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedo'nia and Acha'ia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything" (1 Thes. 1:8). He continues: "For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come" (1:9–10). These words depict believers who connect with the "Tree of Life" by distinguishing information from themselves (turning to God from idols), who collaborate with the Holy Spirit (serving a living and true God), and who prepare for the Lord's coming.

When Paul writes, "his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead," the "he [God]" to whom he refers here is the Creator who gave a new body to the Son raised from the dead, taking the way of being of "God" as the Trinity—"the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." On the other hand, "Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come" is truly present in the Eucharist and takes the way of being of "the Lord God," who is one in the form of "the Father and the Son" and "the Holy Spirit," so that the "Holy Spirit"—who proceeds from the Father and the Son—may collaborate with the faithful. The Eucharist is working to fulfil Jesus' words: "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" (Jn 6:39).

Therefore, on the day when we have the complete Liturgy of the Mass in our hands, when the fruits of the proclamation of the Gospel fill the earth, and when the words of Jesus—"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 6:40)—are fulfilled, Jesus will come again as the Triune God, the Creator, to raise those who have attained eternal life. Although such a vision of Jesus is beyond human comprehension, the Apostles of that time are thought to have grasped it through a special "discernment" obtained in cooperation with the Holy Spirit (cf. Blog No. 270). The Apostles celebrated the Mass of that time exactly as Jesus had commanded at the Last Supper: "Do this in remembrance of me" (Lk 22:19) (cf. 1 Cor 11:23–26). Thus, having attained this special "discernment," the Apostles could lead their disciples to realise that Jesus' words, through the Holy Spirit, freely make all times present, and they could guide them to grasp the full scope of God's plan.

Even today, the celebration of the Mass forms the faithful who received the "power to become children of God" so that they may manifest it in the world. We can exercise the "power to become children of God" by calling God "Heavenly Father," just as Jesus testified to his disciples at the Last Supper: "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? 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" (Jn 14:10). This formation must be carried out in accordance with the words of Jesus, who calls God "Heavenly Father." In other words, it should be based on the New Testament. Furthermore, most importantly, the faithful must never be made to drink old wine during this formation, in which new wine is poured into new wineskins—namely, during the formation provided by the celebration of the Liturgy of the Mass and the daily prayers associated with it (cf. Lk 5:38–39).

Maria K. M.

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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.