2023/11/13

117. Successors to the Apostles Part 12

The words of the 'serpent' of Genesis, "You will not die" (Genesis 3:4), became the source of all faults, ending up with a murder committed by Adam and Eve's firstborn Cain that God called 'sin' for the first time (cf. Genesis 4:6-8). However, through the work of the 'enmity God had placed' (cf. Genesis 3:15), which he inherited from his mother, Cain was awakened to God's words of persuasion (cf. Genesis 4:6-12), and he could say, "My punishment is greater than I can bear" (Genesis 4:13). 

At that time, he was terrified by God's announced words, assuming their consequence, and confessed to God as follows. "Behold, thou hast driven me this day away from the ground; and from thy face I shall be hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will slay me" (Genesis 4:14). He, for himself, assumed that the punishment would come. When God heard his confession, he took pity on him and put a mark on him so that no one would kill him. Cain left the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod and built a city there (cf. Genesis 4:10-17). 

However, because Lamech, a descendant of Cain, had interpreted Cain's experience to suit himself and declared it to his wives (cf. Genesis 4:23-24), his words recorded in the Bible soon became real, then people began to slay "a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me" (Genesis 4:23). Vengeance infested the earth. And the memory of the murders and their sins that spread across the world never disappeared. Thus, God wished to erase the memory of the sin of murder committed by Cain, which was the beginning of all the sin history in the Bible, by atoning for it just as Cain had confessed and to testify to that fact with a new Bible. 

In the fullness of time, God became the only-begotten Son and left his Father in heaven and descended to earth, hiding, so to speak, in his mother's womb as if he were an outcast, born and coming of age in the world and wandering the earth as a missionary, like a fugitive (cf. Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58), he was finally arrested because whoever found him wanted to kill him, underwent many sufferings and was killed by crucifixion. By these events, the moment Jesus said, "It is finished" (John 19:30), all sins were gone forever and ever. 

Furthermore, Jesus replaced the words of the 'serpent' in Genesis, "You will not die", with those of God. And he testified to this by rising from the dead. He then left behind the Word and the Eucharist for the Holy Spirit and believers. Believers who own the New Testament are witnesses to all this. 

Believers who now confess in the Mass liturgy to the Eucharist, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (cf. Matthew 16:16, John 11:27), will put on the name of Jesus Christ and the words, "shall never die" (John 11:26), each time they say so. "These are true words of God" (Revelation 19:9). The believers who have put on the true words of God are the heirs of the Church built on the rock of Peter's confession of faith, the successors of the Apostles.

Maria K. M.

 2023/11/06

116. Successors of the Apostles Part 11

It is in the Mass liturgy that Christians can concretely express that they have inherited Christ's redemption in its fullness. I have mentioned three essential requirements for the perfection of the Mass liturgy, two of which are probably easier to accept. 

The first is that the ministry of administering the rites of the New Covenant, i.e., the Christ's priesthood, must always be performed by a man. In Genesis, God did not command the woman, who honestly confessed her mistake to him, to do the work of atoning for it (cf. Genesis 3:13). So, women have no historical basis for assuming the priesthood of Christ, who completed the work of redemption for Adam, which God ordained to eat bread 'In the sweat of your face' (cf. blog №110, № 111). 

Second, believers must 'take and eat' the Eucharist, distributed by the priest, with their own hands. Jesus expressed, "Take, eat," because he wanted his disciples to be spontaneous (cf. Matthew 26:26). Believers, unless they have physical disabilities, by 'taking and eating' with their own hands the Holy Communion distributed by the priest, will not only inherit the work of Christ, who redeemed with his Word the acts of the first man and woman in Genesis, who, against God's command, took and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but also will concretely express their voluntary participation in it. 

On the other hand, another requirement, confessing publicly that the Eucharist is the Messiah, the Son of God, may seem irrelevant to inheriting Christ's redemption. That is because the two things cannot be connected as intuitively as the two requirements above. 

The first 'woman' in Genesis, in her interaction with the 'serpent', disobeyed God's command by being deceived by the words of the 'serpent', 'you will not die.' This fault was redeemed by the answer of a woman, Martha, led by Jesus in her conversation with him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world" (John 11:27), which was the response to the following question by Jesus: "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). 

Jesus, at this moment, by cancelling the information of the 'serpent' and replacing it with the Word, not only redeemed the fault of the 'woman' but, at the same time, corrected the information of 'death' that all humanity had received through her and revealed the truth. That was to lead the believers to eternal life and to make them partake of the first resurrection (cf. Revelation 20:5). The following words of Jesus testify to these facts: "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). 

When all believers repeat these words of Martha in the presence of the Eucharist, the real presence of Jesus who said, "I am the resurrection and the life," the Church will demonstrate the words of Jesus, "I will build my Church," on the words of the heavenly Father revealed to Peter, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2023/10/30

115. Successors of the Apostles Part 10

In the last issue, we examined the description in Revelation, "Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed" (Revelation 20:4), according to the Gospel of Matthew. On the same theme, this time we will discuss it according to the Gospel of Luke: "I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:29-30). 

Luke's Gospel places this scene at the last supper, after the institution of the Eucharist. It thereby shows that the 'kingdom' in this scene, when Jesus said, "I assign to you," was referring to what he had commanded at the institution of the Eucharist, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19), i.e., the authority to administer the Eucharistic celebration. So, the words "sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" mean that the Apostles and their successors were to completely distinguish this new liturgy from the rite of the old covenant. That is because "new wine must be put into fresh wineskins" (Luke 5:38). 

This authority to make the kingdom of God brought by Jesus present is immediately transmitted, particularly at the Eucharistic celebration, to the believers partaking in it and reenacts the last table of Jesus, involving them. That is because the congregation, the believers, are Christians who participate in this authority, entrusted to the Apostles and their successors, as common priesthood, even though they do not preside at the rite. Jesus, therefore, commanded the Apostles and their successors, "[L]et the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves" (Luke 22:26). 

Thus, the liturgy of the Mass, which makes the place where Jesus instituted the Eucharist present, must be perfect (cf. Matthew 5:48). If it is incomplete, then even 'woe' may befall some of those who partake in it. Revelation 17-18 is a prophecy that the whole Church will suffer the plague because of this very imperfection. 

The Holy Spirit demands those who collaborate with him to discern man's accidental information. By attending the completed Mass liturgy, believers will be unconsciously well formed for the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the daily training of the Book of Revelation prepares the faithful for the Mass liturgy, i.e., the formation of the Holy Spirit. That is because, without their knowing it, the worldview of Jesus Christ will be imprinted in their memory. 

For the liturgy of the Mass to be complete, it is a prerequisite that the following points, which I have repeated many times, are realised in their fullness. Christ's redemption must be inherited in its fullness. These three points are: the person who presides at the liturgy of the New Covenant must always be a man; the believers must publicly confess that the Holy Eucharist is the Messiah, the Son of God; and they must receive with their own hands the Blessed Sacrament distributed by the priest and 'take and eat' it (cf. blog № 113).

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2023/10/23

114. Successors of the Apostles Part 9

The fourth 'blessedness' in Revelation 19 prophesies the effect of the completed Mass liturgy. It was depicted with a white horse and its rider, an angel standing in the sun, and an angel holding the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. In this scene, the faithful will clearly see their greed and man's accidental information that they have taken in as their own knowledge and will be purified. 

Eventually, they will develop the habit of distinguishing man's accidental information, as Jesus set an example in the wilderness (cf. Matthew 4:1-11). Thus, Revelation depicted that as follows: "Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed" (Revelation 20:4). This portrayal means that in the completed Mass liturgy, many believers will be able to clearly distinguish man's accidental information that occurs in the community, as well as in their own memories. 

This description of Revelation is the fulfilment of Jesus' following testimony in the manner of the Spirit of prophecy (cf. blog № 98): "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28). 

These words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew were his reply when Peter, on one occasion, asked Jesus, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?" (Matthew 19:27). 

Jesus continued, "And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life" (Matthew 19:29), and clarified the meaning of Peter's words "we have left everything." In this case, it was to leave their way of living as the people of the old covenant, who were waiting for the Messiah. By doing so, they would receive 'a hundredfold,' that is, they would be given the living Son of God as the Messiah and inherit eternal life. 

For the people after the Holy Spirit came down, the phrase, "when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne," refers to the time when the Eucharist presents himself to them, for the body of Christ is the throne of God. The expression "judging the twelve tribes of Israel" means that when believers in the Mass publicly confess the Eucharist as the Christ, the Son of God, they, as the people of the new covenant, who believe Jesus' words, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:51), will distinguish themselves from any other way of life. 

And on that day, the 'blessedness' in Jesus' words, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17), which were spoken when Peter, being asked by Jesus, "But who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15), replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), will become that of many believers. 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2023/10/16

113. Successors of the Apostles, part 8

"Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, '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'" (Matthew 26:26-28). 

The above verses are the scene of the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper in the Gospel of Matthew. A central part of the Mass liturgy derives from this scene. Jesus redeemed man's sins with his Passion and death. Not only that, but he also redeemed the people's faults described at the beginning of the Book of Genesis with his words. Congregations, in their participation in the Mass liturgy, inherit and bear witness to this work of redemption of Jesus by his words. That is because, as Jesus commanded his disciples, when the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus, believers who know the New Testament will also bear witness (cf. John 15:26-27). 

With the words "Take, eat; this is my body," Jesus redeemed the words of Genesis describing the 'man' and the 'woman' who, in disobedience to God's command, "took and ate" from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The believers voluntarily inherit and bear witness to this redemptive work of Jesus by receiving with their own hands and 'taking and eating' the Holy Eucharist distributed by the priest, according to Jesus' words. 

Also, the fact that the 'woman' in Genesis disobeyed God's words, being beguiled by the words of the 'serpent' "You will not die," in her exchange with it was redeemed by the answer of Martha of Bethany led by Jesus in her conversation with Jesus, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world" (John 11:27), which was the response to the question by Jesus: "[W]hoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25). The believers voluntarily inherit and bear witness to this redemptive work of Jesus by confessing these words of Martha, which is the same as Peter's confession, before the Holy Eucharist trusting in Jesus' words: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:51). 

Jesus, God, at the last supper, completed the work of atonement imposed on the 'man' in Genesis, 'eating bread in the sweat of your face,' by being born male. Then, he commanded the Apostles to make that time constantly present. Namely, he entrusted them with the work of giving birth to the Eucharist in collaboration with the Holy Spirit. When male believers voluntarily inherit this new office and fulfil their duties, they will bear witness to this redeeming work of Jesus (cf. blog № 110). 

Once the Mass liturgy is improved with the fulfilment of these requirements and further purified, the angel who came down from heaven with the 'key of the bottomless pit' in his hand will begin to work (cf. Revelation 20:1-3). That means that the occurrence of man's accidental information will be sealed off in that place. 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2023/10/09

112. Successors of the Apostles Part 7

In the scene of his first sermon to the non-believers after the descent of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles, the words "the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38) were spoken for the first time by the mouth of Peter. From then on, the Apostles expanded their missionary works in this name, just as Jesus said, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26). 

When Petre, in the presence of Jesus, replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), Jesus testified that this answer was the words of God, the absolute words, saying, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17). This scene must have been engraved into the Apostles' memory. 

The Apostles personally knew Jesus. Therefore, for believers of the next generation, who do not know Jesus directly, to recall by the Holy Spirit every single thing Jesus said through the Bible and to link it to the missionary work, it is essential that they have the experience of knowing Jesus personally through the Eucharist. And the believer's confession before the Eucharist in the Mass liturgy, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," is the absolute foundation so that the experience of receiving the Eucharist may become an experience of knowing Jesus personally. This foundation becomes 'this rock' of which Jesus mentioned, "[O]n this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). 

Thus, when the believers confess the words revealed by the heavenly Father in their own voice to the Eucharist, as Peter did, and 'take' and 'eat' the Eucharist given by the priest with their own hands, as Jesus commanded (cf. blog № 108), the name of Jesus Christ will be gradually fixed in the memory of each one of them and becomes the 'head of the corner.' They will become the successors of the Apostles, who inherit the authority and saving work in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" (Matthew 21:42). 

But we, the Church, have not yet fully achieved these things. The following words of Jesus, which he continued, pierce us, "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but when it falls on any one, it will crush him" (Matthew 21:43-44). 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.

 2023/10/02

111. Successors of the Apostles, part 6

As discussed in the previous issue, the causes of the transgressions committed by the 'man' and the 'woman' at the beginning of Genesis were of an entirely different nature from each other. Accordingly, God's response to them was also different. When the 'woman' confessed before him that she had been deceived by the 'serpent' and had disobeyed God's command, God redeemed her fault by 'the enmity that God had placed' on the spot. For this reason, the 'woman' bore the burden of delivering a child in pain, but she and her descendants, the women, were spared the work of atonement. On the other hand, for the double transgression committed by Adam, God imposed on him the atonement work, eating bread "In the sweat of your face," which extended to the male descendants (cf. Genesis 5:28-29). 

Jesus aimed the new covenant in his blood by which that work of atonement would be completed and the sins of many would be forgiven. Therefore, there are similarities between the scene where Peter the Apostle said the words revealed by his heavenly Father, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), and that of Martha of Bethania, who, being led by Jesus, confessed, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world" (John 11:27). First, on both cases, their responses convinced Jesus, who at the time had the theme of 'resurrection' as a sign of God's work, of the timeliness of taking action. Secondly, Jesus used the occasion to lead them to discern human's accidental information, which was likened to "the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan" (Revelation 20:2). 

When Peter rebuked Jesus for beginning to confide in his disciples about his passion, death and resurrection, Jesus gave him a stern word: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men" (Matthew 16:23). That is because Peter, a male and an Apostle, who had said the words revealed by the Father in heaven, was the very one who was to inherit the new covenant that Jesus would make and the redemptive work of God. Peter must distinguish between the 'human knowledge,' which took in human's accidental information within himself, and the 'divine knowledge.' 

Similarly, in bringing Lazarus back to life, Jesus reproved Martha for telling him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days," when Jesus commanded her, "Take away the stone" (John 11:39), saying, "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:40). Like the 'woman' at the beginning of Genesis, women, who were created so that they may carry another person in their bodies, have a strong sensibility of sensing human's accidental information that entered their brain as the other being. However, women must be conscious of it and discern it as human's accidental information, unlike the 'woman' who was deceived by calling it a 'serpent' because of its looks. 

The words that the heavenly Father revealed to Peter, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," are the foundation of these understandings and the rock on which the Church is built. They are words that should be central to the liturgy of the Mass. Hence, Jesus said, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.