|
I often tell my Catholic friends that it's so nice studying this course of Religious Studies. During the process, I am not only learning about the Catholic religion, but also forming my Catholic faith. I am not merely acquiring information, but simultaneously going through formation. While accumulating my "to have", I am also building up my "to be".
We are near the end of the second term. Through the study of Synoptic Gospels, I have the chance to systematically look closer and deeper into these three gospels, namely, Mark, Matthew and Luke. The episodes in the gospels have come to life, and the face of Jesus and the other characters have become more vivid for me. I begin to ask myself, "If I were there, what did I see?"
Jesus Died on the Cross. It should be a unique event, of one and the same setting - Jesus' words on the cross; darkness over the land; temple veil torn open; Jesus' loud cry; Jesus died. Nonetheless, the three Synoptic Gospels have different accounts of the response to Jesus' death. Matthew said the centurion who executed the crucifixion was very frightened; Luke said he began to praise God; Mark didn't say much. People look at the same thing, but see different things. If I were there, what did I see?
Jesus is Risen. "Peter ran to the tomb; he saw the linen cloths by themselves, and he went home wondering at what had happened" (Lk 24:12). "The other disciple also went in, and he saw and believed" (Jn 20:8). This other disciple did not see Jesus, but he "saw" Jesus. If I were there, what did I see - the linen cloths or Jesus?
Jesus is among us. "Two of them were going to a village named Emmaus… Jesus himself drew near and went with them… 'but him they did not see'" (Lk 24:13,15,24). The prophecy is true for all ages: "Listen and listen but never understand! Look and look, but never perceive!" (Is 6:9; cf. Mt 13:13). If I were there, would I see Jesus?
Jesus cures the blind. "A blind beggar was sitting by the roadside, and when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Many rebuked him, telling him to be silent…" (Mk 10:46-48). Who am I in this story? Who in this story is blind?
The Salvation. "…the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor" (Mt 11:5). Do I find myself blind, lame, a leper, deaf, dead, and poor?
"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Written in Lent, 2013
| |
|