SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Molly Fernandes
The Paschal mystery is the source and summit of Christian life. The Paschal mystery celebrated under lockdown. Yes, it was indeed an experience that entered the annals of the Church and broke all records. When I talk about the Paschal mystery I am referring to God’s plan of salvation, which was ultimately fulfilled through four events in Christ’s life. Those four events are His Passion (his suffering and crucifixion), Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church thus says in 1067 “The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament were but a prelude to the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming mankind and giving perfect glory to God. He accomplished this work principally by the Paschal mystery of his blessed Passion, Resurrection from the dead, and glorious Ascension, whereby ‘dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life.’ For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church. For this reason, the Church celebrates in the liturgy above all the Paschal mystery by which Christ accomplished the work of our salvation”. And now it’s over 40 days (Ascension) since we celebrated the prelude as we await the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, which Jesus has promised us, “unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go I will send him to you.”(Jn 16: 7).
The Word of God these days has been preparing us for the Pentecostal Blaze. John 16: 20 say, “….your sorrow will turn into joy!” And joy is one of the attributes of Jesus’ nature – the Fruit of the Spirit – what we usually call. St Paul speaks about Jesus’ nature – nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 6: 22-23, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Church adds three more: forbearance, modesty, chastity); the Power of God – which are the nine charisms of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues”. While Prophet Isaiah 11:2, speaks about the love of God – which are the Gifts of the Spirit: “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD”. Amazing! Indeed incredible! The Pentecostal Blaze is a gracious gift given to us magnanimously to be received being a doer of the Word of God.
In these gloomy days as darkness surrounds the world, the Spirit of Truth resounds – “there is hope and hope doesn’t disappoint us”. God provides for our needs and not for our greed. The pathetic state of the poorest of the poor and the migrants is painful and it needs attention – Love. May we be blessed and be anointed with the manifestations of the Love of God, Power of God and Jesus’ Nature, to reach out and live the Paschal mystery, through the Divine manifestations for humankind.
