January 28, 2018, 4th Sunday of Epiphany, 4th Sunday of Ord * God’s Word Power

 

Joel Velasco’s painting 

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

 

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

/Mark 1:21-28

 

In the previous Sunday we’ve talked about the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom here on earth highlighted by narrative series of epiphanies (God made visible). In today’s gospel, God the Son, the actualizing principle in the Trinitarian dynamics of creation (according to St. Augustine), to our great surprise, can move everyone and everything into fruition by mere words without lifting a muscle. Last Sunday we’ve seen how the first four disciples obeyed Jesus leaving everything behind, family and livelihood, without question and joined him. Today, in the gospel, Jesus drove away evil spirit by verbal command. If we read on further, he also healed the sick, but mostly he was driving out demons, using only the power of his words. It’s just so amazing. Nothing like it has happened yet in the history of the world. Even our best imagined “super hero” does not have that ability.

 

But, how does the power of God’s word make a difference in our present time and situation? Certainly now many things, including physical and mental illness can be solved by the current highly advance science and technology. Humans can demolish a whole mountain single-handedly by just pressing a button. We have so much destructive power that we can jeopardize the earth’s viability as well as our very own existence. In contrast, God’s power heals and restores life. But, medical science can do this also. Therefore, the question now arises, do we still need God’s word power to reverse into health and life, the death-bound tendency of all things in the current world of business with its fanatic drive for production and consumption? Or, are we so doped and resigned to the current economic and political system producing a lot of money that we silently ignore the liberating and restorative power of God’s Kingdom?

 

Perhaps we continue to hear God’s word but we no longer value its moral and ethical imperatives. We have observed that the history of humanity  if left to its own discretion without the loving regulation of its creator is always bound to ruin. Thus, I still believe that we need to listen to God’s word because it is not just restorative and transformative but it is importantly ethical. God’s word is where the ultimate principle and wisdom of life is based. We should not give up our eschatological expectation of a better world because God’s justice and righteousness will prevail ultimately. The gospel today says that that time for waiting has ended. The defeat of evil and the equivalent flourishing of life have started. However, no matter how happy we are to know this, there’s just too much distraction in the world that we must continue to fight through in order to hear and listen intently to the word of God.

 

In Deuteronomy 18: 15-20, Moses, felt that his earthly life was about to end, advised his fellow Israelites to watch out for a prophet to be raised up by God from among their own people. He will be like him, a spokesman of God. His words will be from God and accountable only to God. They should listen to him. However, Moses warned against listening to false prophets. Counterfeit ambassadors of God are rampant in the ancient times but far worse in the swarming fake news and keyboard trolls of today. A wicked King Ahab of Israel around 853 BC, had 400 prophets under his payroll. You could imagine how he was able to twist public opinion by that number in his favour. There are many fake prophets today and they are accountable not to God but to the politicians who hired them. Christians acquainted with different set of values must be keen enough to point the fact that we are being fooled. The irony of the situation is that these false prophets can poison our minds unhampered and can continue to live and prosper within our very own yard. In Moses time, they could have been stoned to death.

 

But how do we pin-down false prophets? The second letter of Peter (2:3) gives us a helpful tool for discernment. First, they are manipulative, using pleasing words but are heavily deceptive. The saying that “when it’s too good to be true, then it’s not true” applies here.  Second, they will introduce a different source of salvation other than God. They will say, it is the “good news” of changing the constitution and the promotion of market economy that will save this country. In reality, they are saving their own ass to remain in control of oppressive and exploitative power. Finally the third, and the most obvious is arrogance and pride. There is a high level of self-righteousness and selfishness about their person. (2 Peter 1:5). They will force their opinion on us and silence our dissenting opinion to the point of killing us if needed be.

 

Psalm 95:1-7 warns us that if we hear the voice of God, we should not harden our hearts. If we only realize the repercussion of the truth that God is the owner and creator of all things and the provider of everything we enjoy in life, then, I don’t know why we should ignore and turn a cold shoulder towards God.  Verse 7 says, “He is our God, and we his people; the flock he leads and pastures.” Again, the reason for our poor response to the call of God is because we have allowed ourselves to be enticed by the selfish values of this world.

 

The psalmist recalls how the Israelites were complaining to Moses about the lack of water and subsequently they quarrelled (the meaning of Meribah) among themselves. In this actuation, they were indirectly questioning (the meaning of Massah) the action of God freeing them from the slavery in Egypt. Sometimes we get so accustomed to living in slavery that freedom is no longer desirable as before. Instead of really living (becoming the best human being that we can ever be), we merely desire to survive.

 

The bible passage in 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 is about some people being heavily anxious over the issue of married and unmarried status in life. It’s such a big deal for some members of the Corinthian church under the close supervision of Paul. The underlying problem, if we read all through the first letter to the Corinthians, is the inordinate value they placed in the pursuit of wisdom and power which had its roots in the Hellenistic thinking. In the process of Christianization they continue to seek wisdom by accumulating spiritual influence through different forms of Gnosticism simply referred to as the gods of this world, and accumulation of power through acquiring a high social standing in society. This is the root of the constant bickering and quarrelling in the Corinthian church. Such superficiality and shallowness of faith is so much applicable for us today. These are narrow personal concerns that are often times at odds with the broad, inclusive and reconciliatory scope of the God’s Kingdom. Paul understood Jesus well when he knew that in order to be free and available to God is to shatter our constructed morals and fleeting existential obsessions.

 

Paul addresses the Corinthian’s questionable religious excitement by proposing a new understanding of wisdom and power. For Paul, it’s not about the acquisition or accumulation of anything in this world but the diametrical opposite of these. Power resides in freedom and the decision to empty ourselves in order to be filled with God’s values and concerns. To be married or not is out of the question. They are mere incremental matters to our existence. He was not however trying to undermine the fundamental value of family life. Jesus hates the social corrosiveness of private and exclusive family affairs. But, he honoured the wedding at Cana. He worked as tektōn (carpenter) at the construction site at Sephoris in order to support the meagre income of his family. Indeed we need a good family situation as a place of basic formation and nurture of future leaders of our nation.  What is being asked of us is to be unrestrained by everyday duties in order to enter the path of lasting and meaningful salvation in Christ. We remain accountable for creating a wholesome family life but if it hinders us to expand and pursue the larger family of God, then there is no transformation. We’re stocked with the same old form of conservatism and self-indulgence.

 

In Mark 1:21-28, we are being taught by Jesus how to build the universal support system of the family of God. In this gospel it says that the time for waiting has ended. The defeat of evil and the equivalent flourishing of life have started. The benefit of education and health care are totally free of charge. Social services are being offered not for profit but for the pure intention of liberating and restoring health to mankind. Jesus is seen to have spoken with authority (proof that he is the sovereign power of all creation). But, his authority is not about dominance and prestige. God’s authority according to Leonardo Boff, is the authority to serve and love. Jesus’ understanding of power is dying on the cross and renouncement of all social status. Hence, what needs to be done now is to remain with God, because the present and future belongs to God.

 

Returning now to the issue of the Corinthians which is so much like us today in terms of overly busy, and success in life is measured in terms of material wealth acquisition and professional expertise, Paul advices that we should refrain from the culture of factionalism because this tendency is detrimental to the body of Christ. We are the body of Christ. Life in God is not a contest, the survival of the fittest as Darwin would have us believe. Thus, instead of competition for power and social status we should work for cooperation, and serve one another in humility and sacrifice. We should continue to care for the poor and the needy instead of being drawn to the philosophy of materialism. We should use our talents and gifts to build and nurture Christ’s body instead of preserving private property and watch others die of deprivation. If we can work for some levels of unity and reconciliation on the daily basis, then that is already a realized eschatology. The gap between heaven and earth would be closing in. So, from now on, let all that we do be done in love for the sake of others who are part of Christ’s body. ##

 

Geraldino B. Loyola Jr.

Redemptorist Lay Missionary

 

January 28, 2018 * 4th Sunday of the Epiphany *ENCOUNTERING GOD

 

Joel Velasco’s painting 

Deut. 18:15-20

 

Ps.95:1-2, 6-8

1 Cor 7:32-33

Mk. 1:21-28

 

As socio-economic crisis intensifies,   the division and indifference, of individuality and destruction  of empathy towards others are sharply  disconnecting  the people from one another   Compassion, solidarity and  prophetic witness are much-needed testimony of  our faith in the midst of  increasing number of  extra-judicial killings, the continuous oppression of the people, especially the poor, and of marginalized citizens. It is alarming that indifference and silence might be sending a message of consent.  It seems people are inclined to deny the opportunity of encountering others.  By not being keen to the marginalized and victimized,, we lost the opportunity to encounter the OTHER, the known God and the unknown God. Our readings today showcase a great encounter that happened between God and God’s people. An encounter full of love and relationship. An encounter that values the Other with so much love, mercy, and respect.

In the first reading, we read how Moses gave instructions to the people of Israel. This is part of a big section of the book of Deuteronomy, which Bible scholars often refer to as “Offices and Functions” (Deut. 16:18-18:22, New Jerome Biblical Commentary). The prophet like Moses will be raised up among the Israelites to proclaim the word of God. “I will put my words into his mouth and he will tell them all that I commanded” (Deut. 18:18). Here, we are given the idea of what is the primary function of God’s prophets. They act as a mouthpiece of God. We could then ask why does God need to raise up prophets when God can directly talk to us, talk to the Israelites for that matter? “This is exactly what you requested of the Lord, your God, at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, Let me not again hear the voice of the Lord, my God, nor see his great fire anymore, or I will die” (Deut. 18:16). There was a previous encounter between God and the people of Israel. An encounter with a loving God who freed the Israelites from the bondage of slavery. An encounter with love and mercy! In that encounter, the humanity was not consumed by the Divine. Rather, the Divine stooped down,

And we read the same thing in our Gospel today. Jesus is portrayed as a prophet who proclaimed the word of God. “On the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught” (Mk 1:21). Like the prophet who functioned as a mouthpiece of God, Jesus does the same thing – he proclaims the word of God. But Jesus is more than just a prophet, he is The Prophet for, “he taught… as one having authority” (Mk. 1:22). But Jesus Christ is not just The Prophet, he is also God, the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the personification of God. Just like God in the first reading who encounters the Israelites with love and compassion, Jesus, the Son of God, also encounters humanity (represented by the man with an unclean spirit) full of love and compassion. Before Jesus heals the man with an unclean spirit, there is an encounter between God and the possessed man. Jesus gazes at the possessed man with much love and compassion. Jesus placed himself in the situation of the possessed man and felt the pain and torment of the possessed man.  such compassion moved Jesus to heal the possessed man by casting away the evil spirit.

An encounter with God, of hearing God’s word and not hardening our hearts (as in the responsorial psalm) always brings us joy. The Israelites in the first reading, although seemingly terrified at the presence of God, are indeed happy for being saved by God from slavery, and the possessed man after being cured by Jesus, joyfully went back to the community.

Today we have lots of anxieties.  Anxious of securing our possession, of our own future, of building our own ambition, of what is the latest, what is in, anxious of our power, prestige, and fame. Such anxieties make us indifferent to others. It limits our focus and attention to ourselves and not minding or caring for the others whose anxiety is about hunger, poverty, landlessness, and other forms of exploitation and oppression.

We need to be liberated from anxieties. If we go beyond ourselves, we will encounter GOD as we  transcend the sources of our anxieties.

In reality, we can say many godly things to others. Theologizing everything and proclaiming the word of God to people, but without the encounter that brings joy to both individuals, without allowing ourselves to be miserable with the misery of others, our proclamation is as good as nothing. It won’t affect the people. It won’t make any change in them. Or to put it in the context of what we said earlier, we can attend to the needs of others, to fight against extrajudicial killings, to choose the side of the poor and the oppressed and to uplift the marginalized. But without first encountering them, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable by their vulnerability, then the effect of our efforts won’t last long.

All of us are called to be prophets of our time. To proclaim God’s word to the people. To do God’s will. But first and foremost, let us first encounter God. Just like Jesus and the prophets of old who always encounter God the Father through their daily prayers, we are also encouraged to encounter God in our daily lives, especially in our prayers and daily reading of the scriptures. Pope Francis encourages us to have this daily encounter with Christ. “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them.” (Evangelii Gaudium no. 3). And such daily encounter with God opens us to encounter others where God dwells. No wonder why all those who do missionary work to fight for justice, to help uplift the poor, oppressed, and marginalized, are the most joyful people. It is because these people encounter God and encounter others with love and compassion.

 

Bro. Ruel Eguia Sagario, MJ

Antipolo City

 

Advance Gospel Reflection for January 21, 2018 3rd Sunday of Epiphany*Pursuing What Matters Most in Our Lives

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Psalm 25

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Mark 1:14-20

 

What if the Kingdom of God has come, really, seriously? Indeed it is happening now. Would everyone be excited? I guess not. Because, by the dismal looks of things today, that promise of the Kingdom of peace, justice and life to the fullest is too far from being near. This promise of better days on earth continues to escape the aspiration of humans for thousands and thousands of years. This promise (the very heart of our Christian faith) had been in the news-stand hanging for too long so that we got bored and eventually lose interest in it. This is our dilemma. The non-fulfilment of the messianic age or the eschatological dream (things that truly matter) was also the very purpose why the entire Gospel of Mark was written. The gospel was meant to dispel the anxieties and doubts of a gentile Christian community facing persecution especially in Rome around the year 70 AD.  If rescue or salvation is in the offing, why is it so slow in coming? This is the very same question that we are still grappling with today.

 

Truth is, when say we are now living within the year of our Lord (Anno Domini), it shows that we are contained in God’s time table. Meaning, the Kingdom has started yet it still awaits completion, again in God’s own understanding of time. So now, how do we make sense of the idea of the Kingdom of God that is already among us here in the Philippines without being cynical or chilly-cold-numb regarding its importance? In other words, how can we avoid the same fate of those who also have heard the Gospel now and even before us and yet always miss the lifetime chance of being transformed by it?

 

The readings next Sunday, highlights two essential key points that can be helpful for our consideration: first, the need for a sufficient amount of attention in order to recognize the presence of God (Epiphany), second, the same level of readiness is required to welcome and accept God’s invitation to enter into the new era of restored relationships (the original justice of creation).

 

There are two models of these missed opportunities, the story of Jonah and the Corinthians. But, there are two models of positive actions as well, the Psalm of David and the Gospel of Mark itself.

 

Most of us continue to be amused and find it really funny how Jonah refused to obey God like a spoiled brat, but like a skillful and wise parent, God was able to train Jonah to do an important task. At first, it looks like a disaster story but with the subsequent twists and turns the mission of Jonah was a success. Though, it still left Jonah bitter and critical because God treated non-Israelites too kindly. Jonah eventually responded but refused to accept the essence of God – whose very being is unconditional love and accountability for all of creation to the point of insanity by human standard.

 

The attitude of the Corinthians very much resembles our culture today. We are heavily self-absorbed by the cares and worries of daily existence that we hardly recognize the most important thing in our life already unfolding before our very eyes. The Corinthians scarcely were able let go of their traditional activities such as how to relate with their husbands and wives. They were so un-aware that with Jesus a new ethical standard has begun. So, Paul reminded them to focus their attention and keep within the new-found relationship in Christ. Everything will come to pass, while the providential love of God will remain till the last of our days.

 

David is an example of one who possessed a superior calibre of alertness obtaining for him the skill of exceptional precision and timing that he can never miss the coming of God. The opening verse of Psalm 25 says it all, “LORD, I lift myself up to you.  My God, I will trust in you.” Thus, we see that David is locked on his target. That kind of marksmanship is unbeatable. No wonder he was able to knock down Goliath with a single shot.

 

The subsequent verses are replete with unflinching focus. “LORD, show me your ways. Teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth. Teach me, because you are the God that save me.” David is humble enough to admit his weaknesses and limitations.  “Do not remember my sins when I was young, or the wrong things I did (when I was older). LORD, remember your kindness to me, because you are good.” Sometimes this is what is keeping us away from drawing towards God – our self-sufficiency and self-righteousness. When is the prayer SHOW, TEACH and LEAD me Lord occurred in our lives?  Maybe it is seldom, or perhaps never at all, because what we have been asking God are all the trivial things, passing the exams, work abroad, partner in life – except asking for the coming of the Kingdom of God.

 

Finally, why would the very first disciples Simon and Andrew, James and John abandoned everything, instantly without question, and follow Jesus, just like that? Imagine a wooden-cane- toting bearded man from the corner of East Avenue, Quezon City barked at unsuspecting passers by saying, “Guys, its time, this is the final moment we have been waiting for. Make no more delays. Let’s go.” And, then you see a bunch of men tailing after him. Crazy as it seems, but the episode about the uncompromising response of the first disciples in joining God’s mission is the very standard feature of genuine Christianity. Christianity is supposed to be a movement, and not as an institution. It is an action-packed organization.

 

Now when we see that the first disciples were super ready to do as the Lord commands, there is no magic there. It is a product of a rigorous upbringing and preparation. The Jewish people have thoroughly lived in the messianic expectation so that when the Messiah comes He is immediately recognizable. They have been training all their senses for it. Why did Zebedee the father of Simon and Andrew did not furiously object at the insane fact that his sons are leaving behind a lucrative family fishing business? In today’s criteria for a normal human being needing a successful career, that move of Simon and Andrew is sheer foolishness. But Zebedee did not complain because he was also a Jew, and he knew far better than his sons. Mark reminded his gentile audience regarding the Jewish mastery of time. Indeed the time has come. A new era of different priorities and values has begun.

 

Now as Filipinos, how do we fair with Jewish alertness, keenness of values and mastery of time? I’m not even sure whether I am making sense. But, early this year we were met with gripping bad news of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN). I rather judge it as an acceleration of wide-spread suffering and exclusion of the poor from the profit driven design of our economy. There is nothing of value there that is in harmony with the liberating service of God’s Kingdom. And yet there is no widespread uproar and protest against it. Rather, the things that are gaining grounds are actually the values that are against the Kingdom of God. Pope Francis sharply puts it, “the worship of God is being replaced by the worship of money.” Even some of the churches themselves, instead of working for the liberating service of God’s Kingdom run the risk of trying to secure financial security and stability for their institutions. Later on they will value money more than people. In the end, they are securing a capitalist and callous heart for themselves.

 

Everything is about finance now-a-days. Everything is for sale including people. This is far too distant from the ethics of Jesus. Perhaps our senses are more alert if the good news would sound like putting up a big business corporation, make huge profit, and we get all the chance to become famous, amass political influence and get rich.

 

Drawing something good from the readings, especially the gospel of Mark about the imminent or nearness of God’s Kingdom depends much on the proper tuning of our perspective. Our decision to choose which Kingdom to follow – the kingdom of this world centered on money, or the Kingdom of God as restored original justice of creation is crucial. A definitive resolution on our part today is paramount. God has offered us a different life. It is up to us to accept it or reject it. We must stop acting like normal Christians but in actuality, we remain naive and self-assured. We tend to believe for instance that market economy will stay, and there’s nothing we can do about it. But, Christian eschatological expectation refuses to accept this current system of the affair. The Kingdom of God, a million times much better than capitalism is sure to come according to God’s timetable.  So I look forward to the day when we hear again about the news about the Kingdom of God, I expect that we will be jubilant and in festive mood. Such actuations truly indicate that we have understood what it means to have the Kingdom of God among us now. ##

 

Noy Loyola

Redemptorist Lay Missionary

Photo grab from: https://friarmusings.wordpress.com/2016/02/05/fishing-leaving-all/

January 14, 2018, 2nd Sunday of Epiphany* Come and See

Painting of Wing Garibay “FÖR ATT VÄRLDEN SKA LEVA”

 Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10

 

1Samuel 3:3-10, 19

1Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20

John 1:35-42

 

We meet Christ in different circumstances and through different means. Yet only few choose to follow him.

 Jesus must have had a growing popularity in the community where he lived in as he continued teaching the word and performing many miracles. You could imagine the “celebrity” status he had! No wonder that many people started to talk about him and were eager to meet him.

 When John said “Behold, the Lamb of God,” the two disciples instantly recognized who Jesus was and began to follow him. Jesus eagerly turned to them and said “What are you seeking?”

 

But what is truly remarkable in this story is their excitement to know where Jesus was going and the utter lack of reluctance from the disciples to answer Jesus’ call to follow him even before Jesus noticed and asked them “Come and you will see.” They never had a second thought nor a confusion as to where Jesus was actually taking them. They even stayed with him that day: “for it was about the tenth hour.”

 

Many of us would look at this story in the sense that Jesus was supposed to take them to his dwelling place or to the comforts of his home. But of course, this very encounter with Jesus and the experience of following him presents a more powerful and deeper meaning if we are to imagine how Jesus spent his life and ministry.

 

Where could we find Jesus? Where does he dwell? In what places, situations and circumstances could we find him in?

 

Many Christians tend to box Jesus in the church. We limit our understanding of his ministry in the four corners of the church building where he only made fellowship with the holy and those who believe in him. And more often, we use this as an excuse to stay in our own comforts and conveniences for us not to go to where Jesus really is. Thus many of us turn a blind eye to those whom Jesus ministered with.

 

A closer look at the gospel and understanding of the life of Jesus Christ gives us a more profound perspective of where to find him and what it could mean when he said “Come and you will see.”

 

Jesus can be in the places where we don’t expect him to be. Some of these are surprising. He is the midst of war-torn communities in Mindanao, in the suffering of the displaced Lumad and many indigenous peoples, with the migrant workers who experience many abuses, in the multitude of the struggling and toiling masses, with the poor families and the families of the victims of extra-judicial killings — embracing and comforting them. He is in the midst of all our suffering, crying and resisting.

 

The experience of the disciples following Jesus brought transformation to them for they have discovered the true identity of Jesus: “We have found the Messiah.” But there is something more transformative and powerful in this experience rather than their own personal salvation. They must have seen Jesus dwelling amongst the people — sharing the gospel of hope, love and compassion with them — thus bringing a communal and wholistic salvation for all.

 

Andrew himself found Jesus, followed him and stayed with him. Then he went on to share the experience with his brother! Like the disciples, many of us find Jesus in many situations of our lives and communities. But only when we follow him that we realize fully his life-changing and life-giving mission.

 

We live in a seemingly crucial times of history where life and human rights are only treated as commodities. There are poverty and killings everywhere. Many of our brothers and sisters around the world experience hunger, hopelessness and sickness.

 

If Jesus were alive today, where do you think can we find him? Would he just shrug his shoulders off and turn a blind eye to those who need him the most?

 

Jesus Christ called the disciples to do what he did and to continue his mission. The experience of the disciples in following Jesus must encourage and inspire us to do the same. We must share the good news of salvation that the Messiah brings by being a channel of God’s love and service for all and to dwell with his people even those who are in the most uncomfortable places on earth.

 God is calling you today. Will you follow him?##

 

 

Ismael Fisco Jr.

United Methodist Church\

 

Photograb from http://www.destinationuppsala.se/sv/Gora/Gora/?tlang=sv&tid=1013141

January 7, 2018, 1st Sunday of Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord* THE BAPTISM OF JESUS AND OURS* Chi

 

Psalm 29:1-4

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

Acts 10:34-38

Mark 1:7-11

 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.(Mark 1:9-11)

The baptism of Jesus reminds us of the following: that Jesus saw a social vision, committed himself to this social vision; and made this social vision his life.

What Jesus saw was the vision of the reign of God. This was what led him to John the baptizer. The mention of Jesus hailing from Nazareth in Galilee suggests the social origins and location of Jesus and his social vision. Galilee was a region in Palestine made forlorn by Roman exploitative and oppressive colonial rule that was imposed on the Palestinians in collusion with the local ruling class.  Not everyone acquiesced to this rule. There was so much resentment from the common people in the region. This mass resentment was evidenced by the popularity of movements resisting Roman colonial rule. This difficult social situation was also the context of the people’s messianic hopes. It was from this same context that Jesus, a Galilean, saw a vision of God’s reign from the preaching of his cousin, John the Baptist.

The reign of God or God’s righteousness calls for a spiritual conversion – for a change in the way we look at reality and ourselves. It calls for the shedding off of the old self in favor of the new one. It calls for a consciousness that transcends the temporality and profanity of our popular messianic hopes. It calls for a metanoia that sees the self as servant to a higher cause and purpose called God’s reign and justice.  It sees a spiritual path that surpasses both the “righteousness of the Pharisee” and the “religious militancy of the Zealot.”  The reign of God is a historical and social reality that grows from within.  This is where the social vision of God’s reign’s eternity is drawn from: from within. It is, thus, a radically spiritual reality even as it is social and historical.  It is a social vision that is not carved or etched in tablets but is written in our hearts. It is a vision of a new world that does not blur or wilt whenever messianic claimants (like Cory or the neo-Marcosian Duterte) come along. This is the alpha and omega of Christian social radicalism: a social vision that is written in the heart. You cannot own, live, and celebrate a social vision in the most authentic and religious way unless it is constituted and written deep within from the heart of one convicted by the radicalism of the reign of God’s justice. This is what water baptism signifies – an outward sign of an “inward grace” – i.e., our being accepted, justified, and taken in as participant in the salvific work of God in history.

Essential Christian baptism has died with the rise of imperial Christianity. Baptism in the empire church became an antithesis of itself. Gone was the gospel’s vision of God’s reign. Gone was the idea of a citizenship in a new world, and incorporation into a prophetic community that militantly seeks for a world that does not share the values of the powers and principalities of this world. Gone was the corporate responsibility of guiding and raising young women and men into becoming agents of social change. Gone was the commitment to become like the Galilean and to live the precepts of the Nazarene. Gone was the biblical vision of Jesus-in-the-Christ of our Christian baptism.

But the text that we are meditating on calls us back to give Christian baptism a new look – a new look that brings us back to the origins of Christian baptism in John’s baptism of Jesus. It was done by a prophet who saw in Jesus’ commitment to the vision of God’s reign the fulfillment of his prophecies. It was done in a river most probably by immersion beyond the religious and theological suggestions of Jewish and other ancient religious traditions. It was a baptism into a new realm that can only be signified by dying and rising again. It was a prefiguring of what it means to be baptized: to die to our old selves and to be born anew as children of God and citizens of God’s realm.

A look back at essential Christian baptism is also a call for a renewal of our baptismal vows: the renewal of our commitment to the vision of God’s reign and to living its values; and to become children and citizens of God’s realm who actively seek and pursue God’s justice with the passion of Jesus the Galilean and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dipping our hands in our baptismal fonts and pools may be the beginning, an outward sign of our renewed covenant of childrenship. ##

 

 

Dr. Deborrah Ramos  Reyes and Dr. Ferdinand Anno (trans.)

Union Theological Seminary

 

phot grab from:https://www.google.com.ph/search?q