We appreciate that you have taken the time to write us. We will get back to you very soon. Please come back and see us often.
|
Follow Us
|
Message To
|
Write Us
|
Authored by : Dr. Andrews Mekkattukunnel On 24-Feb-2026
Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI takes the inspiration for the name of the Apostolic Letter announcing the Year of Faith Porta Fidei from Acts 14,27. This expression occurs in the context of Apostle Paul and Barnabas reporting to the Church at Antioch about their first missionary journey. Luke writes: "And when they arrived, they gathered the Church together and declared all that God had done with them, and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles" (Acts 14,27). It was in obedience to the command of the Risen Lord, to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1,8) that Saint Paul and Barnabas proclaimed the good news of Jesus to the gentiles (Acts 13,1-5). They bore witness to the Risen Jesus in the synagogues of Seleucia, Salamis, Pamphos, Pamhilia, Perga, Antioch in Pisidia. They presented the resurrection of Jesus as the fulfillment of the promises God gave to the patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Acts 13,32-33). They added that forgiveness of sins is only in the name of Jesus and what is needed to obtain this is to believe in Him. Though some of the Jews accepted the message of :salvation proclaimed by the apostles, the majority rejected it. It was iin that context that the apostles turned to the gentiles. "And when Ithe gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of God; and as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed" (Acts 13,48). This is how the door of faith was opened to the gentiles through the apostles. This is part of the salvific plan of God the Father. He takes the initiative; the apostles are "the chosen instruments" in his hands (Acts 9,15). Though they invited people to believe in Jesus of Nazareth through the sharing of their Messiah-experience, it was God who was leading them to faith in Jesus. It is God Himself who opens ens the door of faith.
The story of Lydia in the Acts of the Apostles confirms this. The Holy Father refers to this event in Porta Fidei, 10: "St. Luke recounts that while he was at Philippi, Paul went on the Sabbath to proclaim the Gospel to some women; among them was Lydia and the Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul" (Acts 16,14)." Pope Benedict continues: "There is an important meaning contained within this expression. Saint Luke teaches that knowing the content to be believed is not sufficient unless the heart, the authentic sacred space within the person, is opened by grace that allows the eyes to see below the surface and to understand that what has been proclaimed is the word of God."
The apostles through their Kerygma were opening the door of faith into the kingdom of God. The central theme of the proclamation of the Incarnate Son of God was the kingdom of God/heaven. It was to this kingdom that they had to bear witness. In fact, the command to be witnesses in Acts 1,8 is the answer given by the Risen Lord to the question of the disciples about the time of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel in Acts 1,6. This question was occasioned by the continuous teaching of the Risen Lord about the kingdom for forty days. The Lord asked the disciples not to be worried about the time of the establishment of the kingdom, which is within the Father's competence, but to be concerned about their role in its establishment, i.e., how they were to be agents through their witnessing to the establishment of God's kingdom on earth.
At the very outset of Porta Fidei we read: The "door of faith" (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. According to Pope Benedict XVI, there are two purposes to the door of faith being opened: to make the life of communion with God and within His Church possible.
The door of faith opens to a new world that can never be dreamt of by man: into a life of communion with God. In baptism one passes through the door of faith into the life of Holy Trinity. That is the meaning of baptizing one in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Thus one is incorporated into the Holy Trinity. The baptized is called to lead a new life in God. This is made possible by the incarnate Son of God, the Second Person of in the Trinity. Through his Incarnation, suffering, death and resurrection the door to the life of Trinity is open for us. We are given access to the life of blessedness, joy and freedom that the first parents enjoyed in paradise. This is the meaning of what Jesus said to the one crucified with him: "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk 23,43). When Jesus saved us he was ushering us into the life of communion with God. This entry into God's life will be complete only when we accomplish our journey of faith here on earth.
Faith in the Holy Trinity is the basic article of Christian faith. Three Persons in one God: this is the mystery of Trinity. All the Three are without beginning and end. They are equals in knowledge, power and glory and worthy of human worship. There are not three Gods. They are One in Substance, Three in Persons. When we begin our prayers with "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", or conclude our prayers with "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit", we are proclaiming our faith in the Holy Trinity.
It is Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God who revealed the mystery of Trinity to us. In the context of his baptism at Jordan, for the first time in the history of humankind, all the three Persons of the Trinity were present together. The Father spoke of His Son from heaven; the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. Thus the communion of Holy Trinity was revealed to the world for the first time.
During his public life, Jesus gave clear teachings about the other two Persons in Trinity. "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10,30); "the Father is in me and I am in my Father" (Jn 10,38); "he who hates me hates my Father also" (Jn 15,23); "as the Father knows me and I know the Father" (Jn 10,15); "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify you" (Jn 17,1) etc. reveal Jesus' filial relationship with God the Father. Jesus spoke in clear terms about the Holy Spirit presenting him as another Counselor -parakletos - to be with us forever in his physical absence (Jn 14,16). This Spirit of Truth, he said, would guide his disciples into all the truth (Jn 16,13). When on the day of Pentecost, the promised Spirit came upon the apostles, they were empowered to believe beyond doubt and to proclaim with firm conviction that Jesus of Nazareth isthe Son of God and the Lord. With the help of the Spirit they began to understand everything that took place in the life of Jesus as the fulfillment of what had already been foretold in the Old Testament. It is this Spirit of God, who, abiding in the believers, empowers them to grasp the unity of God's plan of salvation. The Church developed her teaching about the holy Trinity from the history of salvation as recorded in the Sacred Scripture.
The mutual indwelling - Perichoresis - wholly and eternally, of the three Persons of Trinity is the characteristic feature of their relationship. The Father dwells in the Son and in the Holy Spirit; the Son in the Father and in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit, in His turn, abides in the Father and in the Son. It is into this communion of the three Persons in the Holy Trinity that one is incorporated through the Sacraments of Initiation.
Before receiving the holy Communion, the liturgical assembly in the Syro-Malabar Qurbana or the Eucharistic celebration proclaims with one voice: "God, the Father alone is Holy. God the Son alone is Holy. God the Spirit alone is Holy. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit forever. Amen."
Faith is man's response to the Divine Revelation. Man believes in what God reveals about Himself and about His plan for human beings and the created world. He believes because of the authority of God. In the language of the Sacred Scripture, this response of man is 'obedience of faith' (Rom 1,5; 15,26). "To obey (from the Latin ob-audire, to 'hear or listen to') in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth Himself."
Whom to believe?
Faith is man's personal adherence to God who reveals Himself as the loving Father (Creator) and the amazing Provider of all. We give free assent to the whole truth that He has revealed because we trust in His Person. Believing in God cannot be separated from believing in His beloved Son. Father Himself tells us to listen to this Son (Mk 9,7). We believe in Jesus Christ for he himself is God. One who believes in Jesus Christ cannot but believe in his Spirit. For no one can say, "Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor 12,3).
The Characteristics of Faith
Faith is a free gift of God; the grace of God that moves our hearts and assists us in our daily lives. At the same time, it is a free human act as well. "In faith, the human intellect and will co-operate with the divine grace; "Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace."
Faith is needed for our salvation (Mk 16,16). It is by believing that God the Father sent His Son into the world to make us children of God that we are saved. It is in the name of Jesus who suffered, died and rose from the dead, that forgiveness of sins, i.e., salvation is found (Lk 24,46-47). Salvation is only in His name (Acts 4,12).
Faith the Beginning of Eternal Life
The goal of our journey of faith is the beatific vision, seeing God 'face to face' (1 Cor 13,12; 1 Jn 3,2). So faith is already the beginning of eternal life. "When we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in a mirror, it is as if we already possessed the wonderful things which the faith assures us we shall one day enjoy."
Faith an Ecclesial Act
Though faith is a personal act, it is not an isolated act. "No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone. You have not given yourself faith as you have not given yourself life. The believer has received faith from others and should hand it on to others. Our love for Jesus and for our neighbor impels us to speak to others about our faith." Thus one receives the life of faith and salvation from God only through the Church. The Church is our mother of our new birth. Since she is our mother, she is our teacher in faith too. "She teaches us the language of faith in order to introduce us to the understanding and the life of faith."
Faith and Hope
For Pope Benedict XVI, the Christian faith is inseparable from Christian hope which ensues from a real encounter with the true God in His incarnate Son." This is the meaning of what the Holy Father wrote in his first encyclical: "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." What a Christian hopes for is nothing other than what the incarnate Son of God has revealed - share in his own life.
Faith "already" gives us something of the reality we are waiting for, and this present reality constitutes for us a "proof" of the things that are still unseen. Faith draws the future into the present, so that it is no longer simply a "not yet." To believe means to receive the gift of a trustworthy hope of a future (1 Thes 4,13). The distinguishing mark of Christians, in the opinion of the Holy Father, is "the fact that they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness. Only when the future is certain as a positive reality does it become possible to live the present as well... The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life."
The basis of Christian faith is the self-revealing God. It is through His self-disclosure that God opens the door of faith to the humankind. "Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (see Col. 1;15, 1 Tim 1,17) out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends (see Exod 33:11; John 15,14-15) and lives among them (see Bar 3,38), so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself." Man is not capable of knowing God or His actions on his own. So God reveals Himself to the human beings. From the very beginning of creation, God began to communicate Himself to the humanity. In this revelation, God's plan for the humankind and the whole cosmos comes to light. Thus the door of faith is open for us. Through His self revelation, God helps the human beings to come to believe in Him.
It is through His Word that God reveals His Will. To come down to the level of humankind, God had to have recourse to the Word. The Hebrew term "Dabar Yahweh" denotes not only word but also event and action. God's word is action; when He speaks, it happens; it is performative speech. "Dabar Yahweh" stands for God's self-revelation.
God's words reveal His actions; His actions confirm His words. For example, we read in the book of Genesis: God said, "Let there be light." And there was light (Gen 1,3). Not only God's word, in this instance "Let there be light", but light beginning to exist (the event of light) also is part of His word.
Word of God is the sacrament of His Will. What He intends by a word, God brings into effect. The word of God is life and life-giving (Deut 32,46-47). God has announced through the prophet that His word will not return to Him without effecting what it contains. "For the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Isa 55,10-11). The efficacy of the Word of God is brought to light here.
God reveals Himself through His words and deeds, so that man may be given entry into His life. "This is to invite the human beings into communion with Him. By this revelation then, the deepest truth about God and the salvation of man shines out for our sake in Christ, who is both the mediator and the fullness of all revelation." The primary door of faith is the self-revelation of God.
It is through different phases that God reveals Himself. His self-revelation which began with creation, continued through the patriarchs and prophets. In the fullness of time, God revealed fully through His Son Jesus (Heb 1,1-2). The sacred Scripture describes how God opens the door of faith through the Sacred Scripture.
Holy Bble narrates how God opens the door of faith to us through His self-revelation. His revelation concerns mainly three areas: about Himself, about men and women, and about the cosmos. God is not revealing directly, but through the created world and through His chosen agents in human history. God communicates His will through the chosen agents. They in their turn under God's inspiration and guidance present His message in a manner accessible to men and women. These chosen authors present the truth about God exploiting the linguistic possibilities, scientific ideas and literary styles of the readers and the hearers. In order to grasp the message of the written word, one should have a thorough knowledge of the cultural, literary and social environment of the writers. It is not just to apply the modern criteria to a literary work produced centuries back.
Both the Jews and the Christians believe that the first five books of the Sacred Scripture are from Moses (Exod 17,4; Deut 31,9; Josh 8,32; Jn 5,45; Acts 3,22; Rom 4,19). The people of Israel strongly believed that God had chosen and blessed Abraham their forefather. God's promise to Abraham to bless him and his descendants and to make them a great nation was popular among the children of Abraham in story form. Liberation from Egypt was believed to be the fulfillment of these promises. It was Moses who redeemed them from the bondage, led them through the desert, mediated the covenant of Sinai, and brought them near the land promised. Moses who, under divine inspiration, documented this story of liberation, presented as its preface the history of the patriarchs. Moses' search, guided by the Spirit of God, for the origins of the universe and of Abraham in the light of the experience of God's redemptive activities resulted in the formation of the first chapters of the book of Genesis. God conveyed to Moses the message He wanted to communicate to the humankind; and Moses transmitted it orally in a manner that is easily memorized by common folk. The written Bible contains the systematic arrangement of these oral traditions.
The God who intervenes in human history, who chooses and guides, who enters into covenant relationship is familiar to the people of Israel. The story of the cosmos and the history of the humankind are closely interwoven. Yahweh is the Lord of both. It is from the manner of the activity of this Lord of history that Israel came to know the Creator of the universe.
In the Old Testament, after the books of Moses -Torah - come the prophetic books. The prophets exhort people to remain faithful to the God of the covenant. They assured the people that the God who in the past liberated them from the bondage in Egypt, would deliver them from the present bondage in Babylon All these liberations were foreshadows of the real and eternal liberation that was to take place in the person of Jesus Christ.
The New Testament witnesses to the salvation that Jesus of Nazareth effected. The most noteworthy among the New Testament books are the four Gospels describing the life, teachings and the Paschal Mystery of Jesus. The four Evangelists with their Gospel narratives function as four doors welcoming the whole humankind to encounter the Person of Jesus.
God reveals so that man may believe in Him. ""The obedience of faith' (Rom 16:26; cf. Rom 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5-6) must be our response to God who reveals. By faith one freely commits oneself entirely to God, making 'the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals and willingly assenting to the revelation given by God." Faith is the proper response to the God who speaks to us. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, "the whole history of salvation progressively demonstrates this profound bond between the word of God and the faith which arises from an encounter with Christ. Faith thus takes shape as an encounter with a person to whom we entrust our whole life. Christ Jesus remains present today in history, in his body which is the Church; for this reason our act of faith is at once both personal and ecclesial."
The Sacred Scripture opens with the narrative of creation (Gen 1,1-2,4). In the beginning God created the heaven and earth. God was there, before everything in the universe came into existence. He is the Creator of everything in the universe. The statement that the earth was without form and void (Gen 1,2) shows that He created them all from nothing. It was with His word of command: "let there be", that He called them into existence. God's creative power is manifested here. God saw that everything He created was good (Gen 1,4.10.12.18.21.25.30). No better order can be given to the universe than the one given by the Creator God.
God is acknowledged as the Father on account of His creative activity. God is the Creator also of man, the crown of God's creation. God's special plan for the humankind is clear in His creating them in His own image and likeness (Gen 1,26-27). The children inherit the image of the parents; the fact that human beings resemble God attests to the fact that they are God's children. The divine paternity is revealed in the statement that we are created in God's image and likeness.
God did not stop with the act of creation. He continues to preserve them in existence. He has given an order to the created world, making it a cosmos. It is His providing hand that sustains everything in existence.
God has special predilection for the humankind created in His own image and likeness. That is why He speaks to them revealing His will. The garden of Eden and everything in it reveals this caring love of God the Father. He punishes them when they act against His will (Gen 3). He is the just God who rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. He does not hate the sinners even when He punishes them. It is not the destruction of the sinner, but his conversion that God wills. That is why He promises salvation to the sinner who repents.
God declares through prophet Isaiah: "For thus says the Lord who created the heavens, he is God, who formed the earth and made it; he did not create it a chaos, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord, and there is no other" (Isa 45,18). St. Paul also reminds us that it is the eternal power and glory of God that is reflected in the created world that is seen and unseen: "For what can be known about God is plain to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made" (Rom 1,19-20). About this the Psalmist thus exclaims: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth! Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted by the mouth of babes and infants, thou has founded a bulwark...." (Ps 8,1-2). The Fathers of Vatican II write: "God, who through the Word creates all things (see John 1:3) and keeps them in existence, gives men an enduring witness to Himself in created realities."
St. Ephrem, the East Syriac Church Father considered the created world on par with the Sacred Scripture. According to him, both bear witness to God's existence and infinite goodness. On another occasion St. Ephrem writes: "In short, the whole cosmos forms the door of faith that invites us to faith in the Creator God." This theological thinking is reflected in both Jewish (Psalms) and Christian prayers. For example, in the Morning Prayer (Sapra) of the Liturgy of the Hours of the East Syriac Churches starts with: "Lord, with joy, the entire creation praise and adore You as their Creator. With infinite and ineffable mercy, You miraculously sustain them. Lord, as You called the creatures into existence, preserve our souls. For, You are the Lord of all, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen."
The book of Genesis narrates the story of God's choice of the patriarchs beginning with Abraham promising to make them a great nation. God kept his word by blessing, protecting and guiding Abraham and his descendants, Isaac, Jacob and his twelve sons. God was revealing Himself through these salvific interventions, thus keeping open for us a door of faith.
The author of the Book of Hebrews while praising the great ancestors of the Old Testament history (Heb 11,1-40), presents Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets as heroes of the faith. They found favour before God because of their faith, for it is impossible to please God without faith (v. 6). They all believed that God is supreme power in their lives; so they lived according to His will as revealed to them from time to time. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God (v. 16; Exod 3,6.15).
Abraham is hailed as the father of all the believers (Exod 2,24; 4,5; 32,13). In the fact that he did not settle himself anywhere in Canaan because he realized that he had no permanent dwelling on earth, Abraham resembles the Christian believer (Heb 13,14). When he was promised a son in his old age, "he believed the Lord and He reckoned it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15,6). God's favour with Abraham is revealed in the qualification "my friend" (Isa 41,8). The supreme manifestation of his faith was in his obedience to the divine command to sacrifice his only son (Gen 22, 1-19). It was in that context that God gave the messianic promise that through his son all the families of the earth will be blessed (Gen 22,18). God fulfilled this promise by sending his Son into the world in order to bless everybody (Acts 3,25-26). Mathew begins the genealogy of Jesus with Abraham (Mt 1,1-17) in order to show that he is the promised Son of Abraham.
Marvelling at the faith of the centurion, a faith not seen even in Israel, Jesus declared him to be one among those who will sit at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Mt 8,11). The poor man Lazarus in the parable, was carried at his death by the angels to Abraham's bosom (Lk 16,22). At the invitation of the celebrant in the Syro-Malabar Qurbana, "Let your minds be on high", the assembly of believers respond saying, "Towards you, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! O glorious king."
Abraham gave expression to his faith by building altars and offering sacrifices wherever he went (Gen 12,7.8; 13,4.18) and called on the name of the Lord - YHYH. Jacob, Abraham's grandson, too worshipped God at Bethel where he had the vision, saying: "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (Gen 28,17-18). This prayer of Jacob is recited after sanctus by the celebrant in the Qurbana of the Syro-Malabar Church. This life-style of the patriarchs centred around the altar is a model for us who are on the journey of faith. In the vision of the Holy Father, the Year of Faith "will also be a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, which is "the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed; ... and also the source from which all its power flows."
Almighty ever-living God, surpass, for the honor of your name, what you pledged to the Patriarchs by reason of their faith, and through sacred adoption, increase the children of your promise, so that what the Saints of old never doubted would come to pass, your Church may now see in great part fulfilled.
The descendants of Abraham constitute the people of Israel. The book of Exodus illustrates how these children of Jacob who were enslaved in Egypt were liberated by Moses, travelled through the desert for forty years, entered into a covenant relationship with Yahweh on Mount Sinai, became God's people and reached the promised land. The events related to the exodus are viewed through an eye of faith. God who appeared in the burning bush to call Moses introduced Himself as the Lord, "the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exod 3,15-16). Revealing Himself to be the One who Is (Exod 3,14), God was manifesting Himself to be the One who is the Lord of history and God of nations. Moses was asked to liberate His people from slavery so that they could freely worship their God (Exod 3,18.21). The first-borns of Israel were saved when those of the Egyptians were destroyed. It is in remembrance of and gratitude to this saving event of Yahweh that the Israelites celebrated Passover every year (Exod 12,1-14).
To the Israelites, who miraculously crossed the Red Sea and reached Sinai being guided by God in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (Exod 13,21-22), eating the bread and quails from heaven and drinking water from the rock (Exod17,1-7), God spoke thus: "If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exod 19,5-6). The Ten Commandments given in that context were the conditions of the covenant which the Israelites had to keep if they were to remain God's chosen people (Exod 20,1-17). Through these Commandments God was opening a new door for His people through which they could enter and become His own people. The key of this door was entrusted to Moses who by interpreting and explaining these ten words (Decalogue) opened the door of faith for the Israelites.
Moses is often depicted as carrying two tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments. These two tablets appear to be two parts of a door. Upon one are written the first three command-ments concerning humankind's relationship with God and upon the other are written the rest of the commandments that were to guide one's relationship with the fellow beings. Jesus also followed this division in presenting the greatest of the Commandments (Mt 22,34-40).
Jesus, the New Moses, while interpreting the second tablet of commandments in the light of the message of the Kingdom of God, brought out the original and authentic meaning intended by God (Mt 5,21-48). Thus, through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was keeping the door of Moses wide open. By suggesting new ways of practising Jewish religious customs like that of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, different from those ways of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus was teaching his disciples how to enter through this newly opened door (Mt 5,20; 6,1-18).
The door opened by Moses has not lost its significance in the New Testament era. From the words of Abraham who appears in the parable told by Jesus, it is clear that paying heed to Moses'
words suffices to enter into heaven (Lk 16,29). Ten Commandments form the basis of the New Testament morality as well.
St. John compares Moses with Jesus in the prologue to his Gospel narrative: the law was given through Moses; grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known (Jn 1,17-18).
Prophets are men of God, chosen and sent by God to speak for Him. The Spirit of God was speaking through these spokesperson of God (1 Sam 10,10; 1 Kgs 22,24). They were often called seers (1 Sam 9,9). In the past God was speaking to His people through the prophets (Heb 1,1-2). By revealing the will of God, the prophets were opening the door to the heart of God the Father.
Prophets appear when the people of Israel forgot the ways of God and went their own. They were inviting the people to return to the covenant fidelity, by restoring the broken relationship with God and with fellow human beings. Prophet Jeremiah invites: "Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness" (Jer 3,22). God promised a new covenant through the same prophet: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, the covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer 31,31-33). This prophecy was fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus' words at the last supper, "this is my blood of the new covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26,28) reveal how his death on the cross was sealing the new covenant foretold by Jeremiah.
The hope of the Messiah is enlivened by the prophets. For example, Isaiah spoke of the Incarnation of the Messiah: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel" (Isa 7,14; see Mt 1,22-23). Again, the same prophet on another occasion says: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness, on them has light shined" (Isa 9,1). That the Messiah would be the son of David had also been foretold: "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him" (Isa 11,1-2). It was also prophesied that with the birth of the Messiah, the situation of the paradise will be restored (Isa 11,3-8; see also Lk 23,43). The sufferings that the Messiah would endure for the sake of our salvation also was foretold (Isa 53,12).
The last prophet who opens the door of the New Testament is John the Baptist. By preparing the way that leads to the Messiah, he takes the humankind to the threshold of salvation. Pointing out the Messiah to his own disciples John said: "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1,29). It was this witnessing of John the Baptist that enabled Andrew and his companion to enter through the Door who is Christ. The prophetic witnesses are still valid; that is why the Prophets are read in the Eucharistic Celebration together with Torah of Moses.
The Word that was with God from the beginning took flesh and "pitched his tent among us" (Jn 1,14). The Incarnation of the Second Person of Holy Trinity was in view of opening a door to the life of the Father. Jesus accomplished this by revealing the Father in a language and style, we are familiar with. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus has brought the God who formerly unveiled his countenance gradually, first to Abraham, then to Moses and the Prophets, and then in the Wisdom literature - the God who revealed his face only in Israel... Jesus brought God to us so that we can have entry into His life. The only way to enter through the door opened by Jesus into the life of the Father is to believe in the Only Begotten Son of God. To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God (Jn 1,12). When we profess our faith in "one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the first born of all creatures, born of the Father before all ages and not made, true God from true God, consubstantial with his Father", we are entering through the Door of Faith into the life of God.
Though he was one with the Father in substance, the Son did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men (Phil 2,6-7). Incarnation was the greatest kenosis of the Second Person of Trinity. When the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption of sons (Gal 4,4-5).
"For the sake of us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven, and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and became man and was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary." This is an important article of our faith. Yahweh who redeemed the people of Israel from the Egyptian bondage (Exod 14,3-4), in the fullness of time, sent His Son to redeem the whole humankind. The Child born in the city of David was presented as the Saviour of all (Lk 2,11). Simeon who had the fortune to take the Child Jesus in his arms praised God for having permitted him to see the Salvation prepared for all (Lk 2,31). The apostles proclaimed after the Pentecost that Jesus alone is the Saviour (Acts 4,12).
The liberation that Jesus effects basically is from the bondage of sin. The name Jesus itself reveals this. Joseph was asked by the angel to give the name Jesus to the child, for he will save his people from sin (Mt 1,21). John the Baptist also introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1,29). Jesus effected salvation by restoring the relationship between God and man that had been broken by man's disobedience. Jesus who identified Himself fully with the humankind, atoned for the disobedience of men with His obedience unto death on the cross. He reconciled the humankind with God the Father through His once-and for-all sacrifice and became the Saviour. This is the ultimate result of incarnation.
This result of Incarnation is an ineffable gift of God for which we can never be grateful enough. A prayer in the Third G'hantha of the Holy Qurbana of the Syro-Malabar Church contains this idea: "You have showered upon us such great blessings for which we can never thank You enough. To make us share in Your divine life, You assumed our human nature, restored our fallen state and brought us from death to life eternal." By becoming one like us the Son was sanctifying our human nature. Through this Deification of humanity we were given share in the divine life. This is what St. Irenaeus meant when he said, "God became man in order to make man God." St. Athanasius says that "the Word became flesh so that man may become God." In the words of St. Augustine, "the Son of God became Son of man in order that sons of men may become sons of God."
God's plan of salvation for the humankind was being realized when we were given share in the divine life. This possibility had already been manifested in the creation of man in the image and likeness of God. In the Incarnation of the Son of God, this possibility became a reality. The same idea is found at the end of the G'hantha prayer referred to earlier: "and glorified our frail nature by Your immense grace." Our co-operation in complete freedom is a sine qua non for the actualization of this plan of salvation. When we co-operate with the divine grace, we will have share in divine life. It is faith in the incarnate Son of God that enables us to become children of God sharing in the life of God.
1.Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, 1, 44.
The incarnate Son - the Logos of the Father - is true God from true God, consubstantial with his Father. St. Ephrem compares the relationship between the Father and the Son to that between the sun and the rays from it. St. John writes about it: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God" (Jn 1,1-2). So Jesus, the eternal Word could claim that "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10,30). He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature (Heb 1,3). Even before becoming a human person, this Word was active together with the Father at creation. The Greek expression, homoousios very well expresses this idea of same substance. This was the main theme of discussion at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He is the only begotten Son of God, the first born of all creatures, born of the Father before all ages and not made, true God from true God, consubstantial with his Father. Through him the worlds were formed and all things were created (Nicean-Constantinopolitan Creed).
The fact that Jesus employs the same language which Yahweh uses to define Himself, reveals his intimate relationship with the Father. Revealing himself to the pharisees Jesus said: "you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he" (Jn 8,24). He continued: "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me" (Jn 8,38). It was on the cross that Jesus' oneness with the Father was fully manifested. Jesus was being lifted up on the cross to the apex of Father's love. The cross proclaims in very loud voice the unity of the will between the Father and the Son. In the crucified Son, the world was seeing the love of the Father for humankind.
Since the Son is one with the Father in substance (Jn 1,18), he can give the Father to the world. It is infact his own self giving. On the cross this self gift of God reached its climax. The Father and the Son share in the same existence and mutual knowledge. In his filial prayer Jesus says: "All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (Mt 11,27). Genuine wisdom consists in sharing in the knowledge about the Father communicated by the Son. The Father's will is to reveal Himself to the babes, hiding these things from the wise and understanding. We find the union of the will of the Father and the Son in the context of Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane: "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will but as thou will" (Mt 26,39). It is in submitting our will to the will of the Father that we also become true children of God.
The person of Jesus of Nazareth can rightly be understood only in relation to the Father. It is in this light that the revelation Jesus brings about the Father gains relevance. Since he remains always in the bosom of the Father, he can reveal what he sees and experiences in the Father. That is why he could become the mediator of the new covenant greater than that of Moses (Heb 9,11-24).
The authenticity and credibility of the teachings and actions of Jesus depends absolutely on his relationship with the Father.Therefore, he could say: "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14,9). The divine authority with which he taught and acted reflects this filial relation. Those who believe in the Son are incorporated nto this filial relationship. That is why Jesus gave us the confidence o call upon God as the Heavenly Father (Mt 6,9).
Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that, as we are bathed in the new radiance of your incarnate Word, the light of faith, which illumines our minds, may also shine through in our deeds.
The good news that Jesus preached was essentially related to the message of the kingdom of God. At the very outset of his public life, Jesus said: "The time is fulfilled; the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the kingdom of God" (Mk 1,15). Jesus had no other message than that of the kingdom to proclaim all throughout his life. The whole of the Sermon on the Mount is nothing other than conditions for entering the kingdom of heaven/God. For example, he says: "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5,20). The righteousness of the scribes and pharisees consists in tithing the mint, dill and cummin while neglecting the weightier matters of the law like justice, mercy and faith (Mt 23,23). They neither enter the kingdom of heaven themselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in; they shut the Kingdom against men (Mt 23,13). It is this way of practising religiosity that the follower of Jesus has to surpass. Practising religious piety - almsgiving, prayer and fasting - before men to be seen by them is in vain (Mt 6,1-18). In order to enter through the door of the Kingdom, a new righteousness is to be followed.
As the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: "Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven"(Mt 7,21). Here also the discussion is on 'entering' the Kingdom. The only way to enter it is to do the will of the Father. A prayer without doing God's will is of no avail. Thus, through the proclamation of his gospel message, Jesus was opening the door of the Kingdom for us. He commissioned his apostles to continue this mission till the end of the earth (Mk 16,15; Mt 28,16-20).
The expected response to the message of kingdom is repentance and belief. To the message of the kingdom he added: "repent and believe in the gospel" (Mk 1,15). By repentance is meant total break with the past, a complete turning away from the old ways of life. This repentance is in view of turning to the Person of Jesus, i.e., believing in the gospel which is Jesus Christ himself. To believe in the gospel means to accept Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God and the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. To accept Jesus means to entrust oneself to the working of grace. This will result in a transformed life. The believer in Jesus will act according to the teachings of Jesus; he will have the attitude of Jesus (Phil 2,5).
To repent also means to enter through the narrow gate. Jesus teaches: "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few" (Mt 7,13-14). The martyrs and the saints, by walking the hard way and entering the narrow door that leads to life, have interpreted this gospel passage with their own lives. The life of St. Alphonsa of Bhrananganam, India is the best example.
The Holy Father exhorts us to choose to stand with the Lord so as to live with him. This standing with him points towards an understanding of the reasons for believing. Faith, precisely because it is a free act, demands social responsibility for what one believes in.'
Those who accept Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God and believe in him enter into the house of God. Those who stay with Jesus accepting his invitation to come and see (Jn 1,38-39) becomes God's children (Jn 1,12). Children dwell in the house of the Father. And Jesus is the door to this house of the Father. Those who enter through this door will find life eternal.
We read in Jn 10,9-10: "I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I come that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Jesus Christ is the door that makes our entry into the house of salvation possible. Only those who enter through him shall be saved; for he has come to give life to the sheep. On another occasion he said: "I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me" (Jn 14,6). The author of the book of Revelation presents the glorified Jesus as the One who holds the key of David. What he opens no one shall shut (Rev 3,7). St. Clement of Rome writes: "Let us therefore...restore us to our former holy practice of brotherly love. For such conduct is the door of righteousness, which is set open for the attainment of life, as it is written, Open to me the doors of righteousness; I will go in by them, and will praise the Lord: this is the gate of the Lord: the righteous shall enter in by it. Although, therefore, many doors have been set open, yet this gate of righteousness is that door in Christ by which blessed are all they that have entered in and have directed their way in holiness and righteousness, doing all things without disorder."
Ignatius of Antioch qualifies Jesus the High Priest as the door to the Father. He writes comparing Jesus with the priests of the Old Testament: "The priests indeed are good, but the High Priest is better; to whom the holy of holies has been committed, and who alone has been trusted with the secrets of God. He is the door of the Father, by which enter in Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the prophets, and the apostles, and the Church."
The explanation that the Shepherd of Hermas gives to the door is worth quoting. "This rock," he answered, "and this gate are the Son of God." "How, sir?" I said; "the rock is old, and the gate is new." "Listen," he said, "and understand, O ignorant man. The Son of God is older than all His creatures, so that He was a fellow-councilor with the Father in His work of creation: for this reason is He old." "And why is the gate new, sir?" I said. "Because," he answered, "He became manifest in the last days of the dispensation: for this reason the gate was made new, that they who are to be saved by it might enter into the kingdom of God. You saw," he said, "that those stones which came in through the gate were used for the building of the tower, and that those which did not come, were again thrown back to their own place?." "I saw, sir," I replied. "In like manner," he continued, "no one shall enter into the kingdom of God unless he receives His holy name. For if you desire to enter into a city, and that city is surrounded by a wall, and has but one gate, can you enter into that city save through the gate which it has?" "Why, how can it be otherwise, sir?" I said. "If, then, you cannot enter into the city except through its gate, so, in like manner, a man cannot otherwise enter into the kingdom of God than by the name of His beloved Son. You saw," he added, "the multitude who were building the tower?." "I saw them, sir," I said. "Those," he said, "are all glorious angels, and by them accordingly is the Lord surrounded. And the gate is the Son of God. This is the one entrance to the Lord. In no other way, then, shall any one enter into Him except through His Son."
The second Person in the Holy Trinity descended from heaven in order to open for us a door to the life of God. The Church confesses this ineffable gift of God to be the great blessing for which we can never thank Him enough. "To make us share in Your divine life, You assumed our human nature, restored us from our fallen state, and brought us from death to life eternal." The whole of the Eucharistic celebration is an act of thanksgiving for this share in divine life effected through Incarnation.
O God, who on this day revealed your Only Begotten Son to the nations by the guidance of a star, grant in your mercy that we, who know you already by faith, may be brought to behold the beauty of your sublime glory.
The heart of the Christ - event is the paschal mystery, i.e., the suffering, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We profess in our Creed: "He suffered and was crucified in the days of Pontius Pilate, died and was buried and on the third day rose again as it is written. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of his Father. He will come again to judge the dead and the living." Pilate is mentioned here as a proof of historicity. The risen Lord while sending out his apostles into the whole world as his witnesses said to them: "Thus it is written that the Messiah should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high" (Lk 24,46-49). Beginning from the day of Pentecost the apostles had to proclaim only this suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. Nothing of this happened unexpectedly; everything was in accordance with the Scriptures. Those who accept the apostolic kerygma and believe in Jesus receive forgiveness of sins which is salvation in Jesus' name.
The heart of Jesus, pierced open on the cross, is for us a door of faith. The blood and water that came out of this pierced side of Jesus represent two basic sacraments: baptism and Eucharist (Jn 19,34-36). It is with the reception of these sacraments that one crosses the threshold of the Church to enter into life of communion with God.
The tomb of Jesus which was found empty on the third day after the burial (Jn 20,1-10) is another door of faith. The linen cloths with which the body of Jesus was bound, lying, and the napkin which was on his head rolled up in a place by itself in the empty tomb led the apostles to believe in the resurrection of Jesus.
The Cross without the body of crucified Jesus like the empty tomb symbolizes the resurrection of the Lord. The typical Cross venerated by the St. Thomas Christians of India, known as Mar Thoma Sliba, beautifully represents the mystery of resurrection in the Indian context. The picture depicts one of its models of 7th century, engraved on a granite stone. upon which according to the local tradition the Apostle Thomas fell dead as a martyr, excavated by western missionaries in the 16th century, at Mylapore in South India. The four tips of the Cross are designed like blooming buds, symbol of new life. The Holy Spirit descending upon the Cross in the form of a dove transformed the flesh body of Jesus into Spirit body (Rom 8,11). The lotus upon which the Cross is erected symbolizes Indian soil.
Jesus became the Messiah through his suffering, death and resurrection. It was when Peter confessed Jesus to be the Messiah, that he prophesied for the first time about his passion (Mk 8,29-31). The faith in Jesus is: believing that he suffered, died and rose on the third day. Accepting the passion of Jesus is not without implications for the follower. For Jesus says: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mk 8,34). To follow Jesus means to share in his sufferings (Col 1,24)
by accepting the sufferings that come on our way and the hardships we have to endure in fulfilling the duties of our life and submitting ourselves to the will of the Father. If we thus share in his sufferings, we will be given a share in his glory as well, i.e., participation in divine life.
In the opinion of St. Ephrem, through the paschal mystery of Jesus, Adam was re-entering into the lost paradise. He was given back the robe of glory that was lost. The life giving mysteries that flow from this paschal mystery - baptism and Eucharist - make the entry of humankind into the paradise possible. These sacraments lead us into new and glorious life. Once entered, the believer is given the body of Christ, the fruit that comes out of the Tree of the Cross.
The holy Qurbana is the celebration of the paschal mystery of Christ. Many a time we commemorate the paschal mystery in the anaphora of Qurbana. The celebrant prays before the invocation of the holy Spirit on the gifts: "We commemorate and celebrate these great, awesome, holy, life-giving and divine mystery of the passion, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ."
God became man through the working of the Holy Spirit. It was when the Power of the Most High overshadowed Mary that she conceived her first born Son - Jesus. Angel Gabriel announced to Mary: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy" (Lk 1,35). Mary's son became God's Son because of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit bestowed in baptism renders the believer a child of God, for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Rom 8,14-15). This Spirit enables us to call God "Abba, Father." Holy Spirit is the greatest gift of the risen Lord.
Jesus started his public life announcing that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him (Lk 4,18). It was with the power of this Spirit that he drove out demons, healed many sick people and taught with authority the will of God. If we are guided by this Spirit, then we will also overcome the temptations in our lives as did Jesus himself, and do good to others.
Holy Spirit is the focal point of the farewell discourse of Jesus. "I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever" (Jn 14,16). Jesus Christ himself is the greatest Counselor for us; that is why the Spirit is qualified 'another' Counselor. This Counselor empowers us to bear witness to the risen Lord (Jn15,26-27). He reminded the apostles of the things Jesus taught them leading them into the fullness of truth (Jn 14,25-26). The same Spirit enlightens us today to understand the Scriptures written under his inspiration.
While sending out the apostles as his witnesses into the whole world, the risen Lord promised them 'the Power from on High' to guide them in their mission (Lk 24,46-49). Being seated at the right hand of the Father, he fulfilled this promise by sending upon them the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2,1-34). This gift of the Holy Spirit is given to all those who believe in Jesus and are baptized in his name. To be in communion with Jesus means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The one who is in the kingdom is moving in the Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father who is the source of unity among the three Persons of Trinity. In the Creed, approved in the Council of Constantinople held in AD 381, the expression is 'holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.' The addition, 'also from the Son' (Filioque) was made only in the 6th century. From 11th century onwards the Creed with this addition got popularized through its use in the Roman liturgy. All the Eastern Churches profess their faith in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, the life giving Spirit.
Likewise, one must not say that the Holy Spirit is his Daughter or his Sister, but that he proceeds from Him and is consubstantial with Him.
Jesus Christ, the Door of salvation during his public life, permitted many to enter through that Door. Prominent among them were the twelve apostles who were chosen to be with him (Mk 3,13-15). They who recognized in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God and promised Messiah, and left everything to follow him thus became the eye-witnesses of the life and activities of Jesus. Jesus gave them personal training, teaching them about the secrets of the kingdom of God. To give them share in his own mission, he sent them with authority even during his public life. They were eye-witnesses and ministers not only of the public life and activity of Jesus but also of his passion, death and resurrection. It was their encounter with the risen Lord that made them his witnesses. They were to bear witness to the repentance and forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus who suffered, died and rose, to all peoples (Lk 24,46-49). For their mission they were given the gift of the Holy Spirit. They had to start their mission from Jerusalem, the centre of salvation, and proceed through Judea, Samaria to the ends of the earth. When Peter, John and James bore witness in Jerusalem and Judea, the gospel message was brought to the gentiles by St. Paul and thus opening the door of faith for them (Acts 14,27). St. Thomas, the apostle, did the same in the Indian soil; the first Christians who entered through the door showed by him into life of communion with God in his Church, kept open that for the coming generations.
The apostles presented through their kerygma, Jesus - the Door, to different people. They were thus becoming, in their turn, twelve doors of faith; for one can come to the salvation in Jesus only through an apostle. Only through communion with an apostle, can one come into communion with the holy Trinity. St. John makes this idea clear in his first letter: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life; the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us; that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our joy may be complete" (1 Jn 1,1-4).
Against this background, the meaning of the vision which St. John had, becomes clearer. The holy city of Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb, coming down out of heaven, had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Rev 21,9-14). The twelve tribes of Israel are seen as the gates of the city of Jerusalem; twelve tribes represent the twelve apostles who are seen in the vision as the foundations of the city. The entrance into this heavenly city is possible only through these gates.
Fathers of the Church play an important role in opening the door of faith for us. Their proximity to the period of the Messiah, their orthodoxy, i.e., firmness of faith, the sanctity of life and the approval by of the early Church make them credible witnesses of Jesus. The branch of theology that deals with the Fathers of the Church is known as Patrology. Like the apostles, these Fathers too grasped the mystery of salvation accomplished in Jesus and have appropriated it, transmitted it to the coming generation without adulteration. They are the custodians of true faith. Generally, their period is understood to extend from that of the apostles to eighth century. John Damascene (+749) in the Eastern Church and Isidore of Seville (+636) in the West are considered to be the last Fathers of the Church.
Aphrahates, the defender of true faith (+345), Ephrem, the theologian-poet (+373), Narsai the interpreter of divine mysteries (+500) etc. are the important East Syriac Fathers of the Church. St Basil the Great (379), Gregory Naziansan (390), St. John Chrysostom (407), Athanasius (373) etc. are the great pillars among the Fathers of the East Greek Church. St. Ambrose (397), St. Augustine (430), St. Gregory the Great (604) are famous among the Latin Fathers of the Church.
Fathers are the pillars of the House of God of which Jesus is the corner stone and the apostles, the foundations. It is their proximity to the period of the Messiah and contact with the apostles that enabled them to rightly interpret the mysteries of faith. These Fathers who read the mind of Jesus and stood close to the heart of the Church are for us real doors of faith. Through their life and teaching they lead us to the Christ experience and to the salvation thereof. The Fathers of the Church form the valuable source for liturgy, theology, spirituality and discipline of the Church.
The Fathers of the Church are the first interpreters of the Sacred Scripture. Their writings are an ocean of biblical theology. They interpreted the Old Testament Christologically. In the persons and events of the Old Testament they saw types of the Messiah and events related to him. They interpreted both Testaments finding application in the daily life of Christians. So their interpretation gained universal and permanent acceptance. The meaning of the human existence is shown by them to be in the mystery of the Messiah.
About St. Augustine, one of the famous Latin Fathers, Pope Benedict XVI, writes: "As we know, his life was a continual search for the beauty of the faith until such time as his heart would find rest in God. His extensive writings, in which he explains the importance of believing and the truth of the faith, continue even now to form a heritage of incomparable riches, and they still help many people in search of God to find the right path towards the "door of faith."
The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council call our attention to the need of studying the Fathers of the Church: "The bride of the incarnate Word, the Church taught by the Holy Spirit, is concerned to move ahead toward a deeper understanding of the Sacred Scriptures so that she may increasingly feed her sons with the divine words. Therefore, she also encourages the study of the holy Fathers of both East and West and of sacred liturgies.
Today there exist many 'sects' claiming to be the Church. There is confusion in the minds of average people as to which is the authentic Church instituted by Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is worth seeing what the Church is and what makes it the Church of Christ.
The Church is the natural outcome of the Incarnation of the Son of God. Jesus of Nazareth, who appeared on earth proclaiming the kingdom of God, called to himself, from the beginning of his public life, twelve apostles to be his eye-witnesses. After being trained in the new way of life and after having been witnesses to the Paschal Mystery of the Messiah, they were appointed as the authentic witnesses of the risen Lord (Lk 24,46-49; Acts 1,8). Being empowered by the Holy Spirit, beginning from the day of Pentecost, the apostles began to bear witness to the person of Jesus. Those who accepted the apostolic kerygma or proclamation believed in Jesus Christ and got baptized in his name. Those believers formed themselves into one body known as the 'Church.'
The Greek term for the Church is ekklesia (ἐκκλησια) which means the community of those called together. The word literally means 'that which results from God's calling'. God continues to call through the apostolic proclamation about the Messiah. There are four characteristics of the Church.
1. Church is One
The basic condition for becoming a member of the Church is faith in Jesus. The Christian believes that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. This was the truth that the apostles proclaimed.
The community of those who accept this faith and receive baptism in the name of Jesus/Trinity is the Church. As there is only one faith, there is also only one baptism. Unity in faith is the basis of unity in baptism (1 Cor 1,10-17). The Holy Spirit, received as a gift at baptism, also is One. The believers in Jesus, wherever they are baptized, are incorporated into the one body of Christ, thus they orm one mystical body of Christ (Rom 12,5; Gal 3,28). Jesus desired and prayed for unity among his followers (Jn 17,20-22).
Unity is not uniformity. There can be legitimate diversity in the style of living and the manner of celebrating the faith among different Churches. This diversity is the result of the difference in the Christ experience of the apostles and the cultural and social background of the communities that welcome the gospel message. False teachers who cause division in the one Church work against the unity.
2. Church is Holy
The believers in Jesus Christ are a community 'set apart' for God. This is the meaning of the statement that the Church is holy. Jesus purified and sanctified his bride with his own blood (Eph 5,26). The Spirit of God abiding in her, keeps her holy. It is by practising the law of love that she grows in holiness.
Though the Church as the body of Christ is holy, the individual members run the danger of being affected by sin. The Sacraments in the Church are, in fact, meant to purify the members from these defilements. "Christ, holy, innocent and undefiled (Heb. 7:26) knew nothing of sin (2 Cor. 5:21), but came only to expiate the sins of the people (cf. Heb. 2:17). The Church, however, clasping sinners to her bosom, at once holy and always in need of purification, follows constantly the path of penance and renewal. "He has, however, willed to make men holy and save them, not as individuals without any bond or link between them, but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge him and serve him in holiness."
The Church, whose mystery is set forth by this sacred Council, is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as "alone holy," loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her (cf. Eph 5:25-26); he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God. Therefore all in the Church, whether they belong to the hierarchy or are cared for by it, are called to holiness, according to the apostle's saying: 'for this is the will of God, your sanctification' (1 Th. 4:3; cf. Eph. 1:4). This holiness of the Church is constantly shown forth in the fruits of grace which the Spirit produces in the faithful; it is expressed in many ways by the individuals who, each in his own state of life, tend to the perfection of love, thus sanctifying others. "
3. Church is Apostolic
The apostles are the foundations of the Church. Peter confessed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Mt 16,16) as the representative of the apostolic group. Therefore, what Jesus said to Peter in Mt 16,18-19, is applicable to the rest of the apostles too. They are the rock upon which his Church is built. Their faith in Jesus, strong as rock, is the basis of the Church.
It is because the apostles shared their Christ experience to the whole world that different Churches came into existence. Only through the apostolic door can one enter into communion with Jesus and God in the ecclesial communion (1 Jn 1,1-14). Where there is apostolic succession through the imposition of hands, there is the Church of Christ.
4. The Church is Universal
The purpose of Incarnation was the salvation of all humankind. This was made clear already at Jesus' birth. The angels presented the news of his birth as the good of great joy meant for all (Lk 2,10-11). During his public life both Jews and gentiles profited from his mercy. His death was for all; his body was broken for all and his blood shed for many (Lk 22, 19-20). Through his obedience unto death, Jesus was reconciling humanity with God the Father. The apostolic proclamation also is directed to the benefit of all. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28,19).
The vision that St. John had about the heavenly Jerusalem as narrated in the book of Revelation chapter 21 reveals the basic nature of the Church. Twelve gates and foundations of the holy city represent twelve apostolic traditions. All the twenty-three individual Churches today in the Catholic communion - 22 Oriental Churches and one Latin Church - belong to one of these apostolic traditions. They are, in fact, twenty three gates of the one holy Catholic Church. In the words of Vatican Council II: "The Holy Catholic Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, is made up of the faithful who are organically united in the Holy Spirit by the same faith, the same sacraments and the same government and who, combining together into various groups which are held together by a hierarchy, form separate Churches or Rites."
The Catholic Church is a communion of these 23 individual Churches. Each apostle had his own experience of the Messiah. Though they all were experiencing one and the same person of Christ, their experience was different. Each apostle's proclamation about the Messiah was influenced by his particular Christ experience. There was also difference in the cultural and social background of the peoples who welcomed their kerygma. Because of these differences, the Churches that came into existence were also different. But among them there exists a deep communion modelled after the communion that exists among the three Persons in the Holy Trinity. "Between these there exists an admirable bond of union, such that the variety within the Church in no way harms its unity; rather it manifests it."
Regarding the rights and obligations, all these Churches are equal. "These individual Churches, whether of the East or the West, although they differ somewhat among themselves in rite (to use the current phrase), that is, in liturgy, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage, are, nevertheless, each as much as the others, entrusted to the pastoral government of the Roman Pontiff, the divinely appointed successor of St. Peter in primacy over the universal Church. They are consequently of equal dignity, so that none of them is superior to the others as regards rite and they enjoy the same rights and are under the same obligations, also in respect of preaching the Gospel to the whole world (cf. Mark 16, 15) under the guidance of the Roman Pontiff."
Each individual Church is duty bound to preserve its apostolic Tradition, for it is an essential part of the deposit of the Sacred Tradition of the Church. "The Catholic Church holds in high esteem the institutions, liturgical rites, ecclesiastical traditions and the established standards of the Christian life of the Eastern Churches, for in them, distinguished as they are for their venerable antiquity, there remains conspicuous the tradition that has been handed down from the Apostles through the Fathers." "All members of the Eastern Rite should know and be convinced that they can and should always preserve their legitimate liturgical rite and their established way of life, and that these may not be altered except to obtain for themselves an organic improvement. All these, then, must be observed by the members of the Eastern rites themselves. Besides, they should attain to an ever greater knowledge and a more exact use of them, and, if in their regard they have fallen short owing to contingencies of times and persons, they should take steps to return to their ancestral traditions."
The mother Church wishes that the authentic differences in various Churches be kept intact. "What has just been said about the lawful variety that can exist in the Church must also be taken to apply to the differences in theological expression of doctrine. In the study of revelation East and West have followed different methods, and have developed differently their understanding and confession of God's truth. It is hardly surprising, then, if from time to time one tradition has come nearer to a full appreciation of some aspects of a mystery of revelation than the other, or has expressed it to better advantage. In such cases, these various theological expressions are to be considered often as mutually complementary rather than conflicting. Where the authentic theological traditions of the Eastern Church are concerned, we must recognize the admirable way in which they have their roots in Holy Scripture, and how they are nurtured and given expression in the life of the liturgy. They derive their strength too from the living tradition of the apostles and from the works of the Fathers and spiritual writers of the Eastern Churches. Thus they promote the right ordering of Christian life and, indeed, pave the way to a full vision of Christian truth. All this heritage of spirituality and liturgy, of discipline and theology, in its various traditions, this Holy Synod declares to belong to the full Catholic and apostolic character of the Church."
The content of Apostolic Kergygma is the person of Jesus; his Incarnation, public life, proclamation of the kingdom of God, life of doing good to all and healing and his passion, death and resurrection. Apostles' proclamation about the Messiah everywhere resulted in the birth of the Church. These newly born Churches were in need of nourishment. Apostolic teaching or Didache supplied this nourishment. In Didache, the Apostles were interpreting the teaching of Jesus adapting it to the new situations. Here is the beginning of theology. The newly formed Churches were always in need of directives, guidelines, instructions, clarification of their doubts, answers to their questions etc. The apostles who were associated with these Churches catered to their needs from time to time. The origin of the New Testament epistles is to be found in such apostolic interventions. Thus St. Paul wrote 13 letters, St. Peter two, St. John three, James and Jude one each. These inspired books are authentic interpretations of the gospel of Jesus.
This path of the apostles was followed by the Popes and the bishops from the very beginning of the Church (Magisterium). These successors of the apostles continue to transmit the apostolic faith and interpret it according to the needs of the changing times. Whenever there arises a doubt or false teaching concerning faith,the apostles and their successors intervene with correct explanations. These Fathers of the Church were always like watchful shepherds who never gave their eyes sleep. This invigilation in the Church is done through different actions of the Magisterium such as Ecumenical Councils, Teachings of the Popes and Pastoral Letters of the bishops.
1.Ecumenical Councils
The Ecumenical Councils play an important role in defining the content of faith and interpreting it. These Councils are convened to protect the deposit of faith from false teachings and to provide the faithful with correct interpretations.
With the acceptance of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century, there began to arise several false teachings concerning Christian faith. For example, Arius, the Alexandrian priest (256-336) came forward with the teaching that the incarnate Son of God is not God but a creature. This heretical teaching later on came to be known as Arianism. It was in this context that in 325 AD that the first Council of Nicaea was convened. There the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father (homo ousios) was declared a Dogma. The second Council in the history of the Church was held in 381 AD in Constantinople where it clearly defined that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and is not created. This declaration was in the context of Macedonianism which taught that Holy Spirit was only a superior creature like the angels. About the Creed that was formed in these first two Councils, the Church teaches: "The Nicene-Constantinopolitan or Nicene Creed draws its great authority from the fact that it stems from the first two ecumenical Councils (in 325 and 381). It remains common to all the great Churches of both East and West to this day." So far in the history of the Church, there took place twenty one Ecumenical Councils of which Vatican II is the last one.
II Teachings of the Popes
Four are the main types of Papal Teachings
1. Encyclicals
Encyclicals are pastoral letters issued by Popes as the head of the universal Church addressed to the bishops all over the world and through them to the whole Catholic community, generally concerned with matters which affect the Church at large. They warn us against some prevalent form of error, point out dangers which hreaten faith and morals, exhort the believers to constancy, or prescribe remedies for evils foreseen or already existing. Pope John Paul II wrote 14 encyclicals. Pope Benedict XVI has so far issued three encyclicals: Deus Caritas Est (2005), Spe Salvi (2007) and Caritas in Veritate (2009).
2. Apostolic Exhortations
Next to the encyclicals in authority come the Apostolic Exhortations given by the Holy Father. They are commonly issued in response to a Synod of Bishops (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortations). It is mainly to encourage some specific activity in the Church. Sacramentum Caritatis (2007) and Verbum Domini (2010) are the two Apostolic Exhortations of Pope Benedict XVI.
3. Apostolic Constitutions
Third category of Papal Teachings are Apostolic Constitutions. Catechism of the Catholic Church was promulgated by Pope John Paul II through the Apostolic Constitution: Deposit of Faith (1992). The Apostolic Constitution of Pope Benedict XVI, Anglicanorum Coetibus issued in 2009 established a new canonical structure of a Personal Ordinariate to make the entrance of a group of Anglicans into the full communion of the Catholic Church.
4. Apostolic Letters
Last among the Papal Teachings are the Apostolic Letters (motu proprio). Pope John Paul II has to his credit 45 Apostolic Letters. Pope Benedict XVI established the Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, a new dicastery of the Roman Curia on 28 June 2010, with the motu proprio Ubicumque et semper. The Pope said that "the process of secularization has produced a serious crisis of the sense of the Christian faith and role of the Church", and the new Pontifical Council would "promote a renewed evangelization" in countries where the Church has long existed "but which are living a progressive secularization of society and a sort of 'eclipse of the sense of God." The Year of Faith was announced by the Holy Father with the motu proprio Porta Fidei on October 11, 2011.
Pastoral Letters of Bishops
The heads of individual Churches like the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church issue from time to time teachings to all the members of their Churches. Every Bishop also writes Pastoral Letters addressed to all the members of the eparchy entrusted to his care in order to instruct them in matters related to faith.
St. Luke writes about the life style of the early Christian community in Jerusalem: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers" (Acts 2,42). These four elements distinguish the Church of Christ wherever it may appear. In fact, these four elements form the Sacred Tradition of the Church. One Church may be different from another in the specificities of these elements.
Fellowship or communion (Koinonia) among the believers is a characteristic feature of any Christian community. The Church is the mystical body of Christ. The members of the Church form different organs of this body (1 Cor 12,12-31). As members of the one body all the members in the Church share in the same spiritual life and become one People of God. This is a theologically rich concept. It reveals the inner unity of the community of believers. No believer in the Church is an island. It is the body of the People of God that leads one to faith in Christ and makes one grow in faith accompanying him/her in the journey of faith.
Those who received baptism became one community of one heart and one soul, sharing everything in common. "Those who had material possessions sold them and distributed them to all, as any had need" (Acts 2,44; 4,32-37). Apostolic teaching encouraged the believers to love one another to be credible witnesses of Christ's love in the world.
The communion, the baptized has with the Holy Trinity is the basis of this Christian fellowship. When baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one is incorporated into the life of the Trinity. He enters into the life of communion of one God in three Persons. Participation in this Trinitarian communion enables the believer to translate that fellowship in his relationship with fellow human beings. The communion in the spiritual level, when translated in the dealings of day to day life, there is Koinonia.
The faith, celebrated in the Eucharist, is put into practice in the life of communion. Those who partake of one Bread and the same cup give expression to that mystery in the daily life.
Early Christian community at Jerusalem was basically a praying community. What they believed, they celebrated in their worship. Lex orandi, Lex credendi - the rule of prayer was the rule of faith. Luke reports: "And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts" (Acts 2,46). They were praising God for the salvation they experienced in Jesus. By remembering the reconciliatory sacrifice by which they were saved, they thanked God.
Jewish style of prayer was followed by early Christians. Even after receiving baptism and becoming Christians, they continued to attend the temple service in Jerusalem (Acts 3,1). At the third hour (Acts 2,1-15), sixth hour (Acts 10,9) and at midnight (Acts 16,25) they prayed. The community of believers were fervently praying for the apostles when they were imprisoned on account of the faith in Jesus (Acts 4,24-31; 12,6.12). We see St. Paul exhorting the believers to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Col 3,16). St. James encourages those who suffer to sing praise (Jas 5,13). It was, in fact, the manner of life of Jesus that they were trying to imitate (Mt 14,23; 26,36-44; Lk 5,16; 6,12; 9,18; 11,1-4; Jn 17,9-12).
The early Church set apart Sunday, the first day of the week, the day of the Lord's resurrection as the day of prayer. On that day they gathered to break the bread (Acts 20,7; 1 Cor 16,2). The day of Jesus' death, Friday, and the day on which Judas agreed to betray Jesus, Wednesday, were days of special prayer and fasting for the early Christians.
Not only on certain days in the week, but also during the whole week, faith was celebrated associating it with the mystery of the Messiah. From the time of Emperor Constantine, the birth of Jesus began to be celebrated. Jesus' epiphany at the time of his baptism and other important events in his life were commemorated in liturgy. Gradually, this practice led to the formation of the Liturgical Year. Seven periods that constitute the Liturgical Year in the Oriental Churches including Syro-Malabar Church are the periods of Annunciation, Denha, Great Fast, Resurrection, Sleeha or Apostles, Qaitha, Elija-Sleeva-Moses and the Dedication of the Church. Through these different periods, the mystery of the Son of God, beginning from Incarnation till his second glorious coming is remembered and celebrated.
Mar Thoma Nazaranis used to gather together in their parish church for the evening and morning prayers.1 Bishops and monks used to pray seven times a day. The liturgy of the hours is similar to the Jewish liturgy in many respects.
Fathers of the Vatican II Council who speak of the restoration and revival of liturgy, point out the importance of the Liturgy of the Hours together with the Eucharistic celebration and Sacraments. "For he [Christ] continues his priestly work through the agency of his Church, which is ceaselessly engaged in praising the Lord and interceding for the salvation of the whole world. She does this, not only by celebrating the Eucharist, but also in other ways, especially by praying the divine office. By tradition going back to early Christian times, the divine office is devised so that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praises of God. Therefore, when this wonderful song of praise is rightly performed by priests and others who are deputed for this purpose by the Church's ordinance, or by the faithful praying together with the priest in the approved form, then it is truly the voice of the bride addressed to her bridegroom; it is the very prayer which Christ Himself, together with His body, addresses to the Father." If the believers are introduced to the riches of the prayer of the Church, they may not easily be attracted by the protestant sects and their prayer services.
The distinguishing mark of the Christian community is the Eucharistic celebration known as the Breaking of the Bread. Though the Christian believers continued to participate in the temple and synagogue liturgy, there they could not celebrate the Christ-event. So they gathered in the houses of the Christian believers to praise and thank God for the Paschal Mystery through which they were saved. Through prayers, signs and symbols, the Christ-event was re-enacted sacramentally in the Breaking of the Bread.
This celebration of faith was named 'Breaking of the Bread' because of the Lord's command at the last supper. "When Jesus sat at the table with the twelve apostles, he took bread, expressed thanks to the heaveny Father, broke it, and gave it to them saying, This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me" (Lk 22,19). Since this commandment was given in connection with his action over the bread, the anamnesis - remembrance - was known in the early Church as 'Breaking of the Bread.' Moreover, Jesus is the bread that has come down from heaven to give life to the world (Jn 6,32-35). He gave himself on the cross as the climax of his self-giving for us begun in Incarnation. Bread became the symbol of this self offering of the Messiah and the celebration of this Paschal Mystery was named 'Breaking of the Bread'. In the Eucharistic celebration we commemorate the divine mystery of the passion, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord.
Breaking bread in their homes, the early Christians partook of food with glad and generous hearts (Acts 2,46). Those were occasions of sharing food in common as a sign of their fellowship and love. Such common meals were known as 'Agape'. When some problems crept in such 'Agape' gatherings at Corinth, St. Paul intervenes to correct them: "When you assemble as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you... When you meet together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the Church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not" (1 Cor 11,18-22). In the following verses St. Paul recalls the last supper (1 Cor 11,23-25). He concludes thus: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor 11,26).
As the Sinai Covenant in the Old Testament gave birth to the People of God, the new covenant in the blood of Jesus constitutes the new people of God. It is in the Eucharist that one receives this blood of Christ, the blood of the new covenant. Therefore, the Eucharist makes the Church.
The people of God redeemed by the blood of Christ has priestly character. St. Peter writes: "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet 2,9). It is this common priesthood that entitles the believer to participate in the Eucharistic celebration and receive the sacraments.
The incarnate Son of God, the sacrament of God the Father, while laying foundation for the Church wished to communicate to humankind the effects of his Paschal Mystery. For this purpose he instituted the Sacraments in the Church. These sacred rites take the believer to the experience of the divine realities.
Today we have seven sacraments in the Church. But this was not always the case. In the early centuries the number of sacraments varied from five to twelve or even more. It was only in 12th century in the Council of Trent that the number of sacraments got fixed.
The East Syriac tradition has an alternative list of sacraments. This tradition favours the term Holy Mysteries (Raze qaddise) to refer to these sacred rites. This concept of mysteries is influenced by St. Ephrem's idea of the symbolic character of creation. Since the creation is full of types and symbols of the Messiah, the creation itself is considered a Raza by St. Ephrem. When the Second Person of the Trinity took human form, he was becoming the Raza of his Father. The Church that the Messiah instituted, the mystical body of which he himself is the head (Eph 1,21), is the basic Raza. The Sacraments, the privileged order of symbols through which the Messiah communicates his salvation to the members of the mystical body are Raze or the divine mysteries. In short, the Raze like Greek mysteria refer to the liturgical mysteries through which we participate in the redemptive acts of Jesus Christ. Our co-operation is decisive for the effective participation.
Christ is both the source and content of these Mysteries. They make us share in the salvation of Christ. The salvific actions of the Son of God are extended into the Church through the mediation of the priest. The Sacraments are benevolent gifts and blessings of the grace of God the Father. It is the Holy Spirit who fulfills the Mysteries. These actions of the Holy Trinity are the doors that take us to the divine life.
Priesthood or Sacred Order is considered the first Sacrament since the priest is the one who performs the Mysteries in the Church. Only the priests who through the imposition of hands by the apostles, who were given the keys of the treasury of the divine mysteries (Mt 16,18-19), share in their ministry. Today they 'usher' people into life of communion with God.
Other sacraments in the East Syriac Tradition are Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, remission of sins through absolutions, anointing of the sick and marriage.. What calls for our special attention in this Tradition is the fact that the Consecration of the Altar in the Church, the Perfection of the Monks, Service of the Dead and the Mystery of the Sign of the Cross also were also considered Sacraments.
The teaching of the Fathers of Vatican II is worth quoting: "The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God; because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called "sacraments of faith." They do indeed impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively disposes the faithful to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God duly, and to practise charity. It is therefore of the highest importance that the faithful should easily understand the sacramental signs, and should frequent with great eagerness those sacraments which were instituted to nourish the Christian life."
The Paschal Mystery of the incarnate Son of God is the source of our salvation. It was through his salvific death on the cross that the Son brought us to life eternal. The divine mysteries or the Sacraments are the means communicating the fruits of salvation to us. Among them, baptism holds pride of place.
Water and blood that sprang from the heart of Jesus that was pierced open on the cross (Jn 19,33-35), according to St. Ephrem, signify two basic Sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist. In fact, these two together with anointing are known as 'the Sacraments of Initiation'. It is through these mysteries that one enters into the Church, the house of God. Thus these sacraments are doors to a new existence which will be consummated in the heavenly glory.
The apostolic kerygma invites one to believe in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth and which naturally will result in baptism. This is what we find in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost; this is what happened everywhere with the apostolic kerygma.
St. Peter specifies two effects of baptism: forgiveness of sins and gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2,38). These are the gifts of divine grace obtained through the death of the Son of God on the cross (Rom 5,15). While commissioning the apostles as his witnesses, the risen Lord commanded them to bear witness to the forgiveness of sins in the name of the crucified Messiah (Lk 24,47). Thus baptism in the name of Jesus imparted forgiveness of sins. In the profession of our faith, "we confess one baptism for the remission of sins."
The Spirit of the Messiah is the power behind the remission of sins. The risen Lord breathing on his apostles, said to them: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (Jn 20,23). It was in the power of the Holy Spirit that the apostles forgave sins. The apostles handed over this power to their successors through the imposition of hands and it is still continued in the Church.
St. Paul confirms: "We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Rom 6,4). About this new life our Holy Father writes: "To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime. It begins with baptism (cf. Rom 6,4), through which we can address God as Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life, fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own glory (cf. Jn 17,22)."
The baptized person is incorporated into Christ and through him into the Holy Trinity. It is the Spirit who enables us to call God 'Father'. The consciousness that 'I am a child of God and I have God as my Father' is the result of baptism. The meaning of the opening sentence of Porta Fidei becomes clearer in this light: "The "door of faith" (Acts 14,27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church." It is in baptism that we are led through the open door into the life of communion with God and with fellow believers.
Over and again Pope Benedict XVI speaks "of the need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ." During his earthly life, Jesus was always on the way, journeying towards Jerusalem. His disciples were invited to follow him in this way. He was consciously moving towards his death on the cross; but he knew that his life would not end there and that there would be resurrection. The disciple is asked to follow the Master in his way of the cross so as to have a share in the life of resurrection.
Those who are reborn in baptism, beginning a new life in Christ, are entering into communion with other believers. The children of God, the community of believers, share in the life of God and are heirs to the Kingdom of heaven. Since God is holy, those who belong to Him also must be holy. It is with this presupposition that St. Paul addresses the Christians in Corinth, Ephesus and Colossus, 'saints' (1 Cor 1,2; Eph 1,1; Col 1,1; Phil 1,1). Participation in the same life of God unites the believers among themselves. 'Communion of saints' means this fellowship among the believers in Christ.
The teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is very clear on this matter: "Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others. There exists a communion of goods in the Church. The riches of Christ, the most important member and head of the body, are communicated to all the members through the Sacraments. As this Church is governed by one and the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily become a common fund."
The term "communion of saints" implies both "communion in holy things" (sancta)" and "among holy persons" (sancti). In the Syro-Malabar Qurbana before the distribution of communion, the celebrant, stretching his hand over the holy Gifts, proclaims: "The Holy Qurbana is for the holy people." The faithful (the holy people) are fed by Christ's holy body and blood (the Holy Qurbana) to grow in the communion of the Holy Spirit (koinonia) and to communicate it to the world.
Communion in Spiritual Goods (CCC, 949-53)
The Communion of the Church of Heaven and Earth (CCC, 954-58)
The Church exists on three levels: pilgrims on earth, the dead undergoing purification and others in heavenly glory. All of us who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and in Christ cleave together. The union among these three groups is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods. The saints in heaven intercede for us. Our prayer for the dead is not only helping them, but also making their intercession for us effective.
The salvation that the Messiah has offered us is open to life after death. The Christian existence does not end on earth. The divine life we begin to participate in baptism is completed only when we join the heavenly choir of angels and saints at death. People of Israel as a whole believed in the resurrection, the only exception being the Sadducees (Mk 12,18-27; 2 Mac 12,38-45). They understood resurrection to be a coming back of the material body to this time and space (Jn 11,24). Jesus corrected their belief saying that when they rise from the dead, they will be like angels in heaven (Mk 12,25).
Jesus' resurrection from the dead is the basis of our faith in resurrection. St. Paul teaches: "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ" (1 Cor 15,20-23). If Christ has not risen, no dead will rise. The God who raised his Son, will raise us too. The natural growth of the participation in the life of God reaches its climax in resurrection.
We conclude our Credo thus: "We believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting." One may ask with what would be the nature of the resurrected body. The term St. Paul uses for body is soma (σωμα) and not sarx (σαρξ). He takes the example of a seed that falls to ground and dies in order that life may come out of it (1 Cor 15,35-58). What we sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel of the grain. God gives it a body as he chooses, to each kind of seed, its own body. In the case of human body, what is sown in death is perishable physical body, what is raised is imperishable spiritual body. It is just that the body of the believer that has become the abode of the Holy Spirit in baptism becomes spiritual in resurrection.
This is the salvific Christian hope: as Jesus was raised from the dead, those who believe in him also will be raised from the dead. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive shall be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thes 4,16-17). The whole creation is longing to participate in the eternal life. "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God... the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved" (Rom 8,20-24).
St. Paul while instructing the Ephesians on the new life in Christ writes: "be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father" (Eph 5,18-20). To the Colosians he writes: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly... as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Col 3,16). About himself, St. Paul acclaims: "I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also" (1 Cor 14,15). The Spirit-filled life necessarily involves singing psalms and spiritual hymns. This singing is qualified as 'making melody to the Lord with all the heart. This music is addressed to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ for all the blessings he showered upon the humankind. The psalms, the prayer songs of the people of Israel, formed an integral part of Christian music.
First Christians, anywhere, were from the Jews. They continued frequenting the synagogues even after becoming the followers of Christ. Gradually, when they got separated from the local Jewish community and formed their own liturgical assembly, it was only natural that they used the same hymns and psalms they already knew. To these, new songs were added in the light of the Paschal Mysteries. The best example is found in the book of Revelation. "Worthy are thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created" (Rev 4,11). "Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open the seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Rev 5,9).
Hymns of thanksgiving like the 'Song of the Sea' and the 'Song of Miriam' in Exod 15 were popular among the Israelites. Psalms associated with the creation story (Pss 8;19;104; 139) praising God for the gift of creation was part of Jewish prayer. Religious singing added flavour to the pilgrimages to sacred shrines and temple in Jerusalem (1 Sam 1,3; Pss 120-134). When David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals (2 Sam 6,5.14). Levitical singers were appointed by David for the liturgical setting in Jerusalem (1 Chr 6; 15; 16; 25; 29; 2 Chr 35,17).
This tradition of singing in the presence of the Lord was carried over into the Christian liturgy. Sacred music is the inheritance of centuries and a veritable treasure house of beauty. The Vatican II orders the preservation and fostering of this treasury of sacred music with great care because of its importance in the liturgy. Pope Pius X founded the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in 1911 to teach the disciplines of liturgical music in terms of practical, theoretical, and historical knowledge. On the occasion of the centenary celebrations of its foundation, Pope Benedict XVI instructed: "The liturgy, and consequently sacred music, lives on a correct and constant relationship between healthy traditio and legitima progressio, keeping constantly in mind the fact that these two concepts - which the Council Fathers clearly underlined - merge since tradition is a living reality, which therefore includes in itself the principle of development, of progress."
We have a glance at the heavenly choir in the vision which Isaiah had of God in the temple (6,1-13). There the prophet heard one of the seraphim calling to another and saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." The angels in heaven are always praising God. At the birth of the Son of God these heavenly hosts appeared praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased" (Lk 2,14). With the sacred music we are joining this heavenly choir in their praise of God. The Syro-Malabar Qurbana which begins with this nativity hymn of the angels, proceeds with the hymn in Isa 6,3 added before and after the Lord's prayer. "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Holy, holy, holy are You. Our Father in heaven, heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Angels and people sing out Your glory: Holy, holy, holy are You."
Before the Scriptural Readings, the whole assembly glorifies the living God thus: "Holy Lord of all; Holy Mighty One; Holy Immortal One; Have mercy on us." In the second G'hanta prayer the choir together with the assembly sings: "Choir of heaven, in unison unceasingly always sing the hymns of praise in the holy presence; Holy be the Lord, God forever; Holy be the mighty one; Heaven and earth are full of his glory; Hosanna in the highest." That this liturgical singing is with an eschatological purpose is evident in the thanksgiving prayer of the people towards the end of the Eucharistic celebration on Feasts of Our Lord: "Make our lips, which have sung Your praises in this holy place, worthy to praise You in heaven."
In the Incarnation, the Son of God was becoming the icon of the unseen God.1 Jesus Christ made extensive use of images, symbols, stories, poems, proverbs, actions etc. in communicating his message of the kingdom of God. Jesus proved that the conceptual, verbal frameworks alone will not suffice to convey the mystery. The Evangelists, who taking their cue from Jesus' method, while describing the life and teachings of Jesus in their Gospel narratives, addressed them to the hearts of their listeners. Their narrative style included not only descriptive words, but also colourful images of life capable of expressing the emotional content. Thus the Gospel narratives are "capable of evoking 'memories' rather than provoking 'thoughts".2
The Church, entrusted with the task of continuing the communication of this Gospel message, in her turn, had recourse to the creative process in art, using images and symbols. For example, the early Christian vaults and wall mosaics discovered from under St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican, include images of Good Shepherd, Fishermen and Jona swallowed by the whale3. John Damascene (c. 652-750) refers to the portrait of Jesus' face on the mandilion found in the Syriac apocryphal story associated with King Abgar of Edessa.4 According to the story, the King who became a leper sent a messenger to Jesus to bring him to heal him. Though Jesus declined the invitation, he sent a cloth (mandilion) on which the image of his face was miraculously imprinted.
By the Incarnation, the 'fallen' matter is 'redeemed', perfected and glorified. With the Son of God assuming the human nature, the matter became an instrument of salvation. So the visual presentations of the divine message were understood to be substituting for the theophanic moments and miracles in the life of Jesus. In the early Church such visualizations in symbolic language served the purpos of the Gospel for the illiterate. Gradually, veneration of the cross the holy images, the altar, the holy places etc. became part of Christian spirituality. Icons are the best representations of this kind of theology in art.
Blessed John Paul II, considered icon as a sacrament. "By analogy with what occurs in the sacraments, the icon makes present the mystery of Incarnation in one or the other of its aspects."5 In the Eastern Churches where theology grows through liturgical celebrations and worship, the poetic and artistic expressions of faith have an important place.
In the words of the Vatican II Council, by the work of the artists "the knowledge of God can be better revealed and the preaching of the Gospel can become clearer to the mind.6 On many an occasion Pope Benedict XVI has spoken on art presenting it as a 'way of beauty' - via pulchritudinis - an aesthetic journey and a journey of faith, a path towards the transcendent, towards the ultimate Mystery, towards God7. During the general audience at Castel Gandolfo on 31 August, 2011, he said: "A work of art is a product of the creative capacity of the human being who in questioning visible reality, seeks to discover its deep meaning and to communicate it through the language of forms, colour and sound. Art is able to manifest and make visible the human need to surpass the visible, it expresses the thirst and the quest for the infinite. Indeed it resembles an open door on to the infinite, on to a beauty and a truth that go beyond the daily routine. And a work of art can open the eyes of the mind and of the heart, impelling us upward. However, some artistic expressions are real highways to God, the supreme Beauty; indeed, they help us to grow in our relationship with him, in prayer. These are works that were born from faith and express faith."
The Church in India, like other Eastern Churches, celebrates its faith in poetic and artistic expressions. The Indian mind knows that the divine mystery can only be understood and expressed by a symbolic language. East Syriac theology and liturgy "seeks to see the realities of 'here and now' in the light of the transcendent realm of 'there and then', in 'fulness of time."8 "Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face" (1 Cor 13,12).
The powerful biblical images of the paradise and the Tree of Life, recurring in the writings of St. Ephrem and Aphraates, find home in the theological and liturgical thinking of the Easterners. Christ himself is the 'tree of life' who re-opened the gates of the paradise with his resurrection. The exalted cross, also known as St. Thomas Cross, is the 'Tree of Life' that symbolizes this victory of Christ.
1."In becoming man, the Son of God has introduced into human history all the evangelical wealth of the true and the good, and with this he has also unveiled a new dimension of beauty, of which the Gospel message is filled to the brim". John Paul II, Letter of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to Artists (April 4, 1999) no.5.
2."The Word of the Gospel can culminate in 'images' of beauty as well as in 'concepts' of truth. We have to accept the possibility of a 'visible'Gospel along with an 'audible' Gospel", Sebastian Elavathingal, "The Icon A Beauteous Path to God", in A. Mekkattukunnel (ed.), Mar Thoma Margam. The Ecclesial Heritage of St Thomas Christians, Kottayam 2012. 544. I depend upon this article of Fr. Sebastian for this chapter.
3.M. Guarducci, The Tradition of Peter in Vatican in the Light of History and Archeology, Vatican 1963, 36.
4.Orations on Images, 1; J.P. Migne, ed. Patrologia graeca, 94, 1261; Paris 1857-1866.
5.Letter of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to Artists, 8.
6.GS, 62.
7.Pope Benedict XVI, Address to Artists, on 21 November 2009.
8.Elavathingal, "The Icon - A Beauteous Path to God", 554.
In the words of blessed John Paul II, Second Vatican Council is the great grace bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century and the sure compass by which to take our bearings in the new century. That is why he said that the texts of Vatican II have lost nothing of their value or brilliance. Pope Benedict XVI is of opinion that "if we interpret and implement it guided by a right hermeneutic, it can be and can become increasingly powerful for the ever necessary renewal of the Church." Now it should be clear why he decided to begin the Year of Faith on October 11, 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Holy Father wishes that we study and put into practice the teachings of Vatican II.
Fifty years before, the then Pope, John XXIII, inaugurating the Council declared: "For we have every confidence that the Church, in the light of this Council, will gain in spiritual riches. New sources of energy will be opened to her, enabling her to face the future without fear. By introducing timely changes and a prudent system of mutual cooperation, We intend that the Church shall really succeed in bringing men, families and nations to the appreciation of supernatural values." Towards the end of his speech Pope John XXIII said: "For with the opening of this Council a new day is dawning on the Church, bathing her in radiant splendor. It is yet the dawn, but the sun in its rising has already set our hearts aglow. All around is the fragrance of holiness and joy. Yet there are stars to be seen in this temple, enhancing its magnificence with their brightness. You are those stars..." The purpose with which the Council was convened is clear from these words.
The major contributions of Vatican II are: a liturgical theology based on the Bible and liturgy, an ecclesiology based on the apostolicity of different individual Churches, a communion ecclesiology centred around the Holy Trinity. The theology that evolved out of this Council was based on Sacred Scripture, Liturgy and the Fathers of the Church.
The Vatican II Council produced sixteen documents. On the basis of importance they are divided into: Constitutions (4), Decrees (9) and Declarations (3). The names are taken from the first words in the Latin original. English translation is on the basis of the content.
Constitutions
Decrees
Declarations
The acceptance of different theological methods and styles other than scholasticism is a great achievement of the Vatican II Council. The need of developing theology based on the Sources was highlighted. The interconnection between ecclesiology and Church history was brought to light. The rediscovery of the Church as the communion of different individual Churches probably was the greatest achievement of Vatican II. It had far reaching ecumenical implications. Dialogue with other Christians also was fostered. Church began to enter into dialogue with the modern world also.
The importance the theme of the Church received in the Council is evident from the first Constitution (LG) itself. Documents like OE, UR, GS also deal with the Church. Ecclesiology, the study about the Church, received great attention in the Council. Since the Church is founded on the mystery of Holy Trinity, she herself is a mystery. The communion in the Trinity is the basis of ecclesial communion. This mystical body of Christ is the continuation of Christ himself in the world. The presence and activity of the Holy Spirit is the source of life of the Church. All her activities are centred around the Eucharist. It is in fact the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist that keep the different apostolic Churches in communion.
In the context of the Synod of Bishops held on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the need of publishing a Catechism of the Catholic Church explaining the Christian values and moral principles was greatly felt. Pope John Paul II appointed a Commission headed by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger for this purpose. With the collaboration of all the bishops and theologians all over the world, the Catechism of the Catholic Church was formed, which Pope John Paul II described as 'the symphony of faith'. This document published in 1992 is the continuation of the process of the renewal already started with Vatican II. The Year of Faith is celebrated also in connection with the 20th anniversary of Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Holy Father Benedict XVI wishes that we study this book of the Church together with the documents of Vatican II.
The purpose of this Catechism of the Catholic Church is to expose the mystery of Christian faith in the light of the Sacred Scripture, the Sacred Tradition of the Church, Magisterium, Fathers of the Church, saints and the spiritual tradition in order to strengthen the life of faith of the people of God. What the Church believes, preserves and transmits from generation to generation for centuries is explained against the background of the changing situations of the modern world. It provides us with a comprehensive knowledge about the content of Christian faith. It has four parts and each part is further divided into two each.
1.The Profession of Faith
a.We believe - I believe
b.The Creeds
In the first part, the God who reveals Himself and human beings who respond in faith are presented. Different stages of God's self-revelation, beginning from revelation through different persons and finally revealing Himself fully in the incarnate Son, are explained. The role of the apostles in handing over this revelation, the formation of the Sacred Tradition, the importance of the Sacred Scripture etc. are discussed together with man's response in faith. Faith is at the same time personal and communitarian/ecclesial. One who personally accepts Jesus as Lord and Messiah is sharing in the faith of the believing community.
In the next sub-section, each article of faith is elucidated. While dealing with God, the Creator, the greatness of the creation of man is also discussed. The mystery of Incarnation is dealt with in detail next. This sub-section concludes with the explanation of Faith in the Holy Spirit, the Church - the house of the Holy Spirit, the mystical body of Christ, the People of God, Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of the Church, communion of saints, resurrection of the bodies, life eternal etc.
2.Liturgy the Celebration of the Christian Mystery
Here also discussion proceeds in two parts. In the first part, liturgy, the activity of the Holy Spirit, the Paschal Mystery made present in liturgy, different liturgical rites etc. form the subject matter, whereas in the second, the seven Sacraments in the Church are discussed. The grace that is needed for a credible witness to Christian life is provided by the Sacraments. This section is concluded with the discussion of the sacramentals.
3. Life in Christ
First, the call of man to live in the Spirit, his freedom, Christian conscience, good and evil, man a social being, social justice, moral laws, grace and justification etc. are presented. Each of the Ten Commandments is discussed in detail in the second part
4.Christian Prayer
After dealing with the place of prayer in Christian life, Lex orandi - Lex credendi, different ways of praying, the Lord's Prayer etc. are discussed in detail.
The mother Church is always enthusiastic to provide her children with whatever is needed for the spiritual growth. She is particularly careful to explain the content of faith according to the changing situations. The timely interventions of Pope Benedict XVI and the announcement of this Year of Faith are the best examples.
The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI very often calls the attention of the faithful to 'the eclipse of the sense of God' that has affected the modern society. God has no more place in man's thoughts and actions. He closes his ears to the voice of God lest his conscience be disturbed. The false tendency to exalt as 'intellectuals' those who speak or write against faith in God or moral values, is growing. The number of programmes in tv, internet and other communication media that belittle faith and moral life are on the increase. Many live as if there are no absolute principles. A culture that considers and evaluates everything relatively is gaining followers. The relevance of Christian faith and witness increases in such a hostile background. New Evangelization aims at finding new methods and styles for credibly living the Christian faith and for faithfully putting the Gospel values into practice and for effectively transmitting the same to the new generation.
The Holy Father reminds us of the responsibility of those who have already entered through the door of faith into the house of God: "The renewal of the Church is also achieved through the witness offered by the lives of the believers: by their very existence in the world, Christians are called to radiate the word of truth that the Lord Jesus has left us". The life of faith should transform the entire existence of the believer in accordance with the mystery of resurrection. Attitudes, thoughts and actions will be changed according to the Gospel values. St. Paul's teaching that 'faith working through love' (Gal 5,6) will provide a new direction to life.
The love of Christ fills our hearts and impels us to evangelize. We cannot but share the salvation and joy we experience in believing. The Messiah who sent his apostles into the world to proclaim the good news, sends us today through the highways of the world. Pope continues: "Today too, there is a need for stronger ecclesial commitment to new evangelization in order to rediscover the joy of believing and the enthusiasm for communicating the faith. In rediscovering his love day by day, the missionary commitment of believers attains force and vigour that can never fade away... By transmitting our joy of believing, we are strengthening ourselves in faith. Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy. It makes us fruitful, because it expands our hearts in hope and enables us to bear life-giving witness: indeed, it opens the hearts and minds of those who listen to respond to the Lord's invitation to adhere to his word and become his disciples. Believers, so Saint Augustine tells us, "strengthen themselves by believing."
The Holy Father continues: 1"We want to celebrate this Year in a worthy and fruitful manner. Reflection on the faith will have to be intensified, so as to help all believers in Christ to acquire a more conscious and vigorous adherence to the Gospel, especially at a time of profound change such as humanity is currently experiencing. We will have the opportunity to profess our faith in the Risen Lord in our cathedrals and in the churches of the whole world; in our homes and among our families, so that everyone may feel a strong need to know better and to transmit to future generations the faith of all times. Religious communities as well as parish communities, and all ecclesial bodies old and new, are to find a way, during this Year, to make a public profession of the Credo."
The believer is given every day several opportunities for confessing his faith and witnessing to the Gospel values. He should be led by faith in workplace, in leisure time, in families and society. Sustaining and nourishing the faith necessarily begins in the family, the basic unit of society and the prime place for learning to pray. Teaching the faith essentially takes place in the family in the form of teaching children how to pray. The Holy Father's prayer that the believers' witness of life may grow in credibility is to be understood in this context. According to him, the Year of Faith is a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist.
Witness of charity is the best means to proclaim the gospel effectively. St. James is very clear on this point. "What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has no works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith..." (Jas 2,14-18). And he should be able to say with St. Paul: "For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity it is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel" (1 Cor 9,16).
Those who, going before us, have entered through the door of faith into life eternal are active models for us in our journey of faith. Blessed Virgin Mary occupies the pride of place. Elizabeth greeted her with the compliment: "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord" (Lk 1,45). Mary became the mother of the Son of God through her full co-operation with the grace of God and complete submission to his will. To the word announced to her through the angel Gabriel, she opened not only her mind and heart but also her womb. Since she offered herself as the handmaid of the Lord, the word of God took flesh in her. Thus she became 'blessed' on account of the fruit of her womb (Lk 1,42).
Mary is the first human being who by fully co-operating with the plan of God, has entered into the life of communion with the Holy Trinity. She is the chosen daughter of God the Father, blessed mother of the Son of God and the privileged temple of the Holy Spirit. "Because of this gift of sublime grace she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth. But, being of the race of Adam, she is at the same time also united to all those who are to be saved... Wherefore she is hailed as pre-eminent and as a wholly unique member of the Church, and as its type and outstanding model in faith and charity".
In faith, Mary accepted the Angel's word and believed the message that she was to become the Mother of God in obedience to the will of God (Lk 1,38). While visiting Elizabeth, she raised her hymn of praise to the Most High for the marvels He worked in her (Lk 1,46-55). With joy and trepidation she gave birth to her only Son, keeping her virginity intact (Lk 2,6-7). Trusting in Joseph, her husband, she took Jesus to Egypt to save him from Herod's persecution (Mt 2,13-15). With the same faith, she followed the Lord in his preaching and remained with him all the way to Golgotha (Jn 19,25-27). By faith, Mary tasted the fruits of Jesus' resurrection, and treasuring every memory in her heart (Lk 2,19.51), she passed them on to the Twelve assembled with her in the Upper Room to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 1,14; 2,1-4).
Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, for Mary unites in herself and re-echoes the greatest teachings of the faith. Seeking the glory of Christ, the Church becomes more like her exalted Type, and continually progresses in faith, hope and charity, seeking and doing the will of God in all things.
The Door of Faith is Open for us Door into the Life of Communion with God What is the Door of Faith? The Door of Faith and Divine Revelation Bible Theology Church Teachings
Everything Catholic - in spirit, in truth, and in content.
FEDAR FOUNDATION
3rd Floor, Room No.704, Olive Arcade, Near St. Joseph’s Hospital, Mananthavady – 670645
Email : info@fedarfoundation.com
Phone : 04935 293101, 97446 67206
