The Man’s Elevation into the Big League

The declaration that “It is finished.” was Jesus’ way of marking the end of his own journey that was planned for him by the Father before the ages. The only begotten Son of God had to be the Son of Man in order to fulfill God’s plan for his human likeness who was trapped by sin in a place of death, from which he could not free himself without divine intervention. The role assigned to him by the Father was not only to save mankind from sin but more importantly, to bring him home to the eternal realm that was created before the universe of matter came into existence; for man is central to the divine plan for his everlasting kingdom, as its citizens whose number is beyond counting must come from the terrestrial world in the realm of time; as man is the designated heir of the heavenly realm, he being the adopted son of God, as the only begotten Son shares in his nature. Unmerited as this plan is for the sinful descendants of Adam and yet, God through his Spirit revealed a hidden wisdom, planned before all the ages for the glorification of man. Scripture has it: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1Corinthian 2: 9) What set this mysterious plan apart from the commonly held belief of man’s place in paradise, which is solely premised on eternal life, as Jesus promised to the repentant thief, “I assure you, this day you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23: 43) is the word “love” which underscored its power to bestow on the creature from dust the most sublime status, infinitely beyond the mind of men, for it is solely reserved for the lovers of God. This is the primacy of love, over and above all the other virtues, which does not mean that love is a stand-alone act, for in reality, all the other virtues find their most profound fulfillment in this queen of virtues; even as love enhances and enriches the growth of the other virtues. The repentant thief gained access of paradise through faith, as he professed it when he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter upon your reign,” (Luke 23: 42) believing that there was life after death where Jesus will reign as its king. This is the common route for most people, as faith in Jesus Christ is the overarching requirement for citizenship in heaven, as it is the realm where God reigns supreme. Here, all the Elect have been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb and sanctified by the Spirit for the eternal feast. No one can participate without the grace of re-creation, as this is the theme of Jesus’ parable about a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son in Matthew 22: 2- 14. When the original invitees refused to come, he gave orders to his servants to “go out into the byroads and invite to the wedding anyone you come upon.” The servants did as was ordered and rounded up everyone they met, bad as well as good. The wedding hall was filled by banqueters but the king caught sight of man not properly dressed and ordered him to be thrown out into the darkness outside. “Not properly dressed” caused his expulsion, as donning the right attire for feast is the very least that the invitees were required to do, whether they are good or bad. Heaven is not exclusively the domain of the good and only for the good, as the merciful love of God has thrown wide open the gates of heaven to both the righteous and sinful, allowing men to savor the feast of heaven by simply wearing the proper garment, which can be had by responding to the grace from above that has the power to justify him, unworthy as he is. The repentant thief, who received this grace before death, responded by professing his faith in Jesus, thus, allowing him to be cleansed of his sins and received the promised Spirit. There was no time to change his criminal past, nor had he any time left to track a new way toward righteous living, as he had only the present moment where his hands and feet were bound to the cross, with his life slowly ebbing away. And yet, he made it to heaven the very day he breathed his last. Alas, the miracle of re-creation in full display even for one who had lived on the toils of others, as thieving was his profession; as for all eternity he will be feasting in the banquet reserved for the adopted children of God, as his only begotten Son, had paid with his life the justification of man, assuring him the unmerited place in the unbroken circle of love by his sharing in the life of the Triune God through the in-dwelling of his Holy Spirit. Paul wrote about this life-saving faith in the Gospel: “I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God leading everyone who believes in it to salvation. For in the gospel is revealed the justice of God which begins and ends with faith.” (Romans 1: 16- 17) Faith in Jesus meets the requirement of divine justice, as this virtue cancels the debts of man, which is beyond his power to pay; as faith in Jesus allows man to pass from death to life without paying the penalties for his transgressions against God and men. And yet, the wisdom of God, as revealed in the mysterious passage in 1Corinthian, invites us to peer deeper, guided by his Spirit, into his plan for those who love him, as love for God is the highest, most sublime form of worship; as love is the ultimate grace that transforms man into the truest image and likeness of his Creator-God, for as was stated earlier, love is the essence of God. This mysterious plan, beyond the mind of man, was set into motion by the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Word of God through whom creation came to be, when he took man’s form and was born of woman, in order for the creature from dust to take his most sacred nature; as this uneven exchange has to be blessed by the Father by the sending down of his Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity on the children of the Resurrection, thereby forever sealing this union of beings between the Creator and the creature. Born from above, this grace transforms man into the divine image instantaneously, and all toward one end and that is to love, in the manner of God’s love, which is self- giving and inclusive of all, good or bad, and all toward one end—the well-being of man, as love is the creative force for good. Men’s varying responses to live out Jesus’ gospel of life, which reaches its dazzling zenith in the command to love God and neighbor, as love is the summation of the law and the prophets in Matthew 22: 36- 40, is laid out in Jesus’ parable of the sower in Matthew 13; as those who have received the word and taken it to heart yielded varying amount, as in 30, 60 and 100-fold. The yield is the function of free-will, as each man has the free choice on how to respond and how much to give of himself, as the truest measure of love, which is a relational force, is the degree of self-giving, which results in self- emptying. Love reaches the summit of perfection only for those who have chosen to die, through self- denial by withholding nothing for the sake of the gospel that calls them to a most radical change of heart; as this vocation is the invite to take on the divine essence, which is love. This greatest of gifts is not given to all for God knows the most fertile of hearts that can live and bear fruit, through suffering and death, in the footsteps of Jesus, in this rarefied atmosphere where love follows upon love; as this supernatural dynamic of lovers demands the total adherence to the law of love—of loving in order to love more, as love is the kindling that sets the heart on fire, burning bright for God and man. To strive to reach this summit of love divine, as this kind of love is beyond the heart molded from clay, man must crucify his very self on the cross of Jesus and thus, be able to resurrect to the new and blessed life where the love of God is the only reason for being; as this transcendental love permeates all levels of being, moving hands and feet in the service of one’s neighbors, who like him are created in God’s likeness; as this service for others is either corporal or spiritual charity or both. This sublime movement of the heart in response to the divine summon for a rendezvous in the summit of love, like Prophet Elijah’s flight to Mount Horeb (The First Book of Kings 19) is in itself a journey of love, as the suffering and tribulations inherent in the journey to perfection purifies love of impurities; as a heart that answers to needs other than the love for God cannot reach its summit. Even the love of neighbor, which is the physical expression of perfect love is, strictly speaking, not a need but the overflow of this higher form of love; as the heart perfected for loving by suffering transforms it into the likeness of God’s heart, overflowing with love for man. To live in accord with God’s essence, not imposed but freely undertaken, can only be done for the love of God; as there is no other motive that can sustain this miracle other than the love that seeks no reward, finding fulfillment in loving God, as God is its own reward, beyond silver and gold. Of course, powerfully assisted by faith and hope, as these two virtues give the assurance that God will bring to fruition his will for his servant, whom he has called to the summit of love where he patiently waits. Loving for loving sake, all for the glory of the Triune God is the transformation beyond the power of man, more so as it is the most profound way of living the God-given life, as man is created in love and for love. It is true that God’s salvific act is the general invite to all men, excluding none, as this grace from above is the perfect answer to the problem of man that has afflicted his being since the time of Adam’s disobedience; as he was trapped in a place of death as the servant of a master who bids him to exercise his faulty, self-serving knowledge of good and bad regardless of God‘s laws. This divine invite needs a response from men in order to allow the miracle of redemption to take its effect. Needless to say, this grace is answered differently, as shown by Jesus’ parable of the sower; for man is an imperfect being who is traversing a desert wilderness in his homeward journey to the promise land; as this place locked in time falsely offers a multitude of remedies for his much-felt need to be completed and to be purged of his demons. The repentant thief got the right answer at the last moment of life, which cleansed him of his sins. But his lack of time precluded any action that could have change him into the true likeness of his Creator-God; as man, imperfect as he is, is born to change by his cooperation with divine grace, and thus become what the Good Lord intended him to be-- the instrument of good in this world. Change in order to become is not an instantaneous miracle but the progressive movement of the heart to the divine call, as this is the all-encompassing challenge of mortality that was clearly defined by Jesus' life as written in Holy Scripture. “Jesus, for his part, progressed steadily in wisdom and age and grace before God and men.” (Luke 2: 52) To progress in age, wisdom and grace is a function of time, as man is not fully endowed like the angels when he was born, as he needs to advance in age in order to grow in wisdom and endowed with grace. It is noteworthy that this one biblical statement embraces man’s three levels of being, which are the body, mind and soul; as the body must grow in age like a sapling plant in order for the mind to reach spiritual maturity and soul to be filled with grace, as latter can only be had by the life in the Spirit, which rightly signifies that real growth is the function of free-will, as one cannot have the grace that flows from the in-dwelling of the Spirit if the person does not live according to God’s will; as this life of grace imbues the mind with wisdom, which comes from the knowledge of God and his ways. As was said, this movement to spiritual maturity is a function of time which does not preclude that grace could accelerate this process, as there are those who have reached spiritual perfection at a young age. However this happens, in a short or long period of time, to a youth or an old person, the fact remains that this miracle follows Our Lord’s example, who gave-up all to fulfill the Father’s will, as only the brave souls who have reached spiritual maturity, a function of time, free-will, and grace, can give-up anything and everything for the love God and the fulfillment of his will; as only these, set apart by grace, can reach the summit of perfection and be the truest image and likeness of the Triune God. The phrase that aptly describes this level of blessedness is perfect union with the Triune God, or in the words of Jesus, bearing fruit a hundred-fold. In this most sublime state, the blessed has been consecrated as the tabernacle of the living God in the here and now and in the world to come, to persist in the absolute glory of one who has attained perfect union with his Creator-God and thus, elevated to the most holy of holies for all eternity. Jesus said regarding this most blessed state: “Anyone who loves me will be true to my word, and my Father will love him; we will come to him and make our dwelling place with him.” (John 14: 23) This is the most sublime level that can be had by the creature from dust who is borne from above, as this calls for the elevation of those who have been perfected by grace into the holy of holies, which is the exclusive ‘club’ of the Three Divine Persons, without beginning nor end. This mind-boggling miracle is ultimately the triumph of God’s love for man; as this miracle eclipses the exalted status of the angels of heaven, who are already founded on perfection, as God did not die for them which was only possible with the Incarnation of the only begotten Son of God; as this divine journey toward the glorification of man was laid out by Paul in his letter to the Philippians 2: 6-8.

"Though he was in the form of God, he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at.

Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave,

being born in the likeness of man. He was known to be of human estate,

and it was thus that he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death,

death on a cross! Because of this,

God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name

above every other name. So that at Jesus' name every knee must bend

in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth,

and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father:

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Thus, it is not surprising that Jesus’ prayer to the Father for the forgiveness of sin, is not a stand-alone act, as forgiveness of sin is not the end-all of Jesus’ mission, so necessary but only as the starting point of man’s trek back to the bosom of God where his life began; as this return journey cannot happen without man’s liberation from sin, symbolized by the Israelites departure from that place of bondage after the Passover. Yet, the creature gifted with free-will must ascend to the Father’s plan, thereby earning his unmerited status in the eternal kingdom, which is his own glorification by his participation in the blessed life of the Holy Trinity, as this most blessed state of being even now is being enjoyed by the Blessed Mother and the saints, who have lived only for God. Man, who is the heir of the kingdom, will reign with Jesus, who is the king of all creation, at the right side of the Father in that never- ending reality where fullness of life belongs to all men, judged to be worthy of admittance by the Son of God. Man’s trek to his glorious end, beginning with the forgiveness of sin that allows him to receive the Holy Spirit, should be a replica of Jesus’ way of the cross that demands self-emptying at its very core. It is not possible to follow Jesus’ way to glory without the cross, as only the true disciples of the cross can fulfill Jesus’ edict of love—to love as he has loved and to offer his life in fulfillment of the Father’s salvific plan, as this transcendental love requires the death of self. The total act of self-denial allows the human heart to be filled-up by love from above, as this kind of love that conquers all, is not self-generated but a miracle of grace that requires the heart to be emptied of all created things in order to fulfill God’s will. This self- emptying in response to Jesus’ invite, begins and ends with the cross, as the cross does not only purify the heart of any mundane motive, but pushes it to embrace the life of Jesus, even in a small way, while in this world of choices, pushing the disciple to choose Jesus’ path to truth and life. Our Savior issued the call to be his alternate self when he said: “If anyone comes to me without turning his back on his father and mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters, indeed his very self, he cannot be my follower. Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ( Luke 14: 26-7) This is Jesus’ Doctrine of the Cross, nothing less than the total renunciation of the world and the self for the love of God, which if done faithfully in accord with the gospel of love thought by Our Lord, the resulting miracle overflows to one’s neighbors; as the heart becomes a channel of love divine, to be shared amongst men, for in truth, love is the self-giving, creative force for good that was unleashed from the moment the Triune God willed visible and invisible realities into existence. To a disciple who wishes to heed the call to die in the name of love, it is like standing on a summit and seeing the world laid out before him. On one side, wealth and its trimmings that defined a successful life and the much sought after social status, plus the many tempting opportunities to get ahead of the pack and on the other side, his natural connections that grounded him to the passing reality, the people close to him, his family and friends. The one radical response in accord with Jesus’ invite should be, “None of these. Only you my God and your will”. Might sound simple but it is not, for the world that the disciple is being asked to give-up is already within him, which he has no power to purge, as this rightly belongs to the action of grace; as his fiat is but the start of the continuous struggle for liberation from the oppressive master whom he once served, which can only be defeated by self-denial. His initial fiat merely unmasked the foe he has to do battle with, not once but his whole lifetime, ever present wherever he goes, always desiring to have the upper hand, never giving up but just waiting for the opportune moment of vulnerability, as it knows his every move, as he knows his every thought. It is important to note that this foe is not something unfamiliar to the disciple, for he had skirmishes with him in time past but easily forgotten because of the many distractions offered by his mundane life. Now on his own with little distraction, having turned his back on the world, this foe of his is emboldened, for the renunciation of things from without-- family and wealth, only galvanizes his mortal fiend to exert maximum effort to thwart his holy desire for perfect conversion, and prevent the denial of the things that lie within-- the treasures of the heart he holds dearly-- the crown jewels that defined him as an individual, distinct from others. This interior struggle is agony, for it is a lot easier to deny external entities than the ones that lie within, more so as it is not in his power to triumph against his very self, for its purgation of the things that hold him back from living out his calling, rightly belongs in the realm of grace. Only in Christ, with Christ, through Christ, in the unity with the Holy Spirit, to the glory of the heavenly Father, can he achieve victory. Thus, his fiat to the grace that is re-creating him must bepronounced day in and day out until God finally dealt a mortal blow to his enemy, freeing him of the burden of mortality, once and for all; for as long as the body is alive, the life and death struggle continues; as groaning that cannot be expressed in words is but the attestation of the heavy cross of mortality he is bound to carry for the rest of his natural life. It was close to the hour when the old has to give way to the new, the time when the global village bursts in a collective sigh of relief for the heartaches of the past and a jubilant welcome to the promises of the incoming year. I was sitting alone on the church steps, as the others had gone to bed. Suddenly without warning, I was reminded of New Year Past, a time of reverie with family and friends, over sumptuous feast. In my new reality, the night sky was silent, no fireworks to disturb it, not even a single reveler, a Cyrene perhaps, who could give me a break from my cross by his joviality. The stark contrast between then and now made me feel more alone, as I was in a no man’s land, here but wishing to be somewhere else, there but only if could break the covenant between me and the God I serve. What a bomber! Even my skin in those early months reminded me of my deprivation, constantly complaining about the course habit, having been pampered for years by finely woven cotton without adulteration. Polyester was not my thing! And yet by the grace of God, I stayed and did not buckle under the weight, as I was once a true disciple of carnality and all things delectable. True that what I recounted might sound trivial that could have been easily brushed aside by previous generations of contemplatives, and yet, they were as real for one who was so used to the pleasures, comforts and amenities of modern life. Each disciple from one generation to the next, beginning in the fifth century, who are summoned by the voice from above, to the sacrificial altar of love, has his unique cross to carry, proper to his level of awareness conditioned by the society from which he came, the family values that molded him, and his personal assessment of his worth as a person, usually based on physical attributes and natural talents; so much so that the cross carried by previous generations, now long dead, are no longer in synch with modern mentality. Yet still, the cross being for all men, for all time, has the power to stay relevant from the time the call was first issued by Jesus, as its weight is just right for each man at any given time; just as the power that sustains the struggle is at par with the needs of every cross-bearer. Nothing is too much or too little, for the cross is uniquely designed to sit right on one’s shoulder; as no one carries too much beyond the level of endurance so as to lose heart and give it up, nor too light so as to allow the carnality of flesh to go unscathed, resulting in a compromised vocation that allows the disciple to answer the needs of the flesh to the detriment of the spirit. Paul, having gone through the painful struggle of self-renunciation, said: “There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.” [1 Corinthians 13: 7] And this is exactly the outlay required to finish the work, as there is no power that can sustain the struggle other than transcendental love; as no other motive will live up to the all-consuming demands of the cross; for any motive other than love is but an impurity that must be cleansed in the crucible of suffering; as love itself must be purified like gold, which only the cross can do superbly. This serves as a warning to those whose love is little, for what is the point of starting if one does not have the necessary requirement to complete the work. Unfinished work does not count and on the contrary, it just invites ridicule. Jesus said: “If anyone of you decides to build a tower, will he not first sit down and calculate the outlay to see if he has enough money to complete the project? He will do that for fear of laying the foundation and then not being able to complete the work; for all who saw it would jeer at him, saying, ‘That man began to build what he could not finish.” (Luke 14: 28- 30) In my journey in the road less travelled, I have seen crosses left on the roadsides, the bearers unable to reach the culmination of their fiat, which is their own personal Calvary, opting instead to quit when the road became rough, made worse by the absence of travelers who could inject levity to their everyday struggles, which made the cross seem heavier than it actually is; as trials borne alone are deadly combination for modern sensibilities; as suffering plus solitude, or hardships without a shoulder to lean on is a heavy cross for modern man, as he is so used to being connected to both the real or the virtual. This discipline that weans men from the superfluous need for human companionship is necessary to the end-goal of a life solely dedicated to God, as he must learn to rely on Jesus who accompanies him on his journey, as the Spirit of the Almighty God gives him all the grace needed to triumph the divine will. Crosses left on the roadside signifies that a vocation had reached dead-ends or calling unlived to the fullest, as the disciple lost the will to respond to grace, ever leading him to his own crucifixion. It is significant to note that vocation is a covenant between God and a person who was called by grace to live the life of Jesus, not the whole nine yards but only an aspect and as such, no one can put an end to it other than the person himself, as he has the power from his free-will to unilaterally rescind the agreement. All the other individuals in his community who give materiality to his calling are but supporting cast who can lighten his cross or make it heavier, but all in accord with God’s plan for him; as all the cast of characters in his journey toward freedom are not there by chance but chosen by grace to play a part in his flight to God. No one other than him can terminate or compromise the covenant, and thus, only he is accountable for its end-result. Modern man puts it succinctly: “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” Jesus puts it another way, the right way when he said: “Salt is good, but if salt goes loses its flavor what good is it for flavoring? It is unfit neither for the soil nor the manure heap; it has to be thrown away. Let him who hears this, heed it.” [Luke 14: 34- 5] In my experience, the weight of the cross varies from time to time, allowing the needed break especially after a hard-fought battle, exactly as Jesus had shown after sending his disciples on a mission. He said to them after their return from their ministry: “Come by yourself to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little.” (Mark 6: 31) Striking the right balance between battle and rest is a necessary campaign strategy, more so as the battle is never-ending, spanning the whole lifetime; as rest is not to indulge in frivolity but only to gather strength for what comes next; as the heat of the battle increases exponentially when the disciple nears the end. Wisdom dictates that trials and sufferings are not the end but only the means to an end, which is spiritual growth and maturity, and not the advancement of a special breed of men, toughened by tribulations, made stoic by hardships, unyielding to pain; and as such trials must be accepted as divine instruments towards a single end-- the spiritual re-creation of man in order for him to fulfill God’s will, which is his birthright as a son of the Most-High. The fall under the weight of the cross and the rising-up in spite of failure are the dynamics that lead to the victory of the cross, which is self-oblation in Jesus’ name, for the latter is the real triumph of all the trials and suffering that the Good Lord allowed his servant to be chastised, leading to his purification, most especially of the three cardinal virtues—faith, hope and love, which must be cleansed of all impurities. Might sound dramatic but this is exactly the essence of the call to be Our Lord’s disciple, which is but the living out of Jesus’ journey from the Father to the fallen world and back to the Father. Christian discipleship requires the death of self in order to live for God, as dying is meaningless if it does not lead to resurrection to new life, which is a life consecrated to holiness by the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, in order to be an alternate Christ in the fallen world; as from then on, the only reason for being is the fulfillment of God’s will. As the call is a life and death struggle, felt at the core of one’s being, and not merely a conviction that summons valor, the temptation to give it up comes from different directions that can easily destabilize even a seasoned warrior, deadlier when advocated by people from one’s inner circle, as the proposal is beautifully gift-wrapped in the name of love and concern. Jesus started to reveal to his disciples the cross that awaited him in Jerusalem. Peter, whom Jesus declared as the Rock on whom he will build his church, countered saying: “’May you be spared, Master! God forbid that any such thing ever happen to you.’ Jesus turned on Peter and said: ‘Get out of my sight, you Satan. You are trying to make me trip and fall. You are not judging by God’s standard but by man’s.’” (Matthew 16: 22- 23) The cross comes a day at a time, better still, a moment at a time like sand in an hourglass, totally unlike Jesus who experienced it full blast in the garden of Gethsemani before it even began, which made him sweat blood. The grace of unknowing what tomorrow brings prevents any disciple from losing heart; for to embrace the cross of discipleship is to actively sabotage any sense of control over one’s life and to live in a mystery that only God knows, that only He can unravel, that only He can bring to completion, like embarking on a journey with a blank ticket, without knowing the detours and the many stopovers along the way, let alone an inkling of the end, as the cross of discipleship is the invite to trust God fully with one’s own life, with no reservation, not even a safety net, which should have been done away with when the disciple turned his back on the world, as the latter is the first step of the journey toward self-annihilation, which is reinforced by the daily carrying of cross and the following in Jesus’ footsteps. Any compromise in the first requirement could derail the vocation and makes it unfruitful, as this statement is a warning not only to the person called but also to the formators who are assigned to help the person grow in grace. The ‘When’, the ‘Where’, the ‘How’, the ‘Who’, the ‘What’, the ‘Why’, mere mundane concerns like those expressed by the Disciples when asked by Jesus to feed the multitude, are all hidden and only to be revealed in God’s time and not the time of one’s own choosing when clarity was felt to be most needed in order to move forward. The story line, the twists and turns, even the essentialities of the vocation that set it apart from others, are known only to the Author of Life; for in truth, the calling is but the living out of God’s plan, a mystery from start to finish, like entering the cloud of unknowing where the first to the last step calls for total surrender to God’s will and to remain untethered to anything other than the mystery of one’s call, to be unveiled on a daily basis; as this is the divine stratagem that best purify man’s motive for heading the call, very much exemplified by God’s call to Abraham to go to the land of Moriah where he would offer the life of his only son. No explanation was given, just a simple command that demanded faith in God and trust in his goodness. (Genesis 22) Jesus issued the same command to his would-be disciples, following the same doctrine that demands faith sans any explanation. He said: “Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps.” [Luke 9: 20] Where Jesus’ footsteps will lead him is not the disciple’s concern, as his only concern is to remain faithful to Jesus, day in and day out, come what may, and to pronounce his fiat at each moment even when logic escapes his mind or when folly is but the only explanation that makes sense. The act of following when the landscape is wrapped in darkness, mortifies the mind, detaching it from reason as the impetus of action, instilling instead the faith that can move mountains; for a vocation is a leap of faith in the most basic sense, as it is nothing less than living your whole life in the mystery of the present moment, as all else are hidden in the unforeseeable tomorrows that comes a moment at a time; as the intensity of the commitment relegates all else to second base, similar to Mary’s concern when told of God’s plan for her. “How could this be since I do not know man?” (Luke 1: 34) Her inquiry was not essential to her fiat, for it was only the mind seeking understanding on the miracle that was to happen, as her fiat was not conditioned by a sensible explanation. Faith does not make us less human, cancelling out the inputs from the mind, like the accusations levelled by some who believe that religion is an opium that gives a short- term high, detaching the believers from reality that cannot be overcome by faith. Rather, faith instills the light that opens the mind to know the right question to ask, as Mary’s query proceed from her faith that sought to know God’s ways, more so as she was not only inquiring for herself but also for those who would come to believe, as Mary, the creature exempted from original sin, was our race’s trailblazer to God's heart. Some might argue that Mary had an unfair advantage, as she had the Archangel Gabriel whom she could ask. Again, her query proceeded from faith and not the other way around; just as the presence of Gabriel was not meant to lessen her burden but only to underscore the heavy cross that only she could carry, as the only woman untouched by sin and whose flesh would give materiality to the God who created and saved her. The Immaculate Virgin’s faith triumphed God’s plan for her, which is the same for those who will be called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, as the invitees are not haphazardly chosen, but rather set apart from birth and prepared by grace for a journey unlike any other. Faith does not make God’s plan less agonizing, for his thoughts and ways are so above his human likeness; but it does something that no knowledge can confer and that is, the unshakeable belief in the triumph of God’s will in spite of one’s weakness and the prevailing sense of unworthiness, which John the Baptist eloquently declared when he said: “I am not fit to loosen his sandal strap.” (Luke 3: 16). Faith does not give an easy way out, on the contrary this virtue gives the heart the resiliency to submit without breaking it, the power to overcome despite weakness and the strength of will to pronounce the fiat- “let your will be done,” so necessary for grace to continue the miracle of transformation, in spite of trials and suffering. Nothing is ever predictableexcept the one that Jesus went through, as his was revealed by the prophets of old under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Yet his was but the foreshadowing of the overarching demands of true discipleship, as his was the blueprint to the inevitable life and death struggle that awaits any disciple of the cross; as his was the only way to life and truth, that glorious state in the world to come, awaiting those who have answered faithfully the call to die via the cross. For everyone else with no exception, unlike his where the end was known before it had begun, the unforeseeable, the incalculable nature of a vocation is an integral part of the cross that any disciple must accept as a given from the start; even the most routine act of opening a door, without knowing what is on the other side. One time, I opened such a door and on the other side was my superior, red with anger. I failed to show up in our scheduled one-on-one meeting, which he informed me ahead of time by a note he left on my pigeon box. The problem was that I did not know that such a box existed with my name on it because the brother in-charge with my orientation forgot to inform me. And yet, there we were, my superior and I, two cross-bearers traversing each other’s path, looking at each other’s face, bewildered by the seeming lack of charity. It was not his fault, neither was it mine, but the shared burden of imperfect knowledge caused us both to suffer. By the grace of God, I bit my tongue, which in hindsight was the best course of action, as I would have stoked his much-felt vexation had I breathed a word of defense. Wealth, status and privileges, effective barriers against such situations were distant realities, useless for one who had vowed to a life of self-denial, as to hold on to them, even mentally would make the cross heavier; as any reminiscing of the past like the Israelites’ act of recalling the food of Egypt, weakened their resolve to continue the journey to freedom. There was nothing to protect me now, for I was a solitary figure in the midst of black, a broken reed that needed healing, best realized by trials and hardships. And yet, I was never alone, could never be alone, as my fiat was the prayer to God to open the treasure throve of grace, and grant me victory over my enemies. He said so, for that was the promise given to Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” [Isaiah 7: 14] Jesus, the Immanuel, is the victory of the cross, as his triumph was the assurance that all his followers will prevail against death and all machinations of the evil one. He is the unfading sign, yesterday, today and tomorrow, of the Father’s love for his children; as Jesus was the personification of transcendental love that caused the only begotten Son of God to take human form and be nailed on the cross, in order to lead the human family to victory. He is the anointed shepherd journeying with the chosen people, each with his own cross to carry, to the promise land, where all cross-bearers will reign with him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of the Triune God. He is the fulfillment of the Father’s plan to create a race of men in the image of the Triune God, for by taking human nature, he allowed men to partake in his divinity; as this uneven exchange, sealed by the Spirit that caused the divinization of man is the fundamental meaning of man’s likeness to his Creator- God. All these were set into motion by the cross, which started with Jesus’ self-denial in order to live for God alone. In much the same way, the cross awaits, as the invite is given to all-- to suffer with Jesus in order to be like him in death, as no one can share his glory unless transformed by the cross into his likeness. Jesus said, “I tell you all this that in me you might find peace. You will suffer in the world. But take courage! I have overcome the world.” [John 16: 33] The cross is triumphant, always is, especially when the battle is at its fiercest and when the way forward seems folly. “It was now around midday, and the darkness came over the whole land until midafternoon with an eclipse of the sun. The curtain in the sanctuary was torn into two. Jesus uttered a loud cry and said: ‘Father into your hands I commend my spirit.’ After he said this, he expired.” [Luke 23: 44- 6] Finally, released by death, for death has no hold on life, as darkness has no power over light, the only begotten Son, ever on the Father’s side, was coming home. On that early hour of Sunday, when darkness not yet been completely dispelled by light, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and said: “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” (John 20: 17) Right after the Transfiguration, Jesus had this to say: “What an unbelieving and perverse lot you are! How long must I remain with you? How long can I endure you?” [Matthew 17: 17] Endure no more, O Lamb of God. Take your seat at the right hand of the Father Almighty. You had repaid many times over the debt of fallen humanity from the beginning of time to its consummation. Your most sacred wounds will be the eternal reminder of the price you paid to bring us home. Enter into your glory, the glory of the Only Begotten Son, the glory that you had before the world began. Rejoice, O sinners for we now have a Divine Mediator ever ready to make-up for our failings, as he said on the cross: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.” [Luke 23: 34] Rejoice, fallen sons and daughters of Adam and partakers of the forbidden fruit for our humanity has been enthroned in heaven’s holy of holies; for Jesus is our kin, bone of our bones, flesh of our flesh, as the Son of God is also the Son of Man, as his Blessed Mother is one like us except sin. Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to me.” [Matthew 12: 50] Lord, have mercy on your brothers, sisters and mothers, sinful, unloving as we are. Mercy too to those who have not believed that you are God’s chosen One, and those who continuously blaspheme your most holy name. In his last discourse, Jesus said: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God and faith in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places; otherwise, how could I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? I am indeed going to prepare a place for you, and then I shall come back to take you with me, that where I am you also may be. You know the way that leads where I go.” [John 14: 1- 4] The cross, accepted in faith, lived in hope and embraced in love, is a coming home to that realm beyond time, beyond suffering, beyond death where Jesus has prepared dwelling places for each of his brothers, sisters and mothers; as each place directly correspond to the level of self-denial that a disciple had made while in the realm of temporality, tested to the fullest by the cross. (The subject about the joys of heaven is treated in the next section; just as the subject of self-denial is a continuous theme in the succeeding sections of Chapter II plus in Chapter III, which discusses a new paradigm or a new way of being.) At his arrest, one of those who accompanied him tried to save him with a sword, Jesus’ response was, "Put back your sword where it belongs. Do you not suppose I can call on my Father to provide at a moment's notice more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled which say it must happen this way?" [Matthew 26: 52-4] All cross-bearers summoned to the alter of love at any time and season, must answer fully the Lord’s invite to live according to his doctrine of the cross, which puts no defense against pain and suffering for the love of God and man, as Jesus’ way is our way to glory, as his cross is the mother of all crosses that spells victory for those who will live their lives patterned after Jesus. Isaiah's prophecy [53: 2-7] was Jesus’ roadmap to Calvary. It is the same roadmap for all his true disciples though the latter’s crosses are much lighter than his; more so, as the trials and hardships while journeying in this vale tears, find solace in his cross, as One who was innocent and yet suffered the most.

"He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from a parched earth;

There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract to him.

He was spurned and avoided by men,

a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem.

Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured,

While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our offences, crushed for our sins; Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,

each following his own way;

But the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth;

Like lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers,

he was silent and opened not his mouth.

Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny?