THE PASCHAL EVENTS TO HEAVENLY MYSTERIES


TUESDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

Ezek 47:1-9,12; Ps 46:2-3,5-6,8-9; Jn 5:1-3,5-16

Devotion to Paschal Realities

We have noted that the Church’s interest and focus have shifted from self-mortifications and other observances to the paschal mysteries, which are the ends of the observances. A well-initiated Lenten observance leads to the freeing of minds and purification of our hearts, which enable us to devote them to the paschal mysteries. The humility acquired through our acknowledgment of sins and their confessions is necessary for receiving the new heavens and earth God promised and achieved through and in the humanity of his Son, Jesus Christ. The prophet Ezekiel speaks of the new heavens God promises to create in the passage from Isaiah we read yesterday. As we pointed out, the new heavens are the mysteries contained in the Son of God, whose humanity is the new earth. We are to access these new heavens through the sacred humanity of our Lord. Through the same humanity of our Lord, the blessings of the new heavens flow to us. These are in the words of Ezekiel. “The angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar.” The reference is to the spiritual sanctuary from where every grace flows to us.

As water flowed from the old Garden of Eden, the sanctuary where God lived with the first man and woman, the living water flowed from this new heavenly sanctuary where God would dwell with the redeemed. These graces flow from the sanctuary, the Son of God. They are arranged on different stages and levels to constitute the new heavens of spiritual realities matching our degree of devotion to the divine mysteries. “The man went to the east holding his measuring line and measured off a thousand cubits; he then made me wade across the stream; the water reached my ankles. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reached my knees. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across again; the water reached my waist. He measured off another thousand; it was now a river which I could not cross; the stream had swollen and was now deep water, a river impossible to cross.” God showed Ezekiel the spiritual journey, which starts with our devotion to the paschal mysteries. It becomes clear why the catechumens receive the baptismal immersion on the paschal or Easter vigil. Baptism into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ introduces us to the spiritual journey into the mysteries of Jesus Christ. We progress into the mysteries through growth in devotion to Jesus Christ.

The water from the sanctuary signifies the Person of the Holy Spirit, the love of the Father and the Son. Love is the cause of devotion, which is its sign or demonstration. The more we meditate and contemplate the paschal events, the more we enter deeply into the mysteries therein, and the more the Holy Spirit inflames our hearts with the love of Jesus Christ. The love of Christ makes his Holy Spirit take possession of us more, freeing us from earthly and disordered loves and attachments. Our moral and spiritual lives are healed and renewed in this process. Because the spirit controls the body, which becomes well-ordered in its affections and process, bodily health improves. Thus, when the water of our spiritual devotion to the paschal mysteries enters our souls and conscious minds, we start experiencing spiritual, moral, psychological, physical, and social well-being. “This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea, and flowing into the sea it makes its water wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it live.” The water is from the heavenly sanctuary, the Son of God, and flows to us through his sacred humanity. Jesus demonstrates this by healing the sick and paralysed man at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem, showing that he is the source of every grace.

Let us pray: May the venerable exercises of holy devotion shape the hearts of your faithful, O Lord, to welcome worthily the Paschal Mystery and proclaim the praises of your salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. 

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