The Estuary of Theology 17

The Most Holy Eucharist (3)

Risen Jesus has appeared by the Sea of Tiberias and asked Peter, “Do you love me?” three times (cf. John 21:15-19). In this scene, Jesus started off his question by calling Peter not by the name he had given but by the name, “Simon, son of John,” so that Peter’s free individuality could answer with autonomy without being influenced by the will of risen Jesus. He continues: “[D]o you love me more than these?” It was the question to confirm whether Peter, who had denied the name of Jesus and the discipleship of him as Jesus had foretold, “[B]efore the cock crows, you will deny me three times,” before his Passion, would follow God’s plan, which Jesus meant by the word “me,” with autonomy. Love means autonomy of free individuality directed towards God’s plan. Peter answered, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” This means, “Yes, Lord; you know that I am directing myself towards God’s plan with autonomy.” Then, Jesus ordered, “Feed my lambs.” 

The Word of Jesus which has become alive again by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Eucharist are indeed the necessary water and food to “tend” and “feed” the sheep. The Holy Spirit waits for Christians to come to the Mass to listen to the Word and to receive the Holy Eucharist with autonomy. For God, who has no need to know the decision of the free individualities (cf. The Estuary of Theology issue 5), only autonomy directed towards God’s plan is love, and love is the sole response made by human beings to God’s mercy. 

“Faith, hope and love,” which Paul the Apostle tells, is the autonomy that manifests itself when one has communion with the spirit of Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, and his knowledge of good and evil learns that God’s plan exists and goes towards it with his free individuality. Faith is to recognize the existence of God’s plan with autonomy, and this autonomy directs its hope towards the truth of God. This very autonomy is love itself which makes one jump into the midst of God’s plan. God eagerly desires one’s free individuality to be directed towards God’s plan with autonomy. God receives “faith, hope and love” from humans. So, Paul wrote, “So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). What God received remains forever. 

Christians need to know and have dominion over the information of the serpent (the accidental information), which emerges among all living things so that they can reach before the Holy Eucharis with autonomy. Particularly, they must make it custom to distinguish this information emerging among people from God’s plan. The following parable by Jesus tells us well the importance of knowing the information of the serpent (the accidental information) and of distinguishing it from God’s plan, which has nothing to do with it. 

“A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for all is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’” (Luke 14:16-20) 

In the memory of a living thing, God’s plan is put and at the same time there continuously emerges the information of the serpent (the accidental information). Unless one is always considering that these are in his memory of the five-sense data, he will unconditionally concentrate on the event that appears before him, will stay before the need of it and will believe that he is the very one who is to satisfy the need. In this case, it is exceedingly difficult for him to doubt this belief. Jesus continues: 

“So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’” (Luke 14:21-24). 

This word of Jesus makes us understand how deeply he trusted “the poor and maimed and blind and lame,” who gathered around him. He trusts them, who dangle after him without leaving him and never deny him, to the extent that he says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out” (John 6:37). However, these people are not many at that time as well as today, and they cannot fill all the seats of the great banquet. The word, “[C]ompel people to come in, that my house may be filled,” shows Jesus’ emotion of mortification, because he was a human, who needed to know the decision of human individualities, even though he was God, who had no need to know them. Christians should have inherited this emotion of mortification of him. 

Then, he said, “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). “His own life” by the blood relationship, which is indicated by the words, “his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters,” is the life given by God as the life of a living thing. In this body of life, the information of the serpent (the accidental information) is always emerging in his memory of five-sense data. This is the cross which each Christian, who knows that God’s plan exists, bears. The phrase, “If any one comes to me and does not hate … even his own life,” means that if anyone does not use the “enmity,” which God put (cf. Genesis 3:15), against the information of the serpent (the accidental information) emerging within his life, “he cannot be my disciple.” (cf. The Estuary of Theology issue 14). 

The Gospel describes Jesus at that time as follows: “Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them” (Luke 14:25). His disciples must have looked at the accompanying great multitudes noticing Jesus’ move. The disciples needed to watch the accompanying great multitude in order to accomplish Jesus’ command they were to later hear: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus keeps admonishing his disciples saying as follows. 

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:28-33). 

The scene of Jesus being tempted by the information of the serpent (the accidental information) in the wilderness just before he entered the public ministry (cf. Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13) makes us well understand the above words Jesus admonished his disciples (cf. The Estuary of Theology issue 12). The story of the man who is desiring to build a tower is a parable of the one whose free individuality tries to direct its autonomy towards God’s plan, which means that if his knowledge of good and evil does not distinguish the information of the serpent (the accidental information), which is continuously emerging in his memory of the five-sense data, from God’s plan, which is also put in this memory (cf. The Estuary of Theology issue 14), he will never be able to follow God’s plan. Also, the information of the serpent (the accidental information) is the enemy that comes with twenty thousand against him, who must meet the enemy with ten thousand. He indeed must “sit down first and take counsel” and “if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace,” that is, he must not battle against the information of the serpent (the accidental information) straightforwardly but must know it and distinguish it as Jesus showed in the wilderness. 

If he, in this situation, has any concerns about his fortune at all, they will become the most significant risk of making a wrong decision. We must solve completely any concerns about our fortune however small they are, and they must be swept away from our memories. Furthermore, whoever does not renounce all that he has is not a disciple worthy of the following word of Jesus, who was given all authority in heaven and on earth and sent by the Father: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (John 20:21). 

What Jesus teaches and admonishes makes Christians who live their daily life towards the Holy Eucharist become prepared for the daily fight. Especially, it is a great help for Christians to be remembering the reality that the Holy Eucharist, as the one who “I AM,” is always waiting for them to come. When Christians attend the Mass in daily basis, take and eat the Holy Eucharist and live managing to make time to visit the Holy Eucharist, they will realize that they themselves have the free individualities, that is, eternal life. Then, their knowledge of good and evil will make this experience, which is renewed every day, into recognition. This recognition will be communicated to the free individuality which is connected to the knowledge of good and evil and will help the free individuality grow into the individuality which goes towards God’s plan with autonomy. 

“Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill; men throw it away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 14:34-35). The free individuality is of God’s, and it will never be fully satisfied unless it is directed towards God’s plan with autonomy and fulfils it by words and acts. When one’s free individuality faces the Holy Eucharist, it finds hope in the truth of God, who is present as the one who “I AM,” and senses autonomy directed towards God’s plan within itself. This autonomy is love. God, who is omnipotent, has no need of his own autonomy. Love is always a human symbol. A human is love. Therefore, Jesus, who was perfectly human as well as divine, was love. All Christians, the co-operators of the Holy Spirit, by the Holy Eucharist, take over Jesus' humanity which disappeared with his death. So, it is urgent for all who believe in Christ to compromise each other and to do their best at pursuing the way by which every Christian can take and eat the Holy Eucharist every day. 

To be continued. 

Aug. 2020 in Hiroshima

Maria K