St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274 AD)

St. Thomas Aquinas

Patron Saint of students and all universities

Thomas age is the most disputed part in any of his biographies. Since scholars, due to the scarcity of facts does not agree on the year of the saint's birth. Some would say he was born on 1225, some later on 1227, still others in between of those years. Which is which, that does not matter. The core of the matter is that we have a great saint to commemorate with. However, they all agree that Thomas died of March 7, 1274 at the monastery of Fossa Nuova.

He was born in a well-off family, in the castle of Rocca Secca in the old county of the Kingdom of Sicily. His father Landulph was Count of Aquino, born from an old high-born south Italian family, and his mother Theodora was Countess of Teano, of noble Norman descent.

At the age of five, Thomas began his early education at Monte Cassino under the supervision of the Benedictine monks. He displayed an extraordinary intelligence and virtue which lead his preceptors to predict that someday he will be great and renown throughout the world.

True enough since his enrolment in 1236 at the studium generale in Naples where "he was introduced to his philosophical influences of Greek philosopher Aristotle, Islamic philosopher Averroes of Cordoba," and Maimonides, he proved his aptitude greater than his teachers.

His vocation to the priesthood was believed to be at the instigation of John of St. Julian, a Dominican preacher, "who influenced him to join the recently founded Dominican Order." He pursued his vocation despite his family's disapproval. It was said that in the family's effort to keep him from entering the Dominican Orders, Thomas was held captive in "the fortress of San Giovanni at Rocca Secca" for nearly two years. During his confinement, "two of his brothers hired a prostitute to seduce him, and eventually destroy his vocation but legends claim Thomas drove her off with a fire iron. After she left, Thomas prayed to have pure mind and heart then he fell asleep, and had a dream. In his dream two angels appeared to him, affirming that his prayer was heard by God, sign of it was the girdle the angels put to him to strengthened his resolve to remain celibate.

Gaining his freedom, he went to Paris from 1248 until 1252 for further studies where he was believed to be mentored by a Dominican scholar Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great), who was then the Chair of Theology at the College of St. James. During which he was ordained priest.

"Thomas was quiet and seldom spoke at the university, leading other students to believe he was mentally delayed, but Albert prophetically said, "You call him the dumb ox, but in his teaching he will one day produce such a bellowing that it will be heard throughout the world."

His mentors prophecy proved to true since, Thomas' famous work, Summa theologiae, and many other writings preceding this wonderful work renders him prolific writing, teacher and doctor of the church.

Sometimes in 1273, Thomas was believed to have received a revelation from the Savior, during which under the spell of ardent prayer in the Chapel of St. Nicholas, "Christ is said to have told him, "You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward would you have for your labor?" Thomas replied, "Nothing but you, Lord." But since then, Thomas stopped his writing because for him his work was "seems like straw" to what he saw from the revelation.

Gregory X convened the Second Council of Lyon on 1 May 1274 in which he invited the saint. On his journey to the meeting, on January 1274, Thomas health failed him. He became ill and stopped his journey "at the Cistercian Fossa Nuova Abbey, where the monks cared for him for several days." Thomas died on March 7, 1274 during a commentary on the Song of Songs. "His remains were placed in the Church of the Jacobins in Toulouse on January 28, 1369."

"It is not known who beatified Thomas, but on July 18, 1323, Pope John XXII canonized him. His original feast day was March 7, the day of his death, but because the date often falls within Lent, in 1969, a revision of the Roman calendar changed his feast day to January 28, the date his relics were moved to Toulouse. Pope Pius V declared Saint Thomas Aquinas a doctor of the church, saying Thomas was "the most brilliant light of the Church."

Saint Thomas is often depicted with an open book or writing with a quill.

Sources:

1.        1. McBrien, Richard. Lives of the Saints: From Mary and St. Francis of Assisi to John XXIII and Mother Theresa. HarperCollins: New York. 2001. P90-92.

2.        2. Google:

a.      http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2530

b.      http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14663b.htm

c.      http://www.iep.utm.edu/aquinas/

What do you know about the Ascension of the Lord?

Source: Google

The Ascension of the Lord took place forty days (40 days) after Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 1:3). We believe Jesus ascended body and soul into heaven.

If this is so, that Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after He rose from the dead, then His ascension happened on Thursday. This must be called Ascension Thursday.

Since Ascension Thursday is a major event in the life of Jesus this day is considered by the Catholic Church as Holy Day of Obligation. This means that Catholics are bound or obliged to go to Mass, the same as on Sunday unless there is a valid reason, such as sickness, must work or some serious circumstances. Being on vacation is not a valid reason for not going to Mass on this day.

If the Ascension of the Lord falls on Thursday, why we celebrate this Solemnity on Sunday?

The Catholic Church opted to highlight the celebration of this solemnity on Sunday to keep with a trend to move Holy Days of Obligation from weekdays to Sunday, to encourage more Catholics to observe feasts considered important.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

Does the Bible INHIBIT the creation of IMAGES and its USAGE in religious ACTIVITIES?

Source: Google

Nowadays, we have heard from almost all sects of Protestant origin criticizing Catholic Christians for idolatry.  For them, since we have prayed and fulfill our liturgies while an image of the Crucifix, Virgin Mary, Saints and other sacred images are in front of us, we are guilty against the First Commandment: "You shall Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your Soul, and with all your Mind."

          They vigorously point to us this Mosaic Law as the violation of the Catholic Christians. Consequently, many of the laity felt awkward when they heard this accusation. I sensed the need to respond to this issue for our brethren to know the truth.

What the Old Testament says?

          Let us examine what happened in the Old Testament.

          In Exodus 20:4-5, God said, "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me."  These texts would seem to support the accusation.

          Let us go further.

          In Leviticus 26:1, God said, "Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God." This prohibition made even more clearer in Deuteronomy 4:16-18 which said, "beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth."

          Beware! Curse is upon anyone who violates the Law of God, Deuteronomy 27:15, "Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen.'"

          The ban is very strong but what the Israelites did amidst this prohibition?

          The same Old Testament would tell us "that images were tolerated and even permitted" in the land of Israel. The Hebrew people were even commanded by God himself to carve images. See the following texts:

First, in Exodus 25: 17-19, "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide."You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends;"

Second, in Exodus 25:31-33, "You shall make a lampstand of pure beaten gold - its shaft and branches - with its cups and knobs and petals springing directly from it. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand, three branches on one side and three on the other. On one branch there are to be three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, each with its knob and petals; on the opposite branch there are to be three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, each with its knob and petals; and so for the six branches that extend from the lampstand."

          It is more worth noting that aside from God's instructions on how these structures are to be created; He himself took the initiative in the construction. In Exodus 31: 1-6, God inspired and filled with His divine spirit Bezalel, son of Uri; Oholiab his assistant and assured Moses that He "endowed all experts with the necessary skill to make all the things I have ordered you to make."

          There is yet another God's command to Moses greater than any other commands. I said it so because from that image emanate God's healing power. God commanded Moses to carve a bronze serpent, raise it through a pole and whoever is bitten and looked at it recovered (cf. Number 21: 8-9).

 

          Furthermore, this religious practice concerning the creation of images and their usage to adore the one true God of Israel did not remain in the dessert. Let us visit the chosen people as they already settled in the promise land to see how they make use of craftsmanship to beautify their temple with those majestic images.

          1 Kings 6:19-28, narrated to us how the inner circle called the Holy of Holies of the Temple of Jerusalem built by King Solomon "to house the ark of Lord's covenant" adorned with two giant cherubs. It does not end here. See 1 Kings 6:29-35 and find out how the foundations of the Temple of the Lord completed in seven years with so much "representations and sculptures" of "cherubim, palm trees and open flowers" from the entrance to the inner most of the Temple.

          Still, worth quoting here to continue my presentation is 1 Kings 7: 18-29 to illustrate distinctly how the Temple of Jerusalem being extravagantly bedecked with numerous images such as pomegranate, lily, lion, oxen, sea and cherubim. This majestic temple was destroyed in the 6th century BCE, however prophet Ezekiel has a vision of a future temple to be built "with cherubims and palm trees (cf. Ezekiel 41:18).

          Thus, we can surmise here that the "grand Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem was filled with numerous images, paintings, statues and decoration."

          Could anyone refute this account?

          Well, I know for sure those who continue saying Catholic Christians are blasphemous or idolatrous for having images in their churches are ignorant of these verses or they are not reading this part of the Bible.

          In any ways, I am not insulting anyone here. But whoever insists the accusation, he hasn't grown mature in his faith, he is immature because he's not taking the Bible seriously.

          Despite the Old Testament's witnesses, I could not decipher any reasons whatsoever why there are sects who continually dissent and criticize this religious practice of Catholic Christians, making it a point of entry to attack or reproach the parishioners. How today's believers could despise what has been allowed in the ancient time? Not even prominent prophets of Israel disapproved in the creation of images. Have you heard of Elias, Elijah, Amos and other prophets speak against these images in their temple?

          Have you heard other prophets spoke against images?

          Yes! Certainly, there are other prophets who vehemently speak ill towards worshipping idols. That's our topic for the next section of this article.

          Are you not wondering about these discrepancies in the Law? Is the Bible which we believed to be the Word of God inconsistent with its teachings?

          The answer is no! The Bible is consistent to teach the Law, to love God above all other gods and to give Him praise, to Him alone. And the Bible itself maintains that having images in the house of worship did not prevent anyone one from adoring and worshiping the true God or render him sinful.

          If that is so, how come God did in an instance or two, specifically in the giving of the Ten Commandments, abhors anyone from crafting images?

          This confusion should compel us to learn the real teaching of the Bible concerning the creation of images and its Temple usage.

The BIBLICAL truth: Yahweh versus images

          Helpful in understanding the Bible is knowing the historical context of the verses being discussed. In our case it is the creation of images and its prohibition in some instances.

          Accordingly, in the "primitive oriental thinking, a divine person resided in the image of the deity. When somebody created an image, the god came to reside in it." Israelites are not exempted with this mentality. See Genesis 31: 30, "when Rachel, wife of Jacob robbed her father Laban of his idols, Laban complained that his gods, not their images, were taken from him." Likewise in Judges 18: 24, where Micah "accused the Danites of robbing him of his gods when they marched away only with images."

          Therefore, for the ancient people including Israelites, "To possess a certain image was to have control over the power of the god concerned, to exert a kind of dominion over it, and allows one to use it depending on one's whim, thereby creating a god based on human standards." This is radically contrary to worship Yahweh, the One true God of Israel. See Exodus 3:13-14, God did not reveal His image and His name, instead He instructed Moses to tell the people that He is the "I AM who am." Most biblically scholars argued God's rationale for concealing His image and name, that He is beyond anything hence cannot be controlled by anyone.

          Unfortunately, "Israel seriously fell into the temptation of idol worship." Giving praise, worship and adoration to whatever they created. They even offered sacrifices and burnt incense to the idols. This cult diverts the chosen people from the true God. Thus, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel furiously stood against this kind of cult.

          Gladly, their exhortation was not a labor in vain. The people of Israel heed their voices as a message from God. Consequently, the whole nation of Israel proclaimed Yahweh as the One true God of all nations throughout the succeeding centuries. Their faith matured through time, as Valdez has noted, "whatever image, altar, prayer, or worship that was celebrated in whatever places or language, was destined only for Him." Then, the idol worship diminished if not totally eradicated.

          In addition, Bp. Knecht has also noted on his commentary that "These images served for the glory of God and the edification of Israelites. It is evident, therefore, that it is pleasing to God that we should venerate the images of the angels and saints."

         

What the New Testament says?

          As God dealing with people of matured faith, He decided to manifest Himself closely to humanity than ever. An invisible God of old, made Himself visible to the human eye in the New Covenant, thru Jesus Christ. Hence, Jesus is the image of God par excellence. The CCC has put it this way, "By becoming incarnate, the Son of God introduces a new "economy" of images." "Thus, who are we to prohibit it, if God himself now wanted to get out of His "faceless" phase and become visible through an image?"

          Paul, whose writings were the oldest manuscripts to be incorporated in the Bible, proclaimed Jesus as the true image of God (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4). His proclamation in Colossian making it even clearer that Jesus was the image of the invisible God (cf. Colossians 1:15).

          Jesus affirmed Paul's claim in John 14:8 where He said to Apostle Philip, "He who sees me has seen the Father." Because "I and the Father are one" (cf. John 10:30).

          Practically, "Churches, temples, even cemeteries put up images for psychological reasons. They helped in prayer." Truly, there is a sense of holiness and sacredness that emanate from an image that somehow helps the believer feel God's presence. Likewise, sacred images elevate the church's holy ambiance.

          Why?

          Because these sacred images remind us of heavenly hosts and people who saintly live with the Lord on earth.

          Remember how God instructed Moses to carve a serpent and raise it through a pole so that whoever is bitten to death yet looked at the bronze serpent recovered in Numbers 21: 8-9, as we have mentioned earlier? God has to raise Christ on the cross so that whoever looks at it and believes might be saved (cf. John 3: 14-15). These New Testament texts suffice to prove that God continually uses tangible instruments to help us grow in faith drawing us closer to Him.

          Yet this growing in faith to God has a much greater challenge that of reproducing Christ's image among us. After His paschal mystery (His passion, death and resurrection), Paul reminded the faithful in Romans 8:29 the task of all baptized persons to conform their lives to that of Christ Jesus, the only Son of God. In doing so, we are making Christ alive in us. After all we constitute the mystical body of Christ.

          Thus, it would suffice to say that creating images and using it in one's religious services requires mature faith. Its usage should not exceed as an instrument to get closer to God. Helping you to imbibe God's values easily and give witness to it.

Sources:

The New American Bible

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

Bp. Frederick Justus Knecht, DD. A Practical Commentary on Holy Scriptures, 2003.

Ariel Alvarez Valdez. The Bible: Questions People Ask, vol. 2, 2005.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11045a.htm

The PALM SUNDAY

What is Palm Sunday?

            Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, is the Sunday before Easter, when the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is celebrated in many Christian churches by processions in which palm fronds are carried.

                This year of our Lord 2015, Palm Sunday falls on March 29.

            It is the final Sunday in the Lenten Season, signifying the beginning of Holy Week. Holy Week is the week leading up to Easter and is held in remembrance of Jesus' time in Jerusalem before he died and, according to Christianity, was resurrected. 

How does it relate to the Bible?

            Based on the following biblical accounts: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; and John 12:12-19, Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. It is foretold by the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9), "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey." As he rode into the city on a donkey, his followers spread palm branches at his feet and called him "Hosanna" or "savior." Palm branches were considered symbols of goodness, victory and triumph at the time. However people greeted Jesus not as the spiritual Messiah who would take away the sins of the world, but as a potential political leader who would overthrow the Romans. Hence, the days later, when the people of Jerusalem notice He was captured and tortured, they turn on against Jesus and demand the Romans to crucify him. According to Christianity, Jesus would actually be the savior of his people - as he would save them from their sins, conquering death in doing so. 

Do you do anything special?

            Catholic churches do have processions using the palms. It is usually done at a designated place outside the church. This is to emphasize the dramatic march of Jesus into Jerusalem. As the priest walks towards the church, he blesses the palms the congregation places before him. The branch is meant to serve as a reminder of Christ's victory over death. Hence, after the celebration those blessed palms are placed on the doors and altars in the houses, signifying our faith that death brought to us by sin has rendered powerless because Jesus conquered it - we are indeed saved by the Lord.

What happens to the unused palms?

            The palms have all been blessed by the priest, so they are therefore holy. With that status, you don't simply throw them away. The palms are held till the next year, where they are burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday.

            Again at the end of the Bible, people from every nation raise palm branches to honor Jesus (Revelation 7:9). We remember Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, praise him for the gift of salvation, and look expectantly to his second coming. RAISE your palms!

Why do Catholics and Protestant churches differ in the number of Books in their Bible?

Historical Antecedents (The Palestinian Jews versus the Jews in the Diaspora)

6^th Century BCE (Before Christian Era) Jerusalem was destroyed, free Jewish state disappeared, and Jewish religion was shattered. Jewish religious leaders were becoming more concerned in saving their faith. They deemed it necessary to define a single reference of their sacred writing, where the remaining Jews – the Hebrew speaking Jews can turn into. They decided to list official books of their sacred Scriptures to be recognized by the Jewish people. Thorough evaluation and scrutiny to each book has been applied. Since not all of the books circulating among religious sectors contain undisputable theological ideas. Some of them contain “suspicious and frankly, even dangerous.”

They finally decided to list 39 books to be accepted as Sacred Scriptures. These books were considered undoubtedly divinely inspired. This compilation of official books recognized by the Jewish community as inspired and containing authentic doctrine is called canon, which means “norm” or “rule”, for it serves as a rule of life for the believers. The books that have been rejected are called “apocryphal”, which means “hidden”, because they contained questionable teachings and were thus considered to have spurious origins.

            Outside Palestine a constantly growing in number of Jews flourished. Accordingly this is the largest Jewish colony in the diaspora consisting of 100, 000 population. They settled in Alexandria, a city in Egypt near the Mediterranean coast. These Jews can no longer understood Hebrew, consequently in the 3^rd century they had their Hebrew Scriptures translated into Greek, the language they were using. Since then they used this version in their worship and liturgies. They called this translation as Septuagint because the translation was performed by the 70 wise men in Egypt. But aside from 39 books translated into Greek, the Septuagint was added with another 7 books directly written in Greek. (For the fuller view of these books please refer to my previous article How Many Books does the Bible have?)

            The effort of the Alexandrian Jews was not favorable by the Palestinian Jews, so they out rightly rejected their version of the Scriptures. Since then the Jewish people have two canons of Scriptures, the Palestinian and the Alexandrian.

The Main Event

            Following the theology found in Matthew (Mt. 5:17), that Jesus did not come to abolish but to fulfill and complete the Old Testament, the first community of Christians recognized in their Bible the books used by the Jews. But which of the canons of Scriptures should they use, the shorter canon that of Palestinian version or the longer canon that of Alexandrian?

            Let us remember that in this time, Jews were growing in number in the diaspora, meaning outside Palestinian territory. Therefore, many of them do not know the Hebrew language. So, in favor of the majority, the first Christian believers opted for the Alexandrian version, the Septuagint which uses the Greek language. In reaction to the Christians, the Jews defined their canon of the Scriptures favoring the Palestinian version consisting of 39 books.

            Sometimes in the 16^th century CE (Christian Era), Martin Luther started a reformation in the Church which resulted eventually to the erection of another community of believers, the Protestant church. One of the changes Luther introduced to his new church was the use of the shorter canon. This is considered as the landmark of Luther’s reformation, breaking the tradition maintained by the Catholic Church for 15 centuries about using the longer canon.

            Since then, Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches differ in the canons of Scriptures. The Catholic maintains the use of Alexandrian version, 46 books while Protestants followed the Palestinian canon, 39 books.

            The Catholic Church has finally decreed its definitive canon of Scriptures through the Council of Trent (1545-1563) issuance of the decree De Canonicis Scripturis on April 8, 1546, recognizing the Old Testament of the Bible as having 46 books including the seven books unauthorized by the Protestants.

           

            It should be noted here importantly why our discussion focus on the Old Testament only. Since both churches agreed the number of canons in the New Testament which is 27 books.

Sources:

The New American Bible

The Bible: Questions People Ask, vol. 1 by Ariel Alvarez Valdez

The Christian Faith: In The Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church by J. Neuner, SJ and J. Dupuis, SJ.

Should the Ascension of Jesus takes place in Galilee or Jerusalem?

In the New Testament, our Gospels specifically, discrepancies are “all around the map.” One response for these inconsistencies would simply because the gospels are not written as historical evidence. In fact, “The Gospels are filled with non-historical materials, accounts of events that could not have happened...If you have two contradictory accounts of the same event, both accounts cannot be accurate.”[1] Even one of our best arguments in defence of our gospel, to say that they were written purposely for the propagation of faith is not an excuse for veracity inquiry. However, I am not probing here any biblical events whether it is historically accurate or not like what Bart Erhman did. To do so is beyond my competence. What I’m trying to elucidate here are the probable reasons our gospel authors have in mind while writing down the traditions of Jesus. On the matter pursued here, the places where Jesus’ Ascension took place.

I understand ordinary lay person, catholic or not, would crumble upon encountering this findings in the Bible. We have esteemed the Holy Scriptures as revealed by God. Consequently many believed it to be inerrant. So to speak, it is without error. Everything is accurate. Indeed, the Holy Bible is inerrant in its revelatory message, the Good News that is, God's revelation which culminates in Jesus. Yet, we should humbly recognize that God's instruments, the authors of books in the Bible were human beings, and they use mediums of communication best available of their times. Both the writers and their mediums, namely the language and genre were all limited. Besides its abundance it can never fathom the richness of God.

Fr. Munachi E. Ezeogu, CSSP in one of his homilies wrote, “Luke-Acts the Ascension takes place in Jerusalem, whereas in Matthew and Mark it takes place in Galilee.” Many if not all Christians not excluding priest are eluded with this revelation. They never bother what these accounts means. But for curiosity sake, let us try to look at it closely to find out what is in there which might lead us to a more profound meaning of the accounts.

Did it happen in Jerusalem?

Lucan account of the Ascension, Luke 24:50-52, where we read the text as follows, “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (underlined words is my emphases). And Bethany was considerably at a distance from the holy city of Jerusalem. “Now Bethany was less than two miles (“about 3 kilometers” according to some translation) from Jerusalem,” John 11:18. Based from these accounts the Ascension did not happen in the city of Jerusalem but in some distant, albeit not too far a place called Bethany.

What’s in Jerusalem which we can decipher in this account is something else other than the Ascension. Try to look at the accounts in Acts:

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” Acts 1:4

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

At a closer look, I would say, specifically it is not the Ascension which took place in Jerusalem but the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, traditionally called the Pentecost. From the city of Jerusalem, Jesus led His Apostles out to the vicinity of Bethany (cf. Luke 24:50-52). There He ascended into heaven. But before leaving He commanded them to stay in Jerusalem until the promised Paraclete would come upon them.[2] Thus, it is said the Apostles “returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”[3] This Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, would give them the strength and courage to carry on the mission starting from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. See Luke 24:47, “and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

Why should chose Bethany as the locus for His Ascension? Could he not ascend in the city of Jerusalem? These are guide queries which would direct our biblical exploration to the probabilities of theological underpinnings of this written tradition. Let me remind you again, we are not probing here something historical but we are trying to decipher possible spiritual message. Let our queries, what is in the place or what is in the name of the place, as our guide questions to further our research.

But as far as the gospel of Luke is concern, to strictly rely on the said gospel on our endeavour, I’m afraid we cannot dig deeper far from we are expected to attain. Our extreme obstacle, so to speak, is that we don’t have much information about the place Bethany from the gospel of Luke. Let us proceed though.

First, Bethany in Aramaic: בית עניא, or Beth anya, which means "house of misery/poverty" is recorded in the New Testament as the home of the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, as well as that of Simon the Leper. Strategically, “Bethany lay below to the southeast, out of view of the Temple Mount, which may have made its location suitable as a place for care of the sick, "out of view" of the Temple.” [4] It is the place where Christ possibly chooses to ascend into heaven as a sign of fulfilment of the promised liberation and salvation of the poor and the oppressed (Luke 16:19-31; 21:1-4), sinners (Luke 19:1-9), the sick and the disabled (Luke 17:11–19; 18:35–43), children and women alike (Luke 7:36–50; 18:15–17), that someday somehow they who are suffering with Christ on earth will be one with Him in Heaven. In the words of Richard Mcbrien, Jesus was “delighted in eating meals with the religious outcasts of his day, the “tax collectors and sinners,” and saw in these meals a joyful anticipation of the heavenly banquet, at which the poor and the socially and religiously marginalized would also have a place.”[5] His ascension at Bethany could be confirmation that indeed these lowly people led by His apostles have a rightful place in His Kingdom in heaven.

Second was believed to be as the pre-figurations of Jesus' glory. It was in Bethany where Jesus raised to life His closed friend Lazarus who was allegedly dead for four days upon His arrival (John 11:1-44). It could be possibly said that Bethany was the place Christ chose for His Ascension to confirm what He said in v. 4, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it" and v. 25, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He resurrected himself after three days in the tomb and his ascend into heaven truly authenticates what He said, He is the life. His ascension nonetheless proves that He lives with the Father in eternity.

Both traditions, however, agree that it took place on a mountain. In Luke-Acts the Ascension happens forty days after the Resurrection during which period Jesus appears repeatedly to his followers. In Matthew and Mark there is no indication of this time period between the Resurrection and the Ascension, rather the first appearance of Jesus to his disciples after the resurrection is also the last. The gospel writers apparently were not aiming at accuracy in historical details; they were more concerned with transmitting a message.

            Did it happen in Galilee?

            Both gospels of Matthew and Mark related the scene where Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Salome visited the tomb of Jesus but could not find His body but most probably an unnamed angel relating also the command of Jesus to tell His Apostles and Peter to go to Galilee where He had to meet them. Let's read the accounts:

            “Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of    you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” Matthew 28:7

            “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to      go.”      Matthew 28:16

            “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see          him, just as he told you." Mark 16:7

            To answer the question either by Yes or No is an attempt classified as intellectual dishonesty. Why? It is simply dishonest to ascertain what is beyond our means to prove. Besides, we have no eyewitnesses to recall the exact event of the resurrection of Jesus, whether it happened in Galilee or in Jerusalem.

            However, we are not left empty handed here by the gospel authors. We can ascertain some meanings relevant to the gospels' context and intention.

            Let's find out what's in there in Galilee?

1.      Jesus started his ministry in Galilee.

2.      Jesus first called His disciples in Galilee.

3.      Jesus' first self-manifestation as God was in Galilee (John 2:1ff; John 4:46).

4.      John 4:43 Galilean welcomes Jesus.

           

            Let's consider these facts as our initial findings to what is the meaning of this account. But this is not enough. Take note what is peculiar in this account in comparison with that of Luke is the command "Go into the whole world and preach the goodness" (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15). So it is ministry related. The gospel writers would like to depict the following:[6]

1.      Jesus' mission ends where it begins - Galilee.

2.      The continuity between Jesus' ministry and that of the church.

3.      Jesus' presence in the Church never ends.

4.      It is by the hands of Jesus that the church fulfils its mission.

            So where do you think Jesus' ascension occurs? It will never matter now which place you refer to as you answer this question. What matters most is how it affects you as a believer, how it heartens you a church member and how it deepens your faith in Jesus.

---

                [1] Bart D. Erhman. Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. (Harper One: 2012), 71.

                [2] Bishop Frederick Justus Knecht, D.D. A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture.(Illinois: Tan Books and Publishing,Inc., 2003), 729.

                [3] Luke 24:52.

                [4] Google. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_(biblical_village).

                [5] Richard Mcbrien. Catholicism, 3^rd ed., 454.

                [6] William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Mark. Rev. ed.(India: Rekha Printers, 2006), 370.