Let’s ponder on two words Jesus says in the gospel lesson and their implications for each other. These are not some theological reflections that have no practical use. I would like us to reckon that which can have a beneficial impact on our daily life. Spiritual practice must be useful in that it enriches life.
First, the Messiah. This is the identity that Jesus doesn’t wish to disclose to others. The Messiah means the anointed one, which has at least four similar but slightly different meanings. The most well-known example is with Samuel. He anointed Saul as the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 10:1). Then he also anointed David as the future king (1 Samuel 16:12-13). Anointing can be associated with political appointments of kingship from God. Another example of anointing is with Elijah, who anoints Elisha. This symbolizes the prophetic lineage being handed over to Elisha with the receiving of the Spirit to fulfill prophetic duties. In the Christian tradition, we have two kinds of anointing. One is an anointing of healing with oil. The easiest but misleading example of this type of anointing is the last rites. It is misleading because it doesn’t require one in an end-of-life situation to be anointed. It’s for anyone who is ill. Its biblical reference is from James 5:14: “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” The other example of anointing is that of Chrism. This happens at the sacrament of baptism. Recall the moment of a priest pouring abundantly the chrism oil with the words: “N, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever. Amen.” Now, this use of anointing is the version that is most relevant to us Christians, and integrates all the other uses of anointing in the cases of Saul, David, and Elisha. And quite regrettably, this may be the one we Christians are less aware of in its practical implication. That we are sealed by the Holy Spirit is our confession that life is dependent on the Breath of God. It is marked and fastened securely as we breathe the breath of God within. This signifies us as the followers of Christ, as Christ’s own. On the other hand, Jesus being anointed in a manner of divine appointment makes sense when considering the inner kingdom of God he proclaims. Within that kingdom within, he is divinely anointed and appointed. This again is what we follow after. As Jesus is anointed, we too are. This anointment is the very first ordination that all baptized participate in. This ordination is the foundation of any priestly or diaconate ordination or any Christian ministry. Based on this anointment called Chrism, we put on Christ. Now the second concept: the cross. The cross in Jesus’ time is the symbol of the death sentence. It means suffering. Then, what does it mean for us to deny ourselves and take up our own cross? One way to interpret it is by contemplating death every day. I don’t think this would be a very popular interpretation but certainly is a healthy one. Every day, we keep in mind how everything is inconstant and impermanent. How often do we take things and people around us, especially the ones close to us, for granted? Our act of denying the version of ourselves that is indifferent to the inconstancy and impermanence of life and contemplating death would help us behave wisely in a way that we become skillful in how we treat one another and ourselves. Another way to make sense of denying ourselves and taking up our own cross is to have the cross as a lens to look at our thoughts, words, and deeds. This is to evaluate whether our actions create suffering. The cross becomes the criterion to assess whether our feelings, thoughts, words, and behaviors are skillful. The cross is a tool to see if we are creating stress. For example, as I am about to react to my immediate family’s comment on my behavior, I will intentionally deny my strong urge to say something mean or nasty and take up my own cross, which is to ask myself, “What actions would produce outcomes that would benefit both of us, which would mature our relationship?” That we are anointed as Jesus points us to the inner kingdom of God in which we are “divinely,” which is through the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, appointed as God’s own. But this anointing of Chrism, though it’s a one-time event, is something to be cultivated throughout a lifetime. It is our practical toolkit to deny our unskillful ways of creating who we are and what we do and to take up our own cross. As we create an inner room, we can pause and discern through the lens of the cross whether our action results in unnecessary stress and suffering. We can only be assured of being sealed by the Holy Spirit only through the Breath of God. In this way, we are marked as Christ’s own who encounters in the inner breath of our own that communes with God’s breath. The discerning question of the cross helps us breathe God’s grace into who we become and how we behave towards others. |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
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