The word presence carries within it the meaning of “being
there.” Often, we speak about people having a physical presence, while at the
same time not being attentive to the moment or aware of themselves. In other
words, a person may be seen physically there but inwardly disengaged and his mind
and spirit absorbed elsewhere. So, the act of being there seems to have
two dimensions: it includes both a physical and a spiritual awareness of one’s
environment.
From a Catholic point-of-view – or Christian’s point of
view – the act of being there always includes these two dimensions.
However, our self-awareness or spiritual presence in real-time consists of two
further aspects. When we are being there in the company of others, we hold
the best interest of the other person.
We see this in the most elementary form of friendship of
love. We die to self and rise beyond our ego for the sake of the other.
For example, spouses give themselves over to each other in costly love; parents
sacrifice themselves out of love for their children. (Lane, pg. 112).
The self-aware act of being there in the best
interest of the other is not merely about our desire to be present but rather about
our being there on behalf of another. We are often prompted by someone
else – or by an institution – to act for the sake of another.
For example, it is in the best interest of the patron that
I service alcohol responsibility as a bartender, but it is on Liquor License’s
authority that prompts this responsibility. The same applies to educators and
public servants – their representatives being the board of education and
department of governments, respectively.
Jesus’ incarnation and ministry embodies this concept of being
there for others. His historical life, as recorded in scripture, presents a
God physically among his people, divided by social, economic and political tension.
He acts consistently in the best interest of others, as seen in his preaching,
healing and the feeding of the crowd.
Yet, though he loves us, he is present as one sent by
another – his heavenly Father. Being there, it seems, involves more than
physical presence and self-awareness. In Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection
we discover that truly being there is rooted in the will and love of
another – the source of agency – whose love calls us to act in the best
interest of the other.
The Paschal mystery encompasses Jesus’ life, ministry,
death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. We experience and celebrate these
mysteries through our participation in the sacraments.
According to the Magisterium, the celebration of the
sacraments is not an enactment on repeat of Christ’s life but instead a representation
of them in the present done repeatedly. By representation, the Church teaches
that Jesus truly makes himself present through the minister’s own actions. In
other words, although Jesus has ascended to heaven, he is still here with us –
even where his physical presence is not seen.
Jesus’ real-time presence through the sacraments is not a
magical act nor a symbolic gesture of his love. It is God’s reality in the
liturgy however our reception to it depends on our openness to it (DesiderioDesideravi §45)1.
If we explore the roots of the word pascal, we discover
it highlights the theme of “passing over.” In the Old Testament, we read that
God passed over the Israelites to save them. This links to one of the
two sacramental structural realities of the sacrament, which is oriented
towards salvation – the already now, but not yet.
If God passed over then for Israel, and then passed over
again in Christ’s humanity, it follows that he continues to be here – fully
present to our need of being saved, acting in the best interest of our reality
– thanks to the Father’s love – through the sacraments.
In this way, we, as one people in one moment of time, experience God’s continued act of saving each and every one of us. His being here is not as a passing visitor to our world: he has taken up permanent residence.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission for purchases made through these links, at no cost to you.1 [Click here] to be directed to Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter Desiderio Desideravi. ↩
No comments:
Post a Comment