THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES AND THE SACRAMENTS (C)
Third Luminous Mystery is the proclamation of the kingdom (Mark 1:14-15). Here we can envisage the Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation and the Sacrament Anointing of the Sick.
Another mystery of light is the preaching by which Jesus proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God, calls to conversion ( Mark 1:15) and forgives the sins of all who draw near to him in humble trust (Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48): the inauguration of that ministry of mercy which he continues to exercise until the end of the world, particularly through the Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation which he has entrusted to his Church (John 20:22-23).
The heart of Jesus' teachings centers around the theme of the kingdom of God. This expression is found in sixty-one separate sayings in the Synoptic Gospels. Counting parallels to these passages, the expression occurs over eighty-five times. It also occurs twice in John (3:3, 5). It is found in such key places as the preaching of John the Baptist, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2).
It was once argued that the expressions "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven" referred to two different realities. It is now clear, however, that they are synonyms. This is evident for several reasons. For one, the two expressions are used in the same sayings of Jesus, but where Matthew uses "kingdom of heaven", Mark or Luke or both use "kingdom of God".
Second, Matthew himself uses these two expressions interchangeably in 19:23-24, "it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven … for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
For devout Jews, "heaven" was frequently used as a replacement for "God" . Due to respect for the third commandment ("You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God" [Exod 20:7 ]). Pious Jews used various names such as Adonai (Lord), for the sacred name of God (YHWH) in order to avoid the danger of breaking this commandment. One such indirectness was the term "heaven". This is seen in the expression "kingdom of heaven" also in such passages as Luke 15:18, 21 and Mark 11:30.
The third Luminous Mystery is about the Sacraments of Penance & Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick because both of these Sacraments are based on Christ's call to repentance, conversion, and forgiveness. The preaching of Christ and the call to accept the kingdom of God requires us to change by repenting, converting, and being forgiven. Christ's preaching would be useless to us if we did not have grace for repentance and conversion, and the grace of forgiveness from our sins. Jesus spent the active years of his ministry preaching and performing miracles to proclaim the Kingdom of God. He asks us to express sorrow from our sin, turn away from sin, and trust in God.
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is also called Last Rites. Last Rites does not solely imply, the anointing is meant to facilitate peaceful death of the sick. This Sacrament offers to us healing, not only for the body, but also for the soul. This Sacrament is primarily aimed at healing the soul. The soul is healed through repentance, conversion, and forgiveness. This Sacrament, like all the Sacraments, has the power to forgive venial sins. And, under some conditions, it can even be effective in forgiving mortal sins. In this mystery we experience the mercy of God.
To Be Continued……
Mother of Our Savior, pray for us!!!
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