LEARN TO LIVE, LIVE TO LEARN
“To know much and taste nothing-of what use is that?” ―St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio
"Dear Kuya Jeff, I've been following your Facebook posts and have been learning a great deal about our Catholic faith through the Q&A content you share. Recently, my daughter was chosen to sing as one of the angels during the Salubong on Easter Sunday morning in our parish. Despite my Evangelical dad's objection, citing it as un-biblical, I allowed my daughter to participate as she loves to sing and really wanted to be involved. I'm curious about the Catholic practice of the Salubong and whether or not the meeting between Mama Mary and the Risen Lord during the Resurrection really happened. Thank you for your time in addressing my question, and please continue writing—it helps a lot." - Angel Mama 1.) Proverbs 22:6 advises parents to guide their children in the right direction, assuring that they will stay on that path throughout their lives. Congratulations on taking the first step in introducing your child to the church by allowing her to participate in the Easter event. Your efforts as a Catholic Christian parent are commendable and impactful. 2.) Encuentro or Salubong is a ceremonial gathering, commonly observed in the Philippines, commemorating the reunion of Jesus and Mary following the Resurrection. This procession includes the singing of Regina Coeli and the symbolic removal of Mary's veil, symbolizing the end of her mourning. A similar tradition known as La Corsa dell'Angelo, or the Angel Run, takes place annually in Ischia, Italy. Here, a golden angel announces the Resurrection through the town's streets and alleys. The climax occurs when statues of Jesus and Mary converge, and Mary's veil is removed amid jubilant Alleluias. Although not explicitly mentioned in the gospels, this revered practice has been part of Easter celebrations since the 16th century, offering a poignant expression of the joyous Resurrection event. 3.) The belief that Jesus appeared first to his mother Mary in the morning of the Resurrection is strongly held by Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church, Popes, and Seers since time in memorial. Throughout the lengthy tradition of the church, this belief has never been refuted or dismissed. None of the saints have denied it, as the doctrine aligns with the faith of the church: A.) St. Ambrose of Milan explicitly confirms this belief, stating: "Mary therefore saw the Resurrection of the Lord ... She was the first who saw it and believed." Similarly, St. Augustine of Hippo taught that during the three days from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, Mary was the only one who remained steadfast in her faith in the resurrection of Christ, making her the sole believer in the Church during that triduum. Considering this, it's evident that the Virgin Mother played a significant role in the joys of the Resurrection. It is firmly believed that her most beloved Jesus consoled her first after his Resurrection. St. Anselm of Canterbury also strongly endorsed this belief, as recounted by his disciple Eadmer: "The Blessed Virgin Mary was the first to witness Jesus coming into the world as He took on flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit. And it was the Blessed Virgin Mary who first witnessed Jesus after He had rose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit as He came in His new resurrected flesh". B.) St. Vincent Ferrer held that "only the Virgin Mary on that Holy Saturday invariably believed. Because of this, on every Saturday the office of the day in the Church of God is celebrated in her honor. When therefore Scripture says, 'The Lord shows himself to them who have faith in him,' it seems that as a reward of merit for her faith that he would appear to her first ... The devout soul can piously contemplate, as then to perceive the sweetness of this vision in their hearts. The Virgin Mary was most certain that her son would rise on the third day, as he had predicted, but perhaps she did not know the hour of his Resurrection, because it is not written that Christ had revealed the hour of his Resurrection ... So the Virgin Mary on this very night, which was so long for her, awaited the Resurrection of her son and she began to think at which hour he would rise, but she did not know. She looked out of the window, and she saw the dawn breaking, and she rejoiced, saying, ‘Now my son is rising' ... [Jesus] greeted his mother saying: ‘Peace be with you.’ The Virgin fell to her knees and weeping abundantly for joy adored him, kissing his hands and feet, saying: ‘O blessed wounds, which have given me such pain on Good Friday.’ Christ kissing his mother said: ‘My mother, rejoice, because from now on, you will have nothing but joy and celebration.'" For St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Resurrected Jesus appeared first to His mother. Ignatius describes this scene in the Spiritual Exercises and has become a popular devotion in medieval Spain. We might imagine this encounter between the Blessed Mother and her Son. Mary last saw her Son on Good Friday. His friends wrapped His broken Body in burial cloths and placed Him in the tomb. Mary held Him many times as a boy. She holds him a final time before His burial in the tomb. Three days later, he greets her as the sun rises on Easter. He brings her joy in this glorious visit on Sunday morning. She embraces Him again, weeping again, now smiling through tears of joy". C.) Pope Benedict XIV believed that the Risen Christ's appearance to His mother is a fact "based on the tradition proclaimed by ancient architectural and liturgical monuments, starting from Jerusalem itself." Moreover, Pope St. John Paul II: "The Gospels mention various appearances of the risen Christ, but not a meeting between Jesus and his Mother. This silence must not lead to the conclusion that after the Resurrection Christ did not appear to Mary; rather it invites us to seek the reasons why the Evangelists made such a choice." For instance, St. Paul highlights that Jesus appeared "to more than 500 brethren at one time." How is it, John Paul II asked, "that an exceptional event known to so many is not mentioned by the Evangelists?" Obviously, the Evangelists didn't record all Jesus' appearances within the 40 days. "How could the Blessed Virgin, present in the first community of disciples, be excluded from those who met her divine Son after he had risen from the dead?" asked John Paul II. "Indeed, it is legitimate to think that the Mother was probably the first person to whom the risen Jesus appeared." Posing another question, he asked rhetorically if Mary’s not joining the women going to the tomb at dawn can "indicate that she had already met Jesus? Those women had been faithful and had been at the Cross. Of course, Our Lady had been the most faithful of all". D.) Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, a stigmatic and mystic, recounts her vision of Jesus meeting his mother immediately following his Resurrection: "Mary then went to Calvary; but when she had almost reached it, she stopped suddenly, and I saw the sacred body and soul of our Saviour standing before her. An angel walked in front; the two angels whom I had seen in the tomb were by his side, and the souls whom he had redeemed followed him by hundreds. The body of Jesus was brilliant and beautiful, but its appearance was not that of a living body, although a voice issued from it; and I heard him describe to the Blessed Virgin all he had done in Limbo, and then assure her that be should rise again with his glorified body; that he would then show himself to her, and that she must wait near the rock of Mount Calvary, and that part where she saw him fall down, until he appeared ... At the very moment in which the angel entered the sepulchre and the earth quaked, I saw our Lord appear to his holy Mother on Calvary. His body was beautiful and lightsome, and its beauty was that of a celestial being. He was clothed in a large mantle, which at one moment looked dazzlingly white, as it floated through the air, waving to and fro with every breath of wind, and the next reflected a thousand brilliant colours as the sunbeams passed over it. His large open wounds shone brightly, and could be seen from a great distance: the wounds in his hands were so large that a finger might be put into them without difficulty; and rays of light proceeded from them, diverging in the direction of his fingers. The souls of the patriarchs bowed down before the Mother of our Saviour, and Jesus spoke to her concerning his Resurrection, telling her many things which I have forgotten. He showed her his wounds; and Mary prostrated to kiss his sacred feet; but he took her hand, raised her, and disappeared". 4.) Bernardine of Siena preached that the Gospels did not expressly mention Jesus's apparition to His mother due to three reasons: first was because of the firmness of Mary's faith in the Resurrection of her Son. The confidence which the Virgin-Mother had of Her Son's rising again had never faltered, not even by the slightest doubt. Second was the incredulity of men. In Jewish and Roman society, the testimony coming from women was questionable. Moreover, the fact of Mary being His Mother would have weakened Her testimony, at least in their own eyes. Finally, the omission is explained by the sublime nature of the apparition itself. The Gospel says nothing regarding the Mother of Christ after the Resurrection, and the reason is that Her interviews with Her Son were so sublime and ineffable that no words could have described them. So sublime was this event that Mary treasured up all these things and pondered it in her heart, as she did whenever mysteries unfold right before her eyes (cf. Luke 2:19; Luke 2:34-35; Luke 2:51). 5.) Many hold the belief that the four gospels comprehensively document every word and deed of Jesus during his earthly ministry of three years. However, this assumption is incorrect. It is acknowledged that not all of Jesus' teachings were recorded in writing. John's Gospel acknowledges this at its conclusion, stating that if everything Jesus did were to be written down, the world itself could not contain the volumes. Some teachings of Jesus were not yet documented by the time John completed his Gospel. Luke, in the beginning of his Gospel, explains his decision to write, noting that others have already recorded certain events, and he deems it beneficial to compile what his readers have been taught. This writing process involves documenting Sacred Tradition, just as Luke's Gospel later becomes recognized as Sacred Scripture. Instead of personally writing scriptures during his earthly ministry, Jesus established the church to safeguard and transmit his teachings to the apostles. For example, the earliest gospel, Mark, was penned only 60 to 90 years post-Resurrection, and the Catholic Church officially compiled the 73 books into the Holy Bible in 382. The body of teachings from Jesus' time was passed down through the apostles, their followers, Church Fathers, and beyond through Sacred Oral Tradition, with some eventually being recorded in scriptures. Yet, certain traditions persisted orally within faith communities. As articulated in The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, both Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture together constitute the singular deposit of God's word entrusted to the Church. The authoritative interpretation of this deposit lies with the teaching authority of the church. St. Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, underscores the importance of holding fast to these three sources of Faith: "Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours (2:15)". 🖌️ The Risen Christ Appears to His Mother, Daniele Monteleone (1600)
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About JeffJeff Jacinto, PhD, DHum Archives
October 2024
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