All things have been handed over to me by my Father

TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER (Lk 10,21-24)

Eternal life is in the knowledge of the Father and the Son, not of the Father without the Son and not of the Son without the Father. Father and Son are one thing, one knowledge and one eternal life. That is how the Gospel according to John reveals this truth: “When Jesus had said this, he raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began. “I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me” (Jn 17,1-8). The Father placed everything in the hands of his Son.

Whoever wants to know the Father must know Christ Jesus. Christ is the truth of the Father. Without Christ Jesus, his Only Begotten Son, the Father is without truth. The Father is the truth of Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus is separated from the Father, Christ is without truth. But if Christ is without truth, the whole Church is without truth. The whole of humanity remains without truth. The mission of giving every man eternal life in the knowledge of the truth of the Father and the Son is of the Son. The mission of giving eternal life in the knowledge of Christ Jesus is of the Church. The Father gives everything for the Son. The Son gives everything for his Church. The Church gives everything for the apostolic mission. Where there is no apostolic mission, there is no truth of the Church, consequently there is no truth about Christ or even the truth of the Father. There is a Scripture without the heart of the Church, the heart of Christ and the heart of the Father. Just as there is a “supper of the Lord” without the heart of Christ and consequently without the heart of the Church and the heart of the Father. A Church without a heart serves nothing, just as a “supper of the Lord” does not serve without the heart of Christ, the heart of the Church and the heart of the Father. The heart of Christ must be the heart of every man. Only the Church with the heart of Christ can give the heart of Christ to men.

At that very moment he rejoiced (in) the holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

The Apostolic Church is the essence of the truth of Christ, because only she might give the truth of Christ to every man, on condition that she herself is the heart of Christ, and she is the heart of Christ if she remains in perfect knowledge of her Lord. When St. Paul says “In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favour that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first instalment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory” (Eph 1,7-14), the ministry of the Apostolic Church must always be added.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, obtain for us the perfect knowledge of Christ and of the Church.