Dave Montero Jesus Christ and Sacraments

3rd year Rogationist Sept. 14, 2021, feast of the exaltation of the cross

Jesus: a secret man, a hidden God

For me there is no any mysterious man other than Jesus. I imagine myself living in the time of
Jesus and wondering who is this man? How come He does and speaks a lot of things? I also imagine if
I am like others who has no idea of this man, they call Jesus. Perhaps I could ask, why do people speak
of Him? Who is that Man? I don’t know how I could confront Him to ask, ‘Who are You?’ Why a lot
of people is so amazed and tell stories about You? Why were many lives moved and changed because
of You? Why do many people love and follow You to the point that they are willing to give up their
very own lives just for You? I consider these questions to remain unanswerable. And the only answer
perhaps may not only be based on teachings and writings about the man they called Jesus.
Even to the claimed writings by non-Christians even non-Jewish alike. Such as the ones find in the
Annals (15.44) of CORNELius Tacitus. Which he claims that during the time of the procurator Pontius
Pilate a man named Christus suffered extreme punishment. A famous Jewish writer by the name of
Josephus mentions Jesus in his Antiquities (18.3.3) he wrote that how “if it is lawful that he be called
as a man” for doing wonderful works and “a teacher who receive the truth with pleasure”, which drew
the attention of both the Jewish and non-Jewish parties during that time. It maybe said that this man
Jesus is part of man’s history.
Jesus became even more historic because of the rise of the large group of followers which belongs
or somehow credited to Him. They were named as Christians. But as time goes on, these Christians
faces a lot of struggles when it comes to the true identification of the one that they follow. Many of
them beforehand are unsure of who really is Jesus Christ: Is He a God or just a Man? Or Both? Does
He really have a body as what the Docetic would ask? Or is He liking to an Angel who only posses a
vessel and not a true human body? Does He only have a Divine Mind as the Apollinarians claims to be?
Or He is the same with us in having a Rational mind because He is also human? Many questions were
raised during that time. But most of these questions were answered because of the councils formed to
encounter these so-called heresies about the man named Jesus.
The following developing events on the life of the Christians gives way to reunite their beliefs and
so establish a kind of truth they ought now to proclaim concerning the Man they refer to as Jesus Christ.
They accept the reality of Jesus being a true man and a true God in their faith. A man because He
became like us. He came as a small little baby, thus there is someone who gives birth to Him and formed
Him to be a Man as He grew, As He became a boy, and so reach His different stages of becoming a
Human Person. He learned how to use words or our language. He learned skills and works on it. He
even learn how to use them well and so He could see what His talent is. More than preaching and doing
a lot of miracles that would be later on. In the other hand, the Man which is Jesus is capable aswell of
doing things, an ordinary man like me would usually does not. How could He himself alone could
multiply bread to be fed for a lot of people? Atleast five thousand of them? An ordinary person would
cook tirelessly for food to be able to share within a large number of people! But this man is so different
that He could share enough from a piece of five bread and two fish! How could He alone walk in water
in the midst of the storm? Even an ordinary and a skilled swimmer may not swim enough in the midst
of a great storm at the middle of the sea! And how is it possible that He could share that same talent
that He has to others, like to his disciple Peter who let Him walk on water. Imagine, that this fellow can
heal illnesses that requires a scientific procedures and advance medicine in order for those who are sick
of such illness namely leprosy, being paralyzed, blindness, deafness and so on would be healed. And so
they are able to; by just a single touch, or by uttering a word or perhaps even using his own saliva and
a little bit of dirt to help someone to make use of some sight and be healed or cleaned.
How it is, most of all, that He could rise Himself to back to life again? Indeed, as a person this man
who has a name, who has a rational mind, who can do things as humans do; die for one reason which is
for our redemption. Therefore the man they call as Jesus Christ even encountered death as a human
person together with its unbearable pains. Even in a humiliating way in the cross. Despite of many ways
to experience death, this man faces persecution for Himself instead. A persecution that is possible for
an ordinary criminal or a rebel would have to undergo. How is it the same to a God who became man?
How could it be?
So many questions and so many answers to this single man they call Jesus Christ. That a person
like me would take some time not only a moment to study such a figure. Even hours are not enough to
know His life and even His person and His true identity, including His very own nature. That sometimes
the reasoning from logic and other philosophical and scientific views could not define and maintain
such consistency in human understanding about who Jesus really is. How could I myself explain that
He is the second person of the trinity and so one with God as He said; That “He and the father is One”
(John 10:30)? How could I explain that He is the food that gives life, (John 6:35) a bread who came
down from heaven, (John 6:51) and His blood is true drink and could satisfy our thirst (John 6:55)?
Such claims could be not acceptable with the thoughts of reason alone. That’s why His mystery requires
Faith. And therefore I must be convince that Jesus is more than a Man like me and He Himself is more
than me, because He Himself is so mysterious. Since He is like us but at the same time higher than us.
For He shares His being mysterious to a God who is Hidden in the same Mysteriousness. His Being is
Mysterious itself. As far as how I could define it to be. Together with all the thoughts, knowledge, and
understanding about this single person or should I even say being that gives impact in our history.
History itself will never be the same without Him and in His mysteriousness. By which itself is part of
our time and generations to generations, and every single person and walks of life must live with it.
Jesus is a man surrounded with many questions. He often lives in arguments and in different
perspectives. He is most of the time a subject between contradictions and misunderstandings. He is most
of the time dealing with doubt, with concepts and with different interpretations about His life, works,
and with His whole Self. His Manhood and Divinity is an endless task of careful and well-structured
study, analysis, reflection, identification, of knowing, of seeing and of understanding. Not only with the
use of reason but off course with Faith. For Jesus cannot just live-in reason but in Faith most particularly
within our lives, especially as Christians, Roman Catholics, and Seminarians.
Knowing Jesus in both Scriptures, Oral Traditions, and Magisterium for me is not enough. I must
live it with Him throughout my life. He must not remain in my thought or in my mind, but with my
whole being. He must be my head, and not my shoulders and knees. He must not only remain in my
gadgets, books, in Churches, in Libraries and so on. I must have to find Him everywhere. And for me
it is a task, not only in the seminary or in my studies both theological and philosophical. Jesus Himself
is in practical courses of life and I must find Him living in Actuality and not only in potentiality.
I believe that my/our mature understanding of Jesus Christ must not be focus on doctrines or in
biblical basis alone. Or in other words, not only in lectio Divina or bible study. He must be studied in
our lives and so I may ask, where is Jesus in my life? How could I see Him in my life or in myself even?
While facing the struggles, the difficulties and the unacceptable realities that bothers us in our
surroundings, knowing that we are just a Human. But as long as I have Jesus Christ, I must not only
remain in the thought that I am just a Human and I have nothing more to do unlike with Jesus Christ.
But with Jesus we could live our life to the fullest. Especially by knowing Him and searching Him in
our lives and not just in Google.
And so, I must go to my next point: Which is Jesus being a secret man in both scriptures and in the
aspects of our history. Christians might totally be aware of the idea of Messianic Secret. This leads me
to say in my reflection that Jesus is a man of secrets. He does not want to share the effects of His healing
to others such as the case of the deaf (Mark 7:36) or in healing a leprosy (Mark 1:41-42). He even
doesn’t want to be recognized unlike most of the healers do nowadays. Being commended in not a way
of Jesus to do such business. His miracle and wonder works are not a play that must be watched by
people or must be broadcasted abroad or On Air Live Streaming. Yet the saying ‘No Secret must not
remain Hidden’ (Walang Lihim na Hindi nabubunyag in Tagalog) must sometimes be considered as
true. For the more Jesus would tell those who had been healed to not spread a piece of rumor of what
cure they have received. The more they proclaim and told people about it (Mark 1:43-44). To the point
that when Jesus and His fellows tries to enter a town, they could not simply accept them, because of the
exorcism that He does to one who is possessed by some evil spirits (Mark 5:17). Even He can no longer
enter a town by His own (Mark 1:45) thus He lost His own personal space. His being secret therefore
became not effective due to His fame as a teacher plus healer. His popularity became more intense and
the more He does His ministry the more He became well-known such as a celebrity. The more He
become so secret for Himself aswell the more people look and trace Him (Mark 1:37).
The part in the life of Jesus being looked by a lot of people struck me. For this passage and the
reality that is being manifested to it still in effect of today. How many people nowadays are looking for
Jesus? In particular for His presence not only in the Eucharist or in the Blessed Sacrament but in their
daily life. And thus, Jesus is a man surrounded by many questions, His life, deeds, and influence is in
view of full questions. Even before His crucifixion He was questioned by those who want to exterminate
Him out of His being a man of secrets. I say it because, He does not proclaim to anyone immediately
and with a blast about His Messiahship. As much as possible He want to remain in secret and mysterious
to others while preaching to them the truth and openly and honestly tell His purpose and what He had
to do such as in the case where He ask His disciples; “Who do you say that I am.” (Matthew 16:15).
And when He told them about what He would to undergo and one of them rebuked them; "Never, Lord!"
(…) "This shall never happen to you!" (Matthew 16:22). He rebuked that disciple of him in return for
being “a stumbling block “(Matthew 16:22) to the Mystery of Redemption.
That is why being against to Jesus’ nature of mysteriousness must not be an attitude towards Him,
as a follower, a believer and not only a supporter or fan of this well-known figure and man in history
which we call and profess to as Jesus Christ. Somehow His teachings and life thought us more to accept
the mystery of our faith and not of reason. For if we could rely on ourselves and all the things in our
life to reason, it would be meaningless in a sense that there are still things that does not anymore requires
a definite answer and explanation. Sometimes questions must remain questions, and an answer to those
questions are not more than enough with another. Sometimes in the life of Jesus Christ and of our
Christian or Spiritual Faith requires acceptance of our being enough to the things we have. I must think
that I cannot get everything in this world like everything I want. And so, the answers, the solutions and
the conclusions to the questions that I would like to find some evidence, research and other related
matters. The life of Jesus and His being a Man of secret as being part of His hiddenness in nature as a
God must remain atleast and somehow, for me as it is.