the dangers of mysticism. I think a great many people are frightened about the possibilities of mysticism, and so they relegate it to a few cloistered communities, and the rest of us, we just plod along any way we can. One of the things that John's Gospel tries to do is to make it clear that The call to mystical experience is for everyone. It should be the most natural thing in the world. But there are some dangers involved because it is a human contact with the divine mystery and of course there is no human way to identify and to name the mystery in a comprehensible fashion the mystery cannot be comprehended and I recall in this regard of course you know when one makes a mistake in mysticism either go into pantheism where everything is God and I have no longer any responsibility because God made me do it I'm part of the big divine thing

[01:28]

That's one danger. But an even greater danger, I think, is the danger of lending oneself to a mystery that is not God. We all have an instinct to give ourselves over to some higher power. This is an instinct that was put in by the Creator. And sometimes that instinct is so strong that people are attracted true mysteries that are not divine. We have some well-publicized examples, the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas, the mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, and of course, more recently, the Heaven Gate cult in Los Angeles. These are people that were highly dedicated. You do not commit suicide as a kind of a casual thing. But unfortunately, they were attracted to a mystery that was not divine, that was not authentic.

[02:37]

And it's just tragic when that happens. It's already very, very important to know how to identify the mystery to which we are drawn to make sure that it is God and not some projection or some... you know, somebody who has a strong personality and that can communicate and has a charismatic approach. I had a professor in Rome, and who may very well be the best professor I ever had, and some of you know him, Cipriano Bagagini. Cipriano taught a course in theological methodology, the most important course that I have ever had in theology. He also taught a course on the Trinity. And after he had lectured on the Trinity for weeks, he suddenly stopped one day and said, I see in your faces, he actually looked at the students, you know, I see in your faces that you are wondering how I could possibly give you a fair examination on the mystery of the Trinity.

[03:51]

Who can ask a fair question about a mystery? He says, well, let me assure you of one thing. You will be surprised how much about the Trinity is not a mystery. It is a theological locating of the mystery. And you must know all the ways in which the mystery can be located. And that has struck me as being... the real purpose of good theology and good biblical science, not to reduce the mystery, not to eliminate the mystery above all, but to locate it and lead, therefore, the person who is enlightened by good theology to lead him or her to contemplation.

[04:54]

with the security that this is indeed the mystery of God, worthy of my adoration. How does one locate the mystery? Well, classic example is, by their fruits you shall know them. And the fruits, of course, of being in touch with the mystery of God is not levitation or speaking in tongues, or any other of those manifestations of religious experience. Nothing wrong with them. But that is not what tells us you are in touch with the authentic mystery of God. The result is a loving, caring, forgiving person. One shares in the love of God. And so by their fruits you shall know them. St.

[05:56]

Teresa of Avila, great mystique, I'm sure you've heard this too. She said one time, if I had to choose, and I'd rather not, but if I had to choose, I would rather have a theologian for my confessor than a saint. Now that sounds really strange. But she didn't need a saint to hold her hand and say, isn't God wonderful? She needed a theologian. to say, what are the characteristics of your relationship with God? And what are the effects of your relationship with God? To ask the difficult, pointed questions about the nature of this transformation which your relationship with God is bringing about. If it is leading to pride, to odious comparison, or even worse, you know, to feeling... and somehow special, then it's very dangerous.

[07:00]

It cannot be coming from God. And so we need to locate the divine mystery. And when we use good theology and good biblical science to locate the mystery, then we can, without fear, proceed to worship and adoration. I sometimes try to tell my students, you know, how to graphically describe, I think there's an outer circle of biblical words, hundreds of thousands of words, a milky way, a galaxy of words, if you will. The first thing we meet when we come to the Bible are those words. And some people are immediately, you know, daunted by that. too many words. Where do you begin? And, of course, all the biblical science has to do with the words, as I mentioned.

[08:00]

But inside is another circle inside the words that lead us through the words to the biblical events. Now, for studying the words, for dealing with the words, we need a good teacher, a good commentary. But with dealing with the events, we need a good concessor. a spiritual director, a good, honest friend. It has always frustrated me as a teacher of the Bible that I could never ask my students in the exam the only question that was really important, namely, does this course have an influence on your life? Do you take this class... course material out of the classroom into your life? Does it change your life? You can't ask that question on the exam. That's probing into conscience.

[09:01]

But the spiritual director should ask that question, and I hope he does. And I hope the answer is yes. But that is the critical point. And then, inside of the very center, is the only word of revelation that is fully adequate. All other words are approximations, and that is the word made flesh, Jesus himself. And there we are ready for adoration. Normally we should pass through those other stages in order to come. But that is the goal. That is what all of this is supposed to lead us to, to communion with God, in adoration. Now, I want to say something about the framework or the outline of the fourth gospel. As I said, I taught this gospel for 40 years, more or less, and I gave my students an outline, you all would have to do that, but I was never satisfied with it.

[10:16]

I went to Raymond Brown's two-volume commentary in the Anchor Bible series, and there he has a beautiful outline, the prologue on one end, epilogue on the other end, two major divisions, the book of signs, up to chapter 13, after chapter 13, the book of glory. And when Jesus places signs, remember he calls his miracles signs, and then he becomes the sign himself. as the sign of God's love, and in self-giving, in crucifixion, resurrection, the book of glory. At the beginning, he says, glorify thy name. Father, glorify thy name. That moment of glory, the hour of Jesus. But in the first half of the gospel, Raymond Brown says, chapters 1, 2, and 3, he calls them from Cana to Cana. Well, you don't have to think very long to realize that from Cana to Cana is not very helpful.

[11:23]

It does not enter into any kind of inner logic. It's a description beginning with the Cana miracle in chapter 2 and another reference to Cana later on. Those are external things that do not help us to understand what the author is leading us to. It does not enter into the the center of the material. Then I came across this book which I recommended to you by L. William Countryman. I think he's a Lutheran Bible scholar, but he teaches in California. And it's entitled The Mystical Way in the Fourth Gospel. And he has an outline for the first half of the gospel. As soon as I saw it, I knew it had to be right. It's just one of those things that fits so well. It's like self-justifying. So what does he say?

[12:29]

Well, first of all, there's the prologue. He says the prologue goes beyond verse 18, but I don't think that's a major element. The prologue is a beautiful composition, very, very carefully structured. I want to say a few words about that in a moment. Then he says from 119 to the end of chapter 2, the author is talking about conversion. And why did he talk about conversion? Because conversion, in the experience of the Christian community, is their first contact with divine revelation. They feel called... and they respond and are converted. And so this would be a reexamination of the great steps of Christian initiation so that the public ministry of Jesus is cast in the format of the Christian's experience of entering ever more deeply into the mystery of Christ.

[13:41]

Conversion is the first stage, the first step in Christian initiation. And what do you do after you have been converted, after you have responded to the call? You get baptized. And lo and behold, well, of course, in this verse in conversion, he talks about the calling of the disciples, which certainly is conversion. And then he talks about the changing of water into wine, which is also a form of conversion. And then he talked about the cleansing of the temple. And all scholars agree that the cleansing of the temple had to happen toward the end of the public ministry where we find it in the synoptics. But John brings it back to chapter 2 because it is the perfect example of conversion. Changing an old, stiff, structured, humanly controlled institution into something open to the mystery of God.

[14:53]

That's conversion. Baptism. Well, we know in chapter 3, Jesus talks to Nicodemus about baptism very explicitly. And so there's no doubt that baptism is the subject of chapter 3. But Countryman maintains that chapter 4 also belongs to the theme of baptism, as well as chapter 5, because in the two major subjects in those chapters, in 4 it's the woman at the well, and in 5 it's the cripple at the pool of Bethesda, or Beth-zatha, possibly, both of which are concerned with water. That is the link that ties them together under the heading of baptism. And as soon as you see them from the perspective of baptism, I think you find new meaning in what is happening there, as we will see, I hope, because I want to touch upon these things, of course.

[16:05]

And then, what is the next stage of Christian initiation after baptism? Eucharist. And what is chapter 6? Eucharist. The whole chapter, 60 verses, or 61 anyway, a lot of verses, are all about the Eucharist. A major, major development. Long, careful preparation. before he comes in verse 51 to the actual words of institution, which are almost identical with those of the synoptics. And then he goes even farther than any of the synoptics or even Paul that says that if we participate in this sacrament, we enter into the life that flows between the Father and the Son. Talk about a mystical insight. to begin to live with the very life of God. Raymond Brown says this statement, I think it's 657, is far more daring than that classic text from 2 Peter, where it says we become partakers of the divine nature, which is as close as you can get to pantheism without being pantheistic.

[17:28]

And of course, Everything that is really worthwhile is very close to being bad. You know what I mean? Bland things that are obviously okay. There's no daring. There's no adventure in that. You know, the most fashionable dress is just about outrageous. Clashing colors, but not quite. Everybody knows that growing goes with blue and, you know, ho-hum. but to dare to go up to the edge. And then in chapter 7 also belongs to the theme of Eucharist, because what did they say in chapter 7? On the last day of the feast, Jesus cried out, love him who is thirsty, come to me. The food, the bread of life, and Jesus offering the Holy Spirit. to satisfy their thirst, to let the spiritual come out of their belly.

[18:32]

And so you have these chapters all, I think, to me, it's so obvious in a way. And of course, someone has pointed out, this has been noticed, not from John's Gospel, but coming in from another direction, this has been noticed by the people who have constructed the catechesis for the RCIA. The RCIA. Many of the Gospels are taken from John. And so in the middle of Lent, when you're going through the RCIA, all of a sudden, the Gospel of the Day is dropped, even though it's a Sunday. And you have the Gospel of the Woman at the Well. Because the RCIA candidates are present in the church. I recall one time... Abbot Douglas asked me, do you have some ideas for this Sunday's gospel? I said, well, you see here, and I suggested a couple things. And then he went down and he said, well, I asked him how to go.

[19:37]

I said, I got to the sacristy and I found that it was a different gospel. It's for the RCIAs. I said, too bad I didn't know that because I got a fantastic homily on the woman at the well. Maybe next year. Well then, what does John do after Eucharist? Well, of course, at the end, that's the crown of the steps of initiation. Well then, after the Eucharist, John deals with the subject of enlightenment. He leads us through the sacraments of initiation and then invites us to go farther, to go beyond the standard Regular, normal step to go into the realm of enlightenment. Chapter 8, verse 12. For the first time, Jesus says, I am the light of the world. He who believes in me does not walk in the darkness, but has the light of life in him.

[20:45]

Then, of course, you know within chapter 9, the cure of the blind man. He is the light of the world. He comes to dispel the darkness. The blind man becomes a metaphor for what the light can do when it meets the darkness for those who are disposed. And after he finishes the story of the curing of the blind man, comes to chapter 10 and 11, life. The whole Gospel of John is concerned about life. The end of chapter 20 in John's Gospel, and I have come, I've written these things so that you may believe, and that believing you may have life. The whole conclusion of the body of the Gospel, everything in this Gospel has been written so that you may have life.

[21:50]

So the The fruit of the coming of Jesus in John's Gospel is to have this new life, this life that laughs at death, this life that goes on forever. And so in chapter 10, the good shepherd takes care of the sheep, provides life for them, protects them. And then in chapter 11, the raising of Lazarus. The victory of life in Lazarus. And it's very interesting, you may recall how the chapter 11 begins. There was a man who was sick and he was Lazarus. His name was Lazarus. Well, that's not the way you say it in English. You put that in your paper, you get read Czech on that in English composition.

[22:56]

We introduced the subject first and then described his condition. Not in chapter 11. There was a man who was sick and his name was Lazarus. Why? Because Lazarus is every man. Every man is sick. But we only want to talk about one of them that his name was Lazarus. Every man is sick with the incurable disease of mortality. I mean, you may escape everything else, but you'll never escape mortality. It's built in. Life. And of course, a wonderful, wonderful development with Martha and Mary. And I always feel sorry for poor Lazarus. Lazarus is supposed to be the subject of the story. He never gets a line. Not a word to say. He's out there in a cold, cold ground.

[23:59]

And Jesus is talking to Mark, and then he's talking to Mary. And finally he calls Lazarus out, and before he gets a chance to say a word, bang, down comes the curtain. Very strange. I think that makes so much sense. And this is the first half of the gospel. And it is a procedure that you would expect from someone who is interested in mystical union, because it all moves toward, you know, the life obviously is union of life with God. Then in the second half of the Gospel, which I think begins already in chapter 11, at the end of the story, the end of the Lazarus story, you know, most classical, you know, Outlines of the Gospel say the second half, the Book of Glory, begins in chapter 13, verse 1. And there's the Last Supper, and then the Farewell Discourse, and so forth and so on.

[25:02]

But after the raising of Lazarus, it says in verse 45 of chapter 11, Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees, and told them what he had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council and said, what are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation. But one of them, Titus, said, is it not better that one should die for the people? You have a conspiracy. of the temple authorities and the Pharisees to get rid of Jesus, which is exactly what you have in the first two verses of chapter 14 in Mark's Gospel at the beginning of his passion narrative.

[26:06]

And the chief priests and the scribes were conspiring together how they could, you know, put him to death. And then in Mark, right after this, couple of verses about the conspiracy where do you have the anointing of Jesus by an anonymous woman the famous anointing scene where a woman came and broke the top off the cruet made of alabaster poured all of it on the head of Jesus and the bystanders the disciples were scandalized shame on you what are you such waste lavish foolish foolish And Jesus says, no, no. Let her alone. What she has done is a beautiful thing. Not wasteful, not foolish, but beautiful. For she anointed me beforehand for my burial.

[27:09]

Well, lo and behold, right after this talk about the conspiracy, Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus, one of those at the table with him. And Mary took a pound of costly perfume, made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, said, Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii? It's not the same story, but it's so similar that it's a variation on the story. Because that's what they said in Mark, too. This could have been sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor.

[28:09]

And Jesus said, leave her alone. She bought her so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. I think John's passion narrative begins at the end of chapter 11, not 13. He has the same tradition in the synoptics, first through the conspiracy, then the anointing, and so it goes on. There's even a reference to the Garden of Gethsemane, although in John's Gospel that is not emphasized. And then the Last Supper comes, and in place of the institution of the Eucharist, we have the washing of the feet, the foot washing. And, of course, these two are brought together at Holy Thursday, foot washing and the institution. And, of course, they both have exactly the same meaning. And some have often wondered why the foot washing did not become a sacrament. As you know, in some Protestant churches, it is a sacrament, at least a sacramental, washing of feet.

[29:14]

I was at an ecumenical gathering one time, and they decided to have a foot washing. So I sat down in the chair, And this fundamentalist, proud of the minister, proud of washing my feet, and he stopped and he looked up at me and said, I never thought I'd ever wash the feet of a Catholic priest. I tell you, foot washing doesn't something to you. It is more than just, you know, there's something about it that is very special. Then, of course, I turned around and washed his feet. foot washing. Do you know what I have done? If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, should you not also wash the feet of one another? And Peter, of course, protested because he sensed what this meant. He sensed that I'm ready to graduate from this school, the school of Jesus, ready to graduate, that I'll become a rabbi, and then the disciples will wash my feet.

[30:25]

And wouldn't you believe it? Just on the day of my graduation, we're going to change the rules. And from now on, the rabbis are going to have to watch feet. Catch 22. Wonderful, wonderful example of unselfish service, which is exactly what the Eucharist is a sign of, too. And then comes the long discourse chapter 13, 31, to the end of chapter 17, a long discourse about, it's called the farewell discourse because it's the last words of Jesus with his disciples. It even has the format of classic farewell addresses. And then Countryman makes an observation that really struck me as interesting, you know. You may recall that at the end of chapter 14, yes, suddenly there's a break.

[31:33]

I do as the Father has commanded me so that the world may know that I love the Father, he said. And then he says, rise, let us be on our way. But then he talks right back and says, I am divine and my Father is a vinedresser. He doesn't go anywhere. And God would say, oh, these were two separate discourses at one time, and then when they put them together, they forgot to take this line out. You know, well, that's possible, but I don't think they were that blind, that they would leave that in, right, let us go, and then they didn't go anywhere. Kajima says, oh, no, this means let us go on talking about this mystical thing to communion at an even deeper level. This is not a physical rising and going. This is a transition to a deeper level of the same subject.

[32:34]

And if you look at it, that's really what happens. And then it comes to the Passion. Passion stories from chapter 18, verse 1, to the end of chapter 20. Well, actually, I think 21 belongs... to the resurrection story, because it's about appearances at Galilee and so forth. And as I mentioned earlier, in John's Gospel, the most surprising thing about the Passion is the amount of time he gives to the child before Pilate. 39 verses. And it's clear that Jesus is in charge there, and he makes this extraordinary statement He's talking about kingship. Are you a king? And yes, but not the way you understand it and so forth. Then he says, for this I was born. For this I came into the world. Well, I'll tell you, when Jesus says that, you better listen.

[33:36]

This is saying, this is the whole purpose of the incarnation. This is the ultimate Christological statement. For this I was born. For this I came into the world. To testify to the truth And those who live in the truth hear my voice. Obviously, it's very important to know what he meant by truth. I went to the library. I was pretty well convinced that this is a major thematic word in John. Went to the library, looked up truth. I found a big volume there by Ignace de la Poterie, La Vérité dans Saint-Jean. Thick volume. Took it out of the library, began to read it. Then I looked in the table of contents. Oh my goodness, this is only the first volume. Then I went back and got the second volume.

[34:39]

The Verité, the truth in St. John, in two volumes, fine print. Well, believe me, he leaves no stone unturned. when it comes to truth. And it was amazing. I found out how often the word truth occurs in John's Gospel. If you stay with me, if you adhere, if you remain in my word, I will teach you the truth, and the truth will set you free. Chapter 8. And so, well, briefly, the truth means revelation. Revelation from God through his Son, about the meaning and purpose of human existence, nothing less. Jesus came to tell us why we are here and what we should prize and what we should let go. What is the meaning of human life? What is this opportunity that we call human life?

[35:43]

I'm sure you've noticed that... After all these years, there is no consensus among us human beings about the meaning and purpose of human life. No consensus at all. Do you have secular humanist vision? Do you have a Christian vision? Totally, totally opposite in many ways. I watched a nature program on public television one time and the commentator made a very interesting statement. far more significant that he understood, I think, he said, of all the animals on earth, the only one that doesn't know why it's here is the human animal. And then I thought to myself as a farm boy, I never saw a cow standing at a fence wondering what's it all about. But we're asking that all the time. What's it all about, Alfie?

[36:47]

Well, this is what it's all about. He came to reveal the truth about what it's all about. Okay, I want to say a few words now about the prologue. The wonderful story of God's revelation to us begins in eternity. In the beginning, the word already was. It's not the traditional translation, but that's the only translation that brings out the significance of that imperfect ain. Didn't the was. No, everything. The word was before creation. It existed before creation. In the beginning, the word already was. The word predates creation, predates time, is as old as God himself, or as young. as God himself.

[37:50]

The word was in God's presence, and what the word, what God was, the word was. What is this mysterious word that is one with God, yet somehow distinct from him? It's impossible to find words to describe the function of the word, also the mystery. But I think the closest we can come is to say it is God speaking himself. God, being a loving person in the ultimate extent, cannot remain self-contained. God's very nature causes him to reach out, first of all to the Word, and then through the Word to all creation. God reveals himself opens his hidden nature, shows us that he stands for love long before he stands for power.

[38:57]

God is so rich he cannot remain self-contained. The word was with God at the beginning and through him all things came to be and without him no created thing came into being. The light of God's love was refracted as it were through the prism of this word. in a million rays of light that touches every fiber of creation. You can imagine what a mystically inclined person will see then that God is present in everything. There is not a fiber of creation that is not touched in some way by this creative power of God and therefore represents in some way the goodness of God. Even mosquitoes serve a purpose. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. When creation came forth from the hand of God, it was fresh and pristine, like a drop of dew shining on a spring leaf.

[40:09]

The first thing to note about it was its vitality. It was all a tingle with life. bubbling over, inexhaustible. And then it was the light of all mankind. And light represents meaning, because in the light you can see things, understand. All the meaning of human history is found in this word, if we know how to read it. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never mastered it. Well, now we hear the kettle drums in the distance, the ominous noting of resistance to the light, the inadvent of evil, darkness. There is also darkness made possible by the wonderful gift of freedom. God took a chance on giving us freedom.

[41:14]

And, of course, It didn't work in a certain sense because we used the freedom to sin. But fortunately, the same freedom allows us to repent and to be restored to our relationship with God. There has never been any doubt, however, about the victory of the light. The light is all-powerful. At some moments, it may be almost totally obscured. There's so much violence in the world that we must never forget that the light is unconquerable, invincible. After a brief interlude about John the Baptist goes on, the true light which gives light to everyone was even then coming into the world. He was in the world, but the world, though it already being to him, did not recognize him. He came to his own and his own people would not accept him.

[42:22]

Now, it hasn't been traditional to say that this is talking at this point about the word of God in the Old Testament, the word of Torah, the word of the prophets, the word of wisdom, and that therefore the word in this form came into the world of the Old Testament and was not received by God. most people or by many people. But Raymond Brown maintained, and I think with good reason, that this is not about the Old Testament. Here already, in verse 10, is talking about the incarnation of Jesus. He was the one who came into the world of Palestine and was not received. Came unto his own, and his own rejected him. Why does he say this? Well, in a moment we'll see. But to all who did accept him, to those who put their trust in him, he gave them power to become children of God. And Raymond Brown points out that in chapter 3, when Jesus talks to Nicodemus, he says that we become children of God through a baptism that is not of water alone, but also of the Spirit.

[43:40]

But this baptism in water and the Spirit was available only after Jesus came. And therefore, if children of God can be produced, it means that Jesus has come before that, because he is the only one in whom the children of God, in this sense, can come forth. Some few open themselves to the light, and believed and God's wishes were realized in them. They became God's children, secure and serene in the knowledge of divine parents' love and without anxiety about the future, for they are guaranteed the wonderfully rich inheritance of the kingdom. And so, verse 14, so the word became flesh. This kai is difficult to deal with. And the word became flesh. Rudolf Schnakenbord says that this is a kai consecutivium, which means that they recapitulate what went before.

[44:48]

And so, as we just said, the Word became flesh. And then the emphasis is upon the result of the Word being flesh. And we saw his glory. He dwelt with us, and we saw his glory. The incarnation makes community possible as never before. We saw his glory. Not I saw his glory, not he dwelt with me, but the first person plural. We saw his glory full of love and fidelity. No one has ever seen God. God's only Son, he who is nearest to the Father's heart, has made him known. Now we know the mission of the divine word. in the human nature of Jesus is to make known the goodness and love of God a goodness and love that Jesus in his pre-existence as divine word has experienced in the bosom of the father leaning on the father's breast listening to the father's heartbeat he knows all the secrets of the father the unknown God the hidden God he was in the

[46:09]

wisdom of the Father, and has come to make the Father known to us, the love and goodness of the Father, which alone can liberate us to become loving ourselves. If we experience this love, allow it into our hearts, be enlightened by it, we will overcome all fear, all hesitation, This is something that we all should pray for.

[46:41]

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