Breaking the Word

…can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize (and understand) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."… (Jn 10:31-42)

In this passage Jesus speaks about who a consecrated person is and what he performs.

For Jesus, a consecrated person is a Son of God; in fact he is a god. So every consecrated person must be treated so. He (JESUS) is consecrated by God and God is in him. God is working in him. But the Jews took stones to throw at him. Sinners with grave sins were supposed to be stoned to death. They were not worthy to live on this earth. God himself does not like these sorts of people to live on this earth.(The Jews believed)

Consecration is seen in the work one performs. Works reveal the person behind the work. If the works are of: building up people, healing persons, uniting people, letting people to live, etc then they are God’s work. These are creative works. God is God of creation and he continues his works of creation. And HE does so, in the person who performs these types of works.

If person continues to do works of division, wounding, breaking up and destroying people then God is not present in the person who performs these works. 

Jesus is a son of God and in fact he is God because he worked the works of God. 

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary… for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. (LK 1, 26-38)

Mary has an experience. It is not a vision, nor a dream, nor an apparition. She has a personal experience of God. This experience makes her part of God’s plan. His plan is to bring salvation to the whole human race and to the whole of creation. Plan is global, universal-a master plan, but participation is personal.

God’s plan takes place within a time frame (in the sixth month), in a particular place (Nazareth) for a specific person (Mary). God does not work in the air, in ideas or just like that, His actions are time bound, very much localized and person oriented.

Mary’s response is also personal. (She could have said: I will consult Joseph …) Here, the response is totally personal. God’s gift of freedom is personal and the response also has to be personal. There is no collective freedom (there may be a group of individuals’ freedom which we may call a collective freedom) in responding to God’s plan of salvation and cooperation. God expects an individual response.

Mary’s response was in affirmation to God’s plan that has brought salvation to the whole of creation. As soon as the response is given then God takes over (The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you).

God’s plan is always for the whole of creation or His plan will have a global impact. But God acts through individuals who are bound by space and time. He expects a personal response to take over the individual as an instrument for His plan. The individual is free. Thanks to Mary for her fiat.