1. The 5th day.
We have seen St. Bonaventure’s Haexameron and how he interpreted the seven days of creation as an outline of history. In a coded way, God gave man an outline of history that will give man an idea how things would happen in the Old Testament, how it will happen in the New Testament and how it will happen through the different stages in the history of man. St. Bonaventure called it the ‘theology of history.’ This intrigue the young Joseph Ratzinger that he made a thesis based on this work. At first it was rejected by the school but Ratzinger’s insistent on the work won for him the approval of the school.
Ratzinger’s interest in St. Bonaventure’s work is on how St. Bonaventure presented the theology of the history of ‘Good Friday.’ In brief, St. Bonaventure wrote that ‘Good Friday’ was an important day by which God tested the human race. By the result of the test man would either win salvation or be lost by being damned.
The human race, indeed, was placed here on earth not so much to mess it up as Pope Francis ordered the youth; but for their Faith to be tested. This will decide whether they would be saved or not. God will give men many tests but the main test is ‘Good Friday.’
Since ‘Good Friday’ was a test for all men, then that day had to happen in every era of man. It has been happening, more clearly, from the time of Christ up to the present. Like for example, it happened during the time of St. Benedict. The world was in turmoil, war was all around, sin was committed by everyone, the priests and the bishops were useless guides, the Pope was exiled, anti-popes tried to grab the papal throne, Rome was destroyed by the barbarians, or in short, as if it was the end of the world. And the young boy Benedict did what the theology of ‘Good Friday’ told him to do. He left his studies in Rome and went with his chaperon maid to look for a monastery and ended up as a hermit.
The question is why did St. Benedict act that way? Because that action was suggested in the theology of history of ‘Good Friday.’ All the prophetic events in the Catholic Church has suggestions for human actions in response to the events as it happens through history. These suggestions are referred to as ‘the Catholic response to eschatology.’
Holy Thursday – the 5th Day.
2. The study of the 6th day.
St. Bonaventure, as we have mentioned in the past posts, felt that the final 6th day was happening during the time of St. Francis of Assisi. It was happening long before the time of St. Francis but he thought that the final one was happening during the time of St. Francis. Because all the events that time were identical to what happened on Good Friday. After some time, he thought that it was not the much awaited LAST 6th day. More would still happen for the testing of man. What intrigued Joseph Ratzinger is; knowing this 6th day would be happening to test every man in every era, when would the final 6th day occur? The answer is; when the 5th day occur; the 6th day would follow. The 5th day would be the sign that the final 6th day has arrived.
This was what St. Bonaventure was trying to find out; when was the final 6th day. And he conceded he made a mistake. But St. Bonaventure gave the young Benedict a hint on when to know that it is the final 6th day. Of course, when 6th day occurs after the 5th day.
You see, while the 6th day occurred to test all men, it was not preceded by the 5th day. The 5th day will only precede the final 6th day. Ratzinger waited in vain for the 5th day, from his young days as a priest until he became Pope.
3. Let us review what happened on the 5th day and see its eschatological significance for today. Let’s go through the events slowly.
It was the day for the last supper. The Holy Eucharist was going to be consecrated and Christ said; after this I will not eat this again until I eat of it in heaven. So the mass will be celebrated one last time where the consecration will still occur, then there will no consecration until the Catholic Church is married to Christ in heaven. Externally this prophecy was expressed in the absence of the Ark of the Covenant in the temple, from the time of the Maccabees up to the Passion of Christ. The Ark of the Covenant was the preparatory figure for the Eucharist and because the reality of Christ was arriving, the figure disappeared. Since the Eucharist is the figure of Christ in heaven, because the reality of Christ the King is arriving, the figure must disappear. Together with the disappearance of the Holy Eucharist from the tabernacles where liturgical abuses are rampant, the power to absolve sins will also be taken away from priests. The two Sacraments go hand in hand. The Sacrament of Penance is a preparation for the receiving of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. God will remove both powers. If this happens how will man be saved? Through a way of life portrayed by the 5th day, Holy Thursday.
4. The 5th day.
Christ sends two disciples, Peter and John to town to a man to prepare for the Passover. The Passover commemorates the passing over of the Angel of death over the Israelites while the first born of the Egyptians were killed. The Israelites were protected by the blood of the lamb painted at their doors. Today, we celebrate the Passover, the 5th day by receiving the Blood of Christ so that the Angel of death would spare our souls and fly over us without harming us. How will this happen?
Christ told Peter and John that when they went to town to prepare for the Passover, they should look for a man carrying a pitcher with water. Who is this man and what does the pitcher with water mean? The man had no name which showed his humility, the fruit of his obedience to the commands of God. The man was a holy person, that is why Christ knew him and expect the man to do what ever Christ had commanded from afar. And the pitcher with water is a symbol of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the man. So he was a saint, made so directly by Christ. This was a miraculous evangelization (note this word.) This is the unique sign of the 5th day that will precede the last 6th day…..miraculous evangelization. Pope Benedict will refer to this as ‘new’ evangelization.
Note that Jesus and the apostles had to borrow a house because they had no house. Note, also, that this is the first requisite for those that will be led to the upper room which is the Catholic Church. Note, also, that when Christ first called His apostles, the first command He gave them is to leave all things. So, now, they had nothing. A little possession and we could be excluded from this invitation to the upper room, the Catholic Church.
The man with the pitcher of water would lead Peter and John to the upper room. This ‘new’ evangelization will enable the minds and hearts of men to rise up to supernatural heights, thus the upper room. When Peter and John went to the upper room, it was clean and ready for the Passover. Everything was set and ready. So, in this new final evangelization, those who enter will find everything ready, just like the vineyard of the Lord. Everything was prepared.
All the preliminary instructions are prepared. The mind, symbolized by the upper room, has all the supernatural knowledge contained in Divine Revelation.
Then, the rest of the apostles arrived with Judas. But Judas was excluded because his mind was on money. He was covetous. His mind was the only dirt in the clean upper room. It had to be thrown out. So out he goes, because he was thinking of money, the root of all evil.
Then Christ gives some final teachings to perfect their knowledge. Foremost in His final teachings is the first visible sign of the true Church, Oneness. And He defined it in a way that nobody, today, has that unique visible sign of the true Church. Why nobody? Because we are not following proper procedure. Look for the man with the pitcher of water.
They talk, they sing hymns and canticles, they share bread and wine. Then, Christ says; this is our last meal. I shall not eat this Passover again until I eat it in heaven. So the evening of the 5th day ends. The 6th day occurs……..and so on, and so on.
5. We are now on the 6th day, St. Bonaventure wrote and Pope Benedict had announced. But most of us had not prepared ourselves by living the 5th day. No. We cannot enter the 6th day without first entering the 5th day because the 5th day is the preparation for the 6th day.
St. Bonaventure described the 5th day as a ‘new’ monasticism. It is the traditional monastic life but unlike it. It is intensely ascetic but very mild in soul and body. It was the goal of all monastic movement before but never perfected up to now.
It is symbolized by the upper room where membership is very exclusive for no reason other than that everybody is busy with worldly concerns and have no time for the things of God and for their souls. That one bishop, concerned more for worldly things like climate change and immigrants, for gay rights and socializing with other religions, had to be sent out ‘to do the inferior things he had to do.’
Strange! That to proceed with the last supper, the whole ambiance had to be purified. That is the Catholic Church. The way it should be today, the 5th and the 6th day in the history of man.