We will continue our meditation with the text of Saint John, John 19 that we have already read, therefore from verse 30 to verse 37, but there today I would like to talk a little bit about the fulfillment of the scriptures since Saint John tells us ‘because it happened so that the writing was accomplished. ‘
So my opinion, is that the scriptures are fulfilled and not simply the 2 little quotes he gives. “Not another will be broken” or “they will look at the one they have pierced.” This accomplishment goes well, well beyond. I would rather say that Saint-John considers that with the opening of the Heart of Jesus that seems to be for him the climax of the revelation and the Passion, the redemptive act of Christ. Well it’s all the writing that’s happening and he then gives some actually 2 examples 2, example with 2 short quotes that we will have the opportunity to analyze also afterwards. So this notion of the accomplishments of writing, Its very important. It means that if we follow a little like that, John’s approach is that you could say that all scriptures converge implicitly or explicitly, directly or indirectly. towards this central point which is the piercing of the heart. For this is where the scriptures are fulfilled, because that’s where they light up.
You will be able to see for yourself in the catechism of the Catholic Church at paragraph 112. It tells us that the scriptures, so it talks about the Old Testament, was somehow veiled until the Passion of Christ. We already understood a lot like our Jewish brethren who read, of course, all of this. The book of Genesis, the exodus, the Pentateuch, the Psalms, the prophets, etc. But we didn’t have everything, the deployment of meaning, the unveiling, the revelation, plenary of meaning. This meaning is not revealed fully as in Jesus. Then Saint Thomas of AQuinas said that there was like a veil compared to the full meaning, to a full understanding of the Scriptures and that it is at the Passion that this veil is torn. And therefore very exactly at the time we pierce the heart of Jesus This is where the veil is torn.
Besides, since nothing is random in writing, you know that actually the Synoptic Gospels tell us that at the time of Jesus’ death, the veil of the sanctuary splits in 2, tearing apart from there, it’s about of the veil of the Holy of Holies. But John does not speak of the Holy of Holies, but he speaks of the piercing of the heart. A Way of saying maybe that the true holy of holies of the new temple that is Jesus, it is really his open heart.
And so the heart of Jesus reveals to us the full meaning of the Scriptures. It’s no wonder because let’s not forget that Jesus is the word of God. It was he who inspired the scriptures and he is in person, by its incarnation, the word of God and her heart is a bit like the tabernacle of all the revelation of all the mystery of this mystery, of its Union to the Father in the Holy Spirit of his Eternal Union in in the mystery of the Trinity, but also all mystery of his incarnation and all the mystery of his Passion and the announcement itself of his resurrection, with water flowing from the side and the water is a symbol of life and outpouring of the Holy Spirit .
So with an open heart it’s a bit like an open book, the book that opens, the book of the Scriptures that opens, the book of speech of God who opens. And that’s what is important to understand with the open heart of Jesus, the scriptures deliver us their full meaning.
Source: Father Kars, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyD2nIfvxNQ&t=71s