In the next chapter of Jackass for the Hour we will meet up with Jacinta at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery once again, this time at community recreation. There is a discussion of Isaiah’s Kryptos, so to speak, that is, Jesus’ Kryptos, Saint Paul’s Kryptos, and now Catherine of Sienna’s Kryptos. This is not easy. Almost no one in the world will look at this. No one wants to solve the riddle. Can you, will you want to, solve this riddle. Here are some hints:
- Saint Paul, in 1 Corinthians 2:9, does interpret Isaiah 6:4-10 – cited in Matthew 13:15, in Acts 28:27, et al. (thoughout the Old and New Testaments) – by saying it is by way of the love of God, by way of the crucified Lord of glory, that we see and hear and understand, not by ourselves.
- Paul is accurate, says our Lord – as Saint Catherine relates – so much so that “questo parbe che volesse dire Paulo,” so much so that “this seems to be what Paul wanted to say,” that is, as if it were Paul’s own revelation, Paul’s own knowledge, Paul’s very own desire. But a blasphemer might say that our Lord Jesus was Himself simply making an attempt to guess what Paul meant, because, you know, Jesus really didn’t know.
- In other words, Paul was so transformed by grace, that it was as if Paul spoke on his own authority. Yet, in this passage, the most erudite of all academic Pharisees himself happily admits that he is speaking by the power of God and the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not conjecturing about what it seems to Him that Paul wanted to say, as if Jesus were Paul’s student: “In my opinion it seems to me that Paul wanted to say this…” Jesus was rather confirming just how correct Paul’s words were, for they were actualized in Paul’s life with the grace of Jesus, the power of God, and the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Paul was perfectly attuned to the grace of God that opened his eyes, unstopped his ears, pierced open his heart.
Is the vocation of Isaiah and Jesus and Saint Paul to make hearts heavy and ears stopped up and eyes blind and minds dull so that no one whomsoever will of themselves turn to be saved? Yes.
What? Wait a second. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do? No. Really not.
So, why not? Figured it out yet?
This is The Kryptos of Catherine of Sienna. Can you figure it out?
ARISE! LET US BE GOING! 
One has to be blind in order to see; that is, one has to know darkness in order to recognise light.
So what do you mean?
Be explicit…
Mankind is born blinded by original sin and that darkness increases as our own sins mount one upon another. Sin is not a good thing but we only come to know God’s great love for us because of it. Adam and Eve knew nothing but light and yet didn’t appreciate it until it was taken away from them by their own doing which they couldn’t undo, nor can we take it away by our own doing. Only when Our Lord suffered and died for our sins could they be undone and God’s grace light up our darkness and drive it away. Now we know the light and can truly appreciate it, not by our own doing but by His transforming love.
By light I mean God’s Love – His Life in us (sanctifying grace).
*Now we know the Light and can truly appreciate It, not by our own doing but by our own knowing, God’s Love transforming our lives.
God becoming man and suffering and dying for our sins was His merciful Love in action that transforms our lives.
God’s merciful Love in action (His sacrifice on the cross, suffering in our place) transforms our lives when grace allows us to see the lovelessness of our lives – it’s darkness – in contrast to His Love.
Only when grace has illuminated our understanding are we able to repent and amend our lives.
And we cannot amend our lives without God’s Love in us (sanctifying grace) and Him working through us.