Mercy Rising in the East: The Promise of Salvation

Mercy Rising in the East: The Promise of Salvation

In the entrance antiphon for today’s Mass, . . .

. . . we hear that the Virgin Mary is blessed because from her arose the Son of Justice, Christ our God. This image—Christ, our Savior, rising from the Virgin Mary to bring light to the world—is deeply significant in light of today’s readings.

At the end of the first reading, after God pronounces judgment on Adam and Eve and expels them from paradise, we notice a specific direction to their movement. He settles them east of the Garden of Eden, a detail rich with meaning. The sun rises in the east. Light comes from the east. A new day begins from the east. Salvation comes from the east.

God Direct Humanity Toward Salvation

Even amid the sorrow of the fall, as God imposes the consequences of sin, He directs humanity toward the very place from which salvation will come. And in the entrance antiphon, the Church honors Mary as the great “East” from which the Son of Justice rises, bringing the light of mercy and salvation to a world desperately in need of it—a world that is fallen and wounded.

This woundedness is poignantly expressed in today’s Gospel and first reading. When God confronts Adam and Eve and pronounces judgment, He tells Adam, “Because you listened to your wife… cursed be the ground because of you.” This statement is crucial because it reveals a fundamental aspect of original sin.

Original Sin Is Not An Abstract Concept

Original sin is not merely an abstract concept; it involves something as tangible as food. It involves eating, appetite—not only the appetites of the heart and mind but also the appetites of the body. Why does one reach out for food? Fundamentally, to sustain oneself. Yet the fall of humanity began with taking and eating in the wrong way, striving to sustain and advance oneself apart from God, only to end up empty.

God tells Adam, “Cursed be the ground because of you.” Adam leaves a place where sustaining and enjoying life was effortless. In Eden, he only needed to stretch out his hand to receive God’s blessings. But now, he will labor and toil by the sweat of his brow, striving for sustenance in a fallen, wounded world. Man’s efforts to sustain himself will now be marked by struggle and frustration.

The Miracle of the Loaves Is Also Depicting Salvation

We see this struggle in the Gospel reading. Jesus is with a crowd in a deserted place—a place where no one can stretch out their hand and find sustenance. Yet, for three days, these people have been sustained—not by food but by the Word of God that Jesus, the Son of Justice, speaks to them.

After feeding them spiritually, Jesus turns to his disciples and says, “Now, let us attend to their physical hunger.” The disciples look at the vast crowd of 4,000 and see nothing but scarcity. “We have seven loaves,” they say—woefully inadequate to meet the need. What human hands can produce is insufficient to truly sustain life.

But then Jesus asks them to bring the seven loaves to Him. In their hands, the loaves are not enough, but in His hands, everything changes. Jesus blesses the bread, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples to distribute. Yet, no great pile of bread suddenly appears. The miracle is more subtle, more wondrous. As they distribute the bread, it simply doesn’t run out. Hear more within the Homily.

Revealing What Was Lost in Eden

This moment is not just about feeding a crowd. It reveals the fulfillment of what was lost in Eden. In the deserted place where man’s efforts are insufficient, Christ becomes the sustenance that truly satisfies. In His hands, scarcity is transformed into abundance. The curse of toil and want is answered by the mercy and providence of the Son of Justice.

Through this miracle, we see the fulfillment of the promise that began when God settled Adam and Eve to the east. From the East—from Mary—rises the Son who feeds us with His Word and sustains us with His mercy. In Him, we find the true Bread of Life.

Listen further to this Meditation Media. Listen to:

Mercy Rising in the East: The Promise of Salvation