Homily for Sixth Sunday of Easter
The miracles experienced in the early Church are truly astounding. The divine, resurrected energy touched all, both physical and spiritual. The world in its entirety is being refashioned on a new principle. The Samaritans, the most despised of people up to recent times, have been received into the young church by no less a figure than Peter. This in itself was truly miraculous. But they experienced more particular miracles too at first hand: evil banished from their midst and their sick and maimed restored. The New Creation was dawning with great drama, even for the Samaritans. And they joyfully welcomed this Good News.
Yet the context of our first two readings today must be carefully noted. Philip is living as a hunted refugee in Samaria. The murder of Stephen and the imprisonment of his other companions forced him to flee Jerusalem. The second reading, the first Letter of Peter, is addressed to the Christians living at Rome, probably during the persecutions of the infamous Nero. It contains direction 'for right suffering' rather than 'for right living'. Even in this time of euphoria, suffering is the lot of the Christian. There is no room here for facile optimism or for blind fundamentalism. Even in the immediate afterglow of the resurrection, the disciples lived and preached under the shadow of the Cross. We, their successors and followers, must not expect to avoid suffering either.
Peter writes to the persecuted Christian community, presumably at Rome. Obviously, Peter has received a request for directions: 'How should Christians behave during a time of great persecution?' The purpose of the return letter is to sustain and support them in this time of great testing. But, this letter does not minimise the terrible experience they are presently enduring. Far from it. In fact, Peters tells the pressurised Christians that their greatest strength will come from within themselves. If their conviction and faith is sufficiently strong and clear, they will endure to the end. And he throws down a challenge to them: "Always have your answer ready for the people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have. Give it with courtesy, respect and a clear conscience." How can we today comply with Peter's demand that we furnish 'a reason for the hope that is in us'? Where do we search for our evidence? As Christians we proclaim: 'He has destroyed death forever'. As human beings we know that death is at work in our world and ourselves. So where can we find evidence for the hope that is in us? I have reprinted in the newsletter a letter by a priest where he recounts he experiences at a young person's funeral.
"I put the Christian message of life and death as relevantly as I could. I felt though that I was in an alien land. I regretted that the beautiful and consoling message of Christ meant so little to them.
Reflecting on the situation the following morning I wondered how and where the Church had failed both these young people and their parents. The Christ message is so rich, yet its reception so poor. What a great pity! They miss so much.
Why have all our catechetical programmes failed to connect with the reality of young people's lives? Why do they take away so little from all the effort and good will of our schools?"
There a whole generation seems to have lost 'the reason for the hope that is in them'. How different is that letter to the one that Peter sent to Rome. Peter obviously believes that our religion must challenge us before it can console us. It challenges us because it demands that we face up to the truth about ourselves and our world. Despite the resurrection, sin, sickness and suffering are still the lot of humanity. If our illnesses are to be cured, they must first be diagnosed; if our sins are to be forgiven, they must first be recognised and acknowledged. This is especially difficult in a society where many now believe that moral judgement is simply a matter of personal opinion. What a person judges to be right is reduced to what feels good for me. The world exists to serve me, not I to serve it. The late Cardinal Hume of Westminster argued that such reductionism was the main difficulty in transmitting Catholicism to the next generation. If Catholicism is to be apostolic and authentic, every believing Christian must be capable of furnishing 'a reason for the hope that is in them' according to Hume. How many of us, if put on the spot, could give a coherent reason for our hope? And, he argued further, the search for that reason must begin with five fundamental questions. These five questions are at the root of the search for truth and happiness. They must be examined seriously by every believer.
- Whether there is life after death;
- Whether life has a purpose and meaning;
- Whether there is anything beyond what my senses can discover and know;
- Why we are so often disappointed in the pursuit of happiness; and
- Whether the experience of loving another person can point to the love of God.
Only when we have addressed these five fundamental questions, and only when we can answer them in the affirmative, can we give a satisfactory reason for the hope that is in us, according to Hume. Jesus promised us that we would not be alone in this search: "The Advocate whom he shall send will lead you into the fullness of truth."