Fifth Sunday of Easter
In the Sundays after Easter, our main readings are taken from the Acts of the Apostles. The world depicted in that book will sound strange to us today. It was written by Luke from Antioch, a well educated Greek who was very familiar with the Jewish world. The Acts really forms Part II of the third gospel, Luke's gospel. It was completed about 70 a.d. The book opens with an idealistic account of the first Christian community at Jerusalem. The all lived in harmony and in common, sharing whatever they had, going to the Temple for prayer and remaining in their homes for the Breaking of the Bread'. The hero of the book is St Paul, whom Luke accompanied on some of his exhaustive missionary journeys throughout the Mediterranean world. After all sorts of misfortune, like being shipwrecked three times and starvation at sea for 16 days, the men eventually arrive at Rome. The book closes with Paul preaching to the Jewish refugees in Rome. The Acts of the Apostles is the product of a diary kept by Luke of that journey between Jerusalem and Rome, supplemented by other accounts submitted to him by other Christian missionaries. After the custom of the day, long speeches are thrown into the mix for good measure. As far as the Jews were concerned, Jerusalem was the centre of the world and Rome was 'the ends of the earth'. So by the time the Acts close, the mandate of Jesus has been fulfilled: The gospel has reached the ends of the earth.
Luke presents us with a sort of religious travelogue. The most striking feature of the work is the energetic enthusiasm and the burning conviction that propelled the early Christians. This is a 'spirit-driven' project! No matter was too difficult, no journey too arduous, no situation beyond the redemptive powers of the risen Christ. It contrasts greatly with our experience today, where tedium and boredom seem to be so central to the religious package. But our second reading there assures us: 'Now I am making the whole creation new'. Each successive generation, through God's help, makes the creation new again; through the spirit of God we renew the face of the earth.
Another striking theme of the young church is its ability to harness and motivate new leaders. Having mobilised people at the ports in which they landed, they established gifted leaders, gave them full responsibility for their new Churches, and moved on to their next port of call. This is something the Irish Church has neglected down the years. A wealth of energy and talent lies untapped out there. Our culture, the way we have been molded as a people, constricts us. Generally speaking, we Irish are better spectators than players, somehow. We are reluctant to put our heads over the parapet. We are hide-bound by tradition. Here in Ireland, the clergy filled roles that were filled in other cultures as a matter of course by lay people. The Irish Church today, priests and people, are still burdened by that legacy. The result is a passive lay people and an over-active clergy. But, as age creeps up on the clergy, they are growing increasingly passive too. This is of course seriously unhealthy for the Church in Ireland. We will just have to learn new ways of thinking and doing things.
Another characteristic of the book of the Acts was the fearlessness with which they confronted restricting traditions. Paul confronted Peter the leader to his face when Peter attempted to impose Jewish traditions on gentile converts.
But Paul would have none of it. The community depicted in our first reading knew Jesus in the flesh. Perhaps that accounts for their enthusiasm. But Jesus assures us in John's gospel: 'Whoever believes in me will perform even greater works than I'. So faith, rather than an historical accident of birth, explains their energy and drive. We in the Irish Church could do with an infusion of their energy and vision. But we must first identify those negative elements within that sap our energy and cloud our vision. Otherwise, we are doomed to plod on as we are, our tradition impeding us as a millstone, rather than serving us as a precious cornerstone. It should serve all as a solid foundation; it is experienced by far too many as 'a stone to stumble over, a rock to bring men down'.