05-18-2012, 09:50 AM
18 May, 2012, Sixth Friday of Easter
ABSENCE AS A TIME OF WAITING AND CONTEMPLATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 18:9-18; JN 16:20-23
Today, we celebrate the first day of Novena to the Holy Spirit. This is because from now until Pentecost, the Church wants us to renew our consciousness of the Holy Spirit that has already been given to us. We have already received the Holy Spirit at our Baptism and confirmation. But we need to become more aware of the Holy Spirit all the time so that we will not forget His presence in us, especially in those moments when we feel the absence of God.
Indeed, the period between Ascension and Pentecost is a time for prayer. It is a time of waiting with Mary who gathered the apostles at the Upper Room to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. This was necessary as the Feast of the Pentecost speaks of the worldwide mission entrusted to the apostles. Before they could go out to the world to proclaim the gospel, they must first be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is because proclaiming the gospel is not an easy task. In the first reading, we read of the difficulties and dangers that St Paul faced in his missionary journey. Paul feared for his own life. Quite often, the gospel message is rejected. This was true during the time of St Paul and equally true today. Indeed, many Christians throughout the world are losing their lives for the sake of the gospel message. For some, their suffering comes from being misunderstood; living in a world where people have not heard or have forgotten Christ’s message. We face opposition within and without.
From without, the world cannot tolerate the truth of the gospel. As the Holy Father, Pope Benedict said, we are living under the dictatorship of relativism. This world does not accept values that are eternal and lasting because they do not believe in God who is eternal. What is right today could be wrong tomorrow. What is wrong today could be right tomorrow. It all depends on the trend and the wishes of the people. So nothing could be said to be true. Right or wrong is a matter of preference and is determined by consensus. So those of us who claim to know the essential truths of life would be considered arrogant. If that were so, it also makes relativism the absolute way to living. The irony is that relativism has made itself the absolute and is thus intolerant of those who reject it.
But we are not only facing opposition from without. We have to face opposition from within. Today, some of us can lose faith in the face of personal struggles in our spiritual life. Some of us have failed in Christian witnessing. We live contradictory lives and have become counter-witnesses to the faith. We struggle to be faithful to the gospel. Some of us cannot let go of our inability to forgive those who have hurt us. We continue to hold resentment in our hearts. We fall easily into the sins of lust, greed and anger. Indeed, if we examine our own personal life, we will find that certain areas need purification but we cannot let go.
Or sometimes, we see certain problems in our office, or in the parish or organizations we are serving. We know that certain things are not in order. Perhaps, we find some injustices being practiced by leaders and those in charge. Or we find certain systems not helpful for Christian living. Yet, quite often, we feel helpless, either because we are not in a position to rectify it or we might lack courage to exercise our legitimate authority due to the sensitivity and political nature of the problem.
In such a predicament, the message of the liturgy is simply, “Do not be afraid.” The readings today speak words of encouragement to remain strong and confident in Christ’s teachings and in our Church, despite the deriding attempts by others to stifle our joy. We must not be discouraged even when the world rejects us or when we find ourselves not entirely faithful to the gospel. Jesus toldSt Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you.” Truly, we need not be afraid. What, then, is the basis for our confidence even when things are not on our side, whether in our apostolic or spiritual life?
Why are we fearful? Fear comes about only when we feel alone and abandoned. Actually, we all can take suffering in life. It is only when we feel alone in carrying our burdens that we begin to lose hope and engage in self-pity. That is why the comforting assurance that we all need to hear is that we are not alone. Jesus is saying to us that even though we feel His absence, “I am with you!”
How is Jesus with us? He is with us especially when we are in difficult straits. We might not know that He is with us, but He is. For this reason, He has gone before us to show the way. The disciples were warned that Jesus would have to leave them for a while. “I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful but your sorrow will turn to joy.”
What is this way, if not the way of the passion and the cross? The way to happiness and joy in the kingdom of God is through the cross. Suffering is part of the passage to growth and new life. There is no escape from the reality of life. Only suffering can overcome the hardness of heart. Jesus knew that the cross would be a stumbling block for those who refuse to believe in Him. The cross for Jesus was not defeat but victory – victory over sin, over the forces of evil in the world, and over the devil – the arch- enemy of God and humankind.
Through the cross too, we will come to know the love of God. Truly, many of us in our sufferings come to Jesus and recognize our helplessness. So long as we think we can do without God, God cannot help us. Sin must be brought to the cross of Jesus Christ and evil can only be completely mastered by the power of God’s redeeming love. Jesus told His disciples that it was more blessed to mourn for sin because it would yield the fruits of peace, joy, and righteousness. Through His death on the cross Jesus won for us new life and freedom over the power of sin, despair, and death.
Secondly, we know that Jesus is with us because of the resurrection. That is what Jesus told the disciples. “So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.” The Easter victory of Jesus teaches us courage in the face of suffering and death. In the resurrection of Christ our fears are laid to rest. His resurrection is total, final, triumphant, and for us, peace and joy at the end. We will have troubles in the present reality, but through the eyes of faith, we know the final outcome – complete victory over sin, suffering, and death in Jesus Christ. That is why we can pray confidently now, knowing that the Father will give us everything we need to live as His children and as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, fear is overcome with the assurance of Christ’s presence in the support of fellow Christians. This is what Jesus toldSt Paul. “I have so many people on my side in this city that no one will even attempt to hurt you.” Yes, we need the support of fellow Christians in our journey. Furthermore, Christ’s presence in the community of Christians is felt in the support of fellow Christians. The Holy Spirit will gather us into a communion, just as the early Christians supported Paul.
However, all these can be real only with the experience of the Holy Spirit. Jesus comes to us in a new way at Pentecost. We cannot see Jesus, unlike the apostles. Resurrection is not real to us unless the Spirit of Jesus lives in us. But with the Holy Spirit we will know Him personally. We know that His resurrection is real in our lives only when we experience Him in a personal way in the Holy Spirit.
Once we encounter Jesus and are enlightened in truth, we will have no more questions to ask because in the face of God, the ultimate, everything else becomes insignificant. This explains why when we come to the end of the journey, everything will be made clear. Jesus assured His disciples, “when that day comes, you will not ask me any questions.”
Indeed, there are so many things in life that we do not know. But if we persevere, we will come to know the answer. The truth is that we know many things from hindsight. At the end of the journey, we will come to understand. For the moment, we need to struggle on. When that time comes, we will forget all that we have been through.
Yes, when nothing seems to be going right, this is where we must wait and be patient. We must seek the wisdom and the truth that comes from the Holy Spirit. This was the situation of the disciples when Jesus spoke to them of His imminent death. They were trying to come to terms with the departure of their master. Yet, they too were helpless. We can empathize with them in their helplessness. Let us therefore, like them, seek the Holy Spirit and prepare ourselves so that at Pentecost when we have a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we can be confident of God’s love once again, since the Holy Spirit is the love of God in person.
ABSENCE AS A TIME OF WAITING AND CONTEMPLATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 18:9-18; JN 16:20-23
Today, we celebrate the first day of Novena to the Holy Spirit. This is because from now until Pentecost, the Church wants us to renew our consciousness of the Holy Spirit that has already been given to us. We have already received the Holy Spirit at our Baptism and confirmation. But we need to become more aware of the Holy Spirit all the time so that we will not forget His presence in us, especially in those moments when we feel the absence of God.
Indeed, the period between Ascension and Pentecost is a time for prayer. It is a time of waiting with Mary who gathered the apostles at the Upper Room to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. This was necessary as the Feast of the Pentecost speaks of the worldwide mission entrusted to the apostles. Before they could go out to the world to proclaim the gospel, they must first be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is because proclaiming the gospel is not an easy task. In the first reading, we read of the difficulties and dangers that St Paul faced in his missionary journey. Paul feared for his own life. Quite often, the gospel message is rejected. This was true during the time of St Paul and equally true today. Indeed, many Christians throughout the world are losing their lives for the sake of the gospel message. For some, their suffering comes from being misunderstood; living in a world where people have not heard or have forgotten Christ’s message. We face opposition within and without.
From without, the world cannot tolerate the truth of the gospel. As the Holy Father, Pope Benedict said, we are living under the dictatorship of relativism. This world does not accept values that are eternal and lasting because they do not believe in God who is eternal. What is right today could be wrong tomorrow. What is wrong today could be right tomorrow. It all depends on the trend and the wishes of the people. So nothing could be said to be true. Right or wrong is a matter of preference and is determined by consensus. So those of us who claim to know the essential truths of life would be considered arrogant. If that were so, it also makes relativism the absolute way to living. The irony is that relativism has made itself the absolute and is thus intolerant of those who reject it.
But we are not only facing opposition from without. We have to face opposition from within. Today, some of us can lose faith in the face of personal struggles in our spiritual life. Some of us have failed in Christian witnessing. We live contradictory lives and have become counter-witnesses to the faith. We struggle to be faithful to the gospel. Some of us cannot let go of our inability to forgive those who have hurt us. We continue to hold resentment in our hearts. We fall easily into the sins of lust, greed and anger. Indeed, if we examine our own personal life, we will find that certain areas need purification but we cannot let go.
Or sometimes, we see certain problems in our office, or in the parish or organizations we are serving. We know that certain things are not in order. Perhaps, we find some injustices being practiced by leaders and those in charge. Or we find certain systems not helpful for Christian living. Yet, quite often, we feel helpless, either because we are not in a position to rectify it or we might lack courage to exercise our legitimate authority due to the sensitivity and political nature of the problem.
In such a predicament, the message of the liturgy is simply, “Do not be afraid.” The readings today speak words of encouragement to remain strong and confident in Christ’s teachings and in our Church, despite the deriding attempts by others to stifle our joy. We must not be discouraged even when the world rejects us or when we find ourselves not entirely faithful to the gospel. Jesus toldSt Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you.” Truly, we need not be afraid. What, then, is the basis for our confidence even when things are not on our side, whether in our apostolic or spiritual life?
Why are we fearful? Fear comes about only when we feel alone and abandoned. Actually, we all can take suffering in life. It is only when we feel alone in carrying our burdens that we begin to lose hope and engage in self-pity. That is why the comforting assurance that we all need to hear is that we are not alone. Jesus is saying to us that even though we feel His absence, “I am with you!”
How is Jesus with us? He is with us especially when we are in difficult straits. We might not know that He is with us, but He is. For this reason, He has gone before us to show the way. The disciples were warned that Jesus would have to leave them for a while. “I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful but your sorrow will turn to joy.”
What is this way, if not the way of the passion and the cross? The way to happiness and joy in the kingdom of God is through the cross. Suffering is part of the passage to growth and new life. There is no escape from the reality of life. Only suffering can overcome the hardness of heart. Jesus knew that the cross would be a stumbling block for those who refuse to believe in Him. The cross for Jesus was not defeat but victory – victory over sin, over the forces of evil in the world, and over the devil – the arch- enemy of God and humankind.
Through the cross too, we will come to know the love of God. Truly, many of us in our sufferings come to Jesus and recognize our helplessness. So long as we think we can do without God, God cannot help us. Sin must be brought to the cross of Jesus Christ and evil can only be completely mastered by the power of God’s redeeming love. Jesus told His disciples that it was more blessed to mourn for sin because it would yield the fruits of peace, joy, and righteousness. Through His death on the cross Jesus won for us new life and freedom over the power of sin, despair, and death.
Secondly, we know that Jesus is with us because of the resurrection. That is what Jesus told the disciples. “So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.” The Easter victory of Jesus teaches us courage in the face of suffering and death. In the resurrection of Christ our fears are laid to rest. His resurrection is total, final, triumphant, and for us, peace and joy at the end. We will have troubles in the present reality, but through the eyes of faith, we know the final outcome – complete victory over sin, suffering, and death in Jesus Christ. That is why we can pray confidently now, knowing that the Father will give us everything we need to live as His children and as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, fear is overcome with the assurance of Christ’s presence in the support of fellow Christians. This is what Jesus toldSt Paul. “I have so many people on my side in this city that no one will even attempt to hurt you.” Yes, we need the support of fellow Christians in our journey. Furthermore, Christ’s presence in the community of Christians is felt in the support of fellow Christians. The Holy Spirit will gather us into a communion, just as the early Christians supported Paul.
However, all these can be real only with the experience of the Holy Spirit. Jesus comes to us in a new way at Pentecost. We cannot see Jesus, unlike the apostles. Resurrection is not real to us unless the Spirit of Jesus lives in us. But with the Holy Spirit we will know Him personally. We know that His resurrection is real in our lives only when we experience Him in a personal way in the Holy Spirit.
Once we encounter Jesus and are enlightened in truth, we will have no more questions to ask because in the face of God, the ultimate, everything else becomes insignificant. This explains why when we come to the end of the journey, everything will be made clear. Jesus assured His disciples, “when that day comes, you will not ask me any questions.”
Indeed, there are so many things in life that we do not know. But if we persevere, we will come to know the answer. The truth is that we know many things from hindsight. At the end of the journey, we will come to understand. For the moment, we need to struggle on. When that time comes, we will forget all that we have been through.
Yes, when nothing seems to be going right, this is where we must wait and be patient. We must seek the wisdom and the truth that comes from the Holy Spirit. This was the situation of the disciples when Jesus spoke to them of His imminent death. They were trying to come to terms with the departure of their master. Yet, they too were helpless. We can empathize with them in their helplessness. Let us therefore, like them, seek the Holy Spirit and prepare ourselves so that at Pentecost when we have a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we can be confident of God’s love once again, since the Holy Spirit is the love of God in person.