REJECTED WITH CHRIST

Introduction
The world that has rejected Christ hates Christ and his disciples; it persecutes them because the lifestyle of a good Christian is a silent condemnation of the world. Think, for example, of the films by Luis Bunuel, the Spanish director, who is obsessed by everything Christian and holds it up to bitter sarcasm.

Perhaps, more deadening than persecution is the attitude of a world that has not discovered Christ or has a distorted view of him and of Christianity. To these people, we are ridiculous, old-fashioned, irrelevant, out of touch with reality, and worthy of a pitying smile.
Yet this was the lot of Christ. We share in his love, and also in the treatment he is given by the world. The disciple is no better than the master. In the disciple, the world still rejects Christ, the Master. At least, we are in good company…

1 Reading ACTS 16:1-10
Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra
where there was a disciple named Timothy,
the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer,
but his father was a Greek.
The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,
and Paul wanted him to come along with him.
On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,
for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
As they travelled from city to city,
they handed on to the people for observance the decisions
reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.
Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith
and increased in number.

They travelled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory
because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit
from preaching the message in the province of Asia.
When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia,
but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,
so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas.
During the night Paul had a vision.
A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words,
“Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
When he had seen the vision,
we sought passage to Macedonia at once,
concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

Responsorial Psalm 100:1B-2, 3, 5
R. (2a) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R.

Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R.

The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R

Alleluia Colossians 3:1
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If then you were raised with Christ,
seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel John 15:18-21
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.”

Commentary:
There have been many voices, inside and outside the Church, calling for her to listen to the signs of the times and adapt to the changing realities of the world. Whereas there is merit in the argument and we must make the Gospel intelligible in the given context of the world, the proposition is still fraught with danger. As Chesterton observed, whoever marries the spirit of the times is soon a widow(er). The Church is married to the One who was, is, and will be the same forever, and so must follow the signs of his Gospel. Wherever the Church and the world are hand- in-glove, there her faithfulness to the Gospel is suspect. For the ways of the world (in the Johannine sense) and the way of the Gospel do not match. Rather, they oppose each other, and it is for this reason that Jesus was rejected, persecuted, and crucified. For this reason, too, sincere followers of Christ would be rejected, persecuted, and even killed. When criticism and hostility rise up against our authentic following the Gospel, let us take comfort in the saying: “like Master, like disciple.”

Blessing
The message of Christ is not always a comfortable message, it also has to speak of the cross. But speak we must, even in the face of ridicule and contradiction. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.