Rejected Together 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 Christianity. To these people, we are ridiculous, old-fashioned, irrelevant, out of touch with reality, and worthy of a pitying smile. When last did you see people marching on the streets for the rights of the Church or Christianity? What is common are pro-abortion, pro-gay etc.
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… Aren’t we?
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 traveled 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 traveled 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
After his conversion, Francis of Assisi entered upon the path of holiness with renewed strength. There was no indication initially that he planned to do this in the company of others. At a certain point, other men expressed their desire to share his vision. But this was God’s doing, not his. In his Testament, Francis says, “The Lord gave me brothers.”
Such a statement could be written off as medieval piety. Or it could arise from a deep spiritual conviction. In today’s reading from Acts of the Apostles, Paul’s zeal for evangelisation led him to places he had not previously visited. The Spirit of Jesus led him and even determined his route.
Timothy was part of Paul’s missionary group. Paul, no champion of mandatory circumcision, had Timothy circumcised; he was the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Although a man of strong conviction, Paul was not inflexible, but he was capable of necessary accommodation in the interest of a greater good. This is a great bus-stop of thinking and a “thought for food” for all those rigid pastors and their catechists in the parishes. You’ve got to know when to hold on, and when to let go.
Today’s Gospel reminds us that we have been chosen out of this world and it now has no claims on us. If the disciples belonged to this world, they would be embraced by it. But if their vision and aspirations belong to a higher realm, their stay here will be marked by discomfort. In many ways, our life here is countercultural. At the same time we recognize the God-given good that is present in the world. But we and the world will always have our differences. Without enmity or hatred, we still walk a different path. The road may not always be clear, but, with the Lord’s help, it is his will that will take the lead. After all, he is the one who sends us. The mission is his, not ours.
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. Amen!