Scripture:
Acts 16: 11-15
John 15:26b-16:4a
Reflection:
Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan said, “every truth starts as a blasphemy.”
Certainly, when Pope Francis speaks truth about militarism, poverty, capitalism, racism, sexual orientation, and protecting our environment, some have turned away, criticized him as out of line. Some say he is blasphemous and not in accord with Catholic teaching.
In our world of infinite conflicting messages about right and wrong, our inner moral compasses can be set spinning, leaving us confused, frustrated, withdrawn, or worse, blindly accepting reactionary absolutes in our quest for comfort and security.
Many accepted “truths” society lives by may not be truths at all, but rather illusions to maintain an unjust, destructive status quo. Think of the history of European and American colonialism and “the white man’s burden” that created exploitive societies for centuries. This cruelty was, at the time of its inception, approved by the papacy.
Millions considered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a tool of the Devil as he challenged Jim Crow laws and the Vietnam War.
Dorothy Day was considered a radical unworthy of the name Catholic when she condemned unbridled capitalism and all wars, including the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says we, his disciples, will testify to the truth of Jesus Christ. The powerful Advocate will fill us with everything we need to challenge every falsehood that is counter to God’s will. When we criticize illusions, delusions, and feel-good myths that are labeled as accepted truths, we shouldn’t expect to be well received. “They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.”
When we, like Lydia in today’s reading from Acts, accept the invitation to follow Christ, we must be prepared to be rejected by our community and perhaps family and friends.
By converting our lives from trusting our money, our armies, our economic system, our status, and our personal powers, to a life lived in partnership with Christ, we must be prepared to take tough public stands, to expose evil masked as good, and to expect to be shut out and scoffed.
But this is the only route to true joy and deep inner peace. Today’s psalm is a hymn of rejoicing: “Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches. Let the high praises of God be in their throats. This is the glory of all his faithful.”
Take time to let the Advocate penetrate your heart today. Let the Advocate open your eyes to see what in our world needs to be defined as good and what needs to be defined as evil. Condemn falsehoods. Anticipate rejection. Fully trust the power of the Advocate to give all you need to lead a powerful life of respect and tenderness for everyone you meet and a determination to live blasphemous lives in the eyes of the world.
This is life resting in God, a life of satisfaction of the heart.
Jim Wayne is a board member of the Passionist Solidarity Network (PSN), and author of The Unfinished Man. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.