Word to the Wise
Saturday, April 11, 2015 - Octave of Easter - Sat
[Acts 4:13-21 and Mark 16:9-15]"Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard." [Acts]
The leaders, elders and scribes are facing some "uneducated, ordinary men" who had been "companions of Jesus." These were also some very convinced men, who had earlier been as unbelieving as these religious authorities. The Gospel of Mark today, in what has been called "the longer ending" makes it clear that the apostles simply could not believe what Mary Magdalen and others were telling them. When Jesus appeared to them, he gave them a "chewing out" and send them to preach. The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles tell us that the preaching mission occurred after the Holy Spirit came upon them. The Gospel of John puts this experience in one of Jesus' last appearances to the apostles. No matter which account we read, what is clear is that these "uneducated, ordinary men" were willing to put their lives on the line for what they had "seen and heard."
It is hard for us so many centuries later to capture some of that urgency. The church seems always to be "there" and the truths of the faith are part of the social context we live in. Yes, there are still martyrs for the faith in other parts of the world who will read these scriptural passages with greater recognition of the task of witnessing. But what about us who live in this land of plenty with its secular concerns that occasionally border on indifferent hostility? Perhaps we need to shout a little louder and say what Peter and John said: "It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard." We are called by Pope Francis to be "missionary disciples." I hope that is not impossible! AMEN
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