Word to the Wise
Friday, May 6, 2011 - 2nd Week of Easter - Fri
[Acts 5:34-42 and John 6:1-15,897]"So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; my may even find yourselves fighting against God." [Acts]
When I was a child in grade school the "Cold War" was in full swing. There were prayers at the end of Mass for "the conversion of Russia," and heroes like the imprisoned cardinal in were presented to us as possibilities for US if we didn't exercise proper vigilance. It was with some amazing relief, then, that I watched on TV the visit of Pope John Paul II to Poland and the destruction of the Berlin Wall. The message, to me, was simple. The worldwide communist effort to destroy the faith was "fighting against God."
I think of Gamaliel's advice to the Sanhedrin. After pointing out that there had been a number of Messianic pretenders in living memory who were crushed by the Romans, he offers a simple solution. If the new preaching upsets the Romans, it will be crushed like the earlier movements. If it survives the Roman scrutiny, this may be a sign of divine approval. Either way, the Sanhedrin should stay out of it. Eventually the new preaching would offend the Romans, but for the time being, the new movement would have some breathing space. Neither Romans, nor Sanhedrin, nor communists for that matter, would ultimately triumph. At present, I find myself wondering how "secularism" and "indifference" and "relativism" are going to fare. If history is any indicator, Christianity will not be destroyed and the faith will continue. Gamaliel's advice remains good policy. Why more governments don't follow it is a puzzle. AMEN