Word to the Wise
Friday, April 24, 2020 - 2nd Week of Easter - Fri
[Acts 5:34-42 and John 6:1-15]"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; you may even find yourselves fighting against God." [Acts]
These words are spoken by a famous rabbi to the Jewish council in Jerusalem which was trying to decide what to do about the preaching of the apostles after Pentecost. The rabbi, Gamaliel, was also one of St. Paul's teachers! Gamaliel cites instances of other popular movements that failed. The test of authenticity would be whether or not the movement endured. If it endures, it is of God. If not, it is merely human. So, Gamaliel's advice is to take a "wait and see" posture. Despite persecution of all kinds, Christianity endured and continues to endure. Ironically, the Jewish leadership put faith in other "movements" (66-70 AD and 135 AD) which were led by "messianic" figures and which the Romans crushed with brutal efficiency, destroying the temple and obliterating Jerusalem as it was known at the time. Only the "weeping wall" on the west side remains as a reminder. Would Christianity have turned to armed rebellion against the Romans if it had been accepted by the Jewish leadership? We will never know. Ultimately, the Romans did not succeed in crushing either Christianity or Judaism!!
Although the liturgical celebration of Pentecost lies ahead of us, the Spirit which filled Peter and John and the first preachers is with us now, And in this time of plague, we need that inspiration more than ever. The creative ways that the Church has found to continue sacramental and devotional life due to "stay-at-home" orders and "social distancing" are testimony to the tenacity of faith. The virus will not prevail over faith. What our "next normal" will be is yet to be determined, but the Spirit will help us with that, too! AMEN