(Homily for May 15, 2018).
“I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. … As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” John 17:14-18.
The prayer of Jesus in today’s Gospel passage carries a lot of deep-seated messages which we see clearly manifested even in our first reading and in our day to day life today. Jesus’ prayer is not only descriptive, it is in a sense prophetic.
*First, Jesus summarizes the struggles and challenges of Christianity as hatred from the world.* The world hates us because we do not belong here. The world has never liked Christians so much so that it is a contradiction to be Christian and worldly at the same time. We cannot have two masters. We cannot make the world love us by force.
Just yesterday, I saw a video of a woman taking an oath of office into a political position but was asked to step down simply because she mentioned the name of God in place of “Allah” as written in the text. St. Paul in today’s first reading mentions the fact that “fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock…” Acts 20:29. To be a Christian is to be a sheep in the midst of wolves.
*Secondly, Jesus asks for protection from the evil one.* The world’s hatred comes from the evil one; satan, the devil, the prince of liars, the thief who comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. As we mentioned in Sunday’s homily, our chief enemy as Christians is not flesh and blood (people) but the devil, the evil one who operates through principalities and powers. (Ephesians 6:12).
Jesus begs God to keep us from the evil one. One may ask: Is this part of the prayer answered already? If yes, why are we still under constant attack? Why does the world still hate us? The answer is simple: We are fighting no longer as victims but as victors. Jesus already defeated the evil one on the Cross of Calvary, but the battle rages on so long as we remain in this world.
It is like a soldier who is sent to a foreign country on peacekeeping. The soldier himself is under attack so long as he is in that foreign land but his home nation is not under any threat from the country he is. Put simply, we are victorious but not yet at home. This brings us to the third point Jesus raises in his prayer.
*Thirdly, Jesus defines the Christian life as a missionary enterprise.* To be a Christian at all is to be on a mission. Like a soldier on peacekeeping mission, you are not here to relax, to eat and drink, you are here for a specific purpose. “As thou did send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” John 17:18.
Dear friends, we shouldn’t be praying for long life, rather, we should be praying for a meaningful life; a life of fulfilling the mandate to which we have been sent. Like that faithful servant who does his duty until the master’s arrival or the servant who was given talents to trade in the parables of Jesus, we have a specific task and the time allotted to us is limited. Death is inevitable; that we must die someday is a testimony to the fact that we are only on a mission.
St. Paul in his farewell speech mentions the fact that during his stay, he did not covert anyone’s silver or gold or apparel. He worked with his hands to meet his necessities. As we know, St. Paul was a tent-maker or what we may refer to as a civil engineer or builder. St. Paul was not a burden to his flock.
We see a sharp contrast in the lives of today’s worldly ministers who use threats to obtain the wealth of their congregation and then go all the way to flaunt that wealth as though competing with the world. Such persons are not true ministers but as St. Paul mentioned, they are wolves that have arisen from “among your own selves… speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:30.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, it is not an easy road so hold my hand and lead me on safely till I get back home. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the 7th Week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 20:28-38 and John 17:11-19).
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