Lesson from Fr. Paulus | Christ Is Faithful

My dear brothers and sisters, during these Sundays of the Easter Season, the Church takes us back to the Last Supper. This is giving us a chance to dig deeper into its meaning.

We can use our imaginations to picture the scene. Jesus and the Twelve are in the Upper Room, gathered for the Passover. Jesus begins to tell them about his coming sufferings. He tells them that he will be leaving them to go back to the Father.

We can picture the Apostles frowning in confusion, and maybe beginning to feel a creeping sadness. They have staked their lives on Jesus! They have given up everything to follow him. And now he says that he must go away from them, and that they cannot follow where he is going?

Jesus knows their hearts. He knows their fears. Twice during the Discourse, he tells them, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." He only repeats it because he knows that their hearts are truly troubled. And then he makes them a promise. He says, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

He promises never to abandon his chosen followers. The crucifixion will come, the darkness, the suffering, the persecution, the apparent failure, and defeat. But through it all, the Apostles can cling with firm faith to this promise: I will not leave you orphans; I will never abandon you.

Jesus knows that our hearts too are often troubled. He knows that we are filled with fear and confusion, with regret and sorrow during our own Good Fridays. And he makes the same promise to us: I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. I will be with you. His Resurrection is the first and definitive step in his fulfilment of this promise. Jesus Christ is faithful. We can count on it.

A Constant Flow of Miracles

Christ proves his faithfulness over and over again. The miracles he performed during his earthly ministry were all signs of God's faithfulness. The greatest sign of all was Jesus' Resurrection - his definitive victory over sin and suffering, the bedrock of our hope.

These signs have continued throughout the history of his Church. In the Act of the Apostle, we heard about the deacon Philip healing cripples and casting out demons. His miracles brought joy to the whole city, because they showed that the Good News of the gospel, which Philip was preaching, was more than just wishful thinking.

The miracles have never stopped flowing. Sceptics always try to explain them away, and they aren't the main pillar of our faith, but they keep happening. Every year the pope beatifies and canonizes new saints. But beatifications and canonizations cannot happen unless miracles confirm the holiness of the new saints and blessed.

Most of us have probably experienced miracles ourselves. Walter Hooper, a convert to Catholicism and literary advisor and trustee to the estate of the famous Christian author C.S. Lewis, once told of a miracle he experienced when he met Pope John Paul II.

Hooper had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and he was in great pain. On a trip to Rome, he had a chance to greet the pope. When he kissed the pope's ring, he immediately felt his pain disappear. At the same time John Paul II winced and tightened his grip, just for a moment.

It was as if the pope had taken upon himself the pain of the cancer, freeing Hooper from his sickness. Walter looked up at the pope and said, "I'm sorry..." and the pope responded, "Don't worry - it's OK." And the cancer was gone.

Spreading the News

We are the fortunate ones. We have heard and believed Christ's promise. We have experienced his presence, his faithfulness. We know we are not orphans. We have the Eucharist, the Mass, the sacraments, the Bible, the guidance of our popes and bishops. We have our share of crosses in life, yet we never have to carry them alone.

But what about the other five billion people on earth who do not know Jesus Christ personally, who are searching for someone they can trust, someone who can give them the promise of eternal life?

Or what about our very own neighbours, co-workers, teammates, family members, and classmates? How many of them are keeping up appearances on the outside, but suffering loneliness, frustration, and maybe even hopelessness on the inside?

Jesus made his promise to them as well. But they need someone to tell them about it. They need someone to bear witness to the faithfulness of that promise.

That someone is us. We are Christ's messengers and witnesses. Just as we received the news from someone else, we are each called to pass it on to someone else. As St Peter put it in today's Second Reading: "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope." Whether they ask with words or without words, we have the answer: Christ.

Today, as Christ fulfils his promise once again in this Mass and pours his own strength into our souls at Holy Communion, let's ask him to make us more courageous messengers, and let's promise him that this week we will bring the Good News of his unfailing love to someone who really needs to hear it.