Fifth Sunday of Easter (Rev. 21:1-5) "Hope Will Not Disappoint"
Fifth Sunday of Easter (Rev. 21:1-5) “Hope Will Not Disappoint”
What good is religion? A lot of people seem to be asking that question right now. If we think of religion in earthly terms, then there is reason to be skeptical of religion.
Religious people can seem constantly at odds with each other. Scandal at times wracks the church. Who can forget the events of the last 40 years in our church? The abuse of children by ministers has been constantly in the headlines. Religious leaders displaying intolerance has been another thing that has caused people to question their faith.
We have an example of religion gone amok when we look at the war in Ukraine right now. The Russian Orthodox church has supported the war in in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has tried to control the religious message in his country. He realizes that religious zeal can motivate people to make great sacrifices for a common cause. The Russian Orthodox church has aided Putin. It has tried to portray the war as a battle between the Christian faith and the values of the Godless west.
Meanwhile the Ukrainian Orthodox church asks how people who purport to be Christians can exhibit the cruelty that the Russians military has displayed towards innocent non-combatants. Ukrainians have been thrown into a spiritual crisis as they contemplate the perversion of the Christian message. Is it any wonder that people question Religion? Whose side is God on we ask?
If we are struggling with our faith because of what is happening in the world, we can understand how the early Christians felt. The Johannine community was one community among many Christian sects that made up the early church. The Christians who were said to follow the Apostle John produced New Testament writings like the Gospel of John, the letters of John and the Book of Revelation. The writings often seem to be shrill. Also, they seem to be judgmental. Why is this so?
The reason was that the Johannine community felt like they were under attack. The community was at odds with the Jewish community. The Johannine Christians had been expelled from the synagogue. The Jewish community considered the Christians as apostates for they didn’t believe in the one true God. No, they referred to Jesus as God. The quarrels between this Christian sect and Jews led to violence both verbal and physical.
The second conflict was between Johannine Christians and other Christian groups. John’s followers were much more liberal about allowing Gentiles into their community. Jewish Christians didn’t agree with this which led to arguments over church policy. The third conflict was with the world at large. Romans were angry with Christians because they would not conform to the norms of the society around them. Christians wouldn’t follow the tenants of civic religion.
Because of all these tensions the Johannine Christians were discouraged. No one likes to be constantly in conflict. An uplifting word was needed. The Book of Revelation provided that. A new heaven and a new earth would come. A new Jerusalem would be built. God would dwell with his people. Tears would be wiped away. Death, pain, wailing, mourning, would be no more. The old order would fade and a new order would come.
Why do we need religion? Because this world is never going to be satisfying. We try to anesthetize ourselves against the alienation we feel in many ways. How do we do that? We try to do that with food and drink. We try to escape through entertainment. We seek to do it by listening to voices that affirm world view that we agree with. We seek to inoculate ourselves against the pain by buying one more material thing. Ultimately, we find that none of this works. We will never find lasting happiness in this world with a strategy of escape.
How can we survive? We can find hope in the religious belief. God’s plan is unfolding. Something better is coming. Hope is built on things that we can’t see with a naked eye, on supernatural forces. Hope only comes by looking at reality with the eyes of faith. We don’t get mad at God about the struggle we are involved in. We expect it. We believe the words of St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans when he says:
“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Our reassurance comes from the belief that one day there will be a new Jerusalem. Despair will yield to joy. War will give way to peace. Poverty will lead to plenty. Sickness will be cured. And the grave will lead to everlasting life.
- Am I saddened by the state of the World? What discourages me?
- How do I keep my sanity? Is it through consuming things? Is it through deepening my relationship with Christ?
Dear Parishioners,
The construction of our church addition will be starting the first week of June. This will necessitate the closing of the East Door of the church. This is a popular entrance to Sacred Heart, but there is no avoiding this. The east parking lot will be the staging area for construction. We are going to provide handicapped parking on the street in front of the church. We also are going to add several handicapped spaces across the street. Please do not block the steps in front of the church.
This is going to be an inconvenience for a few months. People will have to park across the street and around the Junior High building and in the street.
I would encourage people to use the wheelchair ramp who are on walkers and are in wheelchairs. The bad news is that this will be a hardship. The good news is when the construction is over, we will have three more entrances to the church that anyone can use.
Please continue to pray that St. Damian de Veuster will intercede for us as we continue to raise funds and complete construction.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Bishop Robert Barron has a popular podcast each day. Did you know that you can get this presentation on our My Parish App that you can download to your phone? We tried to get people to download this software. We would like to push this again now. If you would like to find out how you might do this call our office and we can get you the information.