2nd Last Sunday after Pentecost 18.11.18 Hazards
to the faith. (Readings 6th Sunday after Epiphany)
Our Lord gave the image of the Kingdom of Heaven as being
like a seed that becomes a great tree.
Its branches spread out over the whole world, and the birds
rest in its branches (Mt 13,32).
The Church certainly has grown a long way from its
beginnings, with twelve apostles and sundry disciples.
Yet we know we should have more of a grip on the world by
now, after two thousand years.
We have not penetrated some places, eg much of Asia; and we have
lost much of what we had gained, eg Turkey, North Africa – to Islam; and Europe
to secularism.
Then there is at the personal level, for each disciple, the
battle to hold on to the faith we have received, and make it more real in terms
of how we live.
The seed becomes a tree. Trees have their difficulties in
growing; but not as many as the Church has faced over 2000 years.
Persecution: many kingdoms have tried to destroy the
Church, and prevent the Kingdom of Heaven from taking root.
The earthly kings and empires feel threatened so they try to
stamp out the new religion. Many Christians have lost their lives as a result.
Christians are intimidated as to holding the faith. If we
express our faith too readily we will be punished in some way, if not by death,
then maybe demotion, ridicule, expulsion from the circle.
At the opposite end we have Seduction. We are
promised rewards if we follow the world’s way of thinking. Don’t be too
particular about right and wrong; just go with the system and you will rise
far.
Speak out and we will punish you; keep quiet and we will
reward you. Either way or both we are tempted to abandon the fight.
Then there is the challenge to each individual simply to
cope with life and its daily troubles.
It is hard for us to be holy each day, and all day.
We are tempted on a smaller scale in the same way as the
whole Church is tempted.
Keep the commandments and suffer the pain of restraint and
discipline.
Break the commandments and experience how easy it is to live
if we submerge the conscience.
How do we find the right course and the courage to stay on
it?
We learn and re-learn the words of Our Lord and follow His
way. Our trust in Him becomes great enough that we will make light of the
world’s promises and its threats.
They cannot do as much good or harm to us as Our Lord.
As much good because He promises an eternal reward. As much
harm because He can cast the soul into Hell (Mt 10,28),
The tree has to battle its way through the undergrowth to
emerge taller than all else around it.
So for the Church; so for the individual disciple.
We have to do some work to get to the right place in this
life. Grace will be available to help us overcome all difficulties.
We become stronger at recognising the smoke screens and seeing
through them.
We prefer the truth, and anchor ourselves in it.
Is it really possible? Yes, to the serious disciple. We see
the falsehoods all around and we grasp the one solid reality – divine Truth.
This is what it means to take shelter in the branches.
In the Church we are secure, not from persecution, but from
falling into error and sin. Living in the Church we are fortified in truth and
virtue. To take another tree image from the Gospels, we are attached to the
tree and draw life from it (Jn 15,1-8); and we bear fruit.
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