4th Sunday after Easter 15 May 2022 Resistance to grace
Imagine you are on a sinking ship and you fall into the ocean. Most people in that situation would be glad to grab onto a passing plank, or lifeboat. Thus they might be rescued (saved).
This level of salvation is easy to want, but in spiritual terms it seems to be more complicated.
Save my body if I am drowning, but leave my soul out of it! No, the soul is more important than the body. It is worse to sin than to die. We can pray for both but if you had to save one, take the soul.
There are various reasons why people resist the mercy of God.
There is a very strong sense of individualism in the world today. People are reluctant to follow any particular creed or teaching regarding moral matters. They dispute that anyone or anything can tell them what to do.
They might say they do not need saving, in the spiritual sense. They are going along quite well, in their own estimation. They have no sins that need forgiving, nothing to answer for before God, they say.
It may be simply that they do not want to give up their sins, being enslaved to them.
Or it may be that they want to be set free from sin but cannot imagine how that would be possible. They are lacking in hope.
There are many impeding factors at work. Behind it all is the devil himself. Any way he can confound and confuse he will do so.
Many have responded to the offer of mercy, and for that, Thanks be to God. There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. (Lk 15,10)
Some of those people go on to be great ambassadors for God's mercy (eg St Mary Magdalene, St Augustine)
The Church continues in the name of Christ, to cut through all resistance, trying to get to the heart of people, so that they will see the truth and come to full spiritual life. No more argument or dispute but humbly accepting His mercy.
Truth can hurt certainly, but it brings joy once we get through the tentacles of resistance.
The captives break free and are glad of it. (cf Ps 125 (126))
To be the bearer of good news should be easy but because of all the resistance it tends to be hard, and even dangerous. See how many missionaries have become martyrs.
History shows that instead of repenting it is easier to kill the messenger, cf John the Baptist, or Christ Himself. They tried to keep Him quiet because His message would upset the status quo. Countless other martyrs have had the same experience.
In today’s Gospel Our Lord is explaining that we need to be
patient and work with the subtle activity of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will make clear what we need to understand.
There is so much to be discovered about God, and what it means to live in union with Him.
Once ‘pulled from the water’ we then have to live our whole lives on this basis, that our true life is with God, and our true home in Heaven.
We do the best we can, starting from wherever we are now, and growing with God's help into a deeper understanding. We live the truth, proclaim it, and are even prepared to suffer for it.
We want to help save people, not just bodies but souls, where it really counts.
May the Holy Spirit continue to guide everyone to wisdom and holiness of life.
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