3rd Sunday of Easter B - Homily 2

Homily 2 - 2009

Today's First Reading from the Acts of Apostles got me thinking.

Just to get the scene: The apostles Peter and John had just cured a lame man at the Temple in Jerusalem. The man they had cured had then headed off, jumping and leaping for all he was worth, in and out of the Temple porticoes.

Not surprisingly, a crowd gathered; and Peter took the opportunity to explain what had happened and why. He said it was through the power of Jesus that the fellow was healed... Jesus, who was dead and buried, was no longer dead and buried, but risen and wonderfully alive and active through his disciples.

Then the threw the book at them:

The same Jesus you handed over, and then disowned in the presence of Pilate – after Pilate had decided to release him. It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer while you killed the prince of life ...

But then he went on to say:

Brothers (interesting?),neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing...

You didn't realise what you were really doing. You made a terrible mistake then, but it's not too late to change your minds. You are not caught in your sin.Jesus, in fact, would love, still, to save you.

But to enjoy salvation, you have to change your whole sense of God and of what God is like. You've got to let God love you, and let his love change your whole mindset, and your behaviour - how you see and relate to each other, and to others in general.

You must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.

Peter said that they didn't really realise what they were doing. I think he could also have said that they also didn't know why they did it. Why did they shout out for Jesus' death? Why were they complicit in his murder? I wonder if they knew.

Why the Reading got me thinking was because of what I had seen and heard on the news in recent days. Peter was direct in his criticism of the people's actions. But he didn't say that he hoped they would rot in hell.

We have heard that judgment passed a couple of times recently: about Indonesian people smugglers, before that, about possible Black Saturday arsonists, and, months ago, about the Bali bombers.

What makes political leaders express such judgments? What makes so many people agree with them? Why do they do it?

Well, history... and literature... and theology seem to show us that, when societies are under pressure, or their leaders insecure, particularly when their own consciences feel vaguely guilty, we look for scapegoats, whom we label evil.

Finding a scapegoat has an incredible power to unite us at a certain level, and to enable us even to feel virtuous by comparison. It seems to quieten our consciences, and distracts us from facing up to our own evil and making the difficult decisions for genuine change and growth.

We need a Peter to lead us to realise what we are really doing - to name our sin. We need a Peter to lead us to realise why we go along with what we often vaguely feel uneasy about.

We are protective of our boundaries. One of the reasons why Jesus was eliminated was because he did away with boundaries. In fact, he wanted us to remember him as the one who respected everyone, and who was prepared to welcome anyone, simply because he knew that his Father loved everyone and was prepared to forgive anything.

Jesus said that he would be particularly present with us whenever we gathered together to share a meal in memory of him, where all would know that we're sinners and where all would be welcome.

Let's move into our Eucharist!