Fifth Sunday of Easter B

May 3, 2015

Click here for scripture readings.

Three months ago, Paul was killing the followers of Jesus, and today he wants to preach the gospel.

No wonder they don't trust him!

So he is introduced to the Good Old Boys Club, who give him the seal of approval.

Church certification was simple in those days.

To be an apostle you had to be a personal friend of Jesus.

For a wannabe apostle like Paul you had to be approved by FOJs.

To be an ordinary parishioner you had to belong to a household of faith.

It's more difficult today to know which is Catholic.

Oh, we have a pope and creed and catechism; but after 2000 years things get complicated.

A majority of Catholics do not accept the church's teaching on birth control; many ignore the teaching on marriage;

the average parish council would reject the church's view on capital punishment;

 many finance committees (but not ours) would veto the pope's proposal to forgive the debt of developing nations.

There are different opinions on an issue because the same reality looks different from different sides.

The economy looks good or bad depending on whether you are rich or poor.

The job market looks different to those who do or don't have a job.

Marriage is understood differently by singles, married, widowed, divorced or re-marrieds.

Sex is experienced differently by heterosexuals and homosexuals.

War feels different to victors and vanquished.

The law seems very different to judge and criminal.

Does this mean that there is no objective truth, that every opinion is equally valid; that a good intention makes everything right?

No. Jesus did not say, "Love me and do what you want."

He said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments."

The problem is the application of 10 commandments to 6 billion people in 50 trillion situations.

That is why there are different images of the church because different people accentuate some values more than others.

There are also different church models because the church is a mystery too great to be defined by one image.

So, Scripture offers several: the People of God, the Communion of Saints, the Body of Christ, the Temple of God, the Sheepfold, the Vine and Branches.

It is not that one of these is true and the others false.

Nor is one necessarily better than the other.

They are given to complement and fill out each other so we can appreciate the fullness of the church and experience all its possibilities.

So we are free to live out of one model more than another now and then.

 But we are in danger if we focus too much on any one aspect of the church.

And we actually mutilate the Body of Christ when we obsess on one image of the church to the total exclusion of the others.

Even the moral model.

The churches founded by Paul were structured;

while the churches founded by John depended solely on the Holy Spirit and mutual love.

We are direct descendants of Paul's churches, while all of John's churches fell apart by the third century.

Not for lack of the Spirit; but because love alone does not keep the rain out.

That is why we maintain the church model of Paul to judge our moral conduct.

Some do better than others; some feel uncomfortable in the family;

some may be thrown out of the house.

But there is more to life than right and wrong.

And our church is not God.

So, we gather our battered, confused, guilty selves and go to John's church for a final verdict

We always want the church to give us the right answer

Surprise!

John refuses to get involved in our merely human justice.

He says: " We simply cannot know how you stand with God.

But I do know this: 'No matter how your conscience accuses you,

 God is greater than your heart.'"