Easter V [C]: Acts 14:21-27; Rv 21:1-5a; Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35

Today we are reminded of the fundamental pattern of Christian life: Cross and Resurrection. We have seen this theme frequently in recent weeks leading to Easter, but the Church wants us to look at it again. St. Paul describes the path to Heaven as hardship, but Our Lord in today’s Gospel calls it the moment of his glorification. When John in his gospel talks about glorification, he is referring to Jesus being crucified. As Judas goes out to betray Our Lord, the Lord says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.” 

St Luke, the author of the First Reading from the Book of Acts, summarizes the preaching of Paul and Barnabas in one sentence.  'They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.'" In other words, only through the Cross can we reach the Resurrection; only through self-sacrificing love can we experience true Christian joy.

St John in the Second Reading gives us the same message from the other direction. He paints a picture of heaven, where the saints live in perfect communion with God. The main characteristic of that life is that God "will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away." The old order is our life here and now in the pilgrim Church on earth. It will pass away; it won't always be like this. But for the time being, it's full of wailing and weeping, mourning and pain. This should be a big relief for us. It means that we don't have to pretend as if we have it all together. It means that God knows that life is messy, and that's OK. In the midst of the mess, he wants to teach us the art of living.

Our society is so obsessed with pleasure, comfort, health, youth, and appearances that sometimes even we Christians forget about that, and we start thinking that the only meaningful life is a painless life. The examples of the saints can remind us that, in fact, just the opposite is true: only through the Cross can we reach the Light.

Blessed Lydwina [LIHD-vine-ah] of Holland is a case in point. She lived in the 1400s. She was a pretty, vivacious 15-year-old, until she got into an ice-skating accident and ran into complications during her recovery. For the next thirty-eight years she never left her sickroom. God sent her a rare and gruesome cross: Her flesh began to rot. She had agonizing headaches, constantly recurring fits of vomiting, unending fevers, maddening thirst, spasms of pain in every part of her body - it was as if she were already decaying in the grave, while she remained conscious to experience it.

At first, she felt anger and revulsion at her suffering. But gradually she learned that God was asking her to suffer for the reparation of others' sins. Her confessor visited her frequently, taught her to meditate on our Lord's passion, and frequently brought her Holy Communion - which was her only food for the last 13 years of her life. As she recognized and embraced her life's mission, she began to add voluntary sufferings to the ones God had sent her (sleeping on boards instead of on a bed, for example). God rewarded her by giving her powers of healing (healing others, of course), and prophecy, and special visions. Lydwina's specific vocation was uncommon, but its pattern is the same for every Christian vocation, ours included: Cross and Resurrection; through the Cross, into the Light.

By saying, It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God, Paul was encouraging the Christians he converted to be courageous in suffering. Paul was stoned by the Jews and left for dead – then when he revives, he doesn’t go hide in a cave somewhere, but goes right back into city where people want him dead. However, in some cases when persecuted he goes to another town dusting off the feet. Now, is that courage or facing suffering, one might ask.

Courage sometimes means staying, and sometimes means going. The apostles fled not out of fear, but out of a desire for effective witness. Sometimes the most effective witness comes from staying and suffering – even dying. Sometimes the most effective witness comes from fleeing, and never returning. Sometimes – as in this case – the most effective witness comes from fleeing for a time, then returning. The concern of the true disciple is not how to avoid suffering – the concern is how to have the most effective witness.

This past Sunday several Catholic churches were targeted, vandalized, tabernacles stolen; one tabernacle was found in a Burger King. Why only the Catholic Churches were attacked in the light of the draft document leak from the Supreme Court? Because, the Catholic Church is the leading  champion of the unborn, and the life issues. Why doesn’t the Church keep quiet and not make people inimical to it? Well, then it would not be showing the way to the Kingdom of God. The Church would be only a secular organization like many other churches are trying to be. They may attract more people but they would not be showing the faithful the clear way to the Kingdom of God. The more challenge a Church faces in the world, the closer it is to the right teachings of the Bible. The way to the Kingdom of God is narrow.

When sufferings and oppositions come – Satan tempts us to back off, to back away from the church, to neglect meeting together. That is the worst thing you can do (and Satan knows it). When you act that way, you are playing into Satan’s hands.  John MacArthur said, If you always back off whenever you face opposition, you will never accomplish anything for God. For, Satan will always oppose any step you take in faith.

Jesus says, “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10:22).  Whenever we face suffering and challenges, let’s take comfort in the consoling worlds of the Lord: “In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart – I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).