Fourth Sunday of Easter
One of the most vexing questions that I have been asked in the last two weeks has been about the killing of Osama bin Laden. Clearly, there are people who are celebrating this killing and call his death the victory of Good over Evil. They think that justice has been finally been done. Some even carried out wild celebrations at ground zero in New York. The images of these celebrations will be added to other iconic images of our nation such as the landing on the moon and the eventual destruction of the World Trade Centres. And then there are people who feel clearly uncomfortable about such revelry. They are relieved that Bin Laden is no more, but quickly add that celebrating the killing of any person, including a known enemy, is offensive. The Catholic official voice was perhaps lost in the midst of all the political and patriotic claims. I will come to that in a little bit.
This homily is not about Osama bin Laden or the brazen attempts that led to his death. Rather, I would like to reflect on the lager issue of Christian living in the face of violence, war, persecution, and even innocent suffering. Obviously, I would like to do this in light of the readings we have today and in light of the life of the early Christians who faced immense violence, persecution and suffering in the post-Easter world.
The words of Jesus from today’s gospel reading must ring loud in our ears: “I came so that they may have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). As the events that led to Easter tell us, life came to us through the patient suffering and violent death of Jesus. Some of Jesus’ disciples were tempted to take the sword, and in fact, Peter did cut off the ears of one of the Roman soldiers. Jesus, however, commanded him to put his sword in its sheath. He then healed the enemy’s wound. It is my contention that Jesus did so because, as he said, he did not come to take life; but rather, to give life. Otherwise, what would be the difference between Jesus’ disciples and the Roman Empire? And then, we have today’s second reading. As I said a couple of weeks back, Peter’s letter is addressed to a violently persecuted church. In none of the New Testament Epistles do we read that Christians sought revenge, celebrated the death of enemies or planned the overthrow of regimes. On the contrary they reflected on life, persecution, violence and war in light of the life, death and resurrection of Christ – the Christ who came to give life.So here are my three points for today. They are more reflections rather than practical implications. It is my hope that you will stand before God and pray about these things.
1. Dare I say that today’s readings present suffering as a calling! This may sound shocking and even scandalizing. Hear what Peter has to say in today’s second reading: “If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps” (1 Pet 2: 20b). I understand from this that Peter is saying that suffering is a call, a vocation to all followers of Christ in general. Just like I am called to be a priest, or you feel called to be a mother and father, a teacher or a social worker, Peter says that suffering is a calling. Now, there are different kinds of suffering. There is the suffering that St. Peter mentions – “suffering for doing what is good.” Jesus is the greatest example of this kind of suffering. Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Archbishop Romero and Sr. Dorothy Stang are some other examples. But there are those whose suffering is innocent like the death of a child, a terminal illness, or a rape victim.
Thus the first question we ask is, Why does Peter refer to suffering as a calling? Buddha, for example, founded Buddhism to find a way out the problem of suffering. For Christians, on the contrary, suffering is a calling because Jesus suffered… for us. In Jesus’ life we see both kinds of sufferings. On the one hand, he suffered because he did good, like healing someone on the Sabbath or because he spent time and ate with sinners. But then, he was also the victim of innocent suffering. As Peter says in today’s reading, “He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that free from sin, we might live for righteousness” (1 Pet 2:24). In other words, suffering is a calling because suffering is a participation in the very life of Christ. As hard as it may seem to term it as such – suffering is a painful privilege.
2. The second reason why suffering is a calling is because, in the Christian context, suffering is salvific. Life and salvation came to us through the suffering of Jesus. “By his wounds we have been healed,” Isaiah says. Jesus would say, “I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” Salvation and eternal life came to us through the life suffering, and death of Jesus. In other words, God made suffering a life-giving opportunity. Here then, something for us to think about: Even as we endure violence, terror, oppressive regimes, and suffering, how can we make our experience of these realities, life-giving? This is the challenge for every Christian in even nation. It is easy like Peter to take up the sword, take up arms even justly, to avenge the death of the innocent ones and to pre-empt violence on us. But then, when will the cycle of violence and war end? If Christians cannot find the courage to make suffering life-giving, who else will? What separates the followers of Christ from that of the Roman Empire or Osama bin Laden?
3. Let me now address the death of Osama bin Laden. Politicians, war strategists, some in the media will try to capitalize on this defining moment for the American nation. We must, however, also hear the voice of the Church in the midst of all the cacophony. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., released the following statement regarding the death of Osama bin Laden: “Osama bin Laden, as we all know, bore the most serious responsibility for spreading divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable people, and manipulating religions for this purpose. In the face of a man’s death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred.” In response to this statement, each Catholic must reflect on the stand they take in relation to this death. We must reflect on this death in light of the life, death and resurrection of Christ. We must reflect upon this death in light of the persecuted Church. Our words and actions must lead to the peace and life that Easter brings. Our words and actions must bring the life that Christ came to give. Any other stand is a betrayal of our Christian calling.
Let me end this message of hope. Jesus is our shepherd. Even in our most painful moments we are not alone. He who suffered it all for our sake, he who did not return insult and he who did not threaten will guide us through and seen us safe home. Let us bring our anxieties to this altar and surrender them into the hands of our eternal shepherd. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph