Father Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Saturday, 5th Week in Easter

May 24, 2024, John 15:18-21

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052425.cfm

Opposition

I remember hearing on a local documentary a candidate who lost an election say that the Catholic Church is so close-minded about abortion. She was referring, of course, to women’s rights over their bodies. This is one hot issue among many others where the world opposes Jesus and the Catholic Church.

The documentary discussed the various perspectives on abortion, and the candidate’s statement was a reflection of the prevalent societal view that the Church’s stance on abortion is restrictive and outdated.

The world wants to reduce the Catholic Church and all that is divinely revealed to her from the Father through Jesus to privately held opinions made up as they go along. This perspective, known as moral relativism, holds that there are no universal moral principles to determine if something is right or wrong. It’s a belief system that challenges the Church’s teachings on morality and ethics.

Despite the world’s attempts to confine our faith within the church walls, let us not be disheartened. The opposition we face is a testament to the strength of our faith. The world opposes us for two reasons, but we stand firm in our beliefs.

Firstly, it is a true sign that the life we live and proclaim in the world is the life of Jesus when we experience mistreatment, misunderstanding, and rejection. “If you belong to the world, it would love its own. But I have chosen you out of the world; therefore, the world hates you.”

Secondly, Jesus promised that they would do the things to us they did to Him on account of his name. Why? Because they do not know the One who sent Him.

When we fervently pray for those who oppose us and approach them with a merciful heart, we are sowing the seeds of love and understanding. This seed, planted by Jesus himself, has the power to transform hearts and minds in its own time, giving us hope for the future. 

Remember Him telling the parable of the farmer who sowed the seeds and how they sprout and become a plant, and no one knows how? 

Gospel Challenge:

Our love for the Truth, who is Jesus, and our love for those who oppose us is the seed he plants in each one. Praise God for all those moments of opposition that can lead to their conversion and his glory. If we ever doubt the mercy of the Lord for someone, remember the soldier who said, standing under Jesus crucified, “Truly, this is the Son of God.

Love Your Neighbor!

Fr. Rick Pilger, IC  
www.bscchurch.com     

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