Sunday the 1st of June 2025 - 7th Sunday of Easter

Acts 7:55-60/ Ps 97(96)/ Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20/ John 17:20-26

If we dare to witness to Jesus and the gospel we are liable to be shouted down. It is OK for us to keep our faith private and hidden away within our homes and church buildings, but the world at large still resists the message of salvation. Is it that they do not want eternal life? Is the challenge to love God and love neighbour just too much for the people consumed by the world? Whatever the reason it seems that the simple message to love God and love each other is just not wanted by many in the world. Without it we see continual conflict, in our homes, countries and throughout the world.

In the gospel passage today we hear Jesus praying for unity for all. For all to be one with him and his father. It sometimes appears that unity is further away now than ever. We have dissention and disunity within our own parishes, dioceses, and the church. There are numerous groups claiming to be Christian but who have split away from the church founded by Jesus on the rock of St Peter. Without unity there is confusion, misunderstanding, and distrust. This has led to scandalous violence over the years with groups claiming to be Christians at each other’s throats to say nothing of the violence perpetrated against non-Christian peoples by Christians.

The perfection that God calls us to seems to be elusive to humanity as it lives a life on earth marred by original sin. The gulf between humanity and God appears to be as wide as ever even though Jesus died on the cross to reconcile us with his father once and for all. Peace will not reign on earth until people understand what their relationship with God and each other should be and act upon that knowledge. This is the unification that Jesus was praying for at the last supper and is the goal that the Christian Church, all of us, should be striving to achieve. Not through force and violence but through love.

Stephen was the first person killed for his faith, the first Martyr, the first to follow Jesus into glory by way of professing his belief in Jesus publicly, commending his spirit to God, and  by calling for forgiveness for those responsible for his death. There followed countless numbers who have done the same and continue to do so. We might not be called to give our lives for our faith, but we might well be ridiculed for what we profess. We might be barred from certain jobs or held back from promotions because of what we are known to believe. These are the little sacrifices that we might need to make in our lives in order to follow Jesus and martyrs such as Stephen. Our faith might be a free gift from God but there can be a cost to standing up for it. That cost might be as simple as a little embarrassment amongst acquaintances, it might mean the loss of a job or a promotion, or, in extreme cases, prosecution or even death, depending on where we live. We must always look beyond this world to see what Stephen saw in the next, Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

One of those that Stephen called down forgiveness on was a man called Saul. He approved of the killing of Stephen and thereafter set his ambition on wiping out this new way of believing in God. We now know Saul as St Paul who proves to us that God can work through any human thought or belief. God chose Paul to be one of the first and greatest evangelists, but he had to lead him to conversion first. The world today is quick to condemn people for a previous way of life or one mistake they have made. Fortunately, God does not behave like that and whatever we might have done can be forgiven and we can take a different route following God’s plan for us in the mission to build up his kingdom. It is not just the martyrs that have washed their robes clean we can do that also by following Jesus and his command to love God and our neighbour, enduring any hardships that might incur.

The unity that Jesus already has between himself, The Holy Spirit, and God the Father, is what he desires for us all. Those in heaven have already achieved that unity of love and that is what our faith promises us. In many places in the world today that unity seems far away and is often specifically rejected. Many people still shout out in protest, stopping their ears, and calling for the punishment of those daring to call them to a better way, a way of peace and love. The message challenges their dependence on the things of this life and this world, the things that cannot last as apposed to those of eternity. It is our purpose, through our baptism, to spread the message of the gospel regardless of how vociferously it might be rejected.

The gospel passage speaks of the importance of unity and the continual revelation of the nature of God. Our Christian life should shine out so that we are recognised by the love we have for God and for others. Division within the people who call themselves Christian is a barrier to the message of God’s love being spread, a scandal that should have no place in the Christian life. We must believe that historical and current divisions within the community that calls itself Christian can be overcome. Faithfulness to the truth of the Gospel is important but so is a healthy commitment to Spirit guided flexibility. Divisions can be mended and further ones prevented if we acknowledge there are disagreements and uncertainties but that an openness to God will prevent these becoming barriers to unity. The way we deal with legitimate differences can be a healthy sign that leads to growth provided they are not permitted to cause polarisation. 

Our faith life must be one that answers the prayer Jesus made for unity with him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit and trusting in God we commend our lives into God’s hands.

God Bless Brendan