So, how have you received the news that we no longer need to wear face masks, as long as we have been fully vaccinated? Many of us received it with a great sigh of relief; those masks are a real bother. I received my second shot on Tuesday of Holy Week. That’s more than six weeks ago so I’m fully vaccinated and am very happy to shed the mask. Others among us are still a little hesitant, not sure if this is a good idea right now. Some are horrified, still striving to avoid the virus for fear of their lives. It’s been a very challenging time for all of us ever since we began to hide in our homes last March as we tried to navigate this great threat to our lives and our livelihoods.
Now, we’re being called to take some first steps forward to a new reality, one free of the restrictions that had been imposed to protect us. But, for many of us, the masks gave us a sense of comfort and safety, and it’s hard for us to leave our comfort zone, even if it’s for something better. We get used to doing something one way and often resist trying a new approach, especially when there is danger involved. It’s like jumping into a pool for the first to learn how to swim or taking the training wheels off your bicycle. But, throughout our lives, we have to take the plunge, take off the training wheels or we’ll just be stuck in place and miss out on new opportunities.
The same is true in our faith journey. The first followers of Jesus – faithful Jews all their lives – had to embrace many new ideas and live life differently. They had hidden in the Upper Room, afraid for their lives, but they were called to step forward in faith. It took some time and it was a struggle as they left their comfort zone. After all, it had taken centuries for them to come to understand that there was only one God and they believed that they alone were his chosen people. Last week, in the encounter between Peter and Cornelius, we heard about how the first Christians had to learn that Jesus came to save everyone, not just the Jewish people. This week, we hear how the early leaders of the Church address the betrayal and death of Judas and move to select his replacement because they believed that there had to be twelve apostles just as there had been twelve tribes of Israel. It would take them some time to recognize that Jesus had come to offer a fuller truth, one meant for all people. And, that would require more and more leaders. Beginning with St. Paul, they began to embrace new leaders to guide the growing community of faith.
How did the early Church address these issues? It was through a growing awareness of the fuller truth that Jesus had taught them. In today’s gospel, we hear Jesus praying that we may be one just as he and his heavenly Father are one. He goes on to explain that those who follow him do not belong to the world any more than he belongs to the world.
Our destiny is beyond this world – we are bound for eternal union with God. And, that destiny is intended for everyone. As we heard St. Peter explain so well last week, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.” Like his early followers, we need to have the vision and the courage to listen to the fullness of the truth that Jesus has given us.
Just as the CDC is offering new guidelines as a result of ongoing scientific studies and new data, so the early Church had to offer new guidelines as a result of the new truths that they came to discover by continually studying the teachings that Jesus had left them. And, as they did so, they often met opposition and resistance from within and without their community. So, we shouldn’t be surprised if we meet opposition and resistance today both in regard to wearing a mask and, more importantly, the truths of our faith.
Just like life in general, living the faith fully is not for the faint of heart. It takes courage and an open heart. And, it requires that we constantly listen to our Lord’s teachings for they lead us to a greater awareness of the eternal truth he has given us. It also requires that we respond to having been consecrated in the truth – you will notice that Jesus prays for that in today’s gospel. To consecrate means to sanctify, make holy or to set aside for a sacred purpose. We were all consecrated when we were baptized and we are all called to accept the fullness of truth that Jesus has taught us. It is also the action that takes place at our altar every time the Mass is celebrated, when bread and wine are set aside for a holy purpose, and then transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the Body and Blood of Jesus. And, this consecrated bread and wine – now the Holy Body and Blood of our Lord – nourishes our souls so that we can kept safe from the evil one, just as the vaccine keeps us safe from the virus.
As Christians, we do not belong to the world, but to the Word that came to dwell among us. And this living Word calls us into service to bear its life-giving power and transforming joy to others, everyone who is open to the fullness of truth that Jesus, the Word made flesh, has taught us.
As we slowly get used to the new reality of taking off our masks – if you’re fully vaccinated, that is – so I invite you to reflect on the truth that Jesus has taught us. We are called back to unity with our God and, while we are in this world – a world in which we do not ultimately belong – we are sent into the world to draw everyone who is open to it to the fullness of truth Jesus has revealed: eternal life for all the faithful in the presence of God. Just as our masks have hidden our faces over these past several months, so the mystery of God remains hidden from us here on earth. In heaven, however, we shall see God face-to-face; that’s the fullness of truth, and a glorious destiny indeed.