Thursday of the 2nd Week of Easter (Year C)
Ac 5:27-33; Ps 33:2,9,17-20; Jn 3:31-36
Today’s reading is a stark illustration of faith being challenged, and the proper response.
The apostles were commanded by God to preach the Good News of New Life wrought by Christ’s resurrection from the dead, an antithetical concept to the largely Sadducean Sanhedrin who didn’t believe in resurrection at all. The authorities thundered: “Stop this nonsense, or we will kill you all!” The apostles responded: “God Himself commands us to preach His Holy Word; who are you to tell us to stop?”
Note that the authorities’ reaction is naturally human, and all too common. I doubt many of us would take kindly to our subordinates challenging our assumptions, our processes, or even our expertise in our area of work. Such insubordination would merit chastisement at minimum, and possibly immediate termination.
And yet…faith that isn’t challenged is like a muscle that isn’t exercised; both will atrophy to useless shadows of their former selves. Our subordinates may adamantly disagree with us, but they may also be right. And if they are right, why not learn and grow from such dissent, instead of instinctively crushing them underfoot, or tossing them out into the metaphorical darkness to “weep and grind their teeth”?
This is why I’ve maintained for quite a few years now that one of God’s greatest gifts to me is my oldest and best friend…who is a vocal atheist. Over the decades, he’s poked and prodded at everything from my inconsistent practice of fasting and alms-giving, to why I “worship” Mary when “thou shalt have no other gods before God”, to why he overheard some random Catholic exclaiming “quick, quick, touch that Holy Door for good luck!” (I actually hurt myself with a facepalm on that last one.)
He once admitted to me that he took great delight in being my PDA (Personal Devil’s Advocate), and the main reason he considered me a good friend was that I was the only person he ever challenged who:
- admitted ignorance,
- promised to get back to him with an answer, and
- kept that promise (though the answer I gave often had a couple of holes that elicited more questions).
In return, I admitted to him that the main reason I still considered him a good friend, despite being faith-battered black and blue: I had discovered during some research on an unrelated question that, in the context of the Holy See, the advocatus diaboli was more properly known as the promotor fidei (“promoter of the faith”), so his repeated “attacks” actually served a higher cause.
His expression at that revelation? Priceless.
And so we continue till this day, him questioning some aspect of my imperfect Catholic outlook and actions, and me scrambling to find an answer…and improving myself in the process. Without this “adversary”, I might well be just another Sunday Catholic today…or worse. It’s an exhilarating way to live the faith, and though it may not be for everyone, I would still recommend occasionally taking the time to meet a faith challenge head-on, rather than turning away in silence or lashing out in anger. (Indeed, hell hath no fury like a believer found wanting.)
Today’s title was deliberately chosen as an oblique reference to Outward Bound International, whose motto perfectly describes the apostles’ motivation:
To serve, to strive, and not to yield.
Amen.