Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

 Lectionary: 295

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.

 Poor Sosthenes! Not even Google can explain why his Jewish brethren beat him up after Gallio dismissed their case. Perhaps he had not sufficiently presented their issues against Paul. Maybe he was too obsequious in the proconsul's presence. But why did they turn their wrath on him? 

As we turn our attention to the Lord's more familiar metaphor in today's reading from Saint John, Sosthenes' plight reminds us of how arbitrary, irrational, and violent we humans can be when we're not directed by the Spirit of God. The vagaries of public outrage against entertainment idols like Bill Cosby, and then politicians like Donald Trump, and then men in powerful business positions like Harvey Weinstein, or police, or men in general: they're all predictably unpredictable, and basically irrational. 

Suddenly the citizenry who shouted hosanna to the Son of David on Sunday became, on Friday, a screaming mob, "We have no king but Caesar! Crucify him! His blood be upon us and upon our children!" 

Even the secular authorities might object, "Why? What evil has he done?" or Gallio's objection, 

"...since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles and your own law, see to it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.”

There was a moment, mercifully brief, when many Christians of my acquaintance, became fascinated with "the Holy Ghost," or "the Holy Spirit." Devout persons sometimes did things they considered uncharacteristic of themselves and ascribed it to -- or blamed -- the Holy Ghost. That attribution wasn't much different from Flip Wilson's "The devil made me do it!" 

The Church's tradition speaks with far more respect about the Holy Spirit. It is wise and patient as it escorts us from impetuous youth to prudent adulthood. Adult maturity must be attained; it is not necessarily given to everyone of a certain age. The Spirit teaches us about consequences, and to speak modestly of what we know. The Spirit recognizes the challenge of maturity, and creates institutions of learning and formation so that our youth might arrive there. Married couples who love their children have demonstrated much success in rearing adult children; other experimental forms of family life have yet to prove themselves. 

Adults understand the Lord's metaphor about a woman's childbearing agony in today's gospel, and her joy upon giving birth. We understand that a light appears at the end of every tunnel, but there are more tunnels to come. 

The Holy Spirit teaches us the sober courage and receptive gratitude of Job, who told his scolding wife. 

"We accept good things from the Lord; and should we not accept the bad as well? The Lord gives; the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."