Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Lectionary: 297

They answered him,
“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles suggest the confusion of the first century about the new opportunities that the Holy Spirit had opened. Two prophets had appeared in Israel; after many years of divine silence God was speaking to his people. They were messages of hope in the familiar language of rebuke for their sins, and the promise of salvation. 

Saint Paul found in the chaotic city of Corinth -- a port city given to cheap entertainment for sailors and travelers -- a small group of Jews who had been baptized by John the Baptist. The voice in the wilderness had promised redemption for those who confessed their sins and renewed their practice of the Jewish religion. John spoke in the language of Isaiah with an added dimension of messianism, 

...one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

The Baptist promised that an individual -- a priest, king, or warrior -- would usher in the new age of divine rule. God's people would be vindicated as they assumed their rightful place as first among nations. Jerusalem would enjoy astonishing prosperity as the capital city of the new empire, and a hub of commerce. 

Caravans of camels shall cover you,

dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;

All from Sheba shall come

bearing gold and frankincense,

and heralding the praises of the LORD. (Is 60:6)

This messiah would also purify the people and make them worthy to be God's people,  

For he will be like a refiner’s fire,
like fullers’ lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the Levites,
Refining them like gold or silver,
that they may bring offerings to the LORD in righteousness. (Mal 3:3)

The Baptist promised that they had only to confess their sins and wait for the Champion who would decree a new age and a new way of life. But the tetrarch Herod arrested, imprisoned, and executed John. His disciples scattered; his movement foundered and disappeared. The disappointed Antiochenes had heard the promise but knew nothing of its fulfillment in Jesus. 

Saint Paul found a ready audience in them with his news of Jesus, 

"...and when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied."

The Gospel must be announced by both prophets, John and Jesus, and we must hear both of them. The Gospels and Acts (Acts 1:5; 1:22; 10:37; 11:16; 13:24-25; 18:25; 19:3) maintain that vital connection between penance and forgiveness. We cannot be saved without acknowledging our sins, for they are precisely what render us helpless and available to God's mercy. To deny our sins is to deny the Truth, and refuse to hear God speak to us.  

The apostles and first missionaries freely admitted their sins wherever they went, and their dark stories appear throughout the Gospels, Acts, and New Testament writings. Because they were so ready to admit their foolish obstinacy, their message was all the more credible to decadent Romans and Greeks. 

The recent scandals that continue to rock the Church, amuse its critics, and validate its foes again invite us to hear John's angry rebukes, receive his Baptism, and welcome his Savior. 

Today's John the Baptists point to the institutionalization of evil, and its abiding presence in every system. Sister Helen Prejean explains how men and women are condemned and executed in the United States. The jury in a county court know their conviction will be challenged and may be reversed; a series of higher courts passes along their tentative decision to the governor, who does whatever the public demands. Finally, doctors kill the human being who has been held captive and rendered harmless for the past many years. No one takes full responsibility for the decision to terminate a human being. 

Something similar is happening to American children. I've recently heard this conversation between John Anderson and Dr. Helen Joyce. She describes the habitual affirmation of confused, distressed, and misguided young people. A series of professionals encourage their half-formed belief that they might be spiritual hermaphrodites, or trans -- an apparent new identity without historical precedent. 

Because no teacher, counselor, doctor, therapist, or surgeon dares to counter the prevailing trend, boys and girls are neutered, sometimes without their parents' knowledge or consent. There have been no serious studies to prove that these young people who have taken the chemicals and had the surgery are happier for the ordeal; but ideologies prevail over rationality in our brave new world. 

The same patterns are found when we address issues of poverty, war, racism, and pollution. It takes a million John the Baptists to stop these hellbound trains. A prophetic Church must challenge institutionalized evil.