Growing Larger With Love
It’s a short line, a mere mention in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, but it packs a huge punch, “Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the Apostles. They were all together [but] none of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.”
Now, come on, does anyone really think that Jesus suffered, died and rose again so that his followers could be esteemed? Of course not! He didn’t want to win our esteem, instead he wanted to win our commitment.
The Apostles must have noticed that something was wrong, that things weren’t going as planned, so they stepped up their game. They knew that following Jesus means winning souls, after all it was the Lord himself to called them to be “fishers of men”, not “gatherers of fans.” So, that’s when it happened. That’s when they changed what they were doing to win people to Jesus. That’s when their witness became a force to be reckoned with, a force that began to influence society in significant ways.
Have you ever stopped to ask why anyone believed the Apostles? Why did anyone buy into the idea that the carpenter from Nazareth, who everyone knew died on a cross and was buried, was alive again? Why did they believe in such a crazy idea? Perhaps it was because of the strength of the witness borne by those who professed to believe in Jesus’ resurrection, people like the Apostles. It was because of their witness that unbelievers became believers. It had nothing at all to do with the stories they told, instead, it was because those who were Jesus’ witnesses were people whose lives were undeniably different.
Jesus suffered, died, rose, and ascended to heaven not only to redeem us, but to forge us into a church. We are his legacy, embodied in the people he left here on earth to continue his saving work. People believed the Apostles’ witness because they could see it made a difference in their lives. Their lives were living testimonies of the truth of the Gospel, and their lives demonstrated the purpose and legitimacy of their message and of the church Jesus established through the working of the Holy Spirit.
So, that’s why a great many people believed the Apostle’s testimony. That’s why a great many people came to faith. That’s why the church began to grow, why people were eager to join – because people will always throng to a community where lives are changed, where faith flourishes, and where hearts grow larger with love.
The Easter season challenges us to be that type of community. It challenges us – and not only our parish, but all the parishes of the world – to be that kind of church – a church where lives are changed, where faith flourishes, and where hearts grow larger with love.
Yet, the truth of the matter is, as theologian Karl Rahner once commented, that over time our hearts tend to grow smaller, our faith wanes, and our lives become more routine rather than ever-changing. So, Father Rahner asked Christians everywhere, back in 1994, if we really believe that Jesus is alive? He asked, “If we truly believe, then why are we lax, joyless and resigned? Why do we so stingily offer only a little of ourselves, as though we are too insecure to risk our whole life, all our strength and the last drop of our heart’s blood in Christ’s service? Is Christ, or is he not, risen from the dead?”
Who are we and where are we on the continuum of our faith journey as described in the Acts of the Apostles? Remember that mere mention in today’s passage, “Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the Apostles. They were all together [but] none of the others dared to join them.” So, have we yet dared to join the Apostles, or not? Are we “lax, joyless and resigned” or are we “strong, joyful and energized?” In essence, are we a “church” or not?
In Greek the word for church is “ekklesia”, which means “called out.” So what does that mean? Well, it means that we’re a church because we’ve been called out by the Lord – out of ourselves (our individual goals, selfish interests, and limited aspirations) to something much larger. It also means that we’re called out of the world – we’re called to live differently, called to be a “sign of contradiction”. In other words, we’re called out of our world by the Spirit of Jesus to live as an alternative society in the midst of the world.
Think about time implications of that simple statement, what it means. You’ve heard Deacon Jerry and I speak of “intentional discipleship” many times during the past several months. That idea is related to the idea that we’re called to be “an alternative society in the midst of the world.” It means that we’re a church when we’re intentional disciples – anything less, lessens the witness of the church. So, what is an intentional disciple?
Well, an intentional disciple is fully alive in the Spirit. Can we look at ourselves in the mirror and authentically claim to be fully alive in the Spirit?
Intentional disciples also hunger for holiness, and they’re driven to do the Lord’s will.
Intentional disciples give evidence that their lives are different because of their Easter faith; they worship enthusiastically, they pray intensely, they seek to under the Scriptures and the Church’s teachings – not through the filters of the world around us, but through the Church itself – and they devote themselves to service as a way of loving Christ. Finally, intentional disciples take their vocation to be evangelizers seriously because a lively faith compels us to change the world through the witness of our lives.
That’s what the Apostles were like after the resurrection. That’s what the early church was like. That’s what drew people to them in such large numbers, because people always throng to a community where lives are changed, where faith flourishes, and where hearts grow larger with love.
Is that the kind of parish we are? Are our lives changed? Does faith flourish here? Are our hearts growing larger with love?
The message of Easter is a call to renewal. We’ve finished our season of penance. Now it’s time to redirect ourselves and renew our parish to live this Easter faith of ours. As Father Rahner asked, “Is Christ, or is he not, risen from the dead?” How we answer that question, both individually and communally, forms the direction our lives must take.
Are we ready to be that kind of community where lives are changed, where faith flourishes and where hearts grow larger with love? Sisters and brothers, it’s very simple – a no brainer. It’s simply time for renewal here at Saint Mary Church Newport.