Saturday of the Third Week of Easter/ “Born Again Twice”

Saturday of the Third Week of Easter/ “Born Again Twice”

We have a picture of the Apostles of Jesus that is probably very inaccurate.  The misconceptions come about because of the sermons we might have heard through the years.  Sometimes we need to look at the Bible closely.

We have a sense that Jesus picked out the Twelve Apostles and those twelve Apostles stuck with Jesus until the time of the crucifixion.  After Judas betrayed Jesus and committed suicide he had to be replaced, but otherwise, we might surmise, the group was stable.  We also suspect that once a disciple converted that they were firmly committed to Jesus.

If we look at the Gospels, we see the familiar names at the head of the list of Apostles like Peter and James and John, but as we get to the end of the list the names change at times. Perhaps we might think that apostles went by more than one name. But maybe there was another reason these names changed around. It could be that some Apostles started to follow Jesus, but then they dropped away.

We hear at the end of the Gospel that we read at today’s liturgy that Jesus asks Peter if he is going to desert him too.  Various disciples cannot accept what Jesus is preaching so they returned to their former way of life. 

Jesus seems disheartened by this.  He wanted everyone to benefit from the message he was preaching.  Jesus hungered to bring many people closer to God. But he had to deal with halfhearted followers. Jesus had disciples who left him when the going got tough.  His Gospel did not always have a feel-good message.  When disciples follow Jesus, they pay a price.

We agonize at times when people leave the Catholic faith.  Parents and grandparents and priests struggle when others do not believe what we believe.  We think our faith is the key to a virtuous life in this world and the way to eternal life in the next.  We can take some consolation that even Jesus could not win everyone over to the Christian message. We must also notice one other reality.  Jesus never gave up on others even if they gave up on him.  We can be sure that just as people fell away some came back after they thought about their choice.  Some of those who came back to Jesus a second time were probably some of his strongest disciples.  They had prayed over the misgivings and had come to believe anew.

Reflection Questions:

1. When someone close to me gives up on the church or even Christianity itself how do I feel?  Do I question what I believe?

2. Do I ever think about that Jesus did not convert everyone he met?  What would be some things that Jesus said, or did that would have driven people away from him?

Dear Parishioner,

            The John Deere Classic is coming up this summer.  As of now, the golf tournament is still taking place.  One can make a charitable donation through the classic to different organizations through Birdies for Charity.  Sacred Heart is one of those organizations.  We know that this is a tough time to think about gifts to charity, but we still want to give people an opportunity.

            If you would like to make a gift, we have donation forms that are available. If you call us and request one, we will mail it to you.  Thank you for considering this possibility.

            May the Blessed Mother and all the angels and saints watch over you today.

                                                                                                            Fr. Mark