Today's Mass readings are a great example. (Acts 5:17-26 and Jn 3:16-21) In the first reading, the Apostles are put into jail at the hands of jealous Sadducees for preaching about Jesus. We may be thankful that in America we can profess our faith freely and openly, thanks to our First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech. But are we truly free to live out our faith? Our culture today is more secularized than it has ever been. Matters of faith are increasingly seen as taboo topics on television or even in our day to day discourse. Even our Government is taking steps, through the HHS mandate, to hinder the ability of all people to live out their religious beliefs sincerely and in good conscience.
Should this surprise us? In truth, it really should not. In today's Gospel, Jesus lays out the state of play, as it were, in our world: And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. In my own life, it pains me to acknowledge how many times I have preferred wallowing in the darkness of my own sin rather than rising up with the light of Christ. It is easy to live in darkness and sin in our world because our human nature has grown accustomed to it. It requires no sacrifice to turn our backs on the needy. It requires no self-control to be patient and forgiving when others annoy or betray us. It requires no strength to walk by the Cross in our life rather than carrying it with our Lord.
Jesus calls us to live the truth. That truth is summarized in one of the most well known Bible passages, John 3:16. John writes, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. I find myself awestruck by this declaration and what it means for you and me. God loves us so immeasurably that he was willing to sacrifice his only Son to restore the covenant Adam had broken. Jesus loved us to the point of accepting death on a cross so that we might never have to face eternal separation from God. This is truly the light that is spoken about in today's Gospel.
Nevertheless, time and again, like the Apostles, we fail to hold up our end of the bargain. We deny Christ like Peter did by not defending religious liberty in our country. We doubt His presence like Thomas. We mock Him like the Romans and Jews did during His trial and crucifixion when we use words to gossip and put down others. All things considered, I know that I am not the least bit worthy of salvation. Yet, it is offered to me every day at Daily Mass through the Eucharist! Jesus shares His Body and Blood, the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Salvation, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. We see the transformative power of Christ in the Apostles. They, who were absent when Jesus' needed them most and a few days ago were locked in an upper room in fear of their lives, are now out preaching the Gospel at great risk to their freedom in today's first reading.
The life of witness we are called to is not easy, especially for a young college student. I and many of my friends are often torn between defending our faith and defending our career ambitions. It is not easy to pray a rosary for life in front of the White House if someday you aspire to work there! I believe that God calls us to have faith in Him and His will. We see in today's reading that the Apostle's faith was rewarded: the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, 'Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.'" And while we may not be visited by an angel, we can certainly feel God's protecting presence around us, if only we have the courage to have faith in Him.
Everything we do in our daily lives either glorifies God or separates us from Him. I struggle each day to try to do more of the former than latter, but I haven't been close to a perfect day yet. When I despair over my own failings, however, I like to reflect upon a little story I was told a few years ago:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
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