In my work as a priest people often tell me about spiritual
experiences they have had: sometimes they are experiences of the Lord
in some way, sometimes of someone who has died, asking for prayers or
something like that. Quite a large number of people do seem to
have spiritual experiences. However, often after a time people
begin to wonder did they really have these experiences, or was it all
in their imagination. Of course it is really impossible to
know, and in one way it is even not important. Usually the
experience will have helped them, and that is really the only thing
that matters.
In the first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles—or the
‘adventures’ of the Apostles, as you might call them—Luke tells
us how after Jesus rose from the dead he continued to appear
to the Apostles. Not just once, but many times. Why?
Probably to convince them that they had not imagined it. One
thing that he did on at least two occasions was to eat something with
them. The first time when he appeared to them in the room, they
were all standing there speechless, and he said ‘do you have
anything here to eat?’ So they gave him a piece of fish and
he ate it in front of them. Then they knew it was not just a
vision, but a real person, the same real person they had known
before. It was not even food that he had brought with him,
which could also have been part of a vision, but it was something
they gave him and then they watched him chew it and swallow it.
This was a beautiful and very human thing to do; something that we
could completely relate to.
Luke also says that he not only appeared to them, but he also
continued to tell them about ‘the Kingdom.’ What is ‘the
Kingdom’ and what was he telling them about? I have no
doubt that he was telling them about the reality of heaven: life with
God which we have been created for; that it is real and that we could
also lose it if we are foolish. There we will be reunited with the
people we love and we will experience happiness there in a way that
we can not even begin to imagine now. He was probably also
explaining to them what the purpose of his life was on earth, why he
had to suffer and die the way he did, what all this meant for the
human race; God’s plan for his people. Also he probably told
them that he had a lot of work for them to do and that they must
remember that their life here on earth was a time of service and not
to worry if things were not easy, because when their work here was
done he would bring them home to be with him again.
Why was it they were suddenly able to go out and start preaching to
everyone about a man that most people had never heard of before?
And not only preach about him for a while, but for the rest of their
lives and with passion. I think all of them ended up being
martyred, but they didn’t care, because they knew that the only
thing that was important was to be faithful to the Lord Jesus as best
they could.
Why am I telling you all this? because the same thing exactly applies
to us. The Apostles were real people and these are real experiences
that we are reading about. Our life on earth is just as short as
theirs was and it is also a time of service, just as theirs was. For
many people it will be lived out in service by looking after their
families. For many others and also for priests and religious it will
be in a slightly different way. But that is why we are here, to learn
to love, to serve, to freely choose for or against God. However, I
think it is also worth remembering that we are living in a time when
people are very cynical about religion, and they point to the
scandals of the Church as being ‘proof’ of just how hypocritical
the whole thing is. We must not let that put us off. It has always
been difficult to believe and probably always will be, but we ask the
Lord himself to help us to persevere and not become negative or
cynical. And when our time here is complete God will come and bring
us home.
I have no doubt that this is probably what Jesus was telling the
Apostles about during those forty days. He wanted them to have no
doubt about why they were here, so that we also could have a good
understanding of our purpose here, through their teaching.
You might say, ‘But it is too difficult, or not realistic, or too
hard to believe.’ God has given us every possible help that
we could ask for. If it seems too difficult it is only because
we are not using the help that He has given us. What help?
Above all, the Eucharist, where Jesus feeds us with himself and we
are united to him in the most intimate way possible; also through the
word of God which guides and teaches us; then there is confession
which heals, forgives and encourages us, and there are so many other
ways too. It is all there waiting for us. The clearer a
picture we have in our own head as to what our life is about, the
easier it is to keep going. That is also why we needn’t be
afraid of anything in this world. If we offer ourselves to God,
then why should we be afraid? All things are in his hands.
I am going now to prepare a place for you
and after I have gone and prepared you a place,
I shall return to take you to myself
So that where I am you may be too (Jn 14:3).
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