Reaction to the world

Christians live in a world which often reacts to some of the principles of following the Way with rejection which may be characterized by everything from benign indifference to violent assault. The text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers a view of some of these circumstances of grief and opportunity for believers. Marty Kalkowski is drawn to the Presence of the Resurrected Christ as he experiences Jesus in the people he encounters daily. Our challenge is to be brothers and sisters to all even those members of His Body who have not accepted His invitation to transformation to life which has defeated death. The defeat of the forces of selfishness comes with charity. Hatred is overcome through forgiveness. Isolation is banished by inclusion. The radical counter cultural life of those who were attracted by Paul in Corinth to become disciples of Jesus brought fear to the synagogue and resulted in the ruling of Proconsul Gallio that the disputes among the Jews were not of concern to Roman Law. Friar Jude Winkler comments that Luke may be instructing his readers on the proper behaviour of Roman civil authority to disputes among religious factions. Our society today seems to be caught in much chaos between people of different religious orientations. Jesus addresses His disciples about the grief and suffering they will experience as the religious conflict, in His time, will bring Him to death on the cross. Contemporary “religious” conflict is not a product of those who give themselves as servants of God who loves all. In Acts today we read that Paul returns to an ancient Jewish Nazarite vow to reaffirm his place as being owned by God. The Life which we accept through being set aside to be examples of living “in His Name” is transformed to conquer temporal and transitory conflict through eternal and consistent faith that Love conquers all.