Jesus said to his disciples, “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world—therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘Servants are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. John 15:18-21
Our gospel today seems to have quite an edge to it .. at least to our 21st Century Canadian ears. Some of that has to do with the way it uses a Jewish style of writing from that time (and before that time) which describes things by using polar opposites. Hence the style of the language which describes things in terms of Love and Hate.
It is important not to let that style of writing get in the way of the message we hear.
We are told that if we belonged to the world, the world would love us as its own. It’s not so much belonging to the world, as it is that the world owns us, primarily because we have bought into the values of the world.
A world where people have mistakenly made money, success, reputation, power, and control their Gods. A world where we see domination, corruption, revenge and exclusion.
This is in stark contrast to the world that Jesus came to reveal – a world in which love, friendship and inclusion prevail.
Now, if I were reflecting on this gospel 6 months ago, this homily would be quite different. But having lived into this Pandemic, even for just these few months, has shown us a side of humanity that has been overshadowed for too long.
We have experienced a transformation – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, because of our global struggle with this pandemic. Our ongoing experience with this pandemic has changed us, shaped us, molded us.
There is no more status quo. We will not be returning to business as usual, that is for sure. For we have seen, have experienced, the incredible power of a life form so small, so apparently inconsequential, that it is virtually invisible. This virus came just at a time where our relentless focus on the primacy of individuality and self-focus had gone wild.
Yet, surprisingly, what this pandemic has revealed is that the heart and soul of humanity continues to exist in most people.
We see how people have worked in shared action to help others. We see that people have gained a greater sense of the commons that join us, our interdependence with other people, and with all life. We have seen that our world is filled with people who are the very best examples of what it means to be human. Millions of them. Quietly doing the right thing, the loving thing, the compassionate thing. What a fascinating revelation. We are at a rebirth moment. A resurrection moment.
In my heart, I believe that in living through these times we will have had the opportunity to refocus on what is truly and really important. We have experienced what it feels like to work together for the greater good. To not take for granted all the things we took for granted before.
We have caught a glimpse, at a most unexpected time, of that world that Jesus calls us to .. a world in which love, friendship and inclusion prevail.
This Easter season, you and I stand on the verge of being transformed into the people Jesus wanted us to be, the people we hoped to be, the people we were created to be. We stand on the verge of becoming a people, resurrected.