Matthew 13
Often I find it almost fascinating that people firmly hold on to totally incorrect or intentionally false ideas about Jesus and Christianity. Many of these are obviously so absurd that I am suspicious if these people are spell-bound. It’s because many of those ideas can be demonstrated groundless or unreasonable within a minute. However, still people cannot admit their ideas are false. Even if you tell the plain truth about Jesus and the Church, either theological or historical, your words cannot penetrate their minds or hearts.
I wonder how so many modern men have become hardened of their hearts toward Christ and his Church. Many factors are contributing to this tragedy. Just a list of these factors will be much longer than a reasonable homily should be. But there is one thing which is I consider as the ultimate factor for these confusions and errors. That is the lack of the firsthand experience of Christ Jesus. All falsity comes from the ignorance of the genuine source. You cannot have true knowledge of a person without sharing much time in person. To know a person is much more than to read or listen to a secondhand description.
But a firsthand experience of Jesus? Is this possible? How is that possible for us now? It won’t be if Jesus once lived and then died. Even if his resurrection is accepted, if he has gone away at the Ascension, we won’t be able to truly know him. It is possible only if he’s still alive and still with us.
Many people in our times still encounter Jesus. And he still speaks to us. Do you think the Bible and the gospel books can only give a secondhand, indirect experience of Jesus? Have you not heard the testimony of St Peter that the prophecy of Scripture does not come by the impulse of a man but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Jesus promised he would be with us until the end of time. And he sent us the Holy Spirit who is ever alive to help us. When we read the Bible, it is not just our minds working on a text. In fact, we enter the ever-present events of the Bible, which transcends time and place. Jesus speaks to our hearts directly. He breaks all hardened shells that hold our hearts captive. And we meet the person of Christ Jesus.
“Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” Jesus encourages us today. He invites us to himself now.
