6th Sunday of Easter
Homily for 21 May 2006
Rev. Jim Ryan

Convinced by Love

One of my shorter careers was one semester as a Teacher of 2nd Graders. I loved doing that. And if I hadn’t returned to the Seminary I would have continued doing it.

One of the duties of a 2nd Grade Teacher at that time was to teach the children how to tell time. Remember this was pre-digital watches, so there was still some steps to take between reading the face of a clock and knowing what time it was.

I spent two weeks thinking I had successfully taught this task. We had times during the day when I prompted for answers. I had the children who were a little more advanced teaching the others. I was convinced they knew the time. So, when I gave them the test on telling time I was surprised to discover that they hadn’t learned it at all. Apparently, they were quite adept at responding but not knowing.

So, we spent another week drilling. And the next time I gave the test most of the students passed. The difference was that by the second time around they knew that they knew how to tell time. The philosophers have a great word for knowing what one knows. They call that epistemology – the study of knowing.

The Easter to Pentecost experience for the disciples of Jesus was a little like my 2nd graders learning to tell time. Only when they knew that they knew Jesus had risen and remained with them did they become the convinced disciples ready to preach and teach about Jesus.

I used to think that this level of knowledge was enough to live by conviction. But then the craziness of 9/11 happened. For years there had been warnings of levels of religious fanaticism both in the Islamic and the Christian worlds. Did we understand what conviction could do to the impressionable minds and spirits of young people who were desperate to live by some rule of life? Obviously not.

So, now we know what we know but are we convinced in that knowledge of the story that makes living worthwhile. We live by too much fear and intimidation.

In this Easter Season, as in all seasons of life, we are called to live by convictions of Love. The Love of Jesus drives out fear and sets us on pathways that make our convictions worthwhile.

The first encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XVI is a restatement of the Love of Jesus – the gift of life. Obviously, this man spent a career under the previous Pope silencing theologians and creating his own levels of fear and intimidation. But this one gift is a very welcome gift indeed. Pope Benedict turns us to the words, the actions, the life of Jesus. And so does today’s Gospel.

And that’s the point. We can overcome the craziness of suicide bombers as well as the intimidations of church bureaucrats when we pay attention to Jesus himself.

Take comfort in this and be convinced by Love today.