6th Sunday of Easter, A May 17, 2020
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
Video of the 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/YBtLrtXJleA
“It is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.” Does that mean it’s God’s will for us to suffer? Yes. Sometimes, it is God’s will that you suffer. There are different ways this happens… and different reasons for it. Suffering is an unavoidable part of life, so this teaching from St. Peter, our first pope, is actually more hopeful than it sounds. It means that that suffering is not pointless, or at least that it doesn’t have to be.
Truly, fully living the joy of the gospel includes accepting this reality of suffering. Yet, it is easy to misunderstand, to let it prevent us from fully embracing Christ or to drive us away when we face the pain. So, do not misunderstand. Read this letter carefully again on your own time. Reread it. Sit with it in prayer, allowing your heart and mind to ponder the mystery and receive it ways deeper than mere words.
For now, however, consider this much. God does not enjoy suffering and He is not cruel. No matter what happens, resist the temptation to accuse God of being careless and cruel. Suffering is ultimately the result of Original Sin. God had a plan that did not include it, but now that we live in sin, it is unavoidable. It is medicine, it is part of a process to lead us out of sin and into glory. Glory is the goal, not the suffering itself.
Now, there is plenty of suffering that has nothing to do with our actions, but that is another homily and Peter focuses on two reasons our actions might lead to suffering: for doing what is good or for doing what is evil. If you steal and are thrown in prison, you suffer for doing what is evil. The suffering is meant to drive you away from sin. Laziness, carelessness, callousness, greed, lust, envy, pride – all these and more inevitably lead us to suffering and justly so. In fact, we probably deserve more suffering than we get for these sinful attitudes and behaviors. The punishment is meant to purify us and we need that.
Beware the temptation, however, to assume you “suffer for the Gospel,” when you might be suffering simply for being a jerk. When we’re persecuted for being obnoxious, arrogant, and stubborn it’s not a virtue. Jesus always invited conversion with love and warned of punishment in a non-aggressive way. He did not constantly fret about controlling the behavior of everyone around him. When we slip from evangelizing to trying to control people, then our suffering is for doing evil – the evil of pride and disrespect for free will. We can and should be persistent and persuasive and even bold. Yet, constantly whining that the world doesn’t obey our idea of Christian discipleship is not helpful. The world is worldly. Being offended by that and using it to justify manipulation or bitterness is not virtuous, it is sinful.
Peter tells us it is better to suffer for doing what is good, he speaks of “those who defame your good conduct in Christ.” Mother Teresa served the poor with love, but some accused her of being sadistic and enjoying their pain. That’s a real persecution. Padre Pio was accused of deception in his miracles and forced out of public ministry for a long time. He obeyed even then and continued to love and serve privately.
People like G.K. Chesterton and Fulton Sheen publicly defended the faith and even found some measure of fame and recognition but were also accused of all sorts of lies and absurdities. They countered with calm, reasoned explanations of their belief, their hope that the unjust suffering they faced was going to be worth it.
And that is what Peter wants us to understand. When we suffer for doing what is good – even when we suffer because of our sins or when it’s no one’s fault – we are called to have hope that even our suffering will lead us to greater joy and holiness. Why accept the loss of a job that requires moral compromise and then suffer poverty? Why endure patiently the social ridicule and isolation that comes from believing in marriage as man and woman? Why would we be resigned to the rumors and insults about us when we refuse to join in the conversations full of gossip and dirty jokes?
Because we have hope that, through Christ’s own suffering on the cross, our suffering can bear witness to the power of love to conquer suffering and death. We have hope that our patient and loving endurance will win grace for us and others, and even lead souls to conversion – some of the very people who make us suffer. Loving those who hurt us means wanting them to convert for their own good, not because we enjoy proving them wrong.
“Be ready to give an explanation… for your hope,” Peter says, “but do it with gentleness and reverence.” Not the anger that comes from being too attached to your reputation, not the manipulation that stems from a desire for control. Gentleness. And reverence; Respect for the very person who mocks you or at least questions and misunderstands you. “Keeping your conscience clear.” That’s the goal, to avoid letting your suffering goad you into more sin.
As I’ve said even recently, persecution is only beneficial if we can show, by God’s grace, that we suffer without giving into sin. Jesus Christ’s power over suffering and death is only visible to outsiders if we keep our conscience clear. Attacking and insulting and slandering people who hurt us… only shows us to be just like the world… that same world which Jesus tells cannot accept, see, or know the Spirit of Truth. But we do know that Spirit, and so have no excuse.
And that’s the secret. How can we possibly suffer well? The Holy Spirit. Pentecost is in two weeks. In preparation, consider whether you observe the commandments of Christ and so love him, as he describes today. Consider whether the Holy Spirit is evident in your life by this obedience and by your patient endurance. And pray. Pray that, wherever the Holy Spirit is missing in your life, he may enter in more fully on the upcoming feast. Pray so that, even when you suffer, you may cry out to God with joy, knowing the reason for your hope.
AMEN