Seeing the truth more clearly

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Tentatively, the world is beginning to open. Governments are lifting some of the stringent restrictions on movement and social interaction. We are being allowed to emerge from our isolation. The steps are small and the new freedoms are cautiously permitted. They are baby steps and not giant leaps.

There is a sense of relief, even if things are far from what we have been used to. We still have to negotiate all sorts of limits and restrictions. Many are irksome and inconvenient.

Here in Tasmania, from Monday, our churches can reopen, though only for gatherings of up to ten people. A very small step. The complexities of limiting numbers in attending Masses or Confession have placed many challenges on priests. But the churches are open once again. Mass is now able to be celebrated with a congregation. Confession is now more readily accessible.

As we take these first steps we have the opportunity for a reflection upon our experience over these last six weeks. We have all been through something that has profoundly affected our lives and caused us to restructure the way we have been living. What have we learnt?

The forced slowdown in the pace of life has had its benefits. It may have helped us to enter more deeply within ourselves. We have had space to reflect on things. We may find ourselves more prayerful.  

With many things that have usually provided us with some distraction (like following our favourite sport) denied us, we have become more conscious of other things, like quality of our relationships with family and friends. We may be a little more human.

Witnessing the grave threat to human life caused by this virus; seeing the staggering statistics of deaths in some countries; sensing our own vulnerability; we have been reminded that we live in a house of clay. Human life is fragile. We are reminded that here is no lasting place and our true homeland is in heaven.

The deprivation experienced by being denied access to Mass and the Sacraments has led us to appreciate how much they mean to us. We have felt a deeper longing for communion with the Lord mediated through our sacramental life.

As we begin to enjoy the lifting of the restrictions we can take with us the experience, the insights, of these past weeks. It would be a great shame if we rush back into the way things were without benefiting from the experience over the past weeks at a personal and spiritual level.

We are still within the Easter season, and the joy of the risen Christ shines like a beam of light through the shadows that have swept over humanity.

The words of the Lord today are a source of reassurance. “I will not leave you orphans,” the Lord said to his disciples at the Last Supper. He promises that he will provide what he calls “another Advocate”, who will be with us forever. He speaks of the Holy Spirit, who is described as “the spirit of truth”.

Here we can pause – “the spirit of truth”. This gift of the Holy Spirit will enlighten our souls, radiating them with the splendour of truth. We are told that the world will not be able to receive it, but we will because the Spirit already lives within us.

The Holy Spirit enables us to see, to see things as they really are. We are freed from being distracted by the superficial and discover the depths of things. We see the truth, the real meaning of things.

One of the blessings that can come from the global experience of the pandemic is that we are more able to see the truth. We see the truth of human existence with greater clarity. We are more alert to the things of the spirit and not just those of the flesh. We are more appreciative of the importance of faith and our relationship with God. We see the priorities of life with greater clarity.

We can emerge from our isolation with an intentionality to live our Christian life with more purpose and focus.

At the end of the Gospel today the Lord said, “And I shall love him and show myself to him.” In this moment, let us receive these words. Take a moment to bask in the love that the Lord for each of us personally, that He may reveal Himself to us. Let us emerge from the isolation living our life in our risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

Archbishop Julian Porteous

Sunday, May 17, 2020