We will live in the light of truth
Easter 2023
Tonight, in this Easter Vigil liturgy three catechumens will be baptised, confirmed and receive Holy Communion. They will be initiated into the fullness of the Christian life offered through the Catholic Church.
What we do this evening is being done across the world. In thousands of Catholic churches the baptismal liturgy for adults who have sought to become members of the Church will be enacted, in line with a tradition going back to the early centuries of Christianity.
Here in Australia an adult who enters the sacramental life of the Church, following the process of formation and preparation offered through the RCIA, is culminating a personal journey of faith.
Each journey, each story, is unique. Choosing to be become a Catholic at this time is not a popular choice. Quite the contrary. To embrace the Catholic faith is strikingly counter-cultural.
Yet these three men along with many, many others in churches across Australia have made this choice.
And have made it with joy. They have recognised that truth and life are found in the Catholic faith.
There is the view in our society that Christianity is dying. Christianity, some people claim, is out of touch with modern reality.
They argue that its morality is actually opposed to human development. In a way they are echoing the serpent in the Garden of Eden who whispered that God was not telling the truth about being human.
A new way of being human is being proposed. It allows a fluidity freed from the restrictions even of our physical nature. It encourages the pursuit of self-realisation based on what we feel about ourselves.
It is a way of being human that rejects basic biological reality. And it denies the intention and wisdom of the Creator.
In the modern view, morality is replaced by societal values which are subject to prevailing attitudes. No longer is the notion of sin appreciated.
This is understandable because the idea of sin requires the idea of God. Sin is actually involves the offending the personal relationship with the living God. Sin is a matter that effects our salvation.
Many today with a secular mentality consider that they have a superior morality grounded in allowing for equality and diversity. It is a supposed morality totally devoid of a transcendent element.
There is no reference to God and his plan for human life. Without this transcendent focus human morality quickly becomes distorted. This is what we are now witnessing in our society.
There are many who are working seriously to hasten the cultural demise of Christianity. Wave after wave of legislation is restricting the freedom of Christians to hold to and live by what we believe.
There are now, for instance, serious attacks on the rights of our schools to uphold Christian beliefs and tenets, especially in the area of the nature of human sexuality.
We can expect our institutions to come under increasing pressure to conform to the secular cultural agenda. Our right to religious freedom is being denied us.
In a way we find ourselves in a situation very similar to that of the early Christians. St Paul encouraged Timothy not to be ashamed that he, Paul, was now in prison because of his faith (2 Tim 1:8).
St Peter, similarly, encouraged his readers not to be ashamed if they have to suffer for being as Christian (I Pet 4:16).
Constant and shrill criticism of traditional Christian beliefs can lead us to be doubt our faith. We are labelled as bigots, narrow and reactionary.
The cancel culture drives any alternate view into isolation. We are forced to remain silent rather than find ourselves subject to anger and harsh condemnation for what we believe and treasure.
Being a Christian today will mean that we have to contend with pressures to conform to the path that society is taking. We are now the odd ones out. The pressures will be hard to resist.
For the sake of not making waves we will be urged to go along with things that we know are not right, and many will.
Thus, an adult who embraces the Catholic faith is not doing something that is socially acceptable. They are clearly following this path out of personal conviction.
The Easter edition of the Catholic Standard carries the story of one of our parishioners, Daniel Yuen, who has embraced Catholicism after growing up in Hong Kong with no religion at all. Daniel had been searching and found the fulness of truth in the Catholic faith.
Each adult embracing the faith can provide a story of a personal journey to finding truth and meaning in the Catholic faith, joining millions who have found the faith to be a sound foundation for human life and offering the hope for eternal beatitude.
Tonight, we celebrate with great joy the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. His path of fidelity to the truth led to his death. But that was not the end.
His resurrection was the vindication of his message and the path he had taken. The Christian knows that light will triumph over darkness.
The Christian knows that life will triumph over death. The Christian knows that truth will triumph over error and falsehood.
We know that we are following a path that will lead us to eternal life.
So we, as Christians, stand with our victorious saviour and are prepared to endure what we must. We will not abandon the path that Christ has marked out for us, and that God, in his mercy, has revealed to us.
We will be faithful. We will not live by lies. We will live in Christ, our risen Lord. We will live in the quiet assurance that the victory is finally his.
Christ has risen as he said, Alleluia.
Archbishop Julian Porteous
Saturday, 8 April 2023