DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Acts. 1,15-17. 20-26; 1 John. 4,11-16; John 17,11-19: 7th Sunday of Easter, Year B)
Our
human powers and capability are finite and limited. Consequently, the
human person remains a being ever dependent on forces that are
superhuman. Somewhere along the line, our rationality, our ingenuity,
our tactful sense of judgment; all these are bound to reach some point
of exhaustion. To go further, we need something that is supernatural
and superhuman. Looking up to heaven for assistance is, therefore, not
an option but an imperative arising from the fact of man’s limitedness.
In
today’s first reading, the disciples felt the need to find a
replacement for Judas. Having outlined the qualities such a person must
have, it was clear to them that their human judgment would not be able
to make the right choice. How would they be able to penetrate the
hidden places of human heart to be able to find out which of the elect
would be able to act with them as a witness to the resurrection?
Nomination was the farthest their human sense of judgment could go. To
make the right choice, they needed to look to heaven for assistance and
that was why they prayed thus: “Lord, you can read everyone’s heart; show us therefore which of these two you have chosen….”
We
see in Jesus’ life and ministry some practical examples of the practice
of seeking for heavenly intervention and assistance. He shares the
same divine nature with God, no doubt, yet we see Him always relying on
the Father, seeking his will and submitting all to him in prayer. The
Gospel reading today began with the statement: “Jesus raised his eyes to
heaven….” He did not just teach the disciples the need for prayer, he
himself prayed. He has taught them the mysteries of God’s kingdom and
done so much to build up their faith. However, for the sustenance of
all he has implanted in them and the assurance of its perfection and
perpetuity, Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed for them.
In
our daily lives as Christians, our struggles to oppose the forces of
darkness and evil, our daily confrontation with injustice, oppression,
exploitation and man’s inhumanity to fellow man, we need something more
than our human powers and capability. We need power from above and
must always raise our eyes to heaven for it. We need the empowerment,
discernment, enlightenment and motivation that the Spirit of God
bestows. As we prepare to celebrate the feast of Pentecost, we pray
that God may open our eyes to the dire need we have of the Holy Spirit
and teach us the best way to prepare to receive him. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
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