Gospel Reflection for The 28th day of May in the year of Our Lord, 2025
Gospel
John 16:12-15
12 I have yet many things to say to you: but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth. For he shall not speak of himself; but what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak; and the things that are to come, he shall shew you. 14 He shall glorify me; because he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it to you. 15 All things whatsoever the Father hath, are mine. Therefore I said, that he shall receive of mine, and shew it to you.
In yesterday’s Gospel, not only was there the promise of the Advocate, or Holy Spirit, but there was a warning:
8 And when he is come, he will convict the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment. 9 Of sin: because they believed not in me. 10 And of justice: because I go to the Father; and you shall see me no longer.
11 And of judgment: because the prince of this world is already judged.
Today’s first reading explains this passage:
22 But Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious. 23 For passing by, and seeing your idols, I found an altar also, on which was written: To the unknown God. What therefore you worship, without knowing it, that I preach to you: 24 God, who made the world, and all things therein; he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is he served with men's hands, as though he needed any thing; seeing it is he who giveth to all life, and breath, and all things:
26 And hath made of one, all mankind, to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, determining appointed times, and the limits of their habitation. 27 That they should seek God, if happily they may feel after him or find him, although he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and are; as some also of your own poets said: For we are also his offspring. 29 Being therefore the offspring of God, we must not suppose the divinity to be like unto gold, or silver, or stone, the graving of art, and device of man. 30 And God indeed having winked at the times of this ignorance, now declareth unto men, that all should everywhere do penance.
31 Because he hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in equity, by the man whom he hath appointed; giving faith to all, by raising him up from the dead. 32 And when they had heard of the resurrection of the dead, some indeed mocked, but others said: We will hear thee again concerning this matter. 33 So Paul went out from among them. 34 But certain men adhering to him, did believe; among whom was also Dionysius, the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
God makes every man and woman and He imprints into their hearts and mind a conscience and a knowledge that there is a God. Of course, these gifts may be rejected as is necessary for free will. But, every tribe and nation in every time and era that man has existed, has held some form of religion. Atheism and secular agnosticism/relativism are truly pathologies of modernism. Our ancestors… all of our ancestors, no matter where they originated or how far back in time, would be shocked by the lack of the acknowledgment of the sacred in modern life. Even the hedonistic Greeks and nationalistic/militaristic Romans had religions. In our time, any real faith in religion is too often viewed as old fashioned, superstitious and ignorant.
What Saint Paul makes clear is that once the true religion had been revealed in Christ, there was no longer any excuse for ignorance. Whereas for thousands of years man had searched for God in the dark, seeking to learn of His nature through His creation, now, God had come as man and had established His Church. From that point on, man must either submit to the teachings of Jesus through His Church, or risk condemnation. Of course, many remained ignorant of the Gospel in that time, just as they do today. But, Christians were spreading the word. Now, as then, many reject the Word.
I often wonder about my ancestors who first came to America. One was a Mayflower pilgrim…. Essentially a member of a fringe Protestant sect that was not even tolerated by Protestant England. Others were Irish Catholics who migrated from Catholic-friendly Maryland, to North Carolina when it was still illegal to be Catholic here. Some were Huguenots (another fringe group). Others were English, Scottish, Creole and who knows what else! Some were seeking the truth and were part of what we would now rightly consider religious cults. Others came to a land where there were no Catholic Churches and gradually had to accept Protestantism if they were to practice Christianity at all. I believe all of them were people of sincere faith, seeking to worship God as best they knew how and could.
Now, we have a Catholic Church in most every decent sized community. We have schools, public libraries and all the writings and knowledge of the entire history of mankind at our fingertips thanks to the internet. For us, to learn of the true God and to worship Him is so very easy. Our ancestors were willing to sacrifice and die for religion. How often do we take it for granted?
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings July-December, 2025 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5BHFZ7X
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic