Gospel of Luke, chapter 24:46-47

Have you ever thought of Christianity as a transforming influence in your life and in the world? For many, membership of a church can be a matter of habit. But, living the Christian life is not just a question of routine. Christians are expected to make a difference in their lives and in their society.

In today’s scripture we see that Jesus commissioned His followers to preach the good news to all nations. He invited His followers to experience a conflict between the expectations of the world and the expectations of the gospel. The early Christians had to suffer much for the faith in those days when persecution was ripe. But, the fruits of their efforts won out over their persecutors. We are, generally, not as persecuted today by public officials and governments in democratic societies for standing up for our faith. We are granted freedom of speech and worship by the constitutions of our Western democracies. It is a different matter in theocratic societies of the Middle East where Christians do not possess the same freedom to profess their faith publicly, and are persecuted as violently as they were in the early days of the Christian faith.

So, everything in our society is not fine and dandy. In some parts of the world, there is outright opposition and persecution of Christians. In other parts of the world, we have freedom of worship, but freedom to make a difference is quite another matter. Our faith still demands the same sense of courage and perseverance to make a difference today as it did in times gone by. Some might say that it is more difficult to live the faith today than it was during the time of the apostles. In our society, abortion-on-demand is a reality; the breakdown of the family and the disintegration of Christian values are widespread; the lure of money, greed, permissive sex, and drugs are tearing people apart. Surely this is a difficult society for the Christian to live in. But, is it any more difficult than the society of the Graeco-Roman world of the early Christians?

We can make a difference and can transform the temporal order if we have the will to do so. Faith in God is our most powerful ally. We can start with ourselves and move on from there.

That is how the early Christians made a difference. They began small, like the mustard seed, but eventually they convinced all who were seeking the truth to abandon the old, evil ways and embrace the good news of the gospel.

Fr. Hugh Duffy

* * * Don’t miss tomorrow’s blog on God’s favor  * * *