In today’s Gospel Our Lord reminds us that Christianity is not a popularity contest, and that comes down all the way from the top: after he’d spent three years preaching, travelling, healing, and working miracles, he was accused, abandoned, unjustly tried, and executed. When John speaks of “the world” in his writings he refers to all the forces that are opposed to Jesus and his saving work: persons, cultures, temptations, circumstances, and situations. Just as God is love and seeks to spread his love out of pure goodness, a sad response on the part of some of his creatures is, almost like a photo negative to the positive of his love, hate. They’re not on equal footing: God’s love will triumph, the only question is whether we let it triumph in us or stay out in the cold.
The shadow of the cross is always present in Christian life: the world wants to nail us up there as a lesson and as a statement as to what it thinks about God and his love. The Christian, following the example of Our Lord, must humbly and lovingly ask the Father to forgive these people, for they know not what they do. Love is ultimately the best response to the hate and scorn of the world, the true love as taught to us by God in His Son: it means truly always having the good of the other in mind, and a willingness to go even up onto the cross for them. Many times that love has to be tough love: giving testimony to an unpopular truth about marriage, family, morality, and so many issues touching the core of human existence. We cannot shy away from that if we truly love those involved.
Let’s examine the comfort level of our Christianity today: is there something in my way of thinking, speaking, and acting that rubs “the world” the wrong way? Does my concern about what others will think or say keep me from sharing the truth in love about the things that really matter? Ask Our Lord for the strength to love and endure whatever misguided response “the world” might have in store and to never be a “worldly” Christian.
Readings: Acts 16:1–10; Psalm 100:1b–3, 5; John 15:18–21.