I was invited for a presentation at a neighboring Protestant Church on the “500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.” One eloquent speaker narrated how Christians got along very harmoniously for 1400 years until the Catholic Church leadership got corrupt leading to the reformation that Fr. Martin Luther orchestrated. My metaphysics professor often said that “ignorance of history is the serious defect of the protestant culture.” Does the first reading of today suggest that there was always such kind of harmony? Greed or corruption are human experiences not new to Christianity. Ananias and his wife Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) were the first corrupt Christians. Simony was first committed by Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-25). Discriminations were found among early Christians ((Acts 6:1-2). Cardinal Archbishop Judas Iscariot was a thief. The Church was never immune from corruption, but it was equipped with mechanisms to handle it. The Holy Spirit instructed her to replace Judas with Matthias (Acts 1:12-26), to appoint deacons to serve food (6:1-6), to call councils to debate issues of faith and morals (Acts 15:8-29), to determine that people can worship God in their native languages (Vatican II), etc., etc. The Holy Spirit continues to direct the Church along the way, teaching her the truth, and filling her with an enduring life.
When Jesus says in today’s Gospel that He’s the way to the Father, He’s not referring to a nicely-paved highway like the Indian Nation Turnpike. He indicated that the road would be more like our rough streets and as winding as the mountain trails of Colorado. It’s hard to fall asleep driving on such trails. People easily fall asleep on the Easy Street. The truth to which Jesus refers Himself is not the valid demonstrations or proven hypotheses of scholars. It’s truth that doesn’t need continuous validation, because it doesn’t change. The life which Jesus is transcends the smooth, polished, unruffled reveries that can be bought and paid for by the affluent. He’s life that doesn’t end in death but endures unto eternity. Hence, St. Peter in the second reading asks us to keep our gaze on Christ the living stone, to be built into a spiritual powerhouse.
Since the media turned into purveyors of propaganda, I took my attention away from their depressing news and currently juggle from EWTN to the soccer channel, the National Geographic, and the History Channel. I watched an episode of “Modern Marvels” in the History Channel about the building of the Hoover Dam. I was amazed to learn that nearly 90 years after its construction, the concrete in the dam is still cooling. I also enjoyed the episode on the construction of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The engineers built the arch from ground up simultaneously on both sides; with the two giant “legs” reaching hundreds of feet in the sky. As the two “legs” curved closer to each other, it was as if they were yearning to be connected. Then came the piece that connected the two: that one piece put the entire structure in harmony, fitting perfectly and unifying the whole just as the designers envisioned. That final piece was called “the cornerstone,” giving Missouri its name, “Keystone State,” gateway to the west. Quite true, the cornerstone isn’t just one at the base but the stone that holds the two “legs” together.
The second reading today tells us that Jesus is this stone which joins the divine and the human, heaven and earth. Psalm 118 describes Him as “the stone rejected by the builders that has become the cornerstone.” When next you’re at Mass, watch the priest as he mixes water and wine together before consecration. He prays silently: “By the mystery of water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.” Jesus does not just give us a glimpse of heaven; He also gives us a glimpse into our very selves. He is the true Keystone and Gateway to heaven.
Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo