God So Loved the World

Title: God So Loved the World

Date: Wednesday, April 13, 1988 - Martin I, Pope & Martyr

Readings: Acts 5:17-26 / Psalm 34:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9 / John 3:16-21

In our tradition we have often espoused what is technically called a two-tiered perspective of reality. We see earth below and heaven above. Following St. Augustine, we either see ourselves as members of the City of God or the City of the World. One is seen as positive and the other as negative. There is a definite value judgment made against the worldly. This view arose, not simply from the Scriptures, but from the persistent antagonism which Christ's disciples encountered. Even in our first reading today, they had to escape imprisonment in order to preach to the people. This understanding has had all sorts of consequences for the Church.

One of the initial incentives toward the cloistered life was to escape the evil world so as to live more in the world to come. Indeed, I recall reading an article about the Orthodox Churches in Russia being criticized because they had so confined their faith to within the walls of their churches and had so spiritualized their outlook, that little was done in the area of the social Gospel and outreach. Of course, that might be where their government would want them too, having a message which says little about the needs for our daily bread. Our Church's hesitance to acknowledge the separation of Church and State also flowed from this since it was held that without the guidance of the Church, the State might get out of hand and even become demonic. Hopefully, that will never happen here, although we must admit our laws do allow some very atrocious things these days.

If I may venture an opinion, our real obligation is not to perpetually image our world or society as evil but rather as a civilization which has both good and bad elements. It is a world with which we are intricately wound up and bound. As Christs Mystical Body, we need to bring his conversion to our world. It will not take place immediately. The Kingdom comes when it comes, and indeed, it is already beginning to break through -- that is the significance of Easter. Jesus says in our Gospel: "Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life."

The saint whom we recall today, Martin I, lived during an age when the Church and State were united. However, this did not resolve the conflict. St. Martin I censured the Emperor Constans who in retaliation had him seized and taken prisoner to Constantinople. He spent some time in a dungeon, but then was exiled to Chersonesus in 655. He suffered from ill-health. His friends abandoned him. He was left to die. What we have to remember is that to call our world to conversion is often to walk the same path as Christ.