Today is all Saints Day. In these antireligious times, negative prejudice against Christian faith is often cultivated. As already pointed out in 'Against the Tide', Christian faith has become an object of ridicule. It reminds us of the fact that Christ himself was once an object of ridicule; it happens to the best people. Today, adversaries deliberately interpret the scriptures in a very literal way so as to prove their right. The scriptures deserve our respect and we need to read them with our reason, our heart and our conscience.
Christian faith is above all the quiet confidence that the core of 'the Good News' will remain intact in the cynicism of our time. We find this core in the Beatitudes that we will be reading and singing today. This is really the heart of the matter. The message Christ brought on the mountain cannot be affected by what the great mass of people say or do. It cannot even be affected by what the ministers of the Church say or do.
It is not so much a belief in historic facts, it is above all a willingness to stay in the hope of a better life in a better world. It could unite people from different beliefs, rather than divide them. That is why this message of hope has remained strong in past times and that is why it will remain strong through the next barren times.
Picture: Southwark Cathedral, London 2022©Wim Lahaye
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