Homily: April 11, 2023, Tuesday in the Octave of Easter (Ignorance)

"Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

We heard this from the first reading today, St. Peter made this declaration in his first preaching, on the day of Pentecost. Many of the Jews who demanded that Jesus be crucified were ignorant that Jesus was truly the Christ, and now Peter is declaring, so they will ‘know for certain’.

Because they were unaware of scriptural prophecies about the Messiah which Jesus fulfilled, they blindly believed the false accusations made against Him by the Jewish leaders. Their ignorance led them to become co-conspirators of murder. St. Paul rightly said, "None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Cor. 2:8)

Yes, if they had known for certain, they would not have killed Jesus. Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ. Ignorance of Christ is ignorance of salvation. This ignorance is widespread, in today’s world, even within the church.

Some people in church have asked me, "Why do so many people go for reconciliation? Have they committed serious sins? Are they terrible sinners?"

Because they themselves have not gone for reconciliation since a long time, believing they do not need to because they did not steal, or cheat or commit murder etc. 

They did not realise that the sacrament of reconciliation is not just about confessing sins, mortal or venial, it is also about receiving graces from God to better resist future temptations and to simply walk closer with Jesus. It is Jesus Himself, not the priest, who absolves sins in the sacrament.

And there are parishioners somehow believe that the Holy Eucharist has special power, but they don’t believe it is the real body of Christ. It seems they are ignorant of the many Eucharistic miracles that have taken place over the centuries, which Science cannot explain, which reveals that the Holy Eucharist is no longer bread, but real flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.

I am sure we all are ignorant of some things in our faith, because God is just so big, therefore we cannot stop growing in faith, we cannot stop learning more about Jesus, we cannot be complacent. We cannot risk making serious mistakes in faith because of our ignorance, like the Jews in Jesus’ time. And we should not pass on our ignorance to the next generation.

We have a duty and responsibility to know our faith and to live it. Start with the Bible, read it and where there is doubt, ask. There are many resources now easily available on the internet, just make sure they are from Catholic and credible sources.

Let us pray for a renewal in our church, in our families, and in our society. As we prepare for Pentecost, let us ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, to fill us with knowledge, understanding, and wisdom for greater faith. Amen.