Betrayal of Faith.

Indeed, all of us have encountered people of a different faith. They believe in God, but they do not, for example, recognize, as we do, the Virgin Mary, whom they say was like every other woman. But you’ve also met people who don’t believe in Jesus Christ; they believe in the Old Testament and possibly whatever suits them in their lives. And so lately, there have been a lot of little churches, minor sects that have been springing up, luring people in under various pretexts, promising them paradise here on earth, wealth, and people are being taken in by sweet talk. Then often comes disappointment tears. Many people end this difficult and desperate condition tragically.

As many people crave the achievements of science and technology, so many people also crave attractions in spiritual life. Many ask. Why is it that such a reasonable man is so tempted to sell out his faith that he abandons even his family, children, wife and goes after a society that from the very beginning preaches dubious views, subverting the social order? What leads people to betray their faith?

The Evangelist Mark describes in the Gospel how Jesus called the twelve to him to teach them, make them aware of his teachings, of the heavenly Father, of life with God, so he sent them out to do what he was doing. To teach as Jesus taught and make people happy. The Evangelist also gives the names of the Twelve. First, he mentions Simon, whom he later appointed as the visible head on earth, whom we also call the first pope, whose name he changed to Peter-Kephas-Scala. As if to say that only on a firm foundation, on the teachings of Jesus Christ and in solid unity, is there strength. He called his brothers Andrew, James, and John – the sons of Zebedee – when they were on their father Zebedee’s ship and hired laborers. Because of their explosive nature, when they would not accept Jesus and his disciples in one Samaritan settlement, they tell Jesus to send a plague from heaven upon them, calling them “Sons of Thunder” – “Boanerges.” Next, he called Philip and Bartholomew, fishers, the tax collector Levi, another name for Matthew, who all the people of Capernaum hated because of his occupation as a tax collector. Then the unbelieving Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon, who came from the region where the forefather James had formerly lived as an exile, and Judas Iscariot, who knew several languages, and was the most learned of the apostles, being neither a fisherman nor a craftsman. He was a man who did not know what he wanted, as was later shown when he was able to betray Christ for thirty pieces of silver and finally return them, saying, “I have sinned, because I have betrayed innocent blood” (Matt. 27:4). He goes and hangs himself.

This is the motley company Jesus chose for his disciples. He decided to build His Church on the different natures that the apostles had. He entrusted many things to them: heal, raise the dead, and cast out evil spirits. He gave them what no prophet in the Old Testament ever gave to his disciples. The people were amazed to see the apostles doing their work in Jesus’ name. Even John the Baptist, whom they had previously thought of as the Messiah, did no miracle like Jesus, much less could he give this power to his disciples. For John’s disciples included Andrew and Philip, who, after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, go away from John, who sends them after Jesus when he speaks to them: “Behold the Lamb of God. I am not worthy to untie his shoe straps.” (Jn 1:36).

These formed the foundation of the first Church. They become priests at the Last Supper when Jesus gives them the power to change the bread into His Body and the wine into His Blood by saying, “… this do in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:24). To these same apostles, except Judas, who was no longer among the apostles, He gave them the power to forgive sins after His resurrection, saying, “Whose sins you forgive will be forgiven, and whose sins you retain will be retained” (Jn. 20:23). Thus we know exactly the names of the apostles who became the foundation and received the power from Christ to make the people of the whole world happy and to help them to live their lives in such a way that when it is over, they will enter into an eternal communion where everyone will see God face to face as He is.

Let us pray for the unification of believers in the world. Let us pray for unity in faith. So also for the Jews, the Protestant churches, the Mohammedans, the Shintoists, and the many straying communities, there may be one fold, as Christ also said, There shall be one fold and one shepherd.

When the Holy Father was visiting England, I watched on television a live broadcast of these unrepeatable celebrations, when the former Canterbury Cathedral, which belonged to the early Roman Catholic Church, from which Henry VIII broke away because he did not want the Pope to declare his valid marriage null and void, so that he could then marry a second time. It was in this cathedral that John Paul II and his entourage, which included cardinals, bishops, archbishops, met with the Anglican Primate – as if by their Pope, with an Anglican, a Methodist, an Adventist, a Pentecostal standing next to a Catholic in the church… and they were all praying together with the O t h e n an s s prayer – the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples and that all believers pray. It was a significant step towards unity.