HOMILY FROM CANON STEPHEN BAILLIE
7th Sunday of Easter B21
Go out to the whole World
Today marks the 55th World Communications Day, and the theme for this year is ‘Come and See: Communicating by encouraging people where and as they are’.
In his message to mark the occasion, Pope Francis emphasises the importance of meeting people where they are, just as Jesus did with those he encountered: ‘We need to go and see for ourselves, to spend time with people, to listen to their stories and to confront reality, which always in some ways surprises us.’
All communication, he says, should strive to be clear and honest, whether in the media, on the internet, in the Church’s preaching, or in social interaction.
He has a particular message for all who use social media: ‘Thanks to the internet we have the opportunity to report what we see, what is taking place before our eyes, and to share it with others. At the same time, the risk of misinformation being spread on social media has become evident to everyone … All of us are responsible for the communications we make, for the information we share, for the control that we exert over fake news by exposing it. All of us are to be witnesses of the truth: to go, to see and to share.’
It is fitting that this day comes the few days after the Ascension. Before he is taken into heaven, Jesus issues his final instruction: ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.’ Our challenge is to communicate by encouraging people, where they are and as they are.
So, as Jesus is taken up to heaven, he told his disciples, as he does our Deacons Joe, Deacon Bobby, Deacon Martin from Edinburgh and Deacon Chris from Aberdeen, as he does us, to ‘go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. At this moment, what seemed like a crisis as Jesus was leaving them, was to become their greatest challenge. Soon the Spirit of God would come upon them and they would share in the mission of Jesus. With renewed vigour and enthusiasm, knowing their faults and inadequacies, they were still sent to Mission, sent to bring the Truth to all peoples.
So, if that’s the case, then we need to ask ourselves, why are we still standing here, looking into the sky?
May God bless and protect you this weekend, as we prepare for the next stage of the lift from lockdown.
