THE RIGHT APPROACH TO DEALING WITH ATHEISTS AND AGNOSTICS

20160824 THE RIGHT APPROACH TO DEALING WITH ATHEISTS AND AGNOSTICS

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Red.

First reading

Apocalypse 21:9-14 ©

The angel came to speak to me, and said, ‘Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.’ In the spirit, he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 144:10-13,17-18 ©

Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,

  and your friends shall repeat their blessing.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign

  and declare your might, O God.

Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

They make known to men your mighty deeds

  and the glorious splendour of your reign.

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;

  your rule lasts from age to age.

Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

The Lord is just in all his ways

  and loving in all his deeds.

He is close to all who call him,

  who call on him from their hearts.

Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn1:49

Alleluia, alleluia!

Rabbi, you are the Son of God,

you are the King of Israel.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 1:45-51 ©

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’ said Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from that place?’ ‘Come and see’ replied Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’

THE RIGHT APPROACH TO DEALING WITH ATHEISTS AND AGNOSTICS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [  Apocalypse 21:9-14; Psalm 144:10-13, 17-18; John 1:45-51]

How do we deal with atheists and agnostics and skeptics of our faith?

We must first begin by trying to understand them.  Like Nathanael, they are sincere people but skeptical for many reasons.  This explains why Nathanael was scornful when Philip told him that he had found the Messiah.  Many of us have been deceived by empty promises and even betrayed by so-called believers. With the scandals committed by so-called religious people, it is understandable why many are skeptical of religions.

Secondly, we must also begin with the premise that all are seeking truth and love, for meaning and purpose in life.  This is only human.   All of us are looking for truth and love.  We are all looking for happiness in life.   This, too, was the case for Nathanael.

What is singular about Nathanael is that he was a sincere searcher of God.  Jesus described him as a true “Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.”  This is a great compliment indeed, for to be free of deceit and guilt is a great blessing from God.  He was not just following any religion or god.  He wanted to be sure that it was the Messiah that he had been waiting for.  Many are not sincere in wanting to find God.  The God they are seeking is one that satisfies their selfish needs; not one that gives them truth and love.

The second remarkable quality of Nathanael is that he did not just hope to find God but he took action.  This is quite unlike many people who, like the agnostics, just give up on finding God; or the relativist who says that the truth cannot be found.  When Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree”, the implication was that Nathanael was deep in prayer and meditation, seeking true peace.  The fig tree is a symbol of peace and also because it provides shade, it is a good place to pray and contemplate.

Thirdly, Nathanael was receptive.  Although skeptical initially, he did not brush off the invitation of Philip when invited to come and see.  He was open, not totally closed because of pride or prejudice.  Many refuse to be invited because of pride.   Indeed, Nathanael was from Cana and when he heard that Jesus was from Galilee, he was derisive initially.   It was natural, and still is true, for villages and organizations to compete to see who is the best.   But Nathanael was willing to set aside his reservations and pride to meet the man from Galilee.

So far what we have said concerns the side of the searcher for God.  But in truth the messengers of God have an essential role to play.  More often than not, the fault lies with the evangelizer.  These are the mid-wives of God who help those who want new life to be born.  Hence, if we do not first remove the emotional and psychological barriers, then it would be difficult for the recipients to come to know and encounter this God that we want to introduce them to.

We must learn from Philip who was not defensive or reactive in dealing with Nathanael.  Instead of feeling angry at his response, Philip simply said, “Come and see!”  He did not try to intellectually reason with him as to why the Messiah was from Nazareth.  There was no scholarly debate or argument of that sort.  Indeed, there is no better way to evangelize than to bring someone, not through argument, to meet Jesus, to know Him and to personally experience His love and mercy.  Very few are converted through reason.  All are converted through faith in Christ, His love and mercy.  So what is needed is not philosophy or reason but a personal knowledge and relationship with the Lord. When someone encounters Jesus personally, no philosophical and theological argument is needed.

Similarly, Jesus responded to Nathanael warmly in a personal way.  He encouraged his desire to search for God by affirming him of his sincerity in the first place and revealing that He saw him under the fig tree.  By recognizing Nathanael and feeling with him, Jesus won Nathanael’s trust.  At that moment, Nathanael dropped his defenses because he knew that Jesus knew him and accepted him.  At last he found someone who understood his struggles and inner desire to seek the true God.  Most of all, he found hope when Jesus told him that He could lead him to God, just like how Jacob encountered God.  Jesus would help him to climb the ladder to meet God.

At the end of the day, the crux is whether we, as the ambassadors of Christ, have had a personal encounter with the Lord.  If we know Him personally, then we won’t need to argue with others but confidently show them Jesus by our personal testimony of what He has done for us and who He is to us; and most of all, by our transformed life of joy and peace.  We cannot lead others to Jesus or to invite someone to “come and see” unless we have seen Him and become His friends ourselves.  This is what the psalmist says. “Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign. They make known to men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your reign. Yours is an everlasting kingdom; your rule lasts from age to age. The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts.”

This certainly was the case of the apostles whose lives were transformed by Christ. The Twelve apostles who were uneducated men must have encountered the Risen Lord or else we cannot explain their transformation from being cowards to martyrs for Christ.   They could not be deluded, or attempting to deceive, unless the Lord was risen in their lives.  If the Lord could not save Himself from death in spite of the miracles He did, how could He protect them?  So it is clear that if they had not seen the Lord, they would not have had the courage to risk their lives for Him.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved