Todays second reading reading at mass came from 1Peter 3:15-18, shows Saint Peter counselling us : 'Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; 16' I think my own account does not rely on long arguments or deep reasoning. I admit my own belief rests centrally on two things, what I, as Saint John says have seen with my own eyes: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us." But also , maybe strangely the thing that embeds my faith deeply and which I would use to argue with unbelievers is the constant well spring of joy that always rises in my heart, in good times and bad. This joy I felt in the darkness of prison during beatings, in the very face of death, when I have gazed into the dead faces of my family in morgues and in coffins, in times of real poverty and hunger, of pain and trial, in the times of richness and anguish since I returned to the faith in 1981. This has never left me indeed during times of greatest darkness it brights uop the sky of my life the most urgently. often like a little star distantly but all the more powerfully for it being night. Now when I compare this to how I was when I was faithless, the great depression and sadness I went under at the utter futility of my life I am simply amazed at the transformation I have undergone. Nor indeed has this joy grown any less but has grown with each passing day, so that my work colleagues, often unbelievers are astonished by it and claim I must be, 'Taking happy pills', I am so full of joy. So in times of doubt I simply say to Satan, 'Well then if it is all a dream and I indeed the 'Most foolish of men' {1 Corinthians 15:12-20) Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. But to follow Christ is to follow the truth If someone were to come to me with powerful and irrefutable arguments that God did not exist I would not be afraid to listen to an open ear and heart to them. For we have been promised that nothing will ever separate me from the love of Christ and so nothing shall cause cause me to loose the joy of knowing Chirst, Romans 8:28-39 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among any brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I was touched that the responsorial psalm proclaimed this joy , my own great argument against the unbelievers, Psalm 65 'Cry out with joy to the God all earth!!' and to confirm what I know in my heart that todays Gospel is true (John 14 and that the Father has indeed given me 'an Advocate, to be with me forever' and that Advocate is a Spirit of joy and laughter.
