The difficulties for the apostles, and for those who follow after them, was not that they expected too much but, rather, that they expected too little. Their hopes were not nearly splendid enough.

Christianity is a religion founded on a paradox; the paradox of death leading to resurrection, of defeat leading to victory, of suffering leading to glory. We cannot be pessimists, because we know that death is not the end. We cannot be optimists because we know there must be death. We are a people of hope.

Let us look at the apostles. They wished to root their hope in an earthly kingdom that would eventually pass away, but Jesus told them that He was forming a community that would never pass away. The difficulties for the apostles, and for those who follow after them, was not that they expected too much but, rather, that they expected too little. Their hopes were not nearly splendid enough.

The French philosopher Gabriel Marcel once asked himself what would be the greatest expression of love he could give to someone he cared for very much? He thought of many material comforts and concluded that they were not the greatest expression of love. He went a step further and considered loving devotion and acceptance to the point of laying down his life for another. After a long process he concluded that the greatest gift he could give someone he loved would be the assurance that they would never die.

Peruvian theologian Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez writes, “To be a Christian means believing in the resurrection of the Lord and believing, therefore, that history’s last word is not death but life. I believe the great challenge in the future will be to continue proclaiming life in face of death. This implies many things. It implies many commitments to defend life, justice, and fundamental human rights.”

Our belief in the Resurrection, then, does not mean cherishing a futile optimism in the hope of a happy end; it means that in this world of death, Jesus’ new life has broken the universal rule of death, his freedom has prevailed, his way has led to life, his spirit, which is God’s spirit, is at work. It also means taking the side of life, whenever life is injured, desecrated, or destroyed. When we recall in the liturgy of the Easter Vigil, Christ is risen, He is truly risen, we are crying, “Liberation!” It is precisely this cry that unites us with all of humanity—the poor, the broken, and the oppressed.

“That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out ‘Lord,’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” (Luke 20.37-38)

After ordination, Scarboro missionary Fr. Joseph Young from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, was assigned to Guyana in 1961. In 1970 he was appointed to Nassau, Bahamas, for two years. He returned to Guyana in 1973 and served there for the next 10 years, mainly in New Amsterdam. Following his return to Canada in 1983 he was appointed director of Scarboro’s Mission Information Department where he worked until 1988. Fr. Joe was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1986, yet he continued to serve the Scarboro Missions community as his health permitted until his death 20 years later.

There were times when Our Lord really amazed the apostles, but everything he did and said was intended to lead them and the rest of us into a fabulous new life.

On one occasion Jesus made the apostles get into their boat and cross the lake without him. After the apostles had left, Jesus dismissed the crowd that had spent the day with him. He then went up into the hills to pray for several hours. The apostles meanwhile had run into bad weather on the lake and were straining to make headway against a strong wind and a heavy sea.

After hours of struggle in the murky darkness, the apostles suddenly saw a figure coming towards them on the water. Terrified and totally unprepared for such a sight they thought they were seeing a ghost. Out of the darkness they heard Jesus: Courage! It is I. Do not be afraid. He had come, walking on the water, not to frighten them but to be with them in their struggle.

As in other unusual situations, Peter’s spontaneity and generosity stirred him into action. Although he still wasn’t sure that it was Our Lord, he responded: Lord if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.

What an incredible expression of trust, but was he prepared for the challenge, or would something greater be needed? Our Lord said to him, simply, Come.

The other apostles could only watch in amazement as Peter actually got out of the boat and started walking across the water towards Our Lord. It was a moment they would never forget. By now Peter was a short distance from the boat, not yet with Our Lord, when something went wrong. Into this moment of sheer faith, Peter allowed the force of the wind to bring human fear and he began to sink. In an exclamation of both fear and faith Peter called to Jesus, Lord, save me.

Quickly Jesus put out his hand and took hold of Peter. Leading Peter back to the boat, Jesus asked, Ye of little faith! Why did you doubt?

Peter had no answer. For a moment he had truly experienced the power that comes with great faith in Jesus and had let it slip away because he had given in to human fear. Faith, he had to learn, is not merely a solemn statement, nor even a careful and thoughtful decision, but a commitment that must persevere in the face of every challenge.

When it was all over and they had recovered their voices, the other apostles expressed, for themselves and for all who would later come to have faith in Jesus, Truly, you are the Son of God.

Jesus had not come from heaven to teach people how to walk on water, he had come to take away the sins of the world and to teach people how to live as children of God.

On later reflection, it would be evident to Peter and the other apostles that for them to walk on water was not important. What was important was to have a deep and persevering faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus had not come from heaven to teach people how to walk on water, he had come to take away the sins of the world and to teach people how to live as children of God.

Faith when put into practice would lead one to the fullness of life Jesus had promised—that of being a member of God’s family both in this life and the next. Faith when put into practice would bring these same divine blessings to many others.

Living faith demands both wholehearted love for God and a true love for neighbour that shows itself in sincere forgiveness, compassion, justice, and concern for all people.

In their personal response of faith, the apostles undertook to live, no longer for themselves but for him. With this commitment of faith their lives were profoundly changed because living faith demands both wholehearted love for God and a true love for neighbour that shows itself in sincere forgiveness, compassion, justice, and concern for all people.

We have been called to this same faith and, apart from the question of our own happiness, much will depend on our response because the people of our time desperately need the example of lives that are deeply Christian.

As we ponder the account of the time that Jesus walked across the water, our faith can be strengthened. Our faith can give us the assurance that the one who walked across the lake on a stormy night to be with his friends in their difficulty, will certainly be with us in a special way whenever we face deep pain or sorrow. We can know too that in a time of deep suffering, faith in Jesus’ presence can stave off despair and bring us a profound inner peace. We can even look beyond death itself and smile in anticipation at the incredible life with God that lies ahead for all whose lives are guided by faith.

As of May 11, Canadians contributed $60 million to the Red Cross to help the victims of the wildfire in Fort McMurray. The Government of Canada will match individual donations to the Red Cross up to May 31.

A disaster like the wildfire in Alberta brings people together. I heard of one man who gave out bottles of water to motorists who were waiting in line to buy gasoline. People shared gasoline with one another so that they could escape the fire. People have opened their homes to strangers.

Disasters change the way we interact with one another. They break down the boundaries that normally keep us separate.

Society is a network of boundaries—who’s in and who’s out, who’s up and who’s down, who’s rich and who’s poor, who you talk to and who you don’t talk to. Disasters sweep away all those boundaries and we relate to each other simply as fellow humans who are vulnerable.

Disasters change the way we interact with one another. They break down the boundaries that normally keep us separate.

The Spirit sweeps away boundaries: “Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language…about God’s deeds of power” (Acts 2.5-6, 11).

That’s what the Spirit does. The Spirit overcomes tribalism.

We’re all tribal. I belong to the white tribe. I also belong to the English-speaking tribe. I belong to the Canadian tribe. And within the Christian tribe, I belong to the Roman Catholic clan.

Tribalism can be based on race. Tribalism can be based on language. Tribalism can be based on nationality. Tribalism can be based on religion. Tribalism can be based on all the above.

The tribe gives us a sense of belonging and a sense of security. Most important of all, the tribe gives us an identity. These are all good things. But the tribe also divides people into “people like us” and “people not like us.” The tribe teaches us that we are different. The tribe can teach us to fear people of other tribes. At its worst, the tribe can provoke discrimination and violence towards people of other tribes.

We know the dark side of tribalism. Some of us will remember the Cold War. The Cold War was between East and West and the main protagonists were the Soviet Union and the United States. The Cold War was a tribal conflict based on ideology: the Soviet Union was communist; the United States was capitalist.

The Cold War is history, but tribalism has not gone away. In 1996, Samuel Huntington published a book entitled The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. His thesis was that the world had entered a new age: the divisions in our world are no longer based on ideology but on race and religion.

Since the end of the Cold War, we have witnessed the re-emergence of ethnic conflicts: in the former Yugoslavia, in Rwanda, and in Sri Lanka. We are also witnessing the re-emergence of religious conflict in the Middle East with the Islamic State.

The Good News is that the Spirit is at work in the world to overcome tribalism.

Racism still exists in Canada, but our culture is changing. When I was a kid, native people were portrayed in movies and television programs as savages. That no longer happens. Racist jokes and racist terms in our language are no longer acceptable.

The Spirit is promoting a growing sensitivity to the dignity of the human person. We recognize that there are human rights and that these rights are non-negotiable. Throughout the Western world various governments have enshrined basic human rights in law. Discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or gender is no longer acceptable. We have come a long way in a relatively short time.

We are trying to address racial and cultural diversity in a positive way. Similarly, we are trying to see religious diversity as a gift and not as a problem.

I grew up at a time when Catholics and Protestants didn’t trust each other. But then came the Second Vatican Council, which encouraged Catholics to adopt a new attitude towards our sister and brother Christians of all denominations. A new spirit breathes among Christians. Whereas at one time we attacked each other, we are now making efforts to understand and to appreciate each other’s gifts. Dialogue has replaced debate. Cooperation has replaced competition.

Fr. Dave Warren at a World Youth Day 2002 (Toronto) event initiated by the Toronto Muslim community and co-sponsored by Scarboro Missions Interfaith Department. The event brought together 200 Muslim and 200 Catholic youth for an evening of dialogue.

The Spirit is bringing the Churches together. The Spirit is also bringing together people of different faiths. The Second Vatican Council encouraged Catholics to adopt a new attitude towards the Jewish people, towards Hindus, Buddhists, and towards Muslims. The Second Vatican Council taught us to see what is positive in other religions and to learn from them. In 1990 Pope John Paul II wrote, “The Spirit’s presence and activity affect not only individuals but also society and history, peoples, cultures, and religions.” (Redemptoris Missio, 28)

The Roman Catholic Church is actively engaged in conversation with people of other faiths. This conversation takes place at all levels of the Church. Scarboro Missions has been involved in interreligious dialogue for the past 30 years. It has been my privilege to be in conversation with Muslims. I was honoured to be invited to a recent banquet hosted by the Canadian Council of Imams.

The wildfire in Alberta has temporarily broken down the boundaries that normally keep us separate. We rejoice in the rediscovery of our common humanity. But we know that, once disaster passes, life returns to normal.

The wild fire of the Spirit will not allow us to go back to life as normal. The Spirit continues to break down the boundaries that divide us. Pentecost is not a past event.