Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, 2014, Year A
Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Director, La Salette Shrine Enfield, NH ( Click here for today’s readings ) All of us, at one time or another, have experienced deep disappointment. In this context, today’s words of St. Peter take on a special meaning: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” When I started my theology studies, that was the very first text quoted in my very first class. Forty-five years later, these words have not lost their resonance. The explanation we give for our hope will, ideally, be personal. It really isn’t enough to say, “That’s what I was taught.” Yes, of course there are reasons common to all believers, but we have our own reasons, too. At some point, the hope we were taught became our own hope, probably at the moment when we realized that we really did believe in the Jesus Christ we profess in the creed. Can you remember when that was? Maybe it happened gradually, like the coming of sprin