EASTER III 2007

“And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and you heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you” (John 16.22).

This past Tuesday Fr. Peter joined me in a rather inconveniently located Campaign Life clergy luncheon, being hosted at the Press Club, the address for which is on Wellington Street across from Parliament Hill, but whose access is from a doorway on Sparks Street. It’s not actually all that hard to find, but, usually, their luncheons are hosted by various churches here in the west end, and are accordingly well-attended. Quite likely due to the less convenient location, not to mention the cost of parking downtown, this particular luncheon was not terribly well attended.

And what a pity, as the testimony given by a musical acquaintance of Michael Trolly was very profound, not only for the obvious context of the pro-life movement, but I found even moreso for the personal journey to Christian faith.

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We find ourselves in the middle of the Great Forty Days of Eastertide; and during these six Sundays beginning with Easter Day and for the following five Sundays after Easter, the Gospel readings are all from St. John. On Easter Day, the reading is that of the empty tomb episode involving first St. Mary Magdalene, and then Ss. Peter and John. The following Sunday, the episode is that of the Resurrected Jesus appearing to the disciples in the locked room. Last Sunday was Good Shepherd Sunday, with the appropriate dialogue of Jesus prior to the events of Good Friday and Easter Day, referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd.

Today, and for the next two Sundays, leading up to the Ascension, the Gospel readings are all from Chapter 16, right in the middle of what is called the Great Discourse, given by Jesus to the Twelve in the upper room, the night before His Crucifixion. That may seem peculiar, as we are in the midst of celebrating His Resurrection; however, in His Great Discourse, Jesus, without His disciples being aware at the time, was looking beyond Good Friday. In today’s passage, He seems clearly to be suggesting that the “little while” during which His followers would not see Him would be the three days between His Crucifixion and Resurrection - although some would see this as applying to His other post-Resurrection appearances.

Next Sunday, from the same chapter, He makes reference to the sending of the Holy Spirit, looking even further beyond the Day of Resurrection to Pentecost. However, next Sunday, being May 6, is an old feast day called St. John in Eastertide, so the Fourth Sunday after Easter readings will be displaced. Still, the chosen Gospel reading for St. John in Eastertide is also from the Great Discourse, the following chapter, and where Jesus speaks of the fulfilment of His own earthly mission, His impending return to the unity of the Godhead, and the forthcoming mission of the Apostles themselves - still very much Eastertide themes.

And then, the last Sunday prior to the Ascension, being Rogation Sunday - rogo, rogare: to ask - His focus, again from the chapter 16, is that of encouraging His disciples to ask for good and seemly things in His Name.

As I was contemplating the particular reading for today: “a little while and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while and ye shall see Me,” and, “ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and you heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you,” my thoughts kept turning towards the testimony that Fr. Peter and I heard on Tuesday from Dave MacDonald.

While his story is by no means unique, it is most certainly compelling. The entire testimony is on his web site (http://www.davidmacd.com/web_pages/testimony.htm), and although it is long, it is well worth reading. As David relates it, his parents had him baptized as an infant in the Presbyterian church, “just in case,” but the family was not religious by any stretch, and never went to church otherwise.

As he grew, his musical talent for singing and playing the guitar took David from Ottawa to New York when he was still quite young. Success, in worldly terms, followed with him ending up in the touring cast of the Broadway play, “Cats.” The worldly success was accompanied by drugs, extra-marital relationships - including two abortions of children he fathered - they were an inconvenience to the respective careers of him and his partners - and, as often happens, a sudden and complete crash at the ripe old age of 24 when he completely lost his voice. That was now over 20 years ago.

In his testimony David relates that there were several episodes, beginning as early as age 8, where he now sees clearly that he was not beyond God’s care. He might even take very personally the passage, “yet a little while and shall not see Me; and again a little while and ye shall see Me,” as something that occurred several times prior to his eventual conversion.

The circumstances of that conversion would make a compelling movie script. It was 1985; his Broadway career over, upon learning of the news that his 20 month old nephew had been beaten to death by a babysitter, he returned here to Ottawa. Subsequently, he ended up associated with a new age guru and travelled to Montreal for his final initiation in preparation for his being sent off to a place in Virginia that was actually named Yogaville. Walking about Montreal on the very day when he was supposed to become Sri Baba, he found himself drawn powerfully towards a beautiful Church - St. Joseph’s Oratory. Upon entering, he noticed, as he relates it, “all of these little old ladies, praying in whispers;” but, as he observed, “they clearly believed; they weren’t the hypocrites that I had always assumed they were.” He was so moved by their faith that he went up into the main body of the church, which was empty, and laid face down on the marble floor. On Tuesday past he told us, “As I was lying face down on the floor, I said to Jesus, ‘I don’t know very much about You, but I think that You know everything about me.’” His web page testimonial also includes that he asked Jesus to come into his heart and take complete control of his life.

Now, either it was providence, or perhaps through encounters with Christians up to that point in his life, but somehow he was moved to talk to, to pray to Jesus as a living Person, not a dead religious leader. The Resurrection was a reality for this non-believer; his previous sorrows were now very much in the past, and had been turned to joy.

Today’s Collect might also read as if it were aimed directly at Dave, what with the reminders of God’s presence a number of times in his life prior to his conversion: “Almighty God, who showest to them that be in error the light of thy truth, to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness: Grant unto all them that are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion, that they may forsake those things that be contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same…”

There is much more of interest, especially how he came to be associated with the pro-life movement, not least that, as his voice returned, his music and song-writing ability did not, until he was convicted to spill his heart about the lives of his children that were no more. But it was the episode in St. Joseph’s that I found to be of particular note as regards today’s Gospel reading. Twenty years after his face on the floor conversion to faith in our Resurrected Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the joy that Jesus promised first to His disciples in the upper room is still obvious when one meets Dave. Just as there was something compelling about our Lord; and then about His apostles who followed after Him in spreading the good news, so there is about Dave MacDonald.

And yet, his demeanour, while compelling, is utterly lacking in personal presumption. Those of us here might be reminded of our utterly unassuming Bishop Robert Mercer, also of a compelling personality, who, as it turns out spent a Hike for Life with Dave some years ago - a very happy meeting according to Dave. Dave is wonderfully surprised to discover that his web site is receiving some 20,000 or 40,000 “hits” per month. Even more exciting is that he has begun to receive invitations from schools to speak to their students.

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As convinced as each of us here is about the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, meeting people quite outside of our normal Christian milieu, such as Dave MacDonald, can be wonderfully energizing, a perhaps much needed boost so that when we come to pray and encounter our Risen Lord, to see Him, we shall rejoice with such joy that no man might take that joy from us, and that we, like Dave, will be lights shining in a dark world.

THE ANNUNCIATION OTTAWA 2007 +CR