Starting a conversation about Christianity.

Homily for 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

19th February 2023

Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to chat with many people. Each with a different perspective on what is happening in the world and often different philosophies. I have friends who are atheists but they are often the ones who start the conversation about Christianity and are happy to chat knowing I am a believer. From my standpoint, I try to show how loving God is, even if it seems to be that there are horrible things going on in the world. I am asked, at times, “How can a loving God allow small children to die or be abused.” The thought horrifies me, especially as I am a father and grandfather. But is the answer so black and white? We do not know the full extent of the story, we only know the headlines that shout out at us. Designed to be emotive and get us angry. Our blood boils and we can see nothing else but a horrible statement.

Imagine standing around a warm fire near the city wall on a cold night. There have been rumours that a rebel leader has been arrested, a blasphemer corrupting the minds of many simple folks, the foolish ones, filling their heads with strange ideas. Thankfully the Pharisees have had him arrested and he’ll get his just reward by being crucified by the Romans.

Imagine another fire burning near the side of a bombed building, that was once the home to thirty families, now not knowing where their food is coming from and where they can escape. The roads have been cut off by the invading forces and the women are worried about how the enemy soldiers will treat them. The barbarians are mindless beasts. Subhuman according to the authorities. And that is just those coming from the East. On the Western side, the Americans and British have been bombing our cities and the SS have pulled out leaving us the defend ourselves. My friend died in the air raids last night and I feel as though I am going out of my mind.

How many of you thought I was initially talking about Ukrainians in the current war with Russia?

Sadly, these were the thoughts of a young German girl, aged about 15 at the time. Let’s call her Ingrid, not her real name, and the year is 1945. Her brother had been shot down in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter plane by an RAF Spitfire over Holland, two years before. Her father had been threatened by the Gestapo for helping Jews and basically told his family would suffer if he was caught again. Then he was sent far away from his family as a Luftwaffe Major, a squadron leader. Sadly, Ingrid, like her friends, had all been forced to join the Hitler Youth. She had seen some of her friends disappear or sent to concentration camps, because somewhere in their family genealogy there was a trace of Jewish ancestry.

On this night, Ingrid was so scared having been given a rifle and told to defend the town, that all she wanted to do was scream and run away.

We are told to love our enemies, not to resist them, but to pray for them. If we are asked for something, we are encouraged to give. If we are asked to go one mile, we should go two. If someone needs our coat, we should give them our sweater as well. Those who wish to destroy the temple will be destroyed by God. For each one of us is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, God knows our every thought, our every intention. Leviticus tells us that we must not bear hatred towards our brothers or sisters but to tell them of their offence, otherwise, we are just as guilty as they are. We are told to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

Ingrid did run away from the situation she found herself in. She had also tried to commit suicide because of the death of her friend. Yet, family friends brought her back to her mother and sister. Their town was captured by the Allies. Ingrid and her family were put our of their homes and their clothes piled up in the street to be given to the Jews who had been liberated from the concentration camps. Ingrid told me she was glad they got her clothes. She was left with next to nothing but found a great use for the Swastika flag each family was forced to have. She turned her family’s one into underwear and use curtains to produce outer clothes.

After the war, Ingrid went on to become a nurse. Found herself working in England and came across the pilot who had shot down her brother. She forgave him. She met her husband, also an RAF pilot, and forgave him. In the late 1970s, Ingrid and her husband moved to Northern Ireland, where she continued to work as a nurse but also volunteered for the Samaritans until she died at the age of 89. She told me her story in an interview, shortly before she died.

Ingrid often had phone calls from people as a Samaritan, who refused to talk to her because of her German accent. She understood, and was forgiving, and never passed judgment. She continued to treat everyone as her neighbour and showed them her love.