Today’s readings are about a clash.
A clash between truth and falsehood.
Between God and the powers that oppose Him.
Between genuine religion and empty religion.
And they fit remarkably well with the life of St Oliver Plunkett.
The Gospel begins with a dramatic scene.
Two men possessed by demons come out from the tombs.
They are violent.
Fearsome.
Beyond human help.
The people have learnt to avoid them.
The powers of evil seem firmly in control.
Yet the moment Jesus arrives, everything changes.
The demons recognise Him immediately.
The forces of darkness know exactly who He is.
And with a single command Christ drives them out.
One of the striking things about the Gospel is that Jesus does not negotiate with evil.
He does not compromise with it.
He confronts it.
And He defeats it.
Because Christ is Lord.
Yet the ending is surprising.
You might expect the people to rejoice.
You might expect gratitude.
Instead, the townspeople ask Jesus to leave.
They would rather lose Christ than have their lives disturbed.
That is one of the saddest moments in the Gospel.
God Himself has visited them.
Freedom has arrived.
Healing has arrived.
Salvation has arrived.
And they send Him away.
Why?
Because sometimes people prefer a comfortable lie to a challenging truth.
Sometimes people become so accustomed to darkness that they fear the light.
The prophet Amos says something similar.
“Seek good and not evil, so that you may live.”
And then:
“Let justice flow like water, and integrity like an ever-flowing stream.”
The people were still offering sacrifices.
Still observing religious ceremonies.
Still going through the motions.
But their hearts were far from God.
There was worship without justice.
Religion without conversion.
Ritual without righteousness.
And God rejects it.
That is a sobering message.
Because God is not impressed by appearances.
He sees the heart.
He sees whether faith is real.
Whether it changes how we live.
Whether it makes us more honest, more just, more charitable, more faithful.
That was precisely the challenge facing St Oliver Plunkett.
He lived during one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Church in Ireland.
The country was divided.
Catholics were distrusted.
Laws restricted the Church.
Priests and bishops often had to work in secret.
Yet Oliver Plunkett was not a political agitator.
He was a pastor.
He preached.
He taught.
He held synods.
He formed priests.
He tried to rebuild the life of the Church after years of chaos and persecution.
Then came the so-called “Popish Plot.”
A complete fabrication.
An invented conspiracy.
A lie presented as truth.
An innocent man was accused of treason.
Witnesses were produced.
Charges were made.
And the machinery of power began to move.
One of the most painful things about his story is that everyone knew the evidence was weak.
Many knew it was false.
Yet the hysteria of the time was stronger than the facts.
Fear triumphed over justice.
Falsehood triumphed over truth.
At least for a while.
Oliver Plunkett could have become bitter.
He could have become angry.
Instead he remained remarkably peaceful.
Even at his execution he forgave his enemies and publicly declared his innocence.
And here we see the difference between worldly power and Christian holiness.
The people who condemned him possessed courts.
Soldiers.
Political influence.
The power to take his life.
Oliver Plunkett possessed something greater.
The truth.
And ultimately the truth outlasted them all.
The men who accused him are remembered largely because of the injustice they committed.
The saint they executed is honoured throughout the Church.
That is a lesson worth remembering.
Falsehood often looks powerful.
Truth often appears weak.
For a time evil can seem to be winning.
The cross itself looked like a defeat.
Yet appearances can deceive.
Christ rose from the dead.
The martyrs entered glory.
And every lie eventually collapses before the judgement of God.
Perhaps that is the challenge of today’s readings.
Are we willing to seek truth, even when it is costly?
Are we willing to seek justice, even when it is unpopular?
Are we willing to follow Christ, even when others reject Him?
Because every age has its falsehoods.
Every age has its pressures.
Every age has things it wants Christians to deny or ignore.
The temptation is always to go along with the crowd.
To avoid trouble.
To keep quiet.
To send Christ away, as the townspeople did.
St Oliver Plunkett chose differently.
He remained faithful.
Faithful as a bishop.
Faithful as a shepherd.
Faithful as a prisoner.
Faithful as a martyr.
And so today we ask his prayers.
That we may love truth more than comfort.
Justice more than popularity.
Christ more than safety.
And that when our own moment of testing comes, whether great or small, we may remain faithful to the Lord who has already conquered every power of darkness.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 