Homily Ordinary Sunday 21 C 2016: Who will be saved?

Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7.11-13; Luke 13:22-30

Introduction

“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”  This is the question the man asked Jesus in the gospel.  But don’t we also sometimes ask this same question?

·        As Catholics we might look at Baptists and ask: “Will they also be saved?”  As Christians, we might look at Muslims and ask: “Lord, surely you did not die for them too?”

·        Don’t we wonder about the fate of those who are different from us in other ways, like people of a different race, occupation, political party, secretly wondering: “Surely, Lord, you are not going to save them too, are you?”

·        And then you have the people who are personally disagreeable to us: the ex-husband or ex-wife, that horrible neighbour or terrible boss, the corner drug-dealer or prostitute.  We wonder: “Will they also be saved?”

Let us return to the gospel itself, to hear how the Lord answers this question.

Scripture and Theology

The man in the gospel was probably looking for Jesus to confirm the notion that only a few people, only the Jewish people would be saved.  After all, they were God’s chosen people.  Why else would God invite anybody else?

But Jesus does not give a simple "Yes" or "No" answer, the kind we get from some of our politicians.  His answer is complex, complete, both "Yes" and "No." 

On the one hand he says: "Yes," only a few will be saved.  That is why he urges: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”  In other words only those few, who will strive to enter through the narrow gate, who be saved.  Those who will fail to get through the narrow gate, will not be saved.

What was this narrow gate?  The cities of that time were protected by high walls, many of which you can still see in the Middle East and Europe.  These high walls kept enemies away, especially at night or in war.  The only way to enter a city like Jerusalem was by passing through specific gates.  There was also the narrow gate, to be used at night, something like the night depository in many banks.  According to Bible scholars, this gate was so small and so narrow, that a threefold contortion of the body was needed to enter through the eighteen-inch doorsill.  Only those with the physical and athletic abilities, like some of those we are seeing in the Olympics, could perform the extraordinary manoeuvres needed to pass through this narrow gate.

If physical strength and fitness were required to do the lifting, bending and twisting of the body to enter the physical gate leading into the city, it is spiritual strength and spiritual fitness that will be needed to enter the narrow gate that leads to heaven.  This spiritual fitness is achieved by observing the threefold rigorous demands of God, namely, believing in God, worshipping God and living according to his commands.  And so, only those who accept God's help and invitation, and put in the work will be admitted to God’s kingdom.  And so, to the question: "Lord will only a few be saved?" the answer of Jesus is, "Yes, only a few will be saved, those who will respond positively to God's invitation."

But then Jesus goes on to expand his answer; there is Part B to his answer.  "No, more than a few people will be saved."  For although there is a condition for entering heaven, Jesus has changed things by opening that condition to all. Jesus says: “And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.”  These are the Gentiles.  In the first reading God had already promised that he would “come to gather nations of every language” and that he would “bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations . . . to Jerusalem, my holy mountain. . . .”

Before Jesus came the invitation to enter heaven was given only to those of Jewish birth, thus excluding all non-Jews.  But now, the criterion is the narrow gate, through which anybody is invited to enter, if they so wish.  Even the close disciples of Jesus could not be guaranteed free admission.  For we heard Jesus say, that if they showed up and all they had to say was: “We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets,” Jesus will say: “Depart from me, all you evildoers!”  For them too, the criterion for admission is the narrow gate of firm belief, worthy worship and faithful living.

And so, although the man was expecting a “Yes” or “No” answer to the question “Will only a few be saved?”, Jesus has given a “Yes” and “No” answer.

·        “Yes,” only those few who respond to God’s invitation to the great banquet by meeting the rigorous requirements of the narrow gate will be saved.

·        But “No”, more than a few will be saved, because now the invitation has been extended to all nations and indeed to every person.  And so, if they too respond well to the invitation, then more than a few people will be saved. Now everybody has a chance to take up or reject the invitation and therefore present oneself and one’s credentials at the narrow gate.

Christian Life

This twofold answer of Jesus applies to you and me directly in two ways.

First, when Jesus answers that “Yes” only a few will be saved, he is challenging you and me to be concerned about being counted in that number.  Am I passing through that narrow gate?  Am I keeping myself spiritually fit, so that I can twist and turn and squeeze through that narrow opening?  Have I responded to that invitation card God sends me every week in the Sunday readings or every time I pray, so that when I show up at the heavenly wedding banquet, there will be a seat reserved for me, plus one, my spouse, if I am married?

Secondly, when Jesus answers “No”, saying that more than a few will be saved, he is challenging you and me to stop excluding others from his love.  Let us leave to Jesus, the speculating about who will or will not be saved. The fact is that God has sent the invitation to many other people, even those whom I think don’t deserve it.  God wants the banquet to be more lively and that is why he invites more people; the more the merrier.  Deciding who enters heaven is really above my pay-grade.  Even if I suspect that because of their behaviour certain people might be excluded, I must leave it to God, to make that determination; who knows, in his mercy, he might just admit them, just as he treats me better than I deserve.  If, from the evidence before me, I suspect that someone might be going the wrong way, my job is to help them return to the right path, perhaps by talking to them or by praying for them, but certainly not by despatching them to hell.

Conclusion

Perhaps like the man in the gospel, some of us might find Jesus' long-winded answer a little wishy-washy.  We want a simple direct answer to our question.  Let us get some consolation from the fact that we are thinking as man thinks, not as God.  God's world is far more complicated than ours.

Let us be happy that all have received the invitation.  Some like us have received the invitation via priority mail, which is by hearing the gospel and receiving the sacraments.  Others have received the invitation via a slower route, which is natural reason in their hearts.  The bottom line, the common denominator for both, however, is that we ready ourselves, we arm ourselves, we strengthen ourselves to enter that narrow gate.

It is my prayer that I get to heaven, and moreover, that when I get there, I am not alone – I am with all the children of God.

Homily for Assumption 2016: Making Mary's path our path

Revelation 11:19a;12:1-6a;10ab; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26; Luke 1:39-56

Introduction

We at Notre Dame Seminary are privileged to have two senior priests among us. Father David Kelly and Archbishop Alfred Hughes have lived for a really long time, and with a combined priestly experience of more than a century, they do teach us many things.

One of the things I have picked up from our casual conversations is that when they speak about their childhood, the subject of their mothers often comes up.  Eighty years later they vividly remember the kind of sandwich mom packed for the school or something that she said to them.  This is perhaps because there is something uniquely special in the relationship between a child and his mother.

Scripture and Theology

We should not be surprised then, that Jesus too holds his mother in such high esteem as to grant her several privileges.  We have just heard Mary herself admit as much when she said: “The Almighty has done great things for me.”

In the same Magnificat canticle she adds: "All generations will call me Blessed," something the Church has done by giving Mary a privileged place in her life.  And especially in her liturgy, the Church recalls three of the great things that the Lord has done for Mary, in the three Marian solemnities of the Liturgical Calendar.

1.    On December 8^th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we celebrate a great thing that the Almighty did for Mary, arranging that she be conceived without original sin.

2.    On January 1^st, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, we celebrate one more great thing the Almighty did for Mary, making her the Mother of God.

3.    And today, August 15^th, the Solemnity of the Assumption, we celebrate yet another great thing that the Almighty did for Mary, taking her up to heaven, body and soul, where she is glorified with her Son.  Today’s reading from the Book of Revelation described beautifully and in quite some detail this great privilege that the Lord accorded his mother.

Christian Life

It is a happy coincidence that today's solemnity comes during this week of orientation.  For some of you, on your first night here, lying on a twin-size mattress, might have asked yourselves: "What am I doing here?  What have I gotten myself into?"

Let me suggest that like every faithful Catholic, not only should we turn to the Blessed Mother seeking answers in prayer, but we should also take the trajectory of her life as a pattern for our own, especially for our own discernment of a possible call to the priesthood.  Like the Almighty did those three great things for the Blessed Mother, he also extends his threefold mercy to all "those who fear him in every generation," even to us who are seeking to serve him as his priests.

First, while you and I were not conceived without original sin, the Lord provided the sacrament of baptism that removed original sin and thus restored us to virtually that immaculate condition that he had given to his mother at her conception.  And even when due to sin we stain that condition, he provided yet another sacrament, the sacrament of penance to give us a second chance, a third chance and so on, to restore us the divine life to us.  With Mary we can surely say that the Almighty has done great things for us.

Secondly, while you and I were not chosen for the singular honour of bearing God's son and so playing a pivotal role in the work of salvation, God has given each of us our own small part to play, in bringing others back to him.  And if figuring out that role proves a little difficult, remember it was just as difficult and unclear for Mary.  In fact, she had to seek further clarification from the Angel Gabriel asking: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?".  While in seminary, you too should ask clarifying questions, so that you can understand clearly what the Lord wants you to do for him.  And so, you can rightfully consider your time here, as another great thing the Lord has done for you.

It is perhaps in the third of the Blessed Mother's privileges, her Assumption into heaven, that we come closest to sharing her very experience.  For the third great thing that the Almighty did for Mary, taking her into heaven body and soul – that great thing he has promised to do for us as well.  The Assumption should therefore remind us not only that the Lord has redeemed us from our sins, but also that he has opened the doors of heaven, not just to our souls, but also to our bodies at the Resurrection.

Perhaps our discernment of the God's will for us, will have a firmer footing, if it is done not with becoming a priest as the ultimate goal, but rather with eternal life for ourselves and for those to whom we minister as our ultimate goal.  Although being eternal life with God as a goal that seems so far away, so remote, it is real and should be the concern of every Christian.  Such a clear and hope-filled goal will provide our formation and indeed our Christian lives with much-needed direction, since we shall know where we are going.  For the eagerness to be resurrected in body and soul, to see the Lord as he is, and to be like him will be the prism through which we carry out all those activities of human formation, spiritual formation, intellectual formation and pastoral formation.  And keeping our eye on the ball and on this noble goal, we shall weather the distractions of the Tempter and the sheer demands of this arduous journey of seminary formation and the even more difficult one of priestly life and ministry.

Conclusion

My friends, since we are heaven-bound, let heaven be the address that we enter into the GPS of our discernment.  And then we shall be guided by God, turn by turn, sometimes recalculating or rerouting when we have made the wrong turn, sometimes taking detours when we need to avoid the traffic jams of temptation, but always directing us to the goal of being assumed into heaven like the Blessed Mother.  With the Assumption of Mary and the hope of our own Resurrection as the correctly entered address, we shall continue our journey of the Christian life, but also our journey of formation, better able to clearly hear the word of God and faithfully observe it.

And then like Mary, we and those to whom we minister, the servants on whom the Lord has looked with favor and for whom he has done great things, the lowly whom he has lifted up, the hungry whom he has filled with good things, and the sinners whom he has shown mercy, we shall be called Blessed for all eternity.

Preaching the Good News, in season and out of season

Homily for 20^th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C 2016

Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53

Introduction

Prophet of doom, party-pooper, killjoy, wet blanket.  These are some of the names we give to people who spoil other people's fun, by what they say or what they do.  You have the Human Resource person who gives the pink slip, the doctor who announces a diagnosis of cancer the day before your fiftieth birthday, and the priest preaching a challenging message about marriage or immigration.

Scripture and Theology

Actually, the original "prophet of doom" was Jeremiah, whose words we have just read in the first reading.  The Prophet Jeremiah was asked by God to reveal the sins of the people, to tell them of the impending disaster that would befall the nation unless they surrendered.  Naturally, his pessimistic message was denounced by other prophets and by the leaders.  In fact in today's passage we heard him accused of demoralizing the soldiers by suggesting that the nation would fall.  And for his efforts, Jeremiah was tortured and persecuted.

But if the title, "prophet of doom" was imposed upon Jeremiah, Jesus takes it upon himself when he preaches fire and brimstone in the gospel we just read.

·        “I have come to set the earth on fire," he says, "and how I wish it were already blazing!”

·        And then again: “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

Like Jeremiah, Jesus is teaching an unwelcome message of fire and division, rather than the more welcome message of peace and joy.  Such teaching did not make him popular at his time, nor is such teaching any more popular today.  And the reason we denounce Jeremiah and Jesus as prophets of doom, is because we listen to them with the mindset of the world, rather than the mindset of God.

That is why at the Last Supper Jesus tells his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (Jn. 14:27).  The world often understands peace to mean merely an absence of war.  This kind of peace is a passive relationship, in which people don't fight, but they also don't love each other. It is the kind of peace borne out of indifference, the peace that sweeps problems under the carpet, the peace that compromises the truth.  If that is what we call peace, Jesus says, he will have nothing to do with it.

But the peace that Jesus brings is an active kind of peace; it involves commitment, faithfulness and love of Jesus and one another.  And since love is caring for the good of another, sometimes such love will point out what is wrong in the other person, and therefore bring about division.  For this truly lasting peace to come about, Jesus must set the earth on fire with his demanding message that also brings life.

• His message is the fire that must destroy the dense undergrowth of the forest, so as to allow new plants to germinate.
• His message is the fire of heat and light that makes plants grow.
• His message is the fire that cleanses and purifies gold and silver, burning away all that is impure and unworthy.
•  His message is the fire of God’s presence that Moses saw in the burning bush, the pillar of fire that accompanied the Israelites in the desert, and the tongues of fire at Pentecost which set the apostles on their mission.

Three years ago, at the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Pope Francis encouraged the youth to return home, go out onto the streets and make noise, bringing the gospel outside of the churches to the world.  Some misunderstood the Pope’s words and suggested that he was encouraging the youth to go out on the streets and start riots and demonstrations.  But the Pope, like Jesus was only encouraging the youth to get out there and be courageous missionaries, on fire for the gospel.  Like Jesus, the Pope was not encouraging war and destruction, but rather an ardent spirit and commitment to the message of salvation.

Christian Life

When you and I as Christians accept Jesus' message of fire, sometimes we experience division in our families that Jesus spoke about.  For example:

·        A father, who runs his business on Christian principles of justice and honesty, will be divided against his son who prefers quick gain.

·        And a son, who chooses to become a priest will be divided against his father who wants him to join the family business and make money.

·        A mother, who upholds Christian sexual morals in marriage will be divided against her daughter who sees sexuality as being only about pleasure.

·        And a daughter, who chooses a career of service to the poor and needy will  certainly be divided against her mother who does not care about them.

Perhaps a good example of this division is the family of St. Monica, her husband Patricius and their son Augustine.  As you probably already know, Monica was the only Christian in the family.  Both her pagan husband and son refused to believe and live according to the Christian faith.  Augustine, for example, not only practiced some strange religions, but he also lived a rather promiscuous life, even having a son out of wedlock.  This sad situation certainly caused Monica a lot of heartache and of course a lot of division in the family.

Perhaps we too have experienced divisions and estrangement in our families as a result of the faith.  Perhaps we have been tempted to give in, so as to escape the same fate that both Jeremiah and Jesus experienced as a result of teaching and practicing the truth.  Let me offer three responses to such situations: truth, charity and prayer.

1.    First, we must never compromise the truth, we must never give in for the sake of an easy peace, we must share the truth of Jesus with others.  People will not respect us, if we approach them with what they already know to be flawed; we shall be giving them only a phoney peace.  Our steadfastness, commitment and even suffering will win respect for us and victory for the Lord.

2.    But secondly, we must present the truth of Christ with charity.  The saying about catching more flies with honey than with vinegar applies here more than ever.  Many people are brought to the faith more by our good example and kindness, rather than by rude, discourteous or hateful things.  St. Monica certainly did convert Augustine by her example.

3.    Third, besides upholding the truth and upholding it in charity, we must also pray for the conversion of others and ourselves.  Let us turn to the Lord, who is the source of all conversion, that he may bring those who have gone astray back to him.  I know many parents who pray for their wayward children daily. That is what St. Monica did.

Conclusion

The gospel of Jesus Christ is also called the Good News; it is good news because Jesus told us about and brought for us the love of the Father.  But it is not a happy-go-lucky kind of good news, which allows us to do whatever we want.  It is challenging Good News, because the Father expects us to reciprocate his love, particularly in our belief, in our worship and in our daily lives.  May this Good News, laced with crosses and commitments, bring us close to God, not only in this life, but also in the life to come, where all division will come to an end.