Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 3, 2007 - Sts. Philip and James, Apostles
[1 Corinthians 15:1-8 and John 14:6-14]I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
These words of Jesus are the source a great deal of discussion in interreligious dialogue. There are some Christians who believe that salvation is possible only for those who express an explicit personal belief in Jesus as Lord. There are others who simply say that as long as they do whatever Jesus would do (whether they know him or not) they will be saved. May Catholics claim that a huge percentage of the past, present and future population of this planet "go to hell" if these people do not confess an explicit faith in Jesus? The answer is NO! May Catholics claim that there are many "ways" to God and Jesus is only one of them and just happens to be our way? The answer is NO! Jesus IS the way, the truth and the life. The teaching on this subject may be found in the Catechism or in the documents of Vatican II. These were re-iterated in a special way in the document, DOMINUS JESUS, which reacted strongly against a "relativizing" of Jesus' importance for humanity's relationship with God. A rather homey metaphor may help to make the point. It may not be original with me, but I think it gets the message across. One does not need to know personally the bus driver on public transportation to be able to get on the bus and get to the destination. The driver is essential and it certainly impacts the experience of the journey if one is acquainted with the skills and character of the driver and have a trust in him/her. But not all the passengers are, for various reasons, going to know the driver. Must they be excluded from the bus which is an offer to all? Are the passengers who know the driver superior to those who don't? To be avoided at all costs is the smugness that some Catholics or other Christians have about their faith. It is a precious gift and should be shared whenever possible. But, we cannot deny salvation to those who for good reason have not come to faith like ours. In fact, salvation is not ours to give or deny - only to share! It seems to me that a warm "welcome aboard" to whoever gets on the bus is the best way to start! AMEN