Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 21, 2016 - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Isa 66:18-21; Heb 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30]"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. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last." [Luke]
I was once invited during my campus ministry days to give a talk to one of the large non-denominational Christian groups on campus. They asked me to address the subject of "Christian spirituality," but most of the questions at the end were directed at the subject of "Who can be saved?" It is certainly not a new question. In today's gospel scripture from the Gospel of Luke we are told: Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" In the history of Christian reflection on this question, there have been many theories, including the infamous "double predestination" belief that God has "predestined" some to be saved and some to be damned! There was also the Pelagian heresy that taught humans could earn salvation by their own works.
Catholic tradition rejects both predestination and "pay your own way" approaches. Salvation is a free gift from God that we can open in various ways. Some folks open the gift and throw it away. Some receive the gift but just leave it there unopened. Some folks don't even know the gift is there. Some folks open it far enough to know what it is and say thanks, but leave it to be completely opened "later." It's the folks who open it and throw it away who have something to worry about.
Isaiah and Luke today remind us that nobody on earth has a monopoly on salvation. It is God and God alone who offers it to all those made in his image and likeness. If we accept the gift, we accept the challenge to be faithful to it as a gift of grace and love. Our efforts may be uneven, but we hope they won't include throwing away the gift! What Isaiah and Luke remind us is that this gift is offered all over the world and to people we have never met. Heaven will be international and ecumenical! AMEN
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