Today the Gospel presents us with one of the most important questions in life – who will be saved? When we look back at the origin of the relationship of God and His chosen people Israel, they believed that only Jews could actually live in communion with God in this world and in heaven. Non-Jewish people, so they thought, were destined to be second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. Many believed that you not only needed to be of the Jewish race to win God's favor, but you also had to follow even the most minute details of the Law of Moses, as well as the many ritual practices that had grown up around that Law. In short, there was a profound understanding even at the time of Jesus, that salvation was based on external factors, like race and ritual.
Today, Jesus takes the opportunity to address the “Million Dollar question” of whom will be saved. He explains that in God's Kingdom there will be people from all four corners of the earth - just as Isaiah had prophesied in the First Reading. So race cannot be a factor.
Jesus also explains that many who "ate and drank" with Him - in other words, many who followed all the many external rituals that governed Jewish eating and drinking at the time - will be excluded from God's Kingdom. So, it seems that the exterior rituals aren't the ticket either. But if race and ritual aren't the keys to salvation, what is?
It's the heart. Salvation doesn't depend primarily on external appearances, but on friendship with Christ, and that's rooted in our hearts. It is about our life decision, the choice to be His disciples, to learn from Him and make His teaching our own way of life, with Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life.
There is no doubt that there are many people who do great work in the name of Jesus. We often call them “good people” but unless you have Jesus in your hearts, everything else seems to be short of our efforts. "I do not know where you are from" is a sobering awakening of missing our mark. What matters to Christ is not drama and fireworks and great achievements; what matters to Christ is the humility and love that are in our hearts.
As Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said: "If you try, you will find it impossible to do one great thing. You can only do many small things with great love." Following Christ is a matter of the heart: His heart reaching out to ours and hoping for a warm welcome and there are no short cuts. God is a narrow gate, but it's the only way to the fulfillment we long for.
Our 40 Hours Adoration was a great success. I want to thank everyone who helped to organize and all who participated in the solemn adoration of the Lord. It fills my heart with profound gratitude and admiration for all of your involvement with hope that this time of adoration allowed us to deepen our appreciation of the importance of the mystery of the Eucharist in our lives. Thank you and may the blessing of the Lord be upon you!
In the past few weeks, we have begun registration for another year of Religious Education in our Family Faith Formation Process. I invite parents to register your children and guide them to stay on the right path of life and faith. The special encounter with Christ will help you to listen more attentively to the voice of Christ who always guides us to the fullness of life and happiness as His disciples.
“There is a marvelous peace that comes into the soul if all trials and disappointments, sorrows and pains are accepted either as deserved chastisement for our sins or as a healthful discipline which will lead us to greater virtue.” – The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen