Wednesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Ephesians 6:1-9 | Psalm 144:10-14 | Luke 13:22-30
Someone said to Jesus, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ (Luke 13:23)
Since scripture doesn’t describe the person who asked this question, we don’t know if it was someone who was genuinely concerned about his fellow men, or one who subscribed to the salvation viewpoint of “the few, the righteous, the chosen…the elite.”
With the benefit of two millennia of hindsight, we can of course confidently state that Jesus came to save all who would accept Him and live by His precepts of love for God and neighbor alike. Our ancestry, religious or otherwise, has no bearing. Our wealth, our list of patrons, our standing in society – all of that counts for nothing when it comes to our salvation.
Christ came to save everyone, the great and the lowly, but that message didn’t sink in back then.
And even today, how many of us still unconsciously look upon our non-Catholic brethren and quietly tell ourselves, “oh man, you’re going to hell.” Or worse, actually curse someone in anger to “go to hell!” and actually mean it in our hearts?
How many of us thump the family Bible and commit our children to weekly catechism, but pay scant attention during Sunday mass and leave after communion, determined to minimize our personal commitment?
How many of us only pay lip service to Jesus’ commandment, pontificating about God’s love with chapter, verse and canon law citations, but showing scant courtesy to the workers around us, to the point where onlookers react with “wow, what arrogant hypocrites Catholics are”?
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
Throughout my career, I’ve unavoidably dealt with computer security on an almost daily basis. In this field, we have a simple maxim:
There are two kinds of people/companies/networks:
Those that have been hacked
And those that will be
Similarly:
There are two kinds of people:
Those who have accepted salvation
And those who haven’t…yet
But what does it mean to “accept salvation?” I think it’s simply living the Gospel life:
- Love God with our all. Pray unceasingly, worship unreservedly, make time to ponder scripture, turn away from sin.
- Love our neighbor as ourselves. Help others in whatever way we can, give generously, join with others’ sufferings in prayer, show by example the way to God.
To do otherwise is to arrogantly tell God “I want no part of salvation”, and to reap the consequences in the hereafter. Thankfully, it’s not too late:
to humble ourselves to accept this precious gift,
to commit ourselves to wholehearted love in thought, word and deed,
so as to join “Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, [and] men from east and west, from north and south, […] to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:28-29)
Amen.