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Homily:
21st Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle C
Evangelical
Catholicism is the name that Catholic author George Weigel gives to the
“mode of being” that he proposes the Church must take on in order to remain a
relevant voice proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ in the 21st
century. Among other things, Mr. Weigel
proposes that, in contrast to the inwardly-focused Church of the Counter
Reformation (which is the Church that we all know as the “pre-Vatican II
Church”)—in which communion with the Church had clearly defined boundaries (you
are either “in” or “out”) and was guarded closely by the Church hierarchy—an evangelical Catholic Church would be one
that admits of various “degrees of communion”: that is, that having received
the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and communion would be the basis of
communion, but that one could be more or less “in communion” with God and the
Church based on how deeply one engaged the faith.
To be sure, this isn’t the first time that God’s people
have grappled with this notion. In our
Gospel today, Jesus encounters someone who is asking that very question. He or she says, “Lord, will only a few people
be saved?” Really, what he or she is
asking is “Lord, is salvation only for the select few (that is, the affiliated),
or is it truly for everybody?” You see,
in the ancient Jewish understanding of it, God selected the descendents of
Abraham—Israel
Jesus, for his part, answers the question by saying
something somewhat controversial: Affiliation in a particular group won’t be
enough on its own to be saved. In other
words, just being a part of the Israelite heritage won’t be enough for you to
enter the Kingdom
of God
I suspect that I might find a few folks that, perhaps
unwittingly, believe the same thing even today.
The culture of the Counter Reformation Church was one that focused
heavily on the notion that there would be “no salvation outside of the Church”
and thus that salvation was all but guaranteed as long as you maintained a
valid membership card in the Catholic Church.
For these individuals, Mr. Weigel’s proposal that an evangelical Church is one that admits of
varying “degrees of communion”—degrees that are affected by the level in which
one engages in the faith, instead of being defined solely by the sacraments one
has received—would be a similar “slap in the face”; because in this kind of
thinking, for example, a non-Catholic Christian who adheres closely to biblical
moral teaching could be considered more deeply in communion with the Church
(and thus closer to salvation) than a fully-initiated Catholic who publically
advocates for abortion rights or for the rights of same-sex couples to be
married.
In answer to his interlocutor, Jesus offers
encouragement. He says, “Strive to enter
the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be
strong enough.” Really, what he’s saying
to him is: “Yes, salvation is available to everyone; but it isn’t easy to
obtain. Salvation requires more than
just affiliation; it requires effort and strength to live a life in communion
with God and with others.” For many
(and, perhaps, for this person) this was Good News, for it meant that there was
hope for everyone, not just for the religious elite or those with Israelite
heritage.
For us today Jesus’ message of encouragement is the same:
“Strive to enter the narrow gate.” In
other words, don’t just rest on your laurels of having received all of the
sacraments of initiation and of having “punched your timecard” every
Sunday. Rather, be a striving Catholic, an evangelical Catholic: someone who
engages faith deeply, seeking a profound friendship with the master who is our communion so that at the final
judgment you won’t be found outside of the door, pleading to get in and hearing
those desperate words: “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me…”
This morning, we celebrated the Sacrament of Baptism for
two children, Kate and David, which for them is the firm foundation for
communion with Christ in the Church.
Among their parents and godparents were Cradle Catholics, a convert to
Catholicism, Catholics from the other side of the world (Burma) and one who
witnessed it all as he awaits his own baptism at the Easter Vigil next
spring. The message for them all,
however, was the same: Salvation is yours, but you must strive for it.
My brothers and sisters, our Lord wants more from us than
just membership in the Catholic Church, he wants communion. Our baptism is
the entrance to that communion and what we receive from this altar effects that
communion in its deepest sense, but only if we are striving for it. Therefore, do not be idle there in your pew,
but choose today to seek what you receive and I promise you will find so much
more: profound friendship with Jesus now and eternal joy with him in heaven.
Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport , IN
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