August 26, 2001 – 21^st Sunday "C"

Is 66,18-21; Heb 12,5-7. 11-13; Luke 13,22-30;

H O M I L Y

The poem from the book of the prophet Isaiah, that we had as first reading is one of the most surprising universalistic texts of the Old Testament. To a people of Israel convinced of being the only people chosen by Yahweh, and the unique object of all the privileges of Salvation, Isaiah announces that God will send his messengers to all the nations, and that worshippers will come to Jerusalem from all peoples to worship.

What Jesus says in today's Gospel must also have been very shocking for his listeners. He announces that people will come from the North and the South and the East and the West and take their place at the eschatological banquet of the kingdom of heaven.

But still more surprising is his affirmation that to be received at that banquet will depend not on being a member in good standing of any institution, but on being an authentic follower of his teaching. Many will come and will say: Here I am, good Lord, happy to see you! I have been a Catholic all my life. I belonged to so many pious associations, here are all my cards. I have paid my fees every year. I have been a member of the Catholic Action, of Opus Dei, of the Daughters of Mary, of the Neo-Cathecumenate, etc... And the Lord will say: "I am sorry, I don't know you. You are not one of those who have lived according to my commandments of love and justice, of compassion and forgiveness." I heard about you, but I don't know you. You have not shared your riches with the poor. You have been ruthless in business and have ruined other people. You have never forgiven a little insult or an injustice from a brother twenty years ago. Too bad, you're not one of mine.

Then will come someone who has never heard of Jesus, or who maybe considered himself as an atheist, because he had rejected the false image of God that had been preached to him. And Jesus will say: "Welcome into my Kingdom". The person will say. "You are making a mistake. You must take me for somebody else. Don't you know that I was not a Catholic? Don't you know that I abandoned the Church at the age of 18?... Jesus will say: "Never mind what went on in your head. The reality is that your heart has always been with me; since you always lived according to the values for which I lived and died." You have always known me, although maybe you didn't know my name. I certainly know you. Welcome into my heavenly kingdom.

All this, really, is outrageous for good Christians like us. Yes, it is. But it is Jesus' teaching.

The choice of Israel by Yahweh did not of itself entail any privilege. It simply marked out that people for a unique role in the realization of God's universal plan of salvation. The fact that we have been chosen and called to be members of the Church does not entail of itself any privilege. It entails a responsibility and a mission.

What we are really called to is to be authentic disciples of Christ. To be a disciple of Christ is to walk after him, to live according to his preaching. The Church is the community of all the disciples of Christ who recognize each other as such. If I belong to the Church but does not live according to Christ's preaching, I am not a disciple of Christ, and my belonging to the Church does not mean anything. On the other hand someone may not belong to the Church but be an authentic disciple of Christ, although perhaps he never heard his name, but lives according to the spiritual and human values for which Christ lived and died. And there are millions of those anonymous but authentic Christians around the world.

If we are – all of us here, as I hope we are -- both members of the Church and disciples of Christ, that is persons who sincerely try, in spite of their weaknesses, to live according to Christ's message, than we have a very important responsibility in God's plan of salvation. We have the responsibility of making the person, the name and the message of Jesus known around us, through our life as well as through our words.

Let us, therefore, see in today's Gospel, not a gratifying reassurance of being one of the privileged few; but on the contrary a reminder of a beautiful and very demanding mission.

Armand VEILLEUX