AUGUST 25TH 2013 - 21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME~READINGS:Isaiah 66:18-2, Psalm 117:1, 2,Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13, Luke 13:22-30~~Beloved in Christ, I wonder what it would be like for us to be knocking on heavens doors and saying “let me in,.. lookI have the badge and the membership… onlyto get to hear God say...... ‘who are you?”...I don’t know you? I don’t know where you come from?”That, for anyone, would be devastating .....… terrible….Who we are goes with how we act.. how we live…. And how we respond to God’s invitation to be disciples….. We gain entry into the kingdomnot by our badge of membership alone, butby being recognisable as a disciple of Christ by our love and faithfulness to God’s message, by being truefriends of Jesus … in actas well as name…. knowing Jesus and being known by Jesus….. in our lives and choices…. In the parable those who were locked out said: “But, we ate with you, we heard your teaching! We are your fellow People of Israel. We are the chosen people who have Abraham as our Father and the Prophets as our inheritance. We arethe saved people, and the privileged people of God’s promise.” The shocking reply would be too awful to contemplate: “Sorry, I don’t know where you come from!” What does he mean ‘I don’t know where you come from???????” They come from his own PEOPLE, but this is clearly not enough, according to Jesus. People from other nations and cultures, who are not part of thechosen people, are welcomed into God’s family and God’s houseahead of those who have gotten cosy and self-satisfied in the presumption that their place in God’s house is assured. Jesus is warning all who followhim that a place in God’shouse is offered to all who actually respond to his values and teachings and to his invitation, irrespective of their background and culture. It is a sobering reminder to us all that we need to be constantly open to God’s surprising wisdom and teachings.We must never fall for the trap of thinking that we have gotten the message and that we have nothing more or new to learn about God’s ways. There is a worldwide tendency among people who believe in a religion to feel that they are a privileged group, that they carry with them some cast-iron guarantee that their future is absolutely secure. The concept of a “chosen people” is not really confined to the Jews. We find it among Christians, Hindus, Muslims and even among militant Buddhists (a contradiction in terms?). It is not for us here to evaluate other religious beliefs. We will confine ourselves to Christians. Even among Christians themselves there are divisions about who is chosen and on the right path. Just listen to some of the Christians speaking about each other and you will hear horrible things. Christians have believed for a long time that they and they alone will be, as they put it, “saved”. “Outside the Church there is no salvation” was a rallying cry for centuries and, if we arenot mistaken, still is forsome. Yet it was well before the Second Vatican Council that Jesuit Fr Leonard Feeney was condemned by the Holy See for denying salvation to non-Christians.Anyone who thinks they have already arrived at the fullness of what it means to be a followerof Jesus, anyone who thinks they are living out the perfect example of what a follower of Jesus should be, ought to be very humble and very careful. Discipleship in Christ demands of us constant vigilance, an openness of heart and mind and a willingnessto be transformed and changed by God’s wisdom. Jesus also seems to be inviting usto be welcoming and open to an ever-increasinggroup of people throughout the community and beyond, to whom God is also extending a warm welcome. To be a follower of Jesus is tobe open and always ready to be surprised and to respond in different ways to what God is doing. Its being ready not with all the answers, but ready with an open mind andheart. The irony is, God will say“I KNOW you” because we have, through our lives and actions shown that we really and truly KNOW and (at least) start to comprehend Jesus and his very different ways….I leave us with a question, WHAT WILL WE DO TODAY TO MAKE SURE THAT JESUS KNOWS US? May we notbe locked out of the kingdom on the last day, Amen. Have a Blessed Sunday.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 05:02:05 +0000
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