Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ephesians 6:1-9; Luke 13:22-30)

Sir John Falstaff taught the English Prince Hal how to live a dissolute life.  Drinking, gambling, and womanizing were vices that the man passed on to his young protégé.  When Prince Hal became King Henry, Falstaff supposed that he would have life easy.  He expected his friend, the king, to provide him with all the money necessary for both pleasure and leisure.  King Henry, however, rejects his friend as an opportunist.  He banishes him from his presence “on pain of death.”  Jesus promises to do something similar in today’s gospel.

A man from the crowd yells at Jesus a question.  “’Lord,’” he asks, “’will only a few people be saved?’” Quite surprising to people today, Jesus warns the crowd that they had better desist doing evil.  He says that even though they “’ate and drank’” with him, they have not won salvation.  Rather they have to do good and avoid evil if they are ever to enjoy eternal life.

We Catholics sometimes have a similarly incorrect idea about the way to salvation. Some of us believe that just because we “’ate and drank’” with the Lord at mass, our eternal destiny is secure.  No, we must do so worthily.  This means that we strive along with Jesus to love God and neighbor.  It implies that we sacrifice our comfort to follow his way of service.

Homilette for Wednesday, October 31, 2007

You will find all postings for weekdays between October 29-31 below.

Wednesday, XXX Week of Ordinary Time

(Luke 13: 22-30)

Pupils in Catholic schools used to ask many questions of religion teachers to satisfy curiosity and to waste a little time. A typical question was, “Sister, if you are killed walking to church for confession, will you go to heaven or hell?” The sisters knew how to play along and may have responded, “What do you think?” In the gospel today we meet Jesus responding as adroitly as the sisters to a tough question.

“Lord, will only a few people be saved?” someone in the crowd asks Jesus. Perhaps the Pharisees trained the questioner to think that most people are lazy, no-good hell-bounds. People today, aware of God’s mercy, might ask a question to the opposite effect, “Doesn’t God save everyone?” Even if we try to keep the faith, all of us have loved ones who ignore some of the commandments. “God surely cannot just condemn them to hell, can He?” we wonder.

Jesus sidesteps the issue. Whom the Father will save or damn is up to Him to decide. Yet Jesus seizes the opportunity to impart wisdom. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate,” he advises. He means that we must discipline ourselves to do what is right and to avoid what is wrong. There is no place among his followers for slouchers who say, “A peek at pornography or a little lie won’t hurt anyone.” Nor are we truly Christian if we consistently ignore those in need.

Some of us may still think that going to Mass on Sundays alone will win our salvation. Not so, Jesus makes clear when he says, “And you will say, `We ate and drank in your company...’ Then he will say to you, `...Depart from me, all your evil doers!’” No, Jesus expects the Mass to serve as a launching pad where we receive fuel and guidance for the pursuit of good.