Homily for August
25, 2019
Twenty-First
Sunday of Ordinary Time
Salvation and How
to Obtain It
As a
priest, we celebrate quite a few funerals. One thing that has always amazed me
about funerals is how many people assume that the deceased is in Heaven. At one
memorable funeral, the nephew of the deceased got up to give the eulogy, and he
began to say, “My aunt loved this church more than anything. She was here every
single week, without fail.” Meanwhile I am looking at the booklet the funeral
home had prepared, which had her picture – I definitely did not recognize this
woman! The nephew went on, “Oh yes, my aunt had her special seat where she sat
every week. She truly had a very special place in her heart for this church.” I’m
still looking at the picture, wondering how I had never seen this parishioner.
Finally, he says, “Oh, my aunt was here every week…at Bingo!” She had never set
foot in the Church itself but would attend Bingo in the hall every week! But
the man went on to say, “And we know she is in a better place now…” Oh,
brother!
Jesus
addresses a particularly thorny concern – will only a few people be saved? His
response seems discouraging – it is a narrow gate, and many will not be able to
enter it. What do we believe about salvation? Here are a few myths about
salvation – and what the Scriptures and the Church actually teach about it.
MYTH 1:
We earn our salvation by a holy life.
TRUTH:
Salvation is a free gift, which we receive by faith. In the Bible, who is the
first person to enter Heaven? The good thief! He didn’t have any good works to
get into Heaven, and it’s pretty clear he didn’t live a holy life…but he
trusted in God’s mercy and put his faith in Jesus, and for that, he was saved!
So, we do not earn Heaven as if it was a reward for anything we have
accomplished – it is, rather, a free gift from God.
MYTH 2:
This life is a test to see if we are worthy to be saved and go to Heaven.
TRUTH:
This life is an invitation for whether we will accept God’s love – or whether
we will reject it. As a teacher, you have to remain neutral. If a kid gets a 60
on a test, then you have to give them that grade. When I would teach at Trinity
or Cardinal Kung, I couldn’t give kids extra points just because they were nice
kids – I had to remain totally neutral. But life isn’t a test, and God isn’t a
test-giver – instead, God has sent you and me and everyone on this earth an invitation to spend eternity with Him.
How we live our life is our RSVP to that invitation. What’s the difference
between a test and an invitation? When we receive an invitation to a party, we
know it comes from someone who loves us and who enjoys our company, and who
definitely desires to spend time with us!
MYTH 3: Unless
you’re an ax murderer or a Hitler-type dictator, you are almost guaranteed to
go to Heaven.
TRUTH: Many
people prefer loving themselves or the things of this world to the free gift of
Heaven, because to accept the gift of Heaven means accepting the gift of the
Cross. Once I was going on a Boy Scout camping trip and, as it was Saturday
night, I had to leave the trip to go to Mass, which meant that I missed a
brutal 4-mile hike to the campsite (my dad drove me directly to the campsite
instead). When I got to the campsite, a fellow scout asked me where I’d been. I
told him I missed the hike because I was at Mass. He scoffed and said, “I’d
rather hike forty miles than go to
Mass.” And, sadly, this was the son of my Confirmation teacher! Many people
would rather possess the things of this world than the free gift of salvation
that God offers us, because to possess salvation means giving up certain
pleasures in this world, embracing the Cross, and following Jesus. It’s not
just ax murderers who refuse God’s invitation to Heaven – it is anyone who
chooses their own will over God’s.
MYTH 4:
God is so loving that He will not send anyone to Hell.
TRUTH:
Those who end up in Hell do so because they have freely chosen it. Hell is a
beautiful gift of God’s mercy. Why do I say this? Two reasons. First, God
respects our free will so much that He would never force us to love Him. If we
love ourselves more, He will let us be in the presence of ourselves for
eternity (aka, alone!). Second, it would be more painful for someone who doesn’t
love God to be in Heaven than in Hell. Think about it – I hope that you are
here this morning because it is a delight to worship God. But if we forced an
atheist to go to Mass, they might say, “This is boring! I hate this! Why did
you force me to come with you?” Likewise, if God forced someone to go to Heaven
who didn’t really love Him, they would suffer for eternity, saying, “I hate
this! I don’t want to be in the presence of God! This is boring; this is
torture!” So it is part of God’s love to provide Hell for those who do not wish
to be in His presence for eternity.
MYTH 5:
Only good Catholics go to Heaven.
TRUTH:
God desires all men to be saved and will do whatever is necessary to invite
them to salvation. St. Catherine of Siena was the youngest of 22 children (her
mother should be a saint!). One of her brothers tragically took his own life by
jumping off a bridge. Catherine was filled with anguish at thinking her brother
was in Hell for committing the sin of suicide. One day in prayer, though, Jesus
appeared to her and said, “Between the bridge and the water, I was with your
brother.” In other words, we do not know the eternal destiny of anyone (except
for saints – the Church infallibly declares that they are in Heaven). Other
than officially canonized saints, we pray for the souls of the dead. So,
whether the deceased was a daily Communicant or an atheist or anywhere in
between, we commit their souls to the mercy of God Who will do anything to save
their souls.
In
conclusion, I want to emphasize that we do not need to worry about our
salvation. Love Jesus, and let Him take care of your salvation. HE wants you to
be saved even more than YOU want to be saved. So love Him, and let Him bring
you through the narrow gate.
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