21th Sunday in Ordinary Time ( C-cycle )
Auguat 26, 2007
One winter afternoon, several cotton farmers sat around a potbellied stove while whiling the time away. They soon became entangled in a heated discussion on the merits of their respective religions. The oldest among them, sat quietly in a corner just listening, as the debate raged around him. Finally the group turned to him and demanded; “Who is right, Old Jim? Which one of these religions is the right one?” “Well,” said Jim thoughtfully, “”you see that cotton gin over there?” “There are several ways that one can take to get there. You can go over the big hill. That’s the short way but it is a steep climb. You can go around the east side of the hill. That too is not too far, but the road is rough. Or you can go around the west side of the hill, which is the longest way, but the easiest.” “But you know,” he continued, while looking them squarely in the eye, “When you get there, the gin man does not ask you how you came. All he wants to know is ‘How good is your cotton?’” This bottom line lesson is one that we should keep in mind as we begin to examine today’s scripture readings.
In the first reading, we once again hear the prophecy about the gathering together of all peoples of the world at Zion. This is a frequent picture painted by Isaiah and the other Old Testament prophets and was supposed to occur at the beginning of the messianic age. Christian faith sees its fulfillment partly in the bringing together of people from all nations into the Catholic Church and partly in the future return of Jesus to gather all the nations of the world into His kingdom.
Today’s Gospel reading which culminates in the great proclamation that many will come from the east and west and take their place in the Kingdom of God, also re-emphasizes the idea. It is important to note however, that this universalism of the Christian gospel is not an easy thing. It is intended for all, but is offered through Christ alone and in particular to those who live out His gospel message, making it is a narrow road, for as we heard it said though many are called only a few make it. The messianic banquet therefore is offered to those who are able to live out the gospel message of love. As Christ has commanded; “Love one another, as I have loved you”. “This is how they will know that you are my disciples”. At the end of each of our lives when we come before God, the question we will face is not so much how we got there but rather how well we have loved; and what good harvests we have produced.
Take the case of Jesus. After His suffering and death, he was able to draw all of humanity to himself, becoming the first born from the dead and making it possible that all souls can be harvested for God. Following His resurrection, he offers us the opportunity of sharing in His work of redemption by each of us producing our own fruits and thereby increasing the Kingdom’s harvest. We can do this by setting good examples for others in the way we live and love. And this, incidentally, is also what Vatican II calls for when it defined the priesthood of the laity. Therefore for us today, how we live out the gospel message of love should be of primary concern to us.
For as Jesus warns very bluntly in the gospel today, no one has a lock on heaven; It is rather a pay off for a life-time of hard labor. And everyone must do their share. God in His infinite mercy will find a way to save all who reach out to Him in love, mercy and faith regardless of their form of worship. The question that one may well ask then is; if everyone who reaches out to God is accepted, what about us? What about those who believe in the one true church, who have loved and labored, who prepared by eating the flesh and blood of the Messiah, who believe in the “True Presence” and who possess the fullness of revealed truth and its promises?
The answer is simple. Being in the one true church is by invitation. It is a great blessing but it also carries with it a great responsibility for those who have responded. For to whom much is given, much is expected. And besides, although Heaven is open to all, one small detail which is often overlooked and which Jesus frequently alluded to is the fact that heaven is a kingdom and a kingdom connotes hierarchy or what is called degrees of glory.
A fact which the apostles themselves understood; - For as we recall they were jockeying for the most prized positions in the Kingdom. “Master”, they once asked Jesus “who will sit on your right and left, in the Kingdom”? In response, Jesus did not dismiss the concept, but only emphasized that it was not His decision to make. My suspicion is that it is probably up for grabs; - Reserved for those who by their lives have shown great sacrificial love; those who met the challenge of Jesus when he asked “Can you drink of the cup which I am about to drink?”
The life of a true Christian is a journey along a road less traveled; a very narrow road indeed. Today, it is my prayer that as we travel along this road we will make the choices that will enable us to bear much fruit for the kingdom of God and thus join in the throng that will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south to recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
God Bless you.