I already wrote in last week’s bulletin article that Catholics need to have a burning faith, to anguish as to how to live our baptismal call and give witness to Christ. Sadly, many Catholics never embraced this part of the Gospel, so the idea of sharing our faith, evangelizing is not something many Catholics think is important, including many priests. Even some of the “evangelization” programs I have seen come out are really more about building up a personal spirituality and renewing our discipleship than about sharing Christ with others.
In today’s Gospel, when asked if only a few will be saved, Jesus mentions how people will call out, “Lord, open the door for us,” but He will respond that He does not know where they are from! That is because we spend more time trying to bring Jesus to us than we spend trying to bring ourselves to Jesus.
I want to be very clear here that I am not preaching the heresy where we “strive to enter through the narrow gate” and make ourselves perfect, sinless or somehow “worthy” of heaven (Pelagianism). Too many preachers mistake the “narrow gate” for the way of perfection and mislead people along an impossible level of holiness. This also encourages judging others for the lives they lead, tearing apart our unity in Christ. I would rather focus on being “strong enough” to enter through the narrow gate. I believe the strength we need to have is the strength of our faith, not the strength of our good works or holiness. But a strong faith means more than simply “knowing” Jesus or attending Mass. The people rejected are the very ones who say, “We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.” That’s like saying, “I went to Communion and I listened at Mass or I prayed every day.” A strong faith means putting Jesus first. It’s not asking “What Would Jesus Do?”, but instead, we ask ourselves, “Am I doing what Jesus wants ME to do?” A strong faith is more than Discipleship; it is Stewardship as well. Renew My Church talks about making us “missionary disciples” after the example of Pope Francis. I prefer to call this steward disciples because we take responsibility for the faith that has been given to us and we use it for the glory of God. We trust God to give us what we need when we need it. The strength of our faith is not what we can do, but what we allow God to do through us.
We all know people who have great faith—to a point. They pray well. They live good lives. Some even preach well. We also know that the faith of some of these people may be great, but it is not strong. When tempted in the right way, they set aside their principles. When welcomed into a church that only speaks of blessings, they abandon their faith in the cross. When adversity comes along, they turn against God. Yes, they have great faith, but it is not strong enough to withstand God’s discipline.
For me, there is only way to make our faith strong enough to walk in through the narrow gate. My prayer is always, “Lord, open the door for me.” When I am in need, I pray that God will open the door. When I am not sure which way to turn, I pray that God will open the door. When I am ready to give thanks for all the blessings I have received, I pray God will open the door. And when I feel all too powerfully my human weakness because of age or frailty or sickness or sin, I pray that God will open the door. The strongest in faith do nothing on their own, but can do all things by letting God open the doors before us. Peace, Fr Nick